Troubled Seas
Bad Things
Jack was uneasy. Extremely uneasy. Not one native hiding in the woods waiting to attack any intruders? Not one lone hunter out searching for prey? No one. Either something very important was taking place in the village today, or the natives knew Jack and his crews were coming.
A few feet in front on him, Katie stopped in her tracks and turned back around. She held a single slender finger up and pressed it against her pearly pink lips. Then she dropped to the ground of the jungle and began to crawl forward.
Jack stayed rooted in his spot, eyes watching Katie’s every move.
“Cap’n?” a whisper met his ears.
Jack held up his left hand.
Within five minutes Jack had lost track of Katie and was forced to move forward to regain sight of her. She was about one hundred feet away, still on her belly. Jack watched as she slowed, stopped, and stood up.
She was hiding behind a tree, looking up, down, left ,right. She then looked back at Jack and his men, made eye contact with Jack, took one step toward him, and let out a piercing scream that brought the jungle to life.
Jack moved to run toward her, but it was only then that realized the natives of Anew were dropping one by one from the tall branches above him. Surrounding him and his crew. Jack was helpless to save Katie if she was in trouble. Before he could even think of her, he had to fend off the fifty or so blazing with rage natives that were prepared to cut and kill everyone of his men.
Katie watched with mild interest as a vicious battle rallied mere meters from her. It had been her doing of course, but Katie felt no particular guilt over the matter. She needed to get to Him. And she could only do that if everyone else was preoccupied.
Katie ducked down once more and raced across the soft ground of the desert. Once she reached a tight gathering of trees she stood up once more. She ripped the sleeves off her white shirt. She also ripped off the midriff section. Then she moved on to rip and tear at her pants. Once only shreds remained she cast off her boots and stockings. Next she grabbed the small knife located in her discarded boot and used the jagged blade to make small cuts on both of her arms, across one cheek and down the middle of her right palm.
Katie heard a noise not far behind her. She was losing time! She put the knife between her teeth and started a mad dash towards the easing of the jungle, making sure to rub her bloody palm against every tree as she went.
Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten. Five. Katie’s heart pounded in her ears. So close. She was so close.
“Finish them boys!” Jack yelled over the cries of the native and his own men. Although the natives were fierce warriors, they weren’t well equipped. Using their pistols, Jack’s men had easily over taken the savages. And once the crowd thinned, Jack saw that Katie was no longer a hundred feet away. She was gone.
He grabbed the nearest crew member and dragged the two of them away from the fight. “You’re coming with me. We have find Katie!” he roughly shoved the crew member in front of him.
It didn’t take long for Jack to spot the discarded clothing and the blood. “Cap’n…cap’n I see blood!” Jim shouted, his hands pale and shaking. “I’m afraid they got her sir!”
“No Jim!” Jack said more fiercely than was necessary, it was easy to tell that the loss of blood was only minor. “She’s leaving a trail!” Jack followed the bloody hand prints from tree trunk to tree trunk, his mind refusing to believe any real danger could have befallen his defenseless Katie.
Katie made sure never to move too far ahead of Jack. Anytime she did there was a terribly ripping inside her soul that made her want to scream out in pain, the world tilted sickeningly, everything began to spin! But she only had to take one small step back and the world was once more right.
The man was close. She knew it. Could feel it in her blood the same way she felt Jack’s presence. She had reached the entrance to the village and made sure to stick close to the outskirts. All the natives were running towards the woods, toward where Jack’s men remained fighting. It was exactly the distraction she needed.
Katie counted the huts, looking for the ninth one, the hut with the skull and crossbones above it. It wasn’t hard to find. It was the only hut with smoke still emanating out of the whole in the bamboo roof.
And He was in it. Waiting for her. The way she knew He would be.
Katie ran toward the hut, knife clutched in her unscathed palm. Fear twisting inside her.
As her feet hit the red dirt of the hut’s floor a voice greeted her ears. “Katrina! How nice of you to finally join us. I thought you had forgotten all about our bargain!”
A few feet in front on him, Katie stopped in her tracks and turned back around. She held a single slender finger up and pressed it against her pearly pink lips. Then she dropped to the ground of the jungle and began to crawl forward.
Jack stayed rooted in his spot, eyes watching Katie’s every move.
“Cap’n?” a whisper met his ears.
Jack held up his left hand.
Within five minutes Jack had lost track of Katie and was forced to move forward to regain sight of her. She was about one hundred feet away, still on her belly. Jack watched as she slowed, stopped, and stood up.
She was hiding behind a tree, looking up, down, left ,right. She then looked back at Jack and his men, made eye contact with Jack, took one step toward him, and let out a piercing scream that brought the jungle to life.
Jack moved to run toward her, but it was only then that realized the natives of Anew were dropping one by one from the tall branches above him. Surrounding him and his crew. Jack was helpless to save Katie if she was in trouble. Before he could even think of her, he had to fend off the fifty or so blazing with rage natives that were prepared to cut and kill everyone of his men.
Katie watched with mild interest as a vicious battle rallied mere meters from her. It had been her doing of course, but Katie felt no particular guilt over the matter. She needed to get to Him. And she could only do that if everyone else was preoccupied.
Katie ducked down once more and raced across the soft ground of the desert. Once she reached a tight gathering of trees she stood up once more. She ripped the sleeves off her white shirt. She also ripped off the midriff section. Then she moved on to rip and tear at her pants. Once only shreds remained she cast off her boots and stockings. Next she grabbed the small knife located in her discarded boot and used the jagged blade to make small cuts on both of her arms, across one cheek and down the middle of her right palm.
Katie heard a noise not far behind her. She was losing time! She put the knife between her teeth and started a mad dash towards the easing of the jungle, making sure to rub her bloody palm against every tree as she went.
Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten. Five. Katie’s heart pounded in her ears. So close. She was so close.
“Finish them boys!” Jack yelled over the cries of the native and his own men. Although the natives were fierce warriors, they weren’t well equipped. Using their pistols, Jack’s men had easily over taken the savages. And once the crowd thinned, Jack saw that Katie was no longer a hundred feet away. She was gone.
He grabbed the nearest crew member and dragged the two of them away from the fight. “You’re coming with me. We have find Katie!” he roughly shoved the crew member in front of him.
It didn’t take long for Jack to spot the discarded clothing and the blood. “Cap’n…cap’n I see blood!” Jim shouted, his hands pale and shaking. “I’m afraid they got her sir!”
“No Jim!” Jack said more fiercely than was necessary, it was easy to tell that the loss of blood was only minor. “She’s leaving a trail!” Jack followed the bloody hand prints from tree trunk to tree trunk, his mind refusing to believe any real danger could have befallen his defenseless Katie.
Katie made sure never to move too far ahead of Jack. Anytime she did there was a terribly ripping inside her soul that made her want to scream out in pain, the world tilted sickeningly, everything began to spin! But she only had to take one small step back and the world was once more right.
The man was close. She knew it. Could feel it in her blood the same way she felt Jack’s presence. She had reached the entrance to the village and made sure to stick close to the outskirts. All the natives were running towards the woods, toward where Jack’s men remained fighting. It was exactly the distraction she needed.
Katie counted the huts, looking for the ninth one, the hut with the skull and crossbones above it. It wasn’t hard to find. It was the only hut with smoke still emanating out of the whole in the bamboo roof.
And He was in it. Waiting for her. The way she knew He would be.
Katie ran toward the hut, knife clutched in her unscathed palm. Fear twisting inside her.
As her feet hit the red dirt of the hut’s floor a voice greeted her ears. “Katrina! How nice of you to finally join us. I thought you had forgotten all about our bargain!”
♠ ♠ ♠
This update is extremely overdue! I apologize profusely for that and hope to get the next one out in the very near future!!!Sincerely,
Lynz