OBSIDIAN

Chapter Two: The Beginning of the End Part Two

At first you thought it was thunder, but when you realized no lightning streaked through the sky, there was only one other explanation.

You began to run as fast as your worn legs could take you, nearly tripping over roots and sliding on patches of mud. As you grew nearer, all light from town began to blur into a cloud of orange and gold. Smoke encased the town and surely what horrors lied within the now opaque mass. Everything was blurring around you as you scrambled though the last bit of woods to the nearest door of your home you could find.

You had never experienced a raid of any sorts or of this severity firsthand, you only heard stories. And as frightful as those stories were, it only augmented your curiosity of the lawless, contumacious, unforgiving men of the sea. Pirates.

As a child you romanticized them. Swinging a stick at innocent trees as though you were sword-fighting to the death. The tree won more times than you liked to admit, and when it did, when one of its low-hanging branches managed to strike your torso, you fell to the ground in dramatic defeat uttering your last words of "Tell father and Joan to make chocolate pastries for my funeral," or "take good care of Mrs. Feathersworth," to your fleece and felt, stuffed animal chicken. But as you grew older, you realized this was not a fantasy. People were killed, homes were set ablaze, goods looted, livestock slaughtered, women raped, and children orphaned. You wondered if there was a metallic scent. From the blood or gunpowder, you hoped you would never know.

The last pillage you heard of to happen at Port Royal was just over two decades ago. Often you would pester your father about it, but never spoke of it, always changing the subject or telling you once you were older could you hear the story. You stopped asking. But you were an adult now. A woman. And never in your life had you feared more simply because you were. You grew sick to your stomach with each possibility of horrid acts that could be done to you and those you cared about.

Now making your way through the empty servants' quarters, adrenaline and fear pushed you forwards, you could only hope that the chaos hadn't reached the estates of your home along with the other government official's. Slowing you pace as you rounded corners, you eventually found the stairway that led to the main entrance on the first floor. You silently thanked your trouble-making childhood self for running around the lower halls and eventually memorizing them as a teenager to sneak out at night or whenever you had the time to. Turning the cold, bronze nob of the door that opened to the main hallway, you gently pushed so a sliver of light cut through the dull glow of simple, wax candles on the walls behind you. Peering out with one eye, everything seemed undisturbed and quiet. Had no one really reached this part of town or had they already gone on their business, leaving a trail of gold and blood behind them?

Taking shaky, whispers of breaths, you slowly opened the door and shut it silently back into it's slot. You padded to the base of the staircase listening for anything out of the ordinary, trying not to shake too much. You didn't walk up five steps before a large crashing noise sounded from the floor above. You held your breath and stood so still you thought time had all but ceased to stop. Deep voices muffled into unrecognizable vowels and you swore you saw stars consuming your vision from the lack of oxygen you were inhaling. Another loud crash and you gasped sharply and whipped your hand up to cover your lips. incoherent Speech and yelling echoed throughout your home, muted from the walls that separated you from them.

Where was everyone?

As quietly as you could, you began your descent backwards down the steps of the staircase. Footsteps prominently, and hastily, barraged through the ceiling above you. You did your best not to panic and flee for your life.

The main entrance was only ten feet away when you heard footsteps heavily approaching you from behind. You made a break for the door when you saw to rugged, tattooed men around the corner. It didn't take much of a glance to notice they were considerably larger than you in many ways. Although, it didn't register like many of your thoughts right now. 'Run' was the only word that managed to pierce through the cacophony inside your head. You couldn't tell if it was mangled thoughts, the hammering of your heartbeat, or both. The only thing you were sure of was that fear had never consumed you so completely in the entirety of your life.