Spirits

Chapter 2

The arms appeared again and my body was lifted off the ground leaving me dangling above the rough wood. My only support was a bony shoulder covered by greasy rags.

I kicked my legs, trying to disrupt Johnny and escape his arms. The skirts flew up with my motions, the metal underneath became visible to the sailors around us. Not only did their stares find their way up my skirts, but the cold breeze also did as well.

"Let go of me, you broot." I clawed at his arms, fingers digging into the tough skin on his hands and finding their way to the earlier wounds, but he didn't drop me.

"Hold your tongue." He climbed up the boardwalk and I stopped struggling, afraid he would lose his footing. "This is The Black Voyage."

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. The painful truth creeping in. Johnny stopped walking and I felt my body drop as his arms released me onto the wooden deck.

The wind was knocked out of me as my back connected with the boards. My chest heaved as my lungs tried to fill themselves, the thick corset making it harder. Not only was the sudden impact shortening my breaths, but the hysteria that was creeping its way in was making it hard to think.

"I told ya' not to harm the goods," The man who I now knew as Captain Pierre said as he walked over, boots thumping on the wood. "Hey there, lassie."

I coughed as I stood up, scrutinizing the men. The crew seemed to be in worse shape than their captain. With dirty clothes and hungry frames, they looked the part of pirates sailing through forbidden waters. I knew not all of their transactions were legal, myself included, but they made no effort to hide their actions.

"You're Captain Pierre, the man I paid to smuggle me across the Atlantic?"

With only one level and a small navigation platform, the ship didn't look like it could make it out of the bay let alone across the ocean. The boards under our feet were cracked and a thin coat of slime resided on them. If that wasn't enough, the sails were patched every few inches and contained the same unidentifiable mixture. The wind caught them and carried the smell of rotting seaweed down to the lower deck.

"Yes, Miss Maurea and I would like the money now if ya don' mind." He stepped forward, arm extended to the bag in my arms. "Now, please. We ain't carrying ya for free."

I retreated as he tried to close the distance. Before I could make decent headway, my back hit Johnny's chest and I was forced to stop.

"I do mind, Captain." I clutched the bag to my chest and scurried around the flesh wall behind me. "You will get the money when I arrive safely in the Caribbean."

"That ain't our deal," he hissed, face turning animalistic with his teeth bared at me.

"No," I replied, "but you'll receive the money either way. I don't plan to swindle you and include a small sum for your patience."

His teeth grit together and I could hear the grinding of bone on bone. His knuckles were bone white as his fingers closed on each other. His body shook like mine but for an entirely different reason.

"Johnny, grab her bag and bring me my money," he hissed out of the corner of his lips.

The sack was ripped from my hands as Johnny closed the distance once more to strip me of my belongings. The bag was emptied quickly, the objects deemed unimportant scattered at their feet. Both men tore through the burlap with a hunger that presented itself in their eyes.

"Please, Captain." I froze, watching Johnny empty my bag. "The money isn't in there."

The last of my possessions hit the floor and Johnny passed the few coins that had been littering the bottom to his captain. I could see him fingering the picture of Isabella, the last image I would ever have of her.