Free Dead Calm by Jon Schafer

the woman had never seen a case like hers
before, so he advised that she be airlifted to the nearest
hospital. The Coast Guard was called and a helicopter dispatched,
but before they could arrive, two more cases of passengers going
crazy and attacking those around them were reported; one in the
Sombrero lounge on deck ten near the bow and the other in the
formal dining room on deck five near the stern.
    The Captain, now thinking that since the three
incidents were scattered throughout the Calm of the Seas that they
could be related to some type of food poisoning, gave orders to
have the ship's stores examined for any type of contamination. The
reports came back negative, so he reverted to his initial theory
that that the attacks were caused by some type of drug use. When no
other cases were reported, and the three sick people were
successfully airlifted, he felt justified in giving the order to
continue on with the cruise schedule. All went well until early the
next morning when the cabin attendant who had been bitten on the
ear staggered into the crew’s mess hall and attacked a sales girl
who worked in one of the shops in the Centrum. Before three men
from the engine room restrained him, he managed to infect them, the
sales girl and four others.
    Before the Captain could respond to this latest
carnage, dozens of reports started coming in about other attacks on
passengers and crew by maniacs who bit and clawed at their victims.
Now fearing that whatever contaminates causing the outbreak was
being spread by the water or air circulation systems, the Captain
ordered that these be shut down and examined. No contaminants were
found, but with the situation getting out of control, he ordered
his first officer to make for Cozumel.
    Calling a general emergency, the Captain asked that
all passengers return to, and remain in, their cabins. Using the
excuse that the crew needed the passageways clear while they worked
on the water and air systems, he left these off to support his lie.
What he really wanted to do was to keep the decks clear so that the
drug addled junkies could be restrained and locked up. Splitting
his available crew into two person teams, the Captain ordered every
square inch of the cruise liner searched for anyone acting
aggressively. Once apprehended, these people were to be kept in the
Sounds Lounge at the rear of deck eight. Although his intentions
were good, and most of those carrying the virus were detained, the
Captain's order caused a good portion of his crew to become
infected when they came into contact with the dead.
    After the sweep of the Calm of the Seas was completed
and an all clear sounded, the Captain allowed the passengers to
come out into the common areas of the ship. At first the mood was
subdued, but as word leaked out as to what was really going on, and
that these incidents were connected to news reports about the
spread of the HWNW virus, it started to get ugly.
    Some passengers locked themselves in the relative
security of their cabins but many more besieged the crew with
demands for protection. A large group banded together and initiated
roving patrols that went in search of anyone who might be infected
with the disease. The words 'plague ship' were used for the first
time.
    Over the course of the day, as the members of the
crew who had been infected succumbed to their various bites and
infected scratches, the Captain ordered them quarantined with the
others in the Sounds Lounge. Finding himself shorthanded due to the
attrition of his crew, he asked for volunteers from the passengers
to fill the gaps in his staff.
    Tim's dad had served in the navy on a cruiser, so he
stepped forward to offer his skills. Assuring his wife and children
they would be safe, he left to do what he thought was his duty.
None of them ever saw him again.
    Shortly after this, a passenger who had joined one of
the roving patrols knocked on the door of the Lopez's cabin. Now
better organized, the men of the patrol had