Capítulo Cinco
"Aquí nadie sale vivo."
-No one here gets out alive.-
– Jim Morrison
My fingernails dug into the smooth wood furnish that covered the entire room.
The pain was engulfing me, luring me further into its never ending abyss. My tiny hand encircled my throat, clutching for dear life. I breathed in, yet nothing came out. The more I tried to catch my breath, the more I suffocated, causing me to panic all the more.
My eyes didn’t want to open and yet I could tell it was in the room, standing right in front of me.
The air mixed with growls and a faint smell of the haunting sea..
I was panting. I didn’t dare look up; much less open them to slits and peek at the creature.
I whimpered, feeling the sliver of its scales across my legs. The sensation was never-ending; I gasped, realizing it was its tail. It was thick, leaving an imprint wherever it traveled.
I stilled when it spoke. The language it spoke seemed ancient. I could barely understand it, but I knew the melody – it was branded in my head countless of times. The words came, slapping me on the face. I gaped as it sang.
“Duérmete niño, duérmete ya.”
-Sleep child, sleep now...-
“Que viene el Cucuy y te comerá.”
-Or else the Cucuy will come and eat you-
That lullaby.
It was the one mama sung to me before bed. She’d only sing it when I wouldn’t obey her or Father – when I was being a bad girl.
I fell in love with the drowsy melody. My mother’s soft coo helped chase out the monster under my bed. I couldn’t help, but wish that my mother was there to chase off the monster in front of me.
My body shook, goose bumps spreading out on my arms like tiny bed bugs running across them.
Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and breathe out.
Look up, I thought. I managed to lift my head from the ground.
El Cucuy
Claws enveloped my shoulders; its long tongue licking the sides of my face. I froze. I couldn’t produce a sound. Shutting my eyes, I silently screamed for anyone to help me. .
Its malicious smile, I would never forget. My breathing quickened.
“¿Que haces, Meli?”
I held my breath. The voice came from the door. My head turned to face her, my eyes meeting her hazel ones, fresh tears sprinkling down my cheeks.
“F-Fe,” I tried to scream, nothing but a whisper escaped my lips. As if noticing my turmoil, the monster loosened its grip, slithering straight towards her.
“¡Fe!”
The mood was grim. I could see the haunting expressions on my crews’ faces. They were not happy one of their own was hurt. Neither was I, I was livid, but I kept the corners of my composure – someone had to be in control, although, my self-control was slowly slipping – anymore and I would snap.
I blinked a couple of times out of shock, registering my fallen comrade on the floor gripping her shoulder, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Breathe, I reminded myself. I felt the warmth, hot and boiling, coursing through my veins. My fingers twitched for my cutlass, awaiting the red rivers of blood it craved.
Traitor – that was the first thing that popped into my head, they could have been on board my ship the whole time. The thought made my insides churn. I took another deep breath. No, someone must have made the rash decision to sneak in while we had our guards down. We were in Cartagena – this town was crawling with Navy scum. I looked around, scowling. I made sure to make the culprit’s death one to remember.
I got up from the floor, dusting myself off. Whenever I needed my skin saved, Fe was there in a flash; even if she had to sacrifice herself to protect her Captain. My blood lust, increased with every passing second, blinded me to the fact that she took my blow.
My jaw ticked. From the corner of my eye, I saw the culprit standing with pride, the look on his face made me want to kill him in cold blood; my crew stopped him the moment he tried to escape.
What? Did he think he had any chance of escaping?
I stilled when I heard Fe’s whimpers.
Her painful moans were rough and came out in short pants. She was holding back, for my sake. My eyes glazed with remorse. Her wounds needed to be treated.
I was at her side instantly. “Let it go, Fe. It’s best to take on the pain naturally.”
I softly touched her cheek with the inside of my hand. She looked at me, her face covered in sweat. Stubborn as a mule, she was. She nodded, but kept her volume at a minimum, not wanting to worry her mates. She was trying her best to not worry me.
I grimaced, the amount of sweat coming out of her pores, her pale face.Something was definitely off. “¡Paolo!”
He didn’t waste time coming forth from the many bodies encircling the stern castle deck.
“Aye, Cap’n?”
My gaze didn’t liger away from the perpetrator standing before us, their glare meeting my own. “Get Surgeon to come out of her quarters, make sure Fe is stable by the time I feed this perro to the sharks.”
Paolo flinched, hearing the anger laced in my voice, but he knew not to show his fear in front of me. “Si, Capitán Zea!”
I pointed towards one of my men. “Rafael, carry Fe and follow him.”
He didn’t say a word, but acknowledged my command with a nod, his dark brown hair splaying the sides of temples. He walked in front of Fe.
Before he held her, I grabbed his shoulder, communicating my message into his black charcoal orbs. “Cuidado, be very careful with her.”
“Aye,” Rafael murmured.
But, the perpetrator wouldn’t stop there. He had to make his foolish point, while he still could.
“You have all been brainwashed! They’re not human, especially the perra feigning her pain. Look at her, acting as if it hurts,” he spat on the ground, struggling to get closer to Fe, but Paolo and Rafael were already heading in the opposite direction.
I walked up to the dog, glancing at a few of my crew. They got the silent exchange and brought him down to his knees. The pathetic bilge rat wouldn’t go down without a fight, he resisted, jumping and flailing where he stood. “Witches!” he resisted some more. “Brujas in disguise as Pyrates looking for the Isle of the Seven Cities, the Antillia – “
Before he could finish his sentence, I plunged my dagger into his left leg. His eyes grew wide, the shock stopping his theatrics, but soon his shocked silence was replaced by startled pain induced shrieks. La Marcelina came alive with his cries. I met the rear of the dagger with the back of my foot, stomping it deeper to break through bone, tearing layers upon layers of muscle.
I waited until he stopped crying like a little bitch, watching the red crimson flow to the ground. “Dead men tell no tales,” I murmured. I grabbed the hilt and pulled my weapon out of the sniveling cobarde.
I watched him shake. “Your other leg is lonely, let’s fix that shall we?” I switched hands and did the same thing to the other leg. I brought out a rag, and wiped my dagger.
His head was dangling; drool etched the sides of his mouth from screaming his lungs out. He threw up from the smell of his own blood.
“¡Eh “I hissed, pressing my weapon towards his face. “Not on my ship!” I grabbed his hair, lifting his head up to check if he was conscious. A groan confirmed it. “Tie him up, mateys. We’ll give him the usual.” I commanded. I could hear the chuckles vibrating from my crew.
They were enjoying this just as much as I was.
They dragged him from the stern castle deck towards the main mast, recklessly lifting him up like a live sacrifice. Their hands held the back of his shaky legs and the back of his boots, gripping his heel to hold him steady as one of my mates climbed the mast and tied the rope around him. She was precise in her skill.
He was balancing himself upright, careful not to fall forward onto the cold hard ground. I couldn’t help the glint in my eye as he winced in pain, his fresh wounds leaving him paralyzed to do our bidding.
“Make sure it’s tight, mujer, we don’t want our guest to be uncomfortable while on his stay.” I called to her. The grunts coming out of his mouth confirmed she did the deed. She slid down the mast, walking towards me.
My crew was eager, waiting for their next command. We looked up at him, proud of our handiwork. Now came my favorite part.
I patted the side of his leg, the action making him wince. “I shall to remain a lady. “ I flipped my hair for effect. “And, interrogate you nicely, Señor…?” I started.
No answer.
I waved him off. “Oh, well. Your name doesn’t matter at the moment. Who sent you? No man stupid enough would try to kill with no motive and you, amor, seem guilty.”
The man moaned in pain, not uttering a word on the mast, determined to keep silent.
My lips twitched. “I’ll ask you again, who was the swine?”
I frowned. “I see you are quiet, what happened to the bravery you so displayed earlier? I commend you for the attempt. But, you made it a point to get a reaction from me. And, you got what you wanted, bucko.”
His groaning continued. He was deliberately ignoring me.
I tapped my finger on his blood stained boots. “I can imagine the agony you must be feeling right now. How about we cut off your feet for good measure to get you to talk? There are also your toes.” I grabbed the front of his boots, gripping them. “Imagine what fun it would be to sell them for a price.”
That had him looking at me like I had gone mad.
“Still not talking? Okay, then. There’s always the hard way, mate.” I said the two words slowly making sure he got the picture.
He shook his head, pleading with his eyes.
“Keel hauling.” I let my words float in the air. “That is to be your fate once we set sail and, quite frankly, no tengo mucha paciencia.” I finished, turning towards Surgeon’s quarters. I took a few steps, but before I walked the rest of the way, I stopped, my head turning a little. “It’s your choice. Talk or die. However, the latter seems to be in your favor.”
Sobs filled behind me. I clenched my fists. He thought I’d change my mind if he started crying? Not even a child begging me for food would change my mind. The only thing I want was answers. The person who sent him wanted to kill me.
Most importantly, they hurt Fe!
Maldita Fe… She came to my aid once again. I brought my hand to my scalp, ruffling up my hair in frustration.
I walked past my crew, some of them backing away. I didn’t realize we had a little show. I knew there would be mixed feelings about my decision. Though, my crew knew better than to go against their Captain. It’s either go with it, or become a part it. Keel hauling was the worst form of Pyrate torture. Those who lived through it were labeled Kings of the Locker – they were thought as above average. For Pyrates, we tend to not want that sort of attention. Your head would be served on a platter, all nice and cooked for the nobles to use.
I couldn’t help overhearing a few of their comments as I was making my way to where Fe was.
“That’s our Captain!”
“¡Esta loca!”
“Has she finally gone mad?”
“¡Esta loca nuestra lider!”
“¡Vive Capitán Zea!”
“¡Si!”
I stopped at the door, turning around, fully looking at each individual. I yelled making sure the whole ship was engulfed with my statement. “Whoever even thinks about letting our prey escape out of their pathetic act of pity or heroism – whatever you may call it, will be branded as dead! We’re Pyrates, act like it. Now, continue on with your down time, it’s all you’re getting for a while, amigos.”
I turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.
What I walked into was not what I was expecting to see.