The City of the Dead

Chapter 23

After disappearing from the hot sun, we walked down several different corridors and finally stopped at a door. Walter used his set of keys and opened the door for us.

I walked right in and gasped at the size of the room. It could easily have fit twenty women and still had lots of space left over. I saw a hammock with the necessary supplies to set it up. I knew that was all for me, as there was nothing else beside it. In another corner there was about ten mops and another ten buckets.

Walter nodded to me and then left again. I decided to follow Adonis and Walter's frosty welcome so no one would get too comfortable around me.

Soon six girls were standing in front of me. Two were staring at the floor as if I intimidated them, another two were watching me, and the last two were looking around the room taking it all in.

"I would like each of you to say your name. I doubt I'll remember them all, but I just want to know who you are when you mess up so I can report to the captain." I fought back a smirk as I had achieved my rude manner that I had desired. "We will start on the right and move down to the left. I trust that each of you know what your right and left is."

I nodded to a short, pretty girl who had taken her hat off. She had long, flaming red hair that looked as if someone had stuck a pencil in it to achieve such tight curls. I remembered she had been one of the bold ones to stare at me, and I smirked as she looked almost nervous to say her name. Her pale skin looked like snow, and I hoped she wouldn't faint. That would not be a great start to our time together.

"I'm Harmony," her high voice squeaked out.

"How old are you and do you have any experience on a ship?"

"I'm eighteen years old and no ma'am. I was not employed before coming here."

"Why would you want to come on this ship?"

"Everyone wants to come on this ship. I didn't want my life to turn out like all the other woman's in Tortuga." I nodded and fought back a smile. I knew I would like her. She was a little shy when it came to speaking, but I didn't doubt she wouldn't challenge anyone who tried to mess with her.

"Next." I turned to the next girl who looked similar to me. She had the same build, but her eyes were a dull gray. I couldn't see her hair, but I thought I saw one strand that appeared to be a very light blonde that was almost white. Her perfect skin made me itch with jealousy, and to me she looked like a model.

"I'm Justus, seventeen years old, and no experience on a ship. I don't like to talk about my past before this ship though, if you don't mind."

I shot daggers at her with my eyes. "You are not to hide anything from me. If there is something that I believe will affect how you behave on this ship, than you will need to tell me."

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked down to see her clenched fists trembling. I walked over to her and grabbed her arm. I dragged her over to the corner and faced her away from the rest of the girls so they couldn't read her lips.

"Tell me now." I glared over her shoulder at the other girls who were all turned our way. "What are you looking at? Turn around and don't worry about us." They obediently listened and turned back to watch the empty wall.

"I was sold into prostitution by my mother. I just ran away on this ship to get away from them. I didn't want to keep doing what I was doing." Her lip began to tremble and I had to resist the urge to give her a hug.

"I'm sorry, but you're away from that now. Don't feel like you need to talk to any of the other girls about that. That is none of their business."