Secrets of the Sea

Chapter 4

I roamed the streets the next day. From behind tall city walls in the northern part of town I watched the sun set, partially disappearing behind the wall. Last night was like a dream: after the sun went down, and the last of the golden rays of sunlight had been sucked back into the sun, Char and I went back to the tavern, slowly, walking hand in hand. All thoughts of who the ribbon was for went out of my head. We talked, and flirted. Well, at least I attempted to. I never really knew how to.

Now I’m alone, wondering if I’ll miss him. He’s leaving later tonight. Part of me thinks I will, but the other part isn’t sure. I mean, I knew him for two days! It’s not like we can become attached in that short of a time.

            So then why do I keep thinking about him? I sighed and started to head back to the tavern, pondering on my thoughts.

            And that’s when it happened.

            I didn’t realize what was happening at first. There was commotion and yelling behind me, coming from the main road that led from the docks. Then, suddenly, the man walking near me jerked and fell forward, the hilt of a dagger sprouting from his back.

I gasped and jumped away from the man and from the corner of my eye saw a dark wave moving towards me quickly. Turning my head, I realized the wave was a mass of men, running up the street waving swords over their heads and throwing daggers. My head started pounding and I gasped for breath; the comments of pirate raids echoed in my head. They were going to kill everyone in this town.

People tried running away, but some didn’t make it. I watched as swords were brought down on victims and they fell, dead, and trampled on. And all I did was stand there, gaping at the scene that unfolded in front of me. The group of people running away ran past me. A stranger dragged me with them.

I ran with the crowd, and then parted down an alley. They were being picked off one by one. Who knew who the next dagger was going to hit? But my plan backfired when I realized it was a dead end.

“No, no, no,” I whimpered, hitting the stone wall with my fists. Shaking, I hid in a dark corner, listening to the screams of women and children, thudding of bodies as they hit the cobbled stone streets. I huddled in the shadowed corner of the alley, praying they wouldn’t see me. It wasn’t until after the wave of pirates past me did I realize I had been holding a deep breath. I laid there, crouched in the corner for some time, not knowing what to do. Should I go back out into the streets? Find a building to hide in?

My questions were answered when a man, slinking out of the shadows on the opposite side of the street, slipped into the house next to the alley he had hidden into. Almost crying with relief I ran after him, barging into the house, but I stopped in my tracks after taking a step through the door.

The room had a table in the middle, with a kitchen in the corner. The man who had run in before was lying on the floor. Well, his body was. His head had rolled into the corner of the room. Over him stood a bald pirate, with only his pistol holsters strapped like an X over his chest and baggy canvas pants, ripped and bloodied in several places, and his hands holding a large blade, pointing down with fresh red blood sliding down the blade and dripping onto the body. A red pendent he wore around his neck gleamed the same color.

The pirate arched his head up, like a parrot, when I had barged in. Now he straightens his back and grins, showing bloody gums and black teeth.

“Get away from me,” I whispered as I stepped back. He cocked his head and took a step closer. Then he laughed with a high pitched voice and brought the knife over his head, ready to throw it at me. Screaming, I fled the building, feeling my face contort in horror and fear, but as I ran out, the knife struck me in the shoulder and I fell. Searing red pain exploded in my shoulder. Gripping the dagger, I yanked it out of my shoulder with a scream of pain then scrambled to my feet as I saw the pirate coming closer to me, taking his time, thinking I’m an easy target. I’ll show him.

With the dagger I had pulled out of my shoulder, I drew back my good arm and threw it at him. The dagger spun out of my hand and flew towards him, but then, instead of piercing his heart, it seemed to bounce back and fall on the floor. I looked at him in disbelief. The pirate giggled high pitch again and cried, “You’re dead, little girl!”

He bent over and reached his dagger, but as he was doing so, I turned my back and fled.

With my heart pumping louder and louder with each step, I raced through the streets. One time my boots caught on my skirt, but I rolled off the ground and continued running. Bodies littered the streets, blood flowing between and over the cobbled stone streets, like a flooded river.

Fire crackled, laughing as it consumed buildings. The places I’ve known for years, the places I made part of my life-the wood shop, the paint shop, the trade store-were all withering down, like old men.

Pirates, prancing through the streets like demon monkeys, threw grenades into windows, shattering glass, and caught houses on fire, and slaughtered people as they tried to get away…several pirates attempted to follow me, but I ran through narrow winding streets, anything to get them off of my trail. They were barbaric devils, the lot of them. Finally I drew near Tom’s Tavern.

Tears stung my eyes when I took in the scene before me; the tavern, my home, was on fire. The red flames licked their way up the walls, growing bigger and bigger the higher it went. There would be no saving it. From inside the buildings I heard a familiar scream that froze my heart, my mind, every part of me. Because that scream, that voice, belonged to Molly.

“Molly!” I screamed back. Suddenly I wasn’t afraid of the flames. I wasn’t afraid of the pirates crashing the city around me, I wasn’t afraid I would probably die. All I cared about was getting my friend to safety. Without a second thought I started running closer to the building and was about to jump through the black doors. Flames covered them and from several meters away I could feel the heat searing my skin. My heart was also burning, but at the moment I didn’t know if it was the fire roaring in front of me or the determination in my heart.

But before I could jump into my fiery demise that surely would have killed me I was pushed back. I stumbled backwards and tripped over something. After one look at what- no, who- I tripped over broke me, and the horrors of the night flooded through me and I went out cold, slumping on the ground. I had stumbled over Terri’s body and a red slice severed her throat in half. A few feet away was Vane, who had met the same end. He had tried to save her, but failed.