The freighter left the port of Sydney in the early hours
of Monday as it set for sail to Miami by
way of the southern tip of Africa. The
fog was starting to lift. The air was
cool, but there were a few brave
passengers that stood on the deck to get a final glimpse of Sydney.
The freighter looked old, but it was deceiving. The black paint was chipped on the sides, but
beneath the waterline, the paint was
pristine and completely devoid of barnacles.
The engines were dirty and oily, but inside, the pistons were shiny and
new, even as the smokestack spewed out dirty black smoke and the smell of
diesel fuel fouled the fresh sea air.
It was a handy-size
bulk carrier about two hundred meters long.
It had a larger cabin area than
most, and that is why it had so many
passengers on this trip. The passengers
wouldn’t have luxurious cabins or chef-prepared
food. There was no entertainment or
swimming pool. Most of the passengers
would spend the time on the deck reading books.
The cargo hold was full of pallets as well as the freezer
compartments with enough food and provisions to last a hundred people ten
years. The pallets were piled high and
tied down for rough seas.
The crew consisted of twelve, the minimum number
allowed. It had enough fuel for the
fifteen-thousand-mile trip that would
take over two months. It began to pick
up speed as it left the safety of the harbor until it reached its nine-knots cruising speed.
No one noticed as
the freighter pulled out into the ocean water that the paint ran from the boat’s name.
It was named Dark Torrent, but the
paint ran off the second r in torrent to
reveal the letter m beneath it. That
made it more foreboding.
The captain had greeted the passengers as they boarded,
but that was the extent of his hospitality.
The owners required he take them, but he didn’t have to like it. There was only one member of the crew that
was dedicated to the passengers. He was
a twenty-year-old deckhand named Warner,
fresh out of school. He was tall and
lanky with shaggy blonde hair. He was
shy, the wrong type of person that should be the only contact for so many
passengers, but the owners of the ship got him cheap.
Most of the passengers would cook their meals in the
communal kitchen and clean their own rooms.
The deckhand was there to do the laundry, soothe over seasickness when
necessary and make excuses for everything the passengers thought they should’ve
been supplied by the ship. A small gift
shop was the only way for the passengers to get necessities that were
forgotten, and it was limited.
Michael gazed out from the bow as the ship finally picked
up speed. He’d spend a lot of time on
the deck. He was in Cabin 1C. It was a small cabin with no portholes. It was a room enclosed by four metal
walls. Luckily, he wasn’t claustrophobic
because he’d never survive the two months in it otherwise. Michael was killing time on the slow boat to
Miami. He was a soldier of fortune or
mercenary, depending on how you looked upon that occupation. He’d finished up a six-month assignment in Australia, and
his next assignment wasn’t for three months.
The last job didn’t end up well for his employer, although it wasn’t
entirely Michael’s fault. Sometimes shit
happens, and you can’t do anything about it.
He’d do his workouts on the deck each day, the cabin too small for that. He kept his body toned. His body and sharp reflexes were what kept him alive. He’d seen some of the other passengers, and it was an eclectic group. But, there were
quite a few of fine-looking women, and he hoped to avail himself of their company
to while away the time on the ship. He
was sure that some were married, but that made little difference to him, and he found over the years it made little
difference to the wives.
He saw one of them not far from him, but Pamela was with
her husband. He’d met them when he came
on board. She was the friendly
type. Lucas was her husband’s name, and he looked shady. Michael had a nose for that since most of the
people he worked with were borderline crooked.
Pamela had the largest breasts he’d seen on the ship, and she seemed to be impressed by them. He could see the way she walked, her back
arched to make sure they stood up tall and proud in spite of their heft. They both looked to be in their thirties.
Pamela looked over at him and smiled. Michael was his name. He was tall, over six feet and muscular. He had to be military or ex-military as his hair was cut short and every
inch of his body rippled with muscles, from his arms, his chest to his
thighs. He had an overpowering
presence. She loved his large
hands. That was a man that had a hand
that could grasp all of one of her large breasts.
Pamela almost regretted taking this freighter until she
saw Michael. Her husband was a stockbroker, but he’d been suspended for six
months for illegal trading. That was the
only reason they were on the ship as they had lots of time. It wasn’t very expensive was an added bonus. Pamela always forgave Lucas for his
indiscretions. She spent most of their
married life doing that. It was
difficult to make friends with other people because Lucas was always trying to
sell their latest friends one of his schemes.
Lucas was a talker, and he could
charm the dollar bill out of your wallet.
He was handsome, but his build was slim yet fit. He wasn’t a real man like Michael. Pamela always lusted for a big, muscular man
that would take her, literally take her like the wild animal he was. She did notice that Michael’s cabin was next
to theirs. That was convenient.
Michael was left alone on the deck, but it was only for a
few moments. Another couple came
outside, coffees in their hands. This
was a strange couple for this ship. He
could tell that they came from money, they both dressed the part. Payson was at least twenty years older than
his trophy wife, Rebecca, his hair already graying and had a slight build. He made his money behind a desk, not doing
manual labor. Rebecca was a startling
beauty with long brown hair and a body built for sex. Her body undulated sex appeal as she walked,
captivating everyone’s attention with the way her body moved in sensual
rhythm. He’d talked to her for a moment
when they boarded, and he could tell that
she was sharp and cunning as if her mind was always ahead of everyone
else. There was only one reason she
married a man like Payson, and it was
money. She had her work cut out for
her. Payson was cheap. That could be the only reason they were on
this boat instead of one of the luxury liners.
Michael suspected that Rebecca would get his money before she lost her
beauty. He still couldn’t feel bad for
Payson. The ride for him would be worth
it. She cozied up against Payson as the
cool breeze blew across the deck.
Michael left them to get something to eat before he would work out on
the deck.
“Are you military?”
Brody sat down next to him with his breakfast.
“Ex-military. I’m Michael.”
He shook hands with him, a firm grip.
Brody was big and muscular, like Michael. He saw the tats, and he could tell that he used to be military but not anymore. His blond hair was still cut short
though. He was rugged looking. His face looked as though he’d seen a number of fights in his day. Women loved the hard and rugged look.
“Me too. I was a
medic for ten years and then was EMT.
It’s almost the same since I worked in New York City. It can be a real jungle there on a Saturday
night. No more now. Had a bad one at the end, and I can’t do it
any longer. That’s why I’m taking this
slow boat to China. I need to unwind and
put it all behind me. I’m Brody, by the
way. What do you do now?”
“I do private contractor work now. I like it a lot better, and I get to see the world but don’t have too
many incompetent people that are my bosses.”
Michael could see that Brody was broken and troubled. That wasn’t a bad thing as long as Michael
didn’t get caught up in his problems.
Michael hoped that he wouldn’t try to cling to him since they were both
ex-military. He wasn’t the type that liked to talk over
problems. “I have lots of time before my
next gig, so this ship gave me lots of privacy.” He hoped that Brody got his point.
“Yes, me too. I
just want to gaze out at the water all day.”
He could see that Michael was a loner, and he liked that. He didn’t want to do much with people. He was surprised that there were more
passengers on the ship than he expected since it was a freighter. It wasn’t long before Michael went below to
leave him alone. Brody gave him a couple
of minutes before he left the deck. He
passed the couple coming up the ladder to the deck, but he didn’t acknowledge them.
Keisha followed her husband as they went on deck. Their
cabin was small and claustrophobic, so they wouldn’t be spending a lot of time
there. They’d saved a lot of money by
taking passage on this freighter, but she feared that they’d be bored stiff for
two months. So far, there were no other
people that were black, not even any other non-whites. The white people seemed to all have a dislike
for blacks. Not one word was said to
them, and they went out of their way to
ignore them. At least she had
Terrell. Not many men would fuck with
him. He was tall, over six-one and muscular. He worked out religiously and boxed
successfully for some years. He had a mean look on his face when it was
necessary. They’d been married for five
years now. This was their first vacation
since their honeymoon. Life hadn’t been
kind to them for the last five years, and
it was just starting to look up for them.
They finally had some extra money.
Terrell didn’t know why they were on this freighter. It would be a boring two months. He could’ve found a lot better way to spend
their money. He’d been working his ass
off for five years since he married Keisha.
She was a gorgeous woman with a body to die for, and it seemed that he almost died many times to get it. He thought it would be an ideal marriage, but
once they were hitched, she lost her job and never found another. She had many excuses, some of them were
probably true, but you’d think that a woman that looked like her could find
something within five years. She stayed
home and did nothing except primp herself to look good. Luckily, she liked her figure, so she never allowed herself to get fat, but
besides that, she didn’t do much
else. She was never a great cleaner or
cook, so many times, even after a long
day at work, he had to clean up or cook.
“It’s like we’re invisible,” he told her when they went
on the deck. There was no one there as
if they knew they were coming, so they left.
“Don’t worry about it, honey. We have each other.” But, she hated the way the women looked down
on her, even the ugly ones. Back home,
she always caught the attention of men, even some of the white ones but not so
far on the ship. Fuck them, I wouldn’t let them near me with their white pencil dicks!
That was the last thing Terrell wanted. At least he had friends at home he could go
out with and drink without Keisha. She
had her own friends, too. “Yes, we do,”
he agreed. This trip was going to be hell,
and there was no way out of it. They watched the waves pick up, but the
freighter didn’t rock that badly. It was
heavily laden with cargo that would keep
it from tossing unless the sea really picked up.
Sandy doted over Silas.
She was a good wife that would do anything for him. She was cooking him breakfast in the communal
kitchen. It was nothing like her kitchen
at home, but Silas wanted to enjoy life on a freighter, not a luxury liner
where they’d be pampered, so she went
along with his decision as she always did.
Sandy did feel a bit disturbed since she got on the ship. She worked for a company that was woman-owned, and
a lot of the employees in her office were women. She liked that, not having to deal with
sexual harassment. On the ship, she got too much unwanted attention. All
the men looked at her, and it was lust in their eyes. She mentioned it to Silas, but he put her off.
“You’re an attractive woman. You have to expect that,” he told her. Silas thought it was a good thing that men
lusted for the woman he had. It made him
feel proud that he was able to get such an attractive woman to marry him and
take care of him as she did.
She did keep her figure, wanting to please Silas. Her blonde hair hung halfway down her
back. She exercised religiously every
day, even going as far as making sure her breasts didn’t sag and doing Kegel
exercises to keep her vagina tight for Silas.
She always wanted to please Silas in bed, although their sex was
relegated to the missionary position, but
once, he took her from behind. That was
a bit embarrassing, but that is what he wanted.
Luckily, he never wanted to do it again.
Silas worked for a delivery company, and this was his chance to stay off his feet
for two months. He’d pulled his back at
work and was on temporary disability until he healed. He’d done therapy for two months, and his doctor recommended a cruise, but not
the luxury liners where they tried to keep you entertained and on the go. When Silas told him about a freighter that
took passengers, the doctor thought it was a great idea. They spent a week in Australia for a change
and then caught the freighter. He had
Sandy to take care of him, so he didn’t
worry much. The doctor thought he was
healing well. She brought him breakfast
and sat next to him. “Thanks, Sandy.”
Silas was correct that she shouldn’t worry about the men
looking at her that way. She began to
smile back at them without it looking like she was flirting with them. She never realized that men were so
interested in her, at least any man besides
her husband.
Cliff and Laura were a mystery. They kept to themselves more than the others
as if they had something to hide. Cliff
had to be ten years older than Laura, a businessman if Michael was
correct. He kept his body in shape, but
he didn’t do manual labor for a living, his hands were soft. He dressed well. Laura stood out for her long, natural red
hair and her porcelain complexion all the way down to the freckles on her
face. She was beautiful and she knew it, but she didn’t flaunt it, but
the way she moved was as if her body couldn’t help but move sensually. It was as if she was always making love and
the frequent smile on her face was as if she just had an orgasm.