Exhausted, it took Matt a moment to realize Chuck and Nora hadn’t returned. A hasty discussion convinced Fleming to help Matt check on them, but the elevator didn’t respond. The call button played the same rhythm as everything else on the damn ship: two long, two short.
Fleming set to work on the elevator while Matt went to the catwalk. A chill crawled up his spine as he looked down at the engine room, seeing it without the blue glow for the first time. Matt knew the floor was only twenty feet down, but darkness consumed everything. He called out for Chuck and Nora. No response. Not right away. Then an anguished cry ripped through the air, cut short after a wet gurgle.
A man’s laugh replaced the scream—not the kind that stems from a well-told joke. Matt froze as the laughter ascended in
