The Elantra Pirates

Chapter 21

CRUNCH!!!

Crystals bursted into hundreds of tiny shards. Shug lifted the club back up and kept smashing. After every break Angeline shrieked in pain, the sounds were disturbing to hear, Brentha covered her ears trying to block out the noise.

Shug cleared a cart of crystals the best he could, with some remnants remaining. He quickly moved onto the next, immediately tearing things apart. As more and more screams filled the air, it was getting to him. He started hesitating before he could bring himself to bring the club down, the screams were the most painful to listen to. He was basically torturing an innocent girl, but it has to be done.

The train chugged forward, quickly approaching an upcoming tunnel. The black fog clouded the entrance. It was like a blink of the eye as they crossed by the cloud in a brief second.

In the groggy cave the whaling was echoed and amplified, making it more unbearable to hear. The screaming turned into sobbing. The crystals illuminated more heavily in the dark.

The shattering of crystals continued on until the second cart was completely cleared of every single one of them, he moved along to the next. Brentha stomped on all of the remaining shards that Shug couldn't get to.

They barreled out of the cave in a flash. Instead of the usual gradual curve there was a sharp left. With such high speeds the turn was like whiplash. Shug fell down on a crystal scraping deeper into his wound. Brentha fell down to the floor as well, along with Angeline who almost rolled off the edge.

"Goddammit!" Shug cursed out. He got back on his feet, lifting the club high up in the air, when something stopped him. He tried to strike down but he couldn't, it was like a force was grabbing his hand and refusing to let go. Turning his head around he saw Angeline reaching her paw out. "Oh shit." His heart sank into his chest.

"Die you little shit." Angeline snarled.

Shug's body was yanked off the ground and high up into the air, overlooking the drop below. He screamed out, flailing his arms as he started to plummet.

"SHUG!" Brentha cried out.

The bone club flew out of his hands and landed back down on the train. Angeline kept fighting for control over her body. Her head shook violently and she started flopping around.

Shug kept screaming his lungs out, heavily descending down below. Brentha sprinted over to the edge of the train and helplessly watched as he continued falling down to the ground, hollering out to him.

As his body hurled down, the crystals becoming ever closer, he closed his eyes as he kept screeching. Many memories flashed in a second, his parents selling him to the Mickels, him shivering in the cold underneath a tree in the forest, the old man falling down the stairs chasing him after he stole some gold, him charging into the tent to save Brentha, and then right now to the present. Facing his untimely death. Time seemed to slow down, his head flooded with thought.

I'm sorry Hillanter, I failed you. I couldn't do it but I tried, I really did. Brentha, please just survive, I don't care if you don't get the mushroom or not, just get the fuck out of here. Yunga, I'm sorry I hid that I saw your parents' death. Maybe you'd have gotten some closure from it. Sorry Zunci and Shanta, Jinlin, everybody! That old man, god I never got to know your name but you didn't deserve to die and you shouldn't have. I should've been better. With my death, I hope I gave some use to anybody, at least give me that. Please!

The glow from the crystals overwhelmed his vision, his body mere inches away from being penetrated. His eyes still closed, accepting his death with tears in his eyes when he suddenly stopped. But not completely, he was still soaring through the air, just not dropping down.