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Somewhere beneath the floorboards, within the depths of the Crescenzo and past a maze of steel and smoke, there was an old, silver box. It was sitting somewhere near the front of the ship the last time John had seen it, sitting between two white pipes which permeated the walls of what lay beneath Deck Zero. There were other such secrets to be found in here, but now was not the time.
The lid opened with a creak as the only key to open the box was turned to its side. Atop a dated velvet lining, eight keys with eight silver, engraved labels sat untouched for more than a decade. And while the ship that climbed far above this box had gone through renovation after renovation, a few things had remained. These were one of the untouched.
John grabbed each key individually—careful not to mess with the other objects in the box—and locked the lid once more. He crawled back through the mass and mechanics and climbed back through the false door that had led him so deep within the ship. Standing out here was Captain Chris Maddox, holding the only key into this section of the ship. Climbing out, Maddox quickly locked the false door yet again, and placed this key back into his breast pocket. Like many things that took place today, this hadn’t been done in quite a while.
“The others?” Maddox asked, looking closely at John. No one but the two of them could ever understand what he was referring to.
John gave a quick nod.
Maddox, letting out his first smile of the day, patted his crew member on the back. Hard.
“Well then,” he beamed. “Let’s get to it.”
The
Crescenzo had been an empty vessel. Aside from his two allies and crew members, John and Doe, Maddox led a hollow shell of a ship through the open waters of the earth. And for quite some time. It had come as a great surprise to him that all eight tickets had sold so quickly. And hopefully it would be of some joy to have others around him after so long. The oceans are barren, and what better way to pass the time than to enjoy a story or two.
Over the next few hours, the three men made sure each key worked to each room. They checked the pool, the bathrooms and the living quarters. John met with their delivery service on the shoreline and made certain that the needed food and supplies had been loaded on, before disappearing to make a final inspection of the ship.
As for their bearing, Maddox did not know. It was always his tradition to sail off in whatever direction felt right when loading new passengers, and he was certain that this time would be no different.
After ensuring that the doors to the staff quarters and control deck were locked, it was time to simply stand and wait. On each card delivered to each guest, the instructions had been simple:
Arrive at the docks at five, and look for the Crescenzo. Bring no one with you, and take only what you feel will be necessary for your travels. Board the ship, take your key, drop your things off in your room, and wait with the others in the living room on the first deck.
Satisfied with the preparations, Maddox knew there was only one thing left to do.
“Doe,” he said, turning to his silent companion. The hulking man gave Maddox a look only slightly nicer than a glare.
“It’s nearing four-thirty. I believe it’s time for you and I to make ourselves scares until our guests arrive.”
Doe nodded, and—like his brother—disappeared into the intricate workings of the ship via a false door. Maddox followed suit, and soon, the halls and rooms of the
Crescenzo enjoyed a quiet they would not feel again for a long time.
It was four thirty-seven, and Dustin wasn’t going to wait any longer.
The night before had been rough enough, and after checking out of the local hotel before noon, he had been left to wandering the city for several hours. He had seen many faces and many people. Perhaps one of them would board with him tonight. Perhaps none would. Details seemed to be scare when it came to this voyage he had booked for himself.
Still, beyond all that, Dustin couldn’t say he wasn’t happy when he saw the word
Crescenzo scrawled out in complex lettering alongside the ship. He wasn’t sure if the word was another language, a surname, or anything of the sort. To him, it meant
Solace.
Dustin approached the ship, which grew more massive the closer he got. It looked to be something near two-hundred feet, and several stories high. He hadn’t been expecting as much, even after the price he had paid.
At the foot of the boarding plank, there was a small table. On top of it were eight keys, each with a label engraved with a room number.
Hesitating, Dustin pulled out one of only two things given to him when he had purchased the ticket; a small piece of paper. On the paper, it gave instructions on boarding the ship, as well as a number.
For Dustin, it was
101. Suppose I’m first, then, Dustin thought to himself. He picked up the key, and boarded the ship, landing on what he thought to be a walking deck that surrounded this floor.
Here, Dustin pulled out the second thing given to him when he arrived; a map of the ship. Following the outdoor walking deck to the back of the ship, Dustin opened the door to find himself in what was labeled as the
Smoking Room. In here, two separate bars lined the walls. In the center, two billiard tables sat. Dustin made a mental note to return to this room as he walked down the staircase to Deck One.
Passing the bathroom and laundry room, Dustin quickly found his room out of only the four on this level. Turning the key, he opened the door.
Inside was hardly more than a bed, shelves, closet, and a window. With a scoff, Dustin set his suitcase down upon his bed. He’d look around more once he had everything figured out. After grabbing a pack of Marlboros from his things, he made his way to the living room he had been instructed to go to—after locking his stateroom door behind him.
Dustin had expected to find at least one person aboard, but soon after passing the dining room and ending up in the living room, he was surprised to find it wasn’t the case. However, it wasn’t at a total loss.
The living room was quite well-made. Nice chairs all angled to the center of the room, while the bar along the back wall seemed freshly stocked. After taking another look around, Dustin walked behind the bar and poured himself a pint of whatever was on tap. From the smell and taste, Dustin assumed it was an apple ale. Dustin took a swig and confirmed this in his own mind, before moving to sit down in one of the empty chairs. He made a mental note to ask the first crew member he saw about the smoking policy, before taking another sip of his drink.
Maybe I should’ve bought the other rooms, too. Dustin thought.
I could get used to this. In the silence, Dustin set his head against the chair, and let out a sigh relief. Perhaps it was truly all over.
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