A dagger slashed toward her stomach. She jumped back, finding her reaction time was much faster than usual.
She felt stronger as well.
Bringing back her sword, she swung it as hard as possible.
The man's head slid from his shoulders, and Cristiana watched with shock as his body crumpled to the floor.
I…really am a murderer, she thought. I killed Liam. I killed Gerard. Now this man.
Her eyes moved to the other three waiters, who were charging forward, wielding their weapons with fury.
Why did the waiters have weapons?
Why had Gerard killed Milly?
Was this not a job for security?
All of these questions ran through her mind as she brought her sword up. The blade sliced through one of their wrists. The man with the gun.
The hand fell to the ground, still holding the pistol, which clattered at her feet.
Dropping the sword, she picked up the gun and fired.
The noise that erupted from the pistol momentarily deafened Cristiana.
For a moment, her vision went black, and she felt herself falling to the ground. Someone had hit her?
She tried to stand blindly, and she felt someone shove her.
Her vision began to come back. Though it was blurry at first, she could still see movement.
A fist was speeding toward her.
She moved to the side, but the punch still struck her in the side of the face.
Now on the floor, Cristiana rolled away as a boot came down toward her.
"Get her!" One of the waiters shouted as she crawled toward the door. She felt hands wrap around her ankles, pulling her back into the room.
Suddenly, she was pinned down. A waiter was kneeling on her back.
"GAH!" Cristiana screamed with fury, moving every part of her body she could. Somehow, she managed to throw the man off balance, sending him tumbling backwards.
Scampering to her feet, Cristiana threw herself at the man while he was still recovering. Now she was pinning him down.
The idea of such a quick revenge made her even more sure of what to do next.
She plunged her thumbs into his eyes, pressing down as hard as she could.
The waiter screamed out in pain as her thumbs sank into his eyes until they reached the front of his skull.
His screams stopped, and Cristiana stood, not bothering to check if she had killed him or if he had passed out. Either was good enough.
There was only one waiter left.
The man crouched in the corner, covering his head. He was shaking.
There's no way he's…scared of me?
She bent down and picked up Gerard's sword. Ignoring the man, she turned to the door, closing it behind her. The lock was on the outside of this room, which made it the perfect cell.
She didn't want her escape to be found out immediately. By leaving that one man, she would risk him running for help. She turned the lock and darted down the hallway.
Less than an hour until they arrived at their destination. That meant land couldn't be too far. She would need to jump off the ship.
The memory of Jack jumping flashed in her mind.
I won't end up like him, Cristiana decided.
She made her way up a set of stairs. Her cell had been on one of the lowest floors, as there had been no windows in her room. She needed to at least reach the fifth floor, the first balcony deck, in order to make her escape.
The upper floors would be crowded with people at this point in the trip. Everyone would likely be in the lobby with their bags, waiting for the ship to dock.
Cristiana looked down at herself. She was completely covered in blood. She was still carrying the sword.
What would people think? Would they try to stop her too?
The first non-crew member floor was the third, the one just above her cell room. The stairwell was for crew members only too, so it ended on the third floor.
She would need to make it up two floors of people and worker-infested stairs before she reached her destination.
Then, and only then, would she finally be free.
Taking a deep breath, Cristiana threw open the door and rushed out.
It was empty.
All of it.
Not a single person in sight. Where had they all gone? Perhaps it wasn't important. None of them were important to her anyway.
In the end, they were all just the same random combination of people she'd seen before. None of them distinct in a single way.
Only Liam had been different. Noticeable. And she had gotten rid of him.
Now all I have is myself.
Cristiana climbed up a red carpeted spiral staircase, reaching the fourth floor.
She stopped dead in her tracks.
"Cristiana Bertelli," the Captain said. "Why, you are so impatient. We've almost reached the end of this cruise."
"I won't let you see it's end" Cristiana said, tightening her grip around her sword. "This cruise…this day…this minute…will be your last."
The Captain stepped forward, smiling. He had no weapons, no way to fight, yet he didn't look scared.
"You're right, Cris. It's all about to end. Let's make these last moments of life eternal. That's what this is all about, isn't it? You don't want to arrive at your final destination, but forever enjoy the ride toward it. But the reality is nothing is eternal. Every journey has a destination. And we're reaching it whether you like it or not."