The Ship

“How many killed?” one man asked.

“Me?” she looked around searching for some little sense in all of this.

Her eyebrows crinkled.

She gaped. A look of disgust came over her and next a ball of fury.

“Well, none. Of course,” she answered, her eyebrows crinkling ever more.

Everyone else gathered around her, ogling her from head to toe. She seemed something of an extraterrestrial to them.

The man questioning her took off his black fedora and pulled forward closer to her. He examined her face for a long time.

“You mean to tell me you’ve never killed. Not even once?” he finally managed.

An odd pause.

The people gathered around, fixed on the woman with an intense bewilderment.

“That’s right,”she replied with an unusual, strong tone.

But then her confidence shattered to her feet as she examined everyone’s face.

They all wore hatred.

An older woman stepped forward, “Ten.”

“Ten?” asked the man.

“Yes.” she continued.

“What’s with all of this… can’t I board the ship now?” she muttered.

“Yes, of course. Please do. Thank you for your service,” said the man as he put his fedora back on and stepped aside to let her pass.

Then he turned to the woman from before, “I’m sorry ma’m, but you cannot board this ship.”

A young fellow pushed himself hard past the crowd and yelled, “Hey! I’ve killed two. Let me pass! I got no time to be standing here!”

The man stepped aside to let him on.

“So it’s a crime to never have killed?’ said the woman. “What has this world come to?”

The crowd became enraged, for this very woman had been holding up the ship’s departure.

The man looked at her straight in the eye and with assertiveness said, “This world has come to the survival of the fittest. It’s always been like that and now it’s like that more than ever, and if you can’t understand that, I’m sorry but you won’t be able to board the ship.”

“Stop wasting time with that foolish woman! Let those who have killed board now! We have all killed and we have no time for this!” an old man yelled. He was so furious and almost stumbled as he stepped forward with his cane.

With this, everyone pushed the woman to the back of the dock.

She watched those wretched killers so anxious to board the ship.

Then came a clever idea.

She scampered into the desolate city searching for them–only one is all she needed.

But they were hiding.

And she kicked an empty tin can in frustration, slightly scraping a pinch of flesh.

“Dammit,” she groaned.

But then a smile came over her.

With the piece of tin, she jabbed at her skin, even more, leaving a long trail of blood behind her.

This was when she heard a groan.

She could make out a ghoul approaching from the distance.

Perfect, she thought.

This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

Though the ghoul was approaching much too slowly.

So she ran towards it.

With that same piece of tin can, she charged at it like a maniac.

First, she immobilized it by slashing its feet.

Next, its arms.

Last, its head.

Now she stood over it, her hand firmly holding on to the head.

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

She rushed back to the dock to find the ship.

It was too late.

“Hey, Mister! Look here, I’ve killed one!”

But the ship was already too far.

“Come back!”

She watched as the ship began to change its course, approaching the dock.

She jumped and yelled like an excited child.

It was coming her way!

She chuckled again.

But then came a frown.

The ship froze.

Behind her stood death and she didn’t even know.

Far too many ghouls.

Too many to count.

She watched the ship get farther from the dock.

That was when she heard a nasty growl.

She turned to face them.

The ghouls stood there examining her left hand. She was still holding the ghoul’s head!

“Jesus Christ,” she cried.

Though they were too slow, they still outnumbered her.

So she turned around.

She approached the edge of the dock and

jumped into the ocean.

colder and colder her body got

until

there was no pulse.