The Time Travel memoirs: Lost And So Alone

I was on the floor of a huge spaceship. A screen on the wall, much like a large digital clock read: Majestic 5067. Was that the model of the ship? No, that’s stupid, it was the date. The pirate and his crew looked over their barrels at me and the crew looked to the captain for orders. Storm raised his chin a little. “Don’t fire men; this newest trick from the demons is an interesting move.” I was in a rather helpless position; Captain Storm was mighty, if the man had stopped countless demon assassins and warriors. Storm was bound to defeat me.

I knew my chance of fulfilling Beelzebub’s task was going to be a poor one. This mission was intended to be a suicide mission. Beelzebub knew that if I died or succeeded he would have gained something. That’s why I told John Storm and his crew everything, from the very beginning. I told him my origins, I told him about Iliana and the werewolf and I told him about Beelzebub.

“So, was this girl pretty Mr. Carter?” asked Captain John Storm with a polite inquisitive look on his face. After an hour of telling the crew my entire story and after receiving questions from the colourful men on Storm’s crew, I began to relax and I managed to laugh at Storm’s comment. The guns were no longer trained on me, merely resting on the laps of the pirates.

I nodded merrily to the pirates. “Yeah, she’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, I mean, she’s a literal goddess.” I heard a few cheers from the back of the Majestic, even the pilot of the ship had come down to hear my story. I sighed, “I just don’t want her to know I made a deal with the devil against your life, just to spare my own.” John Storm patted my shoulder in an almost paternal fashion. “Son, a deal with the devil is one thing, it takes balls to make a deal with the devil, but you went against the devil and told us. You must have balls of ivory son.”

I nodded at Storm open mouthed; I really hadn’t met anyone like him before. “I’m quite sure that the curse is broken, for now. Beelzebub has given you a stalemate situation, but if you don’t do the job at hand in a certain amount of time then you will lose your life.” I frowned at Storm. “How do you get that information?” The crew exchanged looks and gave each other lopsided smiles. “We had a cursed demon assassin pay us a little visit a few months ago, he had been chosen to be harvested too he had a pain curse on him. When it hit midnight every night, the curse would start up and this demon would be hit with anything that could possibly cause him pain. Fire, electricity, mild discomfort, he felt it all.”

“So what happened with this demon?” I inquired. John Storm holstered his pistol slowly, but kept a firm hand on the metal stock of the futuristic looking pistol. “The demon wasn’t killed, my orders, we simply had it beaten to pulp and put in the hold. When it hit midnight we heard crying from below. I went below to check. The demon was our only prisoner and he was crying of relief.” I couldn’t imagine what that much elaborate torture could do to someone; I looked back into Storm’s eyes. “The demon told you all of this?” The captain shook his head deliberately. “We got a little visit from one of his minions, Damian; I remember the name very well.”

Storm caught the look on my face and didn’t miss it. “He curse you too son?” I nodded, “he doesn’t seem to have free will Beelzebub tortures him. I don’t feel anger towards him anymore, just pity.” Storm’s hand left the pistol; this made me feel a little more relieved. “Damian told the demon that he had failed and that when Beelzebub gives the cursed a job, the cursed has to be broken. Damian wasn’t willing to put the curse back on the demon, so he was slaughtered in my hold.” My eyes widened, “so I’m going to be killed?” The crew looked to John Storm; they hung onto his every word. He shook his head, “not if I have anything to say about it kid, I value honesty.”

I could understand why the entire crew respected Storm. He was a normal human being, but he had the heat of the fire of life burning deep inside of him and the bravery of a thousand warriors. I was willing to bet he wasn’t bad in a fight either. Storm stood up about 5”9; he wasn’t a particularly tall man. Storm didn’t wear a pirate’s hat or an eye patch; he simply wore a brown overcoat over the top of a button up shirt and a pair of old jeans. Storm had long black unkempt hair which grew down to the bottom of his neck. Storm had a mess of black stubble on his face, peppered with grey.

Each pirate had a sword attached to his belt; John Storm had an old admiral’s sword which was decorated with gold and silver. That pistol storm held too, the futuristic pistol. The pistol had no magazine, nor a cylinder; it just had a trigger and a hammer. The pistol also had small vents which lined the sides of the barrel, most likely to release heat. The Majestic was the most impressive of all. I couldn’t imagine the honour of captaining this beautiful ship. John Storm did it well, that much was clear; he held a certain honour himself. I couldn’t help thinking that the captain wouldn’t look out of place on a sea ship.

John Storm shook my hand once more, irritating the scars from my visit to hell. They hadn’t disappeared, which meant I was no longer protected by the immortality of the curse. John Storm turned to the crew. “Get back to work men, full speed, next stop is Woodervech, you know where it is.” John Storm turned back to me. “You’re going to have to be part of my crew for the day son, can’t leave you here.” I nodded, “I understand Captain.”

"Woodervech is a planet, if you were curious George. A couple of thousand years ago Earth and her colonies made the mistake that us humans always manage to do. We choked the planet. The vehicles and smoke from factories around the Earth eventually made so much smoke that the world could no longer breathe. That was the main reason that we moved to colonies and to essentially let planet Earth die. A hell of a lot of these colonies still manages to choke, despite the new O2 and CO2 converters. Trees are not needed now; they just take up space on planets unless they are desperately needed.” I nodded, “what about wood?” John patted my back, “well done for noticing son, that’s what we are here for. Woodervech supplies the whole galaxy with wood. Every planet has a purpose.”

I felt the ship begin to lower, the ship shook a little and John pointed to a rail that ran the entire length of where we were. I had decided that we were in the cargo hold. We were surrounded by boxes; most of the crew had been seated on large wooden boxes during my story. A large door at the back of the ship began to drop open and the planet a few metres below was revealed to me. It was a beautiful vista of greenness and lush forest.

“Welcome Mister time traveller, to Woodervech” John said grinning. I heard a pirate near the doors shout; “prepare for docking!” and John reached into a wooden box and threw me a sword and a gun in a leather hip holster. I took out the pistol and smiled. The pistol was much like the one that John held in his underarm holster, but his looked like a newer and better model. John approached me with his own pistol drawn. “Okay son, I’m not going to lecture you.” John pointed the gun ahead of him, out of the open door. The ship had now landed. “Simple, aim and fire” John pulled the trigger of his pistol three times. Some steam poured out of the vents on the side of the weapon.

I found myself tilting my head a little. “How does it work, I don’t see a magazine.” John gave me a lopsided smile, it matched the crews. “Not many guns have magazines in this day and age George, this is powered by plasma. Don’t ask me what goes on inside the weapon, I don’t know, but the excess heat is pushed out through the vents. This here is a more powerful version than that service pistol. This is a captain’s pistol; it’s got more of a kick to it.”

“So, I’m a pirate for the day John?” John sensed the worry in my tone and patted me gently on the back. “It may not be what you’re used to son, we are what we are. We kill, we steal ad we sabotage if we have to, if it achieves our goal. It’s better than a deal with the devil.” I laughed weakly, “Yeah, it is.”

“I don’t think I could kill a civilian though John, I don’t think its right.” John span and raised his eyebrows. “Listen, son, every man on my crew understands that no man, woman or child dies if they don’t have to. People only die if it is absolutely necessary. Threatening and making a person vulnerable works just the same. Do you understand me son?” I found myself hanging to the man’s every word. “Yes sir, I hear you.”

We headed towards the exit of the ship into what looked like a beautiful summer’s day, I heard John whistle ‘ a pirates life for me,’ as we departed.