Black Sea

Chapter 8

The water took my body into a cold embrace. I forced my eyes to open under the surface and tried to see the bottom of it. However, the only thing I caught with my blurry vision was an infinite darkness lying under my feet. My mind travelled away, complicated thoughts started surfacing. Creatures of the most frightening tales could live inside the darkness. I felt my heart beating rapidly in my throat. In a few seconds, I started swimming up.

Once I resurfaced, I looked around. Over the short waves fourteen heads started showing off and they all turned to me.

“We stay close to our ship and wait.”

Some of us floated next to it, others took a grasp at the ropes we had threw earlier. Under the shadow of the ship, the air and water felt cold to my skin which was rough with goosebumps, pointless as they were. I moved my legs trying to make use of the warm blood within me and peeked over the keel. The merchant ship was already near, they threw ropes to drag themselves closer to the Black Curse. Their loud voices became audible after a little while.

Everyone swam closer to me, seeing the enemies for themselves. And then I gave the signal to dive. Every sound was more intense down there. Their fast footsteps, the screeching of the woods and riggings. They turned out being the only things to help navigate myself. In a matter of seconds, it became clear that I was the only one with a hard time under water. I could not stand the lack of oxygen for too long, my legs got tired of pushing me forwards while some of the men even got passed me.

A team of seven swam away from us, climbing up the enemy ship's keel. The rest and I carried out with our own destination.

I wasn't used to that kind of intense exercise. My muscles were losing their power due to the tiredness and lack of oxygen. In a matter of seconds everyone was in front of me, their blurry forms moving further apart. More than once did I have to raise my head to breathe in, risking someone spotting me. I couldn't do otherwise. I was late, and tired and angry at myself.

When I arrived at the rudder, everyone was already hanging up high. No talking, no movement. The signal would be heard any moment so I took out of my pocket the knife to join them. When I was about to stab it on the ship and climb up, I heard it.

A bomb echoed, breaking the still silence and gave a headstart to a lot more. Animalistic shouts and swords clattering. Weapons shooting, smoke covering both of the ships.

My feet and hands moved faster than ever, stabbing and pushing, stabbing and pushing. With a final push, I landed on deck and came face-to-face with a barbarous scene. Blood was scattering everywhere, men were falling down like dominos. Some seriously injured, dragging themselves away from the battle. Men started appearing from the quarters, joining in the fight. For a few seconds it was like I didn't belong to that battle, I was only an unfortunate watcher with heart in mouth and feet on ground.

Until a British navy decided otherwise.

I don't know what he hit me with, but an intense dizziness threw me down. Oh no, I had accepted enough the last few days. Dying wasn't one of them.

I rolled on my back while taking out my sword. When the man was about to fall on me, I plugged my sword into his stomach. I kicked him away and got up. It was time to take over that goddamn ship. I stabbed and defensed. Within minutes inside the group of dying screams, my white shirt had turned into bloody red. My face was splashed with blood and it didn't take long for the metallic taste to appear in my mouth.

I found a way out of the middle of the battle. It appeared that we were winning, but it couldn't be a completed battle without having control of the quarters below. I gave a glance at the men killing and being killed inside the fog of gunpowder and jumped inside. At first it was impossible to see anything in the low light. I took some time to relax my beating heart and eyes to adjust. Soon after I started wandering through their sleeping quarters and other rooms that we couldn't even dream of having on the Black Curse.

Only then did I understood the difference between the two sides. One was full of food, water, medical supplies and weapons. Everything proved their order and laws. Instead, were I lived there was nothing. We had to take over that ship, it was the only way to improve our state.

Down where I was there was only emptiness, something that started being far more stressful than what I was expecting. I kept my sword in front of my body, ready to stab whoever hid down there. My steps were soft on the wet wood, hardly audible under the screaming and thuds from above. The light got inside through the windows as strings. Dust and gun powder hovering in the air, and the ropes screeched and swayed. My heart didn't seem to having relaxed at all. Instead I could feel a lump forming on my throat and no matter how regularly I gulped, it did not go away.

One moment I was breathing normally and the other, something pressed on my neck preventing me from doing so.

“Fυcking pirate s**t!”

A threatening voice came from behind my ear. My muscles started spamming, legs kicked his legs unstoppably trying to get out. He dragged me with him and with an sudden move, he threw me on the ground. The oxygen got forced out of my lungs with my sword flying away from me. I was left barehand to fight. A gigantic man fell on me, his fists hitting the sides of my skull. His sweat slid on my face. With each curse he let loose his voice became more and more hoarse.

I gritted my teeth, something telling me that I was about to break them. Maybe it was of pain, or rage, I don't know. What I do recall is that shout that came out of my mouth later. I bit his hand like a starving lion. A loud scream came out of his neck and his hands stopped moving.

I was incredibly suprised at the pain that blazed up my arm as my fist connected with his jaw. He spit saliva everywhere and his body fell on the ground beside me. Suddenly my fist was slamming into his face while he shrinked trying to escape. Blood pooled in his mouth as I gagged. Every tiny movement he made vanished in a few minutes. However, I stopped only when the pain on my fingers became unbearable. I got up, staring over at him as his chest remained still. Disgust creeped within me at the sight of his smashed face. Broken teeth, saliva melded with blood. I looked away. And froze.

In front of me stood a teenage boy. He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown. Chains held his wrists united, but that didn't prevent him from pointing me with my sword. I took a determined step towards him, and he rushed forward, raising my sword. His nostrils inflated and eyes widen. That didn't stop me from taking a couple of steps more.

“I don't think that is a wise choice, boy.”

He didn't speak, his chest rose and fell rapidly. I chuckled at the sight.

“Did you see what I just did?”

“Shut up!”

I curted my head in confusion and surprisingly I did shut up.

“You're gonna listen to me and I don't care what you may do to me!”

I looked at my body. The blood had increased from the last time I checked, from my hands flew warm blood. I probably looked much deadlier than usual, something that didn't bother me in particular. I shook my hands to get rid as much of the blood as possible and nodded.

“I'm Shon Wetcher and I happen to be a very good surgeon,” his chest puffed out. “Don't you think I'm necessary?”