stay // eustass kid

03

i finally came to, to the sound of hushed voices.

"how did a woman get on this ship?"

"forget that, i wonder who the hell beat her up like that... poor weak woman"

"isn't this the owner of the ship we destroyed yesterday?"

"oh yeah, i couldn't recognize her with her face all busted up like that"

"do you think captain put her out on the deck for us to... you know.."

at the sound of this, i opened my eyes slowly, wincing at the bite of pain on the right side of my face. my vision blurred, but i could make out the shapes of five or six tall figures.

"ahh she's awake.. it's not like she can really fight back though", the man who'd said this leaned back with a laugh and his buddies joined him, while the others shook their heads in disagreement and walked away. i tried to move my arms, but they were still bound with the heavy metal cuffs. i didn't have the strength to even try to lift them.

i couldn't move my neck well either. the thick collar was merged with the metal that was already nailed onto the mast. i was also barely on my toes. the pain was enough to make my head throb and forget about the very men who were right in front of me.

it stayed like this for a while, until i felt a hand graze my upper thigh lightly. as if moving purely by instinct, i gave a kick that sent him flying. since i couldn't really depend on eyesight, i depended on hearing instead.

the loud crash could be heard throughout the entire ship. the broken wood being moved around filled my ears, and was followed with the now angry man's profanities. "you BITCH!", the man went on, cursing you loudly as he brushed the pieces of dust and broken wood off his clothes.

"serves you right", one of the men whispered.

i heard the angry man march up to me and could tell he had the intent to harm me. before he could throw, i tried to delete my presence, but he punched me dead in the jaw anyway. a weak gasp left my lips, and i felt a warm liquid drip down my face. either the metal collar or the cuffs must have contained some percent of sea stone.

just my luck.

with him being in such close range, i watched his blurred figure real back to punch me again. while struggling to stay on my toes, so i could breathe, i braced for the impact and his fist collided with my jaw evenly. he reeled back again, sending a flurry of punches. he even started punching my stomach and chest, until i finally braced myself for the punch that never came.

"who said you mutts could touch whats mine?", i recognized the menacing voice immediately. the angry footfalls of the giant man made the entire deck tremble beneath his feet. after he was close enough, i could faintly hear the sounds of merciless screams and carnage, before i passed out again.

__

i opened my eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the dull light. i was no longer bound to the wooden mast in the middle of the deck. now i was seemingly comfortable despite the aching pains all over my body. my head was propped up on a soft pillow, and i was covered with soft white blanket. it looked like i was in the infirmary.

good job, zula.

i sighed loudly, causing me to start coughing, and i was surprised when i started coughing up blood into my hand. 'at least my hands are free now', i thought while inspecting the bruises on my wrists. it was rare for me to be able to see such dark bruises on my already dark skin, and now i was covered in them.

i managed to sit up, noticing the weight that was on my neck was gone, deep gashes in it place. although i was beaten up so bad, i could tell that whoever bandaged me up spent their time to do it delicately. i could tell my face was still swollen too, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time i was conscious.