A Pirate's Life for Three - The Gwen Saga

Old Friends - Chapter 3

"What the 'ells are we meant to do? Can you even kill somethin' that's already dead?"

"I have no idea, but they will keep chasing us no matter what we do, so it doesn't exactly seem like we have much choice."

"At least it's a really cool way to die, I guess."

Gwen sighed sharply before taking hold of the helm once again. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes narrowed with determination. She turned the wheel as far and as quickly as she could. The vessel made a complete U-turn until it was side by side with the undead crew. The three girls could see them much closer now.

There were about ten or twelve of them. Each one in varying levels of decay. Some had no arms, some had no eyes, some had no feet, some had half a leg, and others had half a head. Yet no matter the condition they were in, each rattled and groaned and held up their weapons.

"This is insane." Gwen said to herself.

"Just the way I roll." Rusty responded, grinning like a madwoman, "RIMSBY! CAPTAIN'S ORDERS: MAN THE CANNONS!"

"Aye-eye, yup yup, man the cannons, part of the crew, captain's orders." They heard faintly as Rimsby moved to the gun deck.

400 sighed and grabbed her rapier once more. Rusty, this time, pulled a shortbow and a quiver of arrows. Gwen, as always, readied her pistol. Rusty looked at the girl and rolled her eyes as the undead began putting a plank between the two ships.

"You're serious? What are you gonna do with that? For the last time, it ain't got any ammunition!"

"And for the last time," Gwen began, shaking off her jacket and tossing it to one side, "It doesn't need any."

Gwen stood at the end of the plank with a stance neither Rusty nor 400 had seen so far. Her voice was suddenly so serious and authoritative, commanding the respect of the other two girls with little to no effort at all.

"Rusty, you attack from far away. Keep an eye out for them finding other ways onto the ship so we don't get surrounded. 400, after I attack, I'll back off. I want you to draw their attention and attack at close range while I have your back and also attack their main way onto the ship. Everyone understand?"

"Uh-"

"Um-"

"Good."

With that, Gwen took a deep breath and pointed her gun at the first undead. Her eyes seemed to shine and glow before a flash of orange blasted from them.

And she pulled the trigger.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. A blast of haunting light shot forward. The air around it crackled like a shattered mirror. The mere presence of it sent shivers up Rusty's and 400's backs, as it was like nothing they'd felt before. Its power was strong and unnatural. The beam streaked towards the first undead pirate, hitting him like a bag of bricks. His sunken, rotting eyes rolled back as his joints detached from one another, and his body parts fell one after the other into the cold ocean beneath them.

Gwen stood proudly, giving a cold stare to the rest of the undead, while Rusty was motionless and stunned into silence. Even 400 was a little intimidated. However, their silence was quickly interrupted.

"What are you two doing?! Get into your positions!"

"Aye-aye!" 400 called.

"Aye-aye!" Rusty repeated before muttering to herself, "thought I was the captain..."

Just as Gwen described, the girls all fell into place. She moved towards the ratlines, climbing up a little to get a good vantage point before continuing her fire at the pirates. 400 stood just of the middle of the main deck near the plank, slicing harshly at each creature that came near her. Her raven hair flowed through the air like the untamed tides as she attacked them, moving with a strange and oxymoronic combination of savage brutality and nimble elegance.