The Desired Victim

Chapter 26: This Crash of Courage

Scourge slammed the door behind us, and pushed me towards to center of the dark room, causing me to fall to the floor. Tears were swelled in my eyes, and my entire body shook with panic. Emory had been stabbed, I was sure of it. The sound of his body collapsing to the ground replayed itself in my head over and over again, and I felt bile making its way up my throat. I forced myself up off the ground, and stumbled to the door we went through, and tried to find the knob. But I just ended up facing Scourge's bare chest. 

"Please, Scourge!" I cried. "Please let me back through that hallway, please!"

I was pounding on his chest weakly. I was already drowning in my hysteria and tears, and any fear of Scourge hurting me or anyone hear me beg was long gone. I had to get to Emory.

The only thing that Scourge did was gently take my hands and put them to my sides. 

I collapsed weakly to the floor, defeated.

That's it then. It's that simple. Emory is dead. And so is any chance of me getting off this pirate ship and away from these evil people. Emory was the only thing that had given me any hope, and now I was truly alone.

I sat there silently, tears streaming down my face. Scourge continued to stand guarding the door like a statue. I had no idea what I was supposed to do now. The entire point of me seeing the captain was so that Emory could talk to her and get us out of this wretched place. But is it really any more wretched than where I would go if the pirates hadn't taken over Emory's ship? I suddenly realized that no matter where I was, who I was with, I would always have the same fate. There is no hope. There is no escape.

Muffled noises and creaks from the insides of the walls snapped me back to attention. Apparently, there was another room connected to the captain's quarters. I listened again. The muffled noises turned into human sounds. Sounds of . . . pleasure?

My face immediately boiled hot, and my stomach churned with discomfort. The sounds were definitely female, which meant only one thing. The captain was . . . 

"Unnnggghhhhhh!!!" Scourge suddenly roared. I nearly jumped out of my skin, and I covered my hands over my head. 

The moans and noises immediately stopped. For a few moments, nothing happened. And then the door to that room exploded open, and the room filled with light, blinding my eyes.

"Scourge?!?!?!?"

The captain was hardly clothed, and she stormed past me on the floor and made her way over to Scourge. Rage, anger, and fury burned in her eyes, and endless streams of Spanish profanity rattled from her lips that were smeared red. She had a leather whip in her hand, and ice shot down my spine when I realized what she was going to do.

"¿Qué demonios estás haciendo aquí?!?!" She screamed. The whip sailed above her head and crashed down on Scourge's skull, the crack echoing in the room. Scourge fell to the ground causing the room to rumble. He didn't make a sound. He didn't even fight her back.

I put my hand over my mouth, watching in horror, completely frozen.

"Pedazo de mierda!" Another crack. "Usted no vale nada!" Another blow to the head. 

Scourge's head was bleeding all over the floor at this point. Even for someone his size, he was surely suffering in agonizing pain. He didn't show it, though. He never looked up. He wasn't fighting back, he wasn't trying to defend himself. He was accepting this. 

I stood up, slowly. Captain Cassandra continued to lash out at Scourge and showed no signs of stopping. This was wrong. This was horribly wrong. An unfamiliar power surged through my body, and I clenched my fists. This had to stop, Scourge didn't deserve this. And in that precise moment, I realized that I didn't deserve this either. I didn't have to accept my fate. I could fight back. 

Scourge had been knocked unconscious, but Cassandra raised her whip above her head one more time, prepared to unleash more of her anger. 

Without even thinking, I grabbed the whip and yanked it from her hand, straining her arm backwards. "Enough!!!"

Cassandra cried out in pain, stunned. She spun around and faced me, veins popping through her head. Confusion washed over her face, and then realization. 

"You filthy wench!" She snarled. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!?" I snarled back. An unfamiliar and fierce power flowed through my blood, filling my senses. "You could've killed him!!"

"I'll kill you instead, you wretched whore!!!" Before I could react, Cassandra tackled me to the ground, and wrapped her long, elegant fingers around my throat. She was twice my size, and much stronger, and she had no problem pinning me to the floor. I gasped, and struggled against her restraint. As the air started to leave my body, the courageous power that had overcome my being had burnt out. Fear and panic swallowed me whole, and I knew I would die soon.

My vision had gone out, and my ears were ringing. It was only a matter of seconds before Cassandra would be on top of a dead body. But she was thrown off of me, and I was released from her grasp. I clutched my throat, gasping for life. My throat burned, and vomit threatened to explode from my insides. Vaguely, I tasted blood and realized that my nose was bleeding.

"We have to keep her alive, mi reina!" a voice was saying. "Remember everything she's worth! Remember everything we've worked for!"

It was Nicolas. I wipe blood from my chin and look up. He was hardly dressed as well, and he was holding Cassandra back from me by her arms. I instantly felt uncomfortable knowing that he was in the other room with Cassandra. 

"I want her dead!!" Cassandra snapped. She wriggled in Nicolas's arms. "She isn't worth shit!!"

Nicolas continued to restrain the captain. "She's not a threat, su alteza. Just look at her."

Cassandra stopped struggling, and glared at me. I stared back weakly, trying to keep anymore blood from pouring out of my nose. I knew how I must've looked. Weak, helpless, pathetic, defenseless. 

Cassandra's glare turned into a smug smile. "You're right, Nicolas. Look at her. She's just a little girl."

Nicolas released Cassandra, and she walked over to me slowly. 

She looked down upon me, with one perfect eyebrow raised. Her thick, glossy black hair was messy, and her heavy makeup had been smeared all across her face. The only thing she was wearing were her black leather boots, and a corset undergarment. She had the body of a woman, and I could only imagine Nicolas being pleased. She was indeed very beautiful, and even though I despised her, I was envious.

"You have a couple more days here, perra." She spat. She grabbed my scalp, and twisted my hair through her claws. "And then you're off to your new master. And I hope he fucks every last bit of you raw."

I stare up at her, without answering. She's right, that's what was going to happen. But that doesn't mean that I can't fight the rest of the way there. 

And then the door to the room bursts open, popping off the hinges. The three of us whip our heads toward the door, and a dark figure stands at the doorway. My heart accelerates, my head swims. Relief and joy wash over me, because I instantly recognize the disguised figure.

He takes off his bandana, and points a large black pistol at Cassandra, clicking the gun into place.

"You have exactly five seconds to let go of my Honeybird." 

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