The door pushed open and Squid charged inside.
“Oh my God!What’s going on?Has someone been killed?”Squid asked, white as a sheet beneath all his tattoos.
“A disgusting, revolting worm!”I pointed at the wall.“I threw the horrid creature over there.Dear God, I need a drink.”
“A worm?What do you mean, a worm?”Dinesh asked.“Shush, Pearl.Quiet!”
“I thought the worm was your prick!It was thick and squishy—no offense—then I thought I’d pulled your cock off!It was a fucking disgusting worm!Laying against my arse!What the ever-loving fuck is happening?”
Pearl continued to bark.She stared at the wall, and I noticed movement there.
I could have sworn something had fallen onto the floor.Before I could get up to look, I saw several of the grey worms emerging from burrows in the wood and then dropping.
“Oh my fucking God,” I cried, standing on the mattress and wrapping my arms around myself, pulling the captain’s arm with me as if he were a large doll.He resisted, however, and tugged the limb down.
“You’re about to pull my arm off.For fuck’s sake, stay still.”
“Look at the fucking wall!Look!”I said, pointing with my free hand.
Right as Captain Martin and Squid noticed the worms, Hillier charged in.
“Captain, we’ve been infested!”he informed us.“Why is White standing on the bed?”
“Because of the worms!”I yelled, pointing at the wall.“Pearl, come here.Here, girl.Get away from the vile things!”
She jumped up on the bed but continued to bark.
“Jesus, shut up, you bloody dog!”Dinesh yelled.
Pearl quieted.Dinesh threw me an apologetic look.
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s all right.”I bent to soothe her, taking comfort in her familiar closeness.
“Good God, what are they?”Dinesh asked, working to untie the rope around our wrists.
“Shipworms, I’m afraid,” Hillier stated.“But we inspect her hull every week, Captain.There were only a few signs of such activity two days ago, I swear.And now they are everywhere.”
“I know,” Dinesh said, pointing at the wall.
“Holy fucking hell,” Hillier said, gazing at the worms falling out of holes in the wood of the captain’s cabin.
“Are we taking on water?Are things as bad as this below deck?”
Hillier didn’t answer, but turned and ran out of the room.We heard him tearing down the stairs, men yelling, footsteps.
Squid took off out the door.
“Get dressed,” Dinesh ordered.“Here.”
He tossed my clothes onto the bed.
I let go of Pearl, who jumped down from the bed, still barking.
I took my shirt up and shook the cloth, half expecting a few worms to fall out.I dressed as quickly as I could and followed the captain.
Puzzled crewmen rushed about and slimy worms squished under my shoes as we went up to the deck.Worms slithered out of holes in the wood of the deck and gunwale.
