The Iron Queen: Six Feet Under

Section II: Steamships are terrifying

CONTENT WARNING: SWEARING, MODERATE/STRONG VIOLENCE, IMPLIED VIOLENCE

Charles Howard

I dared not say a thing when they took me. I dared not utter a word when they dragged me from my room. I dared not speak when I heard them utter profanity at my dog which was attacking them. I dared not do anything when they bound my hands and feet, when they put a blindfold on me and when they stuffed my mouth with filthy fabric. I was completely overtaken by fear.

I knew I was transported from my home in something that ran on wheels, and that trip felt like it lasted for days, which it probably did. They had thrown another person on me not long after they had thrown me onto the transportation, but like me they were bound and gagged, unable to utter a word. We would only stop for nature's calling and those were the only times they gave us water and food. Yet they never removed the restraints. I knew my comrade was as exhausted as me, since they had ceased their attempts of escape after being deprived of the bare necessities for an unknown amount of time.

The rolling of the wheels finally stopped when we reached what smelled like the sea. I could hear seagulls screeching around me and the tender sound of waves crashing into the surroundings.

There was no audible communication between the abductors, so I was both literally and figuratively left in the dark.

The next thing that occurred was my companion from the cart and me were pulled up on our feet. The bounds on my feet were removed, but the rest lingered. Alas, it was better than nothing.

I was pushed forward, but my limbs failed me so my abductor resulted to carry me to wherever he was taking me. My assumptions were a ship. I let out a silent prayer that it was not a ship. To my great distraught, it was indeed a ship, and by the smell it was a steamship.

I wanted to vomit from the smell that met my nostrils when I was taken into the ship. From the aroma of it, someone else had vomited. I could hear faint crying, and assuring words that 'everything will be fine'.

I was put down on the floor, gently this time. The ropes on my body were exchanged for chains. The metal was cold to the touch, sending a shiver trough me. At last my blindfold was removed and my mouth was set free from the disgusting fabric. I could barely keep my eyes open because of the light, however I quickly realised that there was barely any lights; just a few lanterns here and there.

Suddenly my chin was grabbed. I looked up, squinting at the person in front of me. I could barely make out any features, but I could see that he was dressed from top to toe in black leather, his dark eyes scanning me through a painted mask. It looked like a classic Venetian mask. The man held a flask up to me, tilting it to let the contents flow into my mouth.

I swallowed the water heavily, but not before letting it linger in my mouth for several seconds, hoping to relieve the feeling of my tongue having turned into a parched prune. I was, of course, aware that prunes are already parched, but this was an extreme level of parchedness.

As I was sat on the wooden floor, another person was dragged down the stairs. It was a man with thick blonde tresses that I would recognise everywhere. If I had not recognised him by the hair, I would certainly have recognised him by the words he started spewing out of his mouth as soon as he was free to speak.

He was being chained just like me; luckily enough they decided to put him right next to me. In fact, they tied him to the same steel pipe as the one I was chained to.

"You fucking coward pieces of shit!" he screamed at the abductors. "Just you fucking wait 'till I get out of these chains, I will rip your fucking thro-", he stopped as he saw me next to him. "Charles?" he asked, flabbergasted.