Pirates

Chapter 6

Their eyes gazed into mine. Dazed and placid, not seeing me as I walked towards them, knife in hand. Eyes that will forever haunt me; eyes of the men I had killed. They did not scream, not even as I stabbed those men one by one, not even when all I now saw were bodies sat in chairs, gashing holes in there chest or abdomen. Blood streaming down their cheeks like tears. They rose in unison, their bodies unharmed other than the holes left from the knife I held in my hand. One held out their hand to me, I took it. He led me to a seat in the dark haze surrounding us all and I sat down. A figure walked out of the dark haze and came into view, his face blurred, obscuring his identity. He clasped a knife in his own hands as I just had. I looked down; my hands were now clean of the blood that had just stained them and the knife was no longer there. The man walked closer and I knew that the two men beside me, were to be my fate as well; helpless. I tried to scream, to call out for help, but I could not. I was going to be killed without mercy, as the men beside me were. I had called this upon myself by stealing the life from others. I sat and tried to scream no more, I awaited what I deserved. The knife touched my chest above my heart, then began to push.
I awoke, my breathing hard and heart thundering in my chest. I did not scream; could not scream. The sweat on my hands felt too much like blood, the blood I had spilled. I rushed out of my room and to the deck. I leaned over the side of the boat and vomited. My body was shuddering on the floor by the time my stomach was empty and sweat trickled off my forehead. I needed to get their blood off my hands. I needed to. I pulled myself to my feet and found some water. I scrubbed my hands trying to remove the blood that I couldn't see, but I knew was there. Blood I may never be able to get off my hands, but I had to try. I wept. I staggered back to bed, but did not sleep, knowing that the dream would be waiting for me should I close my eyes. Knowing that it would be there as long as I lived. So I just lay there, thinking of a time when my biggest concern was what style of clothing was in fashion and how tight I could make my corset.
Due to my wound being but small, I was forced to be on my feet again in just two days, when I was summoned early to the quarters of the Captain. I had spent the nights lying awake trying to avoid sleep and the hell that awaited me, but try as I might, every time I would drift off and every time I would replay the scene of me carving out those eyes, then having the faceless man carve out mine, waking just before I could feel the pain. After the first night, I did not throw up upon waking, but would try relentlessly not to close my eyes again, making it extremely difficult to remain awake during the day. It did not come as a great shock to me that the Captain did not wait longer to summon me for dinner. This time, however, it was not for dinner; I was to be received early afternoon. I knocked on the door, my heart pounding with every tap on the wood. I was terrified and excited all at once. I could be in real trouble, or my father could have responded to my letter. After receiving a call to tell me to enter, I walked in to see him bent over his desk, a map spread across its surface with several knives stabbed through it and to the underlying surface pinning it down. A concentrated look was etched onto his face as he scanned the map, a look which slid into a cool smirk upon seeing me.
"Hello, pretty." He purred. It took all my strength not to scratch that arrogant grin off his face. Instead I simply dipped my chin in greeting. I held my hands behind my back. "How are you feeling after you so willingly took someone's life for the sake of saving mine?" I almost flinched at the words. Seeing my distress his smile faltered slightly before he changed topic. "Your father has not responded." My heart wavered slightly. I knew how unreliable the sea postal system was, having been subject to its faults myself, but I could not shake the feeling of being unwanted and forgotten by my father. "However, I have sent a second letter telling him to send back a meeting place and time. This letter gave him a bit more..." He paused searching for the right word before smiling mockingly. "Incentive."
"You threatened my life?" I asked almost hopeful in the idea that it may make my father respond.
"Don't sound so hopeful. That threat only means as much as your life does to your father." He smirked again twisting a ring around one of his fingers. "After all, think how much it would hurt if this didn't spur him on a bit."
He was right I realized. It would be far more painful to have no response now than if Hayes hadn't threatened my life. I was so fed up of waiting, of relying on others, be it the postal service, Captain Hayes, even my father. I wanted something to be done.
"If that's all, sir." I gave a curt nod and turned to leave.
"You'll be home before you know it." He teased. I left the room.