The Cry of Liberty

Chapter Three: Monster

This chapter contains sensitive subjects, nothing in detail (implied), but take heed that this one is a rough one. It had me upset writing it but it's important to the story.

Sasha had taken to caring for the slaves on the ship, helping serve their meals, water, and trying to think of more she could do to help. She was seemingly okay for the first few weeks of the journey to the Caribbean, using her free time to read to the children even if they couldn't understand.

Then came the day that the pregnant woman gave birth. Some of the sailors called for her as they figured a woman would know what to do. She held the woman's hand as she pushed and cried out in pain. There was a crowd drawn to the birth, Jack offered his knife to cut the umbilical cord while Elias, the older man who had convinced Jack to go to her the first day of the journey back, fetched a bucket of water and some rags to clean the mother and her child.

Thomas stood and watched his wife work, face set in a cold expression. Since their fight, she had refused to acknowledge him. She moved away from his touch, would only speak to him if absolutely necessary, and had taken up sleeping in the crews quarters. With every passing day the anger grew in him. She was his wife, dammit! She'd learn to accept it or he'd start treating her like one of the sailors.

"Here we are, a beautiful little boy." Sasha wiped the blood away from the newborn, handing the crying baby to his mother. She smiled for the first time since they had left Nigeria. The mother cooed at the child in her native tongue, which filled Sasha with hope. She tore a piece of her dress and offered it as a wrap to keep the boy warm.

"Captain," One of the sailors muttered to Thomas. "Her value will be greatly decreased now that she has a child to care for." Sasha whipped her head around and glared at them both.

"Thomas, don't you dare touch this baby." She growled. He barked with bitter laughter.

"So you can speak to me but only when it suits you." He motioned for her to be restrained. "Madok's right, she'll sell more without that infant." He walked over and ripped the baby from his mother's arms. Sasha and the mother both cried out for him to stop. She struggled against the men holding her but to no avail. Thomas looked over the boy with disgust.

"Don't do this, please, I'll do anything just leave him be." Tears poured down her cheeks from her blue eyes. "I'll be the devoted wife, I'll never stray, please Thomas." He waved for her to be brought to the top deck. The men holding her dragged her, bawling, up the stairs behind their captain.

"You called me a monster, so I'll give you a monster." Thomas held the baby by his leg over the side of the ship and dropped him. He returned to his screaming wife and drug her to his cabin. The sounds from the Captain's quarters haunted the crewmen as they tried to work.

When it was all over with, Sasha ran down to the cargo hold, nude as the newborn baby had been. She sat with the mother, holding each other and sobbing. She whispered to the woman her vow to end this horrid nightmare and to right the wrongdoings against her people. No one came down at normal feeding time, surely Thomas' cruel order to starve them for the night.

Sasha ended up falling asleep in the hold, waking up sometime in the night covered in a blanket and a set of clothes laid beside her. She covered the mother up and got dressed in the mens slacks and cotton shirt provided to her. She slipped upstairs to the crew's quarters and found the hammock Jack was sleeping in. Covering his mouth with a shaky hand, she shook him awake. Wordlessly, she pulled him into the secondary cargo hold, filled with crates of food and supplies.

"Teach me to fight." She demanded, lighting the lantern on the wall so they could see. The light revealed to Jack the bruises around her neck and arms, swollen and dark.

"Now?" He was still half asleep, only managing to silence the echoes of her screams a mere few hours ago to even get to sleep. "We'll be heard, no matter how late it is." Sasha grabbed one of the swords from the weapons crates and tied the swath of cloth from her now tattered dress she had taken with her when she fled her husband's cabin. She wrapped the steel in the fabric and tied it.

"Teach me to fight." She repeated, handing him the sword and grabbing another to silence. There were footsteps behind them and they both turned, blades pointed at the newcomer.

"You heard the lass." Elias emerged from the shadows, smirking at the two youngsters. "You'll need more than this little pirates help, Mrs. Wainwright." Jack bristled at his knowledge of his past.

"It's Hartford." Sasha spoke strongly, voice hoarse.

"Well then, Ms. Hartford, might I offer my assistance in your training?" She nodded to the older man. "Then we'll start tomorrow night, for now you need all the rest you can get, lass. Take my hammock for the night, I'm on watch anyways."

"Wait, wait, wait." Jack held his hands up, sword still in hand. "What's the plan? We train you to sword fight, then what?" Sasha stared him down, the lantern flames reflecting in her eyes.

"Then we take the ship."