Héritière sans égale

Chapitre 20

Julie recoiled as if electrocuted! Ray was startled, not understanding what was happening, and stared blankly at Julie, who was glaring at him with anger and sadness.

.

“You…?” Julie still couldn’t believe that Ray was actually Billy Blue. So he had known Missy all along, and he had been deceiving her. Just moments ago, she thought she had finally found someone she could trust and rely on.

Ray glanced down at it, but he didn't find anything.

Julie cried out in horror, "My God, it's you!"

Ray was still confused: "What are you talking about?"

“Billy Blue!” Julie’s voice trembled with anger: “You went to the Missy’s house, you…”

"That's the friend, you're the fisherman!"

Before she could finish speaking, Julie turned and ran away quickly.

Ray called out anxiously behind her, "I can explain, wait a minute."

Julie ran all the way to the end of the plank bridge, where there were two doors.

"Damn it, it's locked." Julie shook the door hard for a while before suddenly realizing that a chain was wrapped between the two doors.

The iron gatekeeper held it firmly, making it impossible to get out.

At that moment, Ray jumped off the ship and chased after Julie.

Julie had no choice but to turn around and run back. As she passed Ray's small boat, he almost grabbed her clothes, but Julie was still a step ahead and ran past him.

Just as Ray was about to give chase, a dock worker wearing jeans and a baseball cap suddenly rushed out from the wooden bridge in another direction. He stretched out his arm to block Ray, who couldn't dodge in time and was immediately thrown over.

A man was thrown to the ground, landing face-first in the air. The middle-aged man swung his fist and knocked Ray unconscious.

Hearing the noise, Julie turned around and pleaded in fear, "Please save me, please!"

(10)

The man looked down at Ray, then calmly said to Julie, "Calm down, kid."

“I have to call the police.” Julie no longer believed in her own abilities.

The effects of that punch didn't last long; Ray let out a groan, seemingly about to wake up. The staff member immediately urged Julie, "Get on the ship, inside, quick!"

Upon hearing this, Julie quickly rushed onto the large ship behind her.

The staff member then boarded the boat and skillfully untied the mooring ropes.

Julie jumped into the cabin, which was quite cramped. She looked around and suddenly noticed a droopy fisherman's hat hanging on the wall through the half-open door. Although this was common on a fishing boat, Julie's heart skipped a beat.

Julie still felt uneasy, and she couldn't help but push open the door and enter the small room. However, Julie never expected to see such a sight. She was instantly terrified.

The walls were covered with photos and newspaper clippings. Among these pictures, the faces she knew best were shocking: Helen, Barry, Ray, and herself. There were photos of their daily lives, and photos of them together, yet they seemed completely unaware that they had been followed for so long. And then there were the names in the newspapers: Helen, the beauty queen; Barry's football team winning… Julie stared at them in horror, her legs going weak and her scalp tingling. She tried to escape, but the cabin door was locked and she couldn't open it.

"What's wrong, kid?" a soft voice asked from behind Julie.

Julie knew she couldn't escape. Trembling, she turned around and mustered all her courage to face the dockworker. Although she didn't know why this man was spying on them, she was certain he knew everything about them. "Yes, I'm in big trouble."

The worker's face was etched with deep wrinkles, but a cruel smugness gleamed in his eyes. A necklace hung in his hand; he gently flicked the silver plaque with his swollen knuckles, and the plaque spun slowly. But Julie still saw the words engraved on the plaque: I love you! It was the necklace David Egan had once kept as a memento.

"What a pity, today is July 4th, isn't it?" the worker said as he hung the necklace on the wall.

Julie noticed that where the necklace hung, there were many photos of a beautiful girl about her age, smiling carefree in the pictures. Julie had a vague feeling about what was going on.

Looking at the photo, the man said wistfully, "A kid like you should be very happy... drinking."

"A wild party..." He turned around, staring intently at Julie, and continued, "Running people over with a car, and... murder with impunity!"

Julie finally understood, and she looked at the terrifying man in front of her in horror.

“You…you are Ben Willis.” Julie heard her own voice trembling.

Ban smiled slyly and nodded, saying, "Very good, it seems you've done your homework too."

Julie suddenly realized the danger she was facing, and she turned and ran.

On the shore, Ray finally woke up. He rubbed the back of his head, looked around, and suddenly realized that Julie and the dockworker were gone. Ray jumped up.

Julie ran through the wheelhouse to the ship's side, where she saw Ray running along the dock, trying to catch up with the large ship. But the ship was drifting with the waves and was already quite a distance from the shore, so there was no way to escape now.

Before Julie could think any further, Ben had already stepped onto the ship's side, carrying the hook that had killed several people.

Julie had no choice but to run. On the narrow deck, there were several small doors, and no matter where Julie ran, Ben would always rush out first and block her way. He knew the ship better than Julie did, and Julie's situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.

As Ray watched the large ship disappear into the darkness, he finally spotted a small boat moored on the shore.

Ray jumped onto the small boat and skillfully started the engine.

Julie fled to the far end of the deck, but there was nowhere left to hide. Looking down, she suddenly saw the deck...

A large wooden crate sat on top, its contents a jumbled mess. Julie couldn't see anything clearly except for a gleaming pistol. She knelt down, rummaged through the clutter, and retrieved the gun. Before Ban could catch up, she quickly loaded it. Suddenly, the ship rocked violently, and Julie stumbled and fell onto the deck. The gun slipped from her hand and flew into the sea. The ship emitted a...

With a deafening roar, Julie looked up in frustration. Ben was standing in the wheelhouse, starting the boat, and grinning menacingly at her.

On the dark sea, a small boat darted past like an arrow, splashing up high waves. Ray looked anxiously into the distance, and thankfully, the large ship's lights were still on. He quickly spotted his target and accelerated after it, his heart filled with a desperate desire to rescue Julie. If he could, he would gladly trade himself for Julie.

Ban knew that no one would disturb his revenge on the girl now; he would slowly savor the process in the vast ocean. He picked up the hook and stepped out of the driver's seat.

Julie saw a hatch on the deck, lifted the hatch, and leaped inside. Just as she closed the hatch, Ben arrived. He looked down at the metal grille beneath the hatch, where Julie, like a small animal caught in a trap, frantically clung to it.

The hatch. Ban reached out and hooked the middle of the hatch with a hook, trying to pull it up.

Just then, Ray's small boat finally drew near. He could almost see the movements of the horrific murderer. He cautiously stood up, ready to jump onto the large boat at any moment.

On deck, Ben and Julie were still locked in a stalemate. Julie was hanging over the hatch, using her entire body weight to hold it in place. Ben, however, possessed astonishing strength and was about to pull Julie and the hatch out.

With a muffled thud, Ray grabbed the gunwale and leaped onto the boat. Ban glanced back and decided to deal with this guy who had delivered himself to his doorstep first.

That little rascal.

Just as Ray was looking for Julie, Ben suddenly walked up to him and said with a cold smile, "Welcome, Ray."

"He."

Before he finished speaking, he swung his hook at Ray. Ray dodged with all his might.

Julie had no idea what was happening upstairs. Although she didn't understand what Ban was up to, she took the opportunity to jump down to the lower deck and escape into the boiler room.

The wooden door to the boiler room was old and broken, the iron bolts on it were rusty and seemed to serve no purpose. Julie struggled to push a large wooden barrel filled with oil in front of the door and braced it against it.

On deck, Ray and Ban were locked in a fierce battle. The ship rocked violently, and the cold glint of the hooks traced blue arcs through the air. Ray dodged and weaved, narrowly escaping having his head sliced off several times. Fortunately, this time, Ban used too much force, and the hook slammed heavily against the mooring line.

With a "squeak," many bits of grass flew up from the rope.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ray escaped Ben's pursuit, frantically shouting Julie's name as he searched for her. He hadn't run far when Ben suddenly kicked him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Ray fell against the gunwale in pain, his elbow striking a handle. Unexpectedly, this handle controlled the sails. The thick mast slowly rose, the white sail billowing against the night sky, filling the air with its full force. The ship's speed increased.

Julie felt nothing in the boiler room, the occasional bursts of steam nearly scalding her. Bewildered, she wandered aimlessly through the hold, fearing that Ban might kick down the flimsy wooden door and catch up, since the barrel of oil didn't weigh much.

Taking advantage of Ben's distraction at the sails, Ray caught sight of a harpoon mounted on the side of the ship. He grabbed his only weapon and thrust it at Ben. Ben raised his hand to parry, and the two metal objects clashed together with a crisp sound. At the same time, Ray felt a numbness in his hand, his arm went limp, and Ben's hook caught the harpoon, throwing him to the ground. Ray quickly raised his arms to brace himself, and he saw a strong killing intent in Ben's cloudy eyes.

Julie saw a ladder in the fog, and although she didn't know what was on it, she climbed up it anyway.

The ladder wasn't long, only about four or five steps to the top, where a round hatch connected, a sliver of light shining through the gap. Julie groped her way open the hatch, leaned half her body out, and immediately saw Ray in danger just a few steps away.

"Ray!" Julie cried out in alarm. She felt her eyes welling up with tears, her heart overflowing with an unprecedented mix of emotion and surprise: Ray had actually risked his life to save her! He truly loved her.

But this shout nearly cost Ray its life. Ray was momentarily distracted and was immediately knocked into the icy sea by Ban.

I went.

Ben turned around and walked towards Julie. Julie quickly shrank back and pulled the lid shut again.

Julie jumped down the ladder and ran back the way she came. When she reached the boiler room door, she bent down to move the large wooden barrel when she suddenly heard heavy footsteps on the wooden planks above her, approaching the door. Julie could almost see Ban's movements—step by step, unhurriedly, until he finally reached the door. Julie watched as the door shook violently, the rusty handle creaking and groaning, seemingly about to collapse under the weight. Julie began to sob in fear, but she bravely ran backward; there was another exit there.

Julie jumped onto the ladder and tried to push open the hatch, but this time, the hatch wouldn't budge, and Julie was completely trapped inside.

Julie had no idea that the cunning squad had already placed a basket of heavy iron chains on the hatch, which would have taken a lot of effort even for a man to lift.

Even Ben hadn't anticipated that the tenacious Ray wouldn't give up. After falling into the water, he luckily grabbed onto the fishing net towed by the boat. Whirlpools relentlessly pounded at him, making him see stars and struggle to breathe, but he had only one thought in his mind: to save Julie. Ray didn't know where the strength came from, but he held on tightly to the net, inching forward. It seemed like an eternity before his fingertips finally touched the solid hull of the boat. Holding his last breath, Ray struggled to climb back onto the boat.

The wooden door to the boiler room was about to be smashed open when Ban shouted arrogantly from outside, "Open the door! You have nowhere to escape!"

"It's done!"

Julie looked around and suddenly spotted an inconspicuous little window behind the white steam. She ran over, pulled it up, and crawled inside. They were already deep in the flooded hold.

Julie's feet had just disappeared out the window when Ben's big foot kicked the wooden door open. The metal handle couldn't hold on and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Julie huddled up, crawling through the narrow flooded compartment. Several windows on the walls were closed, and Julie didn't know what to do. Just as she was nearing the end, she suddenly noticed that one window wasn't completely closed.

Julie took off her coat, put it on the window handle, pulled it open with all her might, and crawled inside. But after years of swelling and decay, it wasn't so easy for Julie to close it again. The ever-present Ben also followed her into the flooded compartment. Julie used both her hands and feet to pull, and finally managed to close the window before Ben could climb over, but her coat was left outside.

Julie then noticed that she was surrounded by ice pellets, which was part of a compartment used to store fish, at the bottom of the boat.

At the highest point of the ship, Ray, soaking wet, slowly climbed up the mast along the ropes of the fishing net. He looked towards...

Looking down, they couldn't find Julie, and even Ben was nowhere to be found.

Julie frantically tried to pry the ice crystals away with her hands, hoping they would block the window. She'd rather this exit never be a way out than...

I don't want to see that terrifying figure of Ban again. There were just too many ice particles; one wave pushed past, and another slid down from above, like an endless tide. Julie didn't notice any of this; she mechanically and frantically tried to peel away the ice particles, almost numb. The higher ice particles continued to surge down like water. Suddenly, a young woman's corpse was swept up in the throes and rushed in front of Julie, her eyes staring straight at her—it was Helen, who couldn't close her eyes even in death!

"Ah!" Julie was startled by this unexpected attack and screamed in terror, crawling backward as if she had been electrocuted.

The scream pierced the ship and reached Ray's ears as he searched for her. At least Julie was alive. Ray jumped off the mast and followed the sound.

Julie scrambled into the corner, her gaze still fixed on Helen's body. Suddenly, her hand pressed against something protruding. A chill ran through her; she turned to see Barry's body, the one that had disappeared from the club. Julie's screams became uncontrollable.

Ray had only taken a few steps when he noticed Ban's shadow slowly approaching on the ground ahead. He couldn't confront him directly yet; he needed to find somewhere to hide. But looking around, he realized he was standing alone in the middle of the deck, with nowhere to hide.

Julie just wanted to get out of this terrifying place as quickly as possible. She desperately climbed upwards against the direction the ice crystals were sliding down. The deeper she climbed, the lower the temperature became, and she lost all sense of consciousness.

Suddenly, a ladder appeared in front of her. Julie stopped, staring blankly up at it, unsure of what to do.

There was a hatch at the top of the ladder. Julie reached out her hand, then pulled it back. She hesitated, wondering whether to go out. Where was she? Was Ben already waiting there?

Ban went up to the deck, but he didn't see Ray hiding on the mast.

Ben stood in front of a hatch, twirled the iron hook in his hand, and then used his other hand to forcefully lift it, revealing Julie screaming underneath.

"It'll be too late if we don't act now!" Ray's hand just happened to touch a large iron hook. In a moment of quick thinking, he untied the fishhook, which was as big as a human head, from the mast and pushed it out with all his might. Ban heard the sound behind him and had just turned around when the large iron hook hit him squarely in the face. He fell to the ground without even uttering a sound.

Ray didn't have time to cheer himself up; he hurriedly climbed down the mast and ran towards the hatch.

Julie saw Ben disappear in an instant, and before she could react, a dark figure flashed in front of her, and she screamed. But then she realized that the person was Ray.

"Hurry up, Julie." Ray reached out his hand to Julie in the hold, and this time Julie didn't hesitate at all and put her hand in his.

Just as Julie jumped onto the deck, Ben, who was lying on the ground, opened his eyes like a zombie and woke up.