The Platform by D G Jones Read Free Book Online Page B

squall trying to
take me, and my feet slip in the grease. It’s hard to breathe and my eyes are
squeezed almost shut as I hold on for all I am. I feel the shudders through the
pipe of those behind me, and then I sense the ship up close – an overpowering
presence that shields me from the worst of the wind. I feel relief as it gets
easier, and I make the last few metres almost at a run.
                 I cower in the portal. Jammed above
the pipe is the emergency entrance and the line control, and I turn to see
where everyone is. Skea is almost here, Helst is halfway across and Cora far
behind. She is firing at the creatures, walking backwards along the pipe. It’s
insane! She will be snatched over in an instant, if the things don’t reach her
first. I open up the emergency controls, locating the door and the emergency
jettison.
                 Skea clambers up beside me and for a
second is panting hard for breath, scrubbing the sea-spray from her eyes.
                 “You okay?” I yell.
                 “Yeah,” she nods. I hit the ‘open’
release and she begins turning the wheel until it clicks and opens. She climbs
in, leaving me to dump the line. Seeing Helst is almost here, it crosses my
mind to do it now, but I can’t, not while Cora is out there and still has a
slim chance. Maybe Helst senses my thoughts because he runs the last few metres
and reaches the portal. Without a word, he enters the ship and I am left to
watch Cora fighting her way. Come on ,
I urge her on silently. She is not even halfway here, and the things are trying
to negotiate the slippery surface of the line: one tumbles down into the water
below but two more seem to have better grip and are chasing her down. I lean
back, trying to aim at them, but her huddled form is blocking the shot. There
is nothing I can do but wait to see if she makes it. It’s a horrible feeling,
just standing there, watching, feeling the past bite and stir up again,, and
she begins to panic, trying to run, but it’s hopeless. Her boots are slipping,
the wind tearing at her, and right behind her, one of the things is gaining
ground. I yell to her but it is no use: the wind rips her right from the line
and takes her away, flying for a second then down and down into the dark
boiling waters. Fuck, I think to myself. I can’t even see where she hit. She is
already under, and below the creatures wait, eager to devour her.
                  I jettison the line quickly. The explosive
bolts are loud; they thunder through the ship, almost throwing me aside. The pipe
whips away, taking the two abominations with it. There is no way back now, and
seeing the Platform swarming with creatures, it was the only option. With one
last look down into the water, I edge my way to the door and seek shelter from
the storm.

 
                                                                            *

 
                 I could tell the second I entered
there was nothing living on the ship. The stink of death and corpses hangs
thickly everywhere. We gave a cursory search and found nothing but decomposing
crew members, and in truth, none of us were that surprised. We wandered around
shouting for anyone, but it soon became clear no one was coming to greet us. After
finding the first dead man, we knew, so we made our way up to the bridge. Helst
checked on the fuel supplies, and there isn’t a great deal left – certainly not
enough to get us anywhere. The good news though is that it’s not sinking – at
least not immediately anyway. Most of the damage is sealed off by emergency
bulkheads, but there is still flooding on the three lower decks. There was some
attempt to pump her out, but the crew didn’t live long enough to fix it.
                 We watched the video logs left by the
captain, and now with horrible certainty we know that the final war