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Perhaps it was the fact that she was humming that masked any sound, Linda thought later. And certainly it was the carelessness of the deck steward, who for some reason had failed to fold and stack the chairs in one section, that made her aware of the movement. Staring intently to keep from bumping anything, Linda saw something movea shadow in shadow, it flitted from near the rail to the deeper shadow near the inner wall. |
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It could have been someone out for a breath of air, but the movement was so furtive that Linda's heart began to pound. She turned toward where she thought the shadow had disappeared, straining her eyes. Was there movement? Was a darker blot within the darkness coming closer? |
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Suddenly a scraping sound behind her, near the rail, made Linda whirl, catching her breath. She backed up slightly, stiff with terror as another blot of shadow began to grow. Between the two, she was trapped. Even as she watched the thing by the rail swell larger and larger, she was aware of movement along the wall, creeping steadily toward her. |
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Out of the hunched, rising thing, a thin shadow stretched upward. Linda could feel a scream rising in her throat, strangling her, but not a sound came from her parted lips. The thin thing wavered, groped |
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"God damn!" Peter's voice said thickly. "God damn!" |
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