Pirate City

Chapter 1 Defiance

My chest was starting to hurt, my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it throb against my ribcage, and the soles of my feet were chafing against the worn-out insides of my not-so-white shoes, so much it was almost unbearable. I didn't dare look behind me, the sound of his approaching footsteps was encouragement enough. My feet burned and blistered as I sped up, kicking dust behind me as I ran faster and faster. Couldn't I stop to catch my breath? If I couldn't soon I would die. Maybe that was better tha- Oh my god.

I realised too late that the surface I was running on was no longer the gravel road. A cobblestone bridge led out then stopped abruptly, cutting off midway through. It was too dark to see how far down the reach was to the water, a black line cut off the view about 50 feet down. The only way to get out of this was to go back with him. But I was too stubborn.

"Not so defiant now are you?" My uncle's laughter pierced through the still air, his words slurring as he spoke. His coughs sounded sickly as he struggled for his breath, if this was my last memory of him before I died I would die happy.

I climbed up onto the cement barrier on the side of this bridge, turning back around to face him. His moonlit face fell as he realised that he wouldn't last without me. If I was gone there would be no one to take care of him. No one would pour him his beloved hennessy. No one would make him food. No one would drag him inside after he'd passed out in the middle of the street, three days after he'd left. I couldn't be his slave.

I smiled down at him challenging his sorry attempt at intimidation, realising how quickly I could escape him. I would be satisfying to fulfill the promise I had made to myself a long time ago; escape him or die trying.

I thought of how my name would look in the paper; Luna Porter, 16 year old female found dead near a port in the Thames River. I had always wanted to be in the paper.

"Come on whore get down from the fucking rail. You know better." His accent hid the fear in his voice quite well. Of course I ignored him, but I couldn't die, no not die that seems too official, I couldn't leave without giving him a word.

"You're right. I do." My grin grew into a manic smile, "But, you wanna know something? You won't survive without me. You're going to die and fuck me that is so rewarding. Even thinking about it I can feel my heart speeding up. I hope you die such a slow and painful death you will rethink all of what you've done to me," My jaw stiffened as I spoke, adding more rigidity to my tone. "I hope when you get down there, the devil himself looks at you in disgust. I don't believe in a god but there is something so satisfying to know something will eventually give you what you deserve."

"If you jump you will die before me. You will die a painful death as well, I've heard drowning isn't too pleasant." I cringed at the thought; he was going to outlive me.

"If I don't die now you'll kill  me yourself." He slowly started walking towards me his hands twitching by his sides. Just before he managed to grab me I crossed my arms over my chest, tilted my head back, and let myself fall. The air flowed around me, the pressure tightening around my body as I increased velocity.

I fell for 6 seconds,

But I never hit water.

****

I woke up on a hard carpeted floor in a bright room, surrounded by men with clean-shaven faces and sleek short hair. Was I dead? I sobered with the realization that I didn't recognize anyone. How hard had I hit my head? I stayed down for a moment, my eyes searching the room. I quickly sat up only to fall back again, grabbing onto the back of my head to try to contain the pain. I bit my tongue to keep myself quiet; the thought of crying in front of the men felt too undignified. I sat up slower with my hand clasped to the back of my pounding head, trying to convince myself I wasn't afraid. I had failed to escape, and after saying all I did there was no knowing what he would do to me. Maybe he had hired these men to do something.