**Violence and some language in this chapter. I do not intend to glorify these themes/behaviors. Please be cautious if you're sensitive to violent scenes and descriptions.**
⊰ T H I R T Y ⊱
THE ARTIST
Two waves of pirates crashed into each other wildly, swords striking together in a barbaric frenzy. Rain began to fall down on us the instant we dove into the fight, almost like the clouds had a mind of their own and wanted some sort of role in the battle. There were two pirates for nearly every one of us, and I was almost offended that I was of the few to have only one man approach me.
I smirked, knowing their assumptions of my weakness would only put me at an advantage. I easily parried my attacker's blows, pushing against his blade to send him stumbling back. Surprise spread across his face as he started acknowledging my strength.
"You've got a little spice in you," the redhead grinned as he straightened out and stalked toward me again, like a scavenging wolf. Little did he know that I was the greater predator.
"You sure you don't want to surrender and stay with us, sweetheart? We could take real good care of you." he purred, licking his lips as his eyes gleamed with an animalistic desire.
A grimace pulled on my lips as his words sent nausea through me. "No way in hell," I spat before clashing my sword down on his again.
The pirate grunted in effort as he struggled to keep up with my swift attacks. Letting his sickening comments fuel the fire within me, I bore down on him relentlessly. I thought about the people they had probably just slaughtered, their sudden absence on this earth pushing me on. Adrenaline and anger coursed through my veins as I lunged for him, aiming for his chest, but he saw it coming and tried to twist away at the last second, the blade plunging into his bicep instead.
An ear-splitting shout left his mouth as I tore the sword back out of his skin, blood spattering in every direction as I did so. He clamped a hand over his gushing wound, falling to his knees.
"Fucking bitch. When I'm done with you, you won't be able to—"
His words ceased and then he was coughing and sputtering, hands flying to his throat where a line of red liquid overflowed. His body fell backwards, hitting the wet floor with a conclusive thud. He'd never seen the blade coming.
I tore my gaze from his body, squinting through the rain that started to come down in sheets and pound against the black wood of the deck. Through the haze of water, I could see Taehyung and Jungkook each fighting a single pirate, while Jin, Jimin, Yoongi, and Hoseok were all stuck fighting two at a time. Namjoon was the furthest away, battling the captain as they exchanged words that were drowned out by the sound of the rain.
Noticing Jin struggle to keep up with his two attackers, I ran to help and blocked one of their swings just before it could knick Jin's shoulder. The pirate's attention shifted to me and Jin muttered a thanks as he continued fighting the other enemy.
Somehow, we ended up with our backs facing each other as we continued to fight. "I've got your back," I joked, earning a short chuckle from him.
"Not sure now is the right time to be making jokes," he commented through heavy breaths.
"You're probably right," I admitted, managing to slice a tear through the pirate's shirt but missing his skin by a hair. "But you're the one that taught me to joke even in the worst circumstances."
"Don't follow my example, Kat," his voice came out tight and strained, then I heard the sound of steel slicing through skin. My throat tightened but I couldn't look back to check on him as the man in front of me wouldn't let up on his attacks.
"Jin?" I called out, fearing the worst.
"I'm good," he suddenly spoke from right beside me and I sighed in relief. "Hoseok needs help, I'll take over here."
With a nod, I stepped back, allowing him to dive into the fight that I was leaving. Turning around, my eyes briefly dropped to the still body of the pirate Jin had been fighting, then they traveled up to find Hoseok who had been backed into a corner by the enemies in front of him.
Realizing that they were facing away from me, I knew I could catch them off guard. I sprinted over to them and lodged my sword straight through the back of one of their chests. The pirate yelled out in pain and started to go limp. He fell back into me before I could yank my blade out of him. I wavered and fell underneath his weight, my sword only digging further into him as he landed on top of me.
"Kat!" Hoseok's voice was filled with worry, but he had to continue fighting.
I struggled to roll the body off of me, making him lie face-first on the floor. Getting to my feet, I placed a boot on his back and held him down while I pulled the blood-stained sword out of his ribs.
Heavy rain continued to pelt down like a shower of bullets, drenching my clothes and leaving my hair hanging down in wet ropes, a few strands plastered to my face.
"Kat, look out!" Hoseok yelled as he continued to fight with the other pirate, sparing a desperate glance at me.
In my peripheral, I caught a glimpse of movement and spun around just in time to block the rough swing of a tall, bulky man. He was bigger than any of the other pirates I'd seen so far. His muscles bulged through the material of his black shirt, dark chest hair peeking out from the neckline. His eyes were black and unforgiving, burning with vengeance. He must've seen me take down his friend and came to avenge him.
My shoulders and biceps shook as I pushed back against his weapon with my own, doing my best to keep him from overpowering me. He leaned in close, his rancid breath filling my nostrils.
"A pretty little thing like you doesn't belong in the middle of this. You can't keep up with the big boys, darling," he rasped.
"Tell that to your friend over there," I ground out, nodding my head in the direction of the fallen pirate I had just sent to the ground.
The man in front of me growled, baring his teeth before bringing his sword away from me, then stabbing it forward toward my gut. I sucked in a breath, arching my back to narrowly avoid the blade.
Though he was three times my size, I was twice as fast.
While his sword was still outstretched, I turned and slashed my weapon down on it, sending the blade out of his hands and clattering to the ground. Water splashed up as it hit the floor, almost in slow motion.
In one instant I was staring down at the sword, then in the next I was on the ground, my head hitting the wood harshly. My weapon skidded across the floor as I lost grip of it. Black spots dotted my vision and my ears rung as the heavy mass of a body weighed me down, his rough hands encircling my throat. My fingers automatically latched onto his wrists where I dug my nails into his skin. My lungs screamed for air and tears sprung from the corners of my eyes, mixing with the raindrops on my face.
"It's a shame I have to kill you. Could've had a lot of fun with you if you weren't so stubborn," he seethed through clenched teeth.
He was straddling my waist to keep me pinned down, but I was able to bend my knee and plant my foot on the floor, close to my hips. I removed one hand from his wrist, reaching out to my boot. My fingers met cool metal and in a split second, I was plunging the dagger into the side of his neck.
His eyes widened, hands releasing my throat as they scrambled to latch onto the knife that was buried in his skin. He coughed and sputtered up blood, a few drops landing on my face. I scrambled out from underneath him, watching as he dropped backwards. He finally pulled the blade out, and I turned away, wincing from the pool of blood that flashed in my sight. I lurched, bending over to vomit.
When I finally straightened out after picking up my sword, my eyes caught onto a scene that made me feel sick all over again.
At the very front of the boat, Jimin was battling two burly men while backed into the farthest point of the ship. He was fighting with one hand, his other palm pressing down on the crook of his neck where blood was seeping through his fingers. He struggled to block each swing the pirates took at him, never getting the chance to throw his own blows. They pressed on, pushing him farther back, and one misstep was all it took.
My heart sunk and my stomach twisted in painful knots as I watched Jimin's boots slide on the wet floor, pulling out from underneath him and sending him over the edge.
"JIMIN!" the scream tore past my throat, loud and shrill and broken.
But he was already gone. Returned to the dark, watery abyss he had tried so hard to escape. Trapped once again as a prisoner to the empty blackness of the sea, wearing shackles in the form of a tail.
As soon as he met the water, he would be a siren again. All the humanity that had started to bloom like a flower in his heart would shrivel up and die, marred by the cold and manipulative ice the curse brought on.
My feet moved on their own, carrying me toward the front of the ship. My surroundings were fuzzy, everything going by in a blur as I tried to make it to where he had fallen. Jungkook somehow got there first, attacking the two men that had sent Jimin to the depths. Then Jin and Taehyung were also there, joining in on the action.
I was close, so close to making it when deep, maniacal laughter brought me to a jolting stop. To the right of me stood the captain—Booth—with his boot pressing hard into Namjoon's chest and pinning him to the ground. The sharp tip of his blade was sliding across Namjoon's cheek, bringing about a trail of crimson that quickly washed away as the rain pelted down.
Looking from the edge of the ship where the man I cared for had fallen, over to the pirate that was like family to me and desperately needed my help, I knew I had to make a decision. As much as I wanted to search for Jimin, to see if he was okay, the choice was a clear one; Jimin would be alive even if he was a siren, but Namjoon would die if I didn't do something.
So with a shattering heart, I changed my course, doing my best to come up behind Booth unnoticed. He was still dragging his blade across Namjoon's skin, the sword acting as a paintbrush while the body beneath him was his canvas. An artist of blood and steel and flesh.
I approached stealthily, holding my breath as I kept my weapon pulled back near my ribs, ready to jut it forward as soon as I was close enough. I could stab him straight through the heart before he even knew what hit him.
But Namjoon's eyes lifted and latched onto mine, giving me away at the last second. Booth noticed and started turning, and my breath hitched and I was launching my sword forward all in the same instant. His hands caught the blade and stopped it before it could dig into his chest. I gasped as he tightened his grip, drawing blood from his palms as the sharp edges cut through skin. I lifted my terrified gaze, meeting the icy blue orbs that held in them the promise of death.
"Nice try," he smirked, tilting his head to the side as if trying to find a clearer view into my soul, "But you have to be quicker than that."
Blinding, red-hot pain suddenly shot through my entire body, robbing all the air from my lungs. Blackness surrounded the edges of my vision as I looked down, slowly trailing my eyes along the hairy forearm and bulging veins, the thick fingers that were wrapped around the golden hilt of his sword, finally taking in the gleaming blade that was lodged in my gut.
Booth pulled the sword out and the nauseating sound of metal tearing through flesh followed. Screams and shouts echoed from every direction, sounding muffled and far away. Scarlet liquid spread around the wound, staining the material of my shirt. With trembling hands, I hovered my palms over the area.
When I moved my gaze up, vision still blurred, the pale blue eyes that stared down at me widened, fear and pain flashing across them. Then they glazed over lifelessly.
As I stumbled back into someone's arms, I watched Booth's large body fall face down on the deck, a familiar sword sticking into his back right where his heart was. Namjoon stood behind him, rage and panic evident on his features.
The person holding me from behind slowly brought me down to the floor, mumbling comforting words in my ear. I thought the voice might've belonged to Taehyung, but I couldn't be sure. Bodies were surrounding me and talking frantically but my heartbeat deafeningly pounded in my ears, drowning out all the words.
Another wave of piercing agony attacked my body, and the last thing I remember before surrendering to the black was Yoongi looking down at me with my head on his lap, just like the day he'd saved me.
• • •
Author's Note:
🥺🥺🥺
I'm sorry for such a chaotic and possibly upsetting chapter. I hope the fast update makes up for the frustration some of you may be feeling. Hang in there, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible!
Thank you all so much for your support, and I hope you found this chapter enjoyable even though it was hectic.
Don't forget to vote, comment, and share if you're liking this story!
Love you guys.
-Hoseokiiss
June 4, 2019