Then Pan was a Zombie

Chapter 5

"No, let her go." Pan's heart beat a mile per minute, fearful of what Bojack might do to her defenseless alternate self. The young girl howled as the space pirate squeezed her head tight, almost hard enough to pop it. She struggled to free herself, but Bojack's grip was an unbreakable vice.

Little Pan's desperate pleas only earned a cruel smile from the villain. "I shall, provided you don't resist what comes next."

"Don't! Run away!" But her alternate self howled as Bojack's nails dug into her scalp. Blood leaked from the wound, stopping any attempt at brave self-sacrifice.

"Oh, this is going to be fun. You heard him. Resist, and we kill the brat!" Pan grunted as Zangya launched a ki blast into her exposed chest.

"You!" But she gasped as she found her movements restricted, like a spider had caught her in an invisible web. "What the?"

"You aren't going anywhere," the larger of the pirates said, Bido, hands extended. On the other side stood the short one, Bujin, his pose mirroring his fellow pirate. Both grinned in triumph, convinced they had their prey dead to rights.

"Better," Bojack said. Pan jerked back as a powerful blow struck her hard in the chest. Trapped as she was, she hadn't the space to move with the punch to lessen the blow. Pan grimaced. The punch had cracked something for sure.

"Told you we'd give you what's coming to you!" Zangya said, patting Pan's cheek before striking her with a nasty jab where her boss wounded her. Now Pan was certain she'd heard something crack.

Seething, Pan gathered her ki but stopped as her counterpart howled when Bojack applied pressure to his captive. He smirked, promising worse punishments if she defied him again.

"Hurry up and destroy her," the turban-wearing pirate said. "They're sure to sense the disturbance and send someone."

But the pirate leader didn't seem too concerned. "Let them. I've sensed their guards' power. They're no match for us. Besides, by the time serious reinforcements arrive, we'll have hijacked a ship and be long gone."

"He's got a point, Bujin. We can afford to play a little," Zangya said, shooting a consecutive blast of ki blasts into Pan's already ruined chest.

"Pan." Tears leaked from little Pan's eyelids, fearful for her friend's safety. These gentle tears only sparked the cruelty of the space pirates as they savaged their helpless captives. For once, Pan was grateful for her zombie nature, not feeling anything from their attempts to brutalize her. She played possum, waiting for the right moment to strike back. Pan guessed it might be possible to blow apart the strings of ki binding her. Eventually, the pirates would drop their guard, then she'd strike.

But it wasn't easy hearing her counterpart's frantic, teary-eyed pleas as they continued to hurt her, rage bubbling inside her, ready to burst. She grunted as a blow shattered her left arm to uselessness. While they'd gained ultimate victory over their victim, her lack of reaction didn't satisfy their cruel sadism. From Bojack's last half-hearted blow, he was losing interest.

"You really can't feel any pain, can you?" the pirate leader said, annoyed.

"Ugh." Zangya tossed back her wavy red hair in disgust. "She's nothing but a corpse. There's something not fun about beating a cold, dead body."

"We're done here," Bojack said, disgusted. This hadn't come close to sating the pirate leader's thirst for violence. But then Pan's blood chilled as his expression turned cruel.

"I think I know how I might get a proper reaction out of her," Bojack said, his smile showing too many teeth. "How about..." But a ki blast threw the space pirate back. He glared up at who'd interrupted him, more annoyed than hurt.