Pirate Fantasy Flash Fiction: The Wicked Cat (Commander)

The 23rd entry in the Pirate Fantasy Flash Fiction series The Wicked Cat and this one visits the Last/Lost Hope once more. I hope this has been fun for you reading this, I know I am enjoying writing this. We are coming down to the home stretch, I am planning seven more before I move on (I’d hate for you to think this was getting stale). Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Captain LaCramoix ducked behind a small outcropping of barrels and waited as two zombies shuffled his direction. He heard the moaning as he tried to make for the stairs to the deck below, but he thought he would have made it before they were near him. His hands searched for an impromptu weapon as he kept his eyes locked on them through a gap between the containers.

He noticed one slithering on a rotting snake body, and her torso had large gashes and puss dripping from sores. The creature’s neck was at an odd angle as though it had been snapped from the body and left to hang in shame. Next to the creature was another woman with her eyes missing. She was two feet taller than the snake woman, but her movements were awkward, even though she was a member of the shambling dead. Her golden hair thinned on her scalp as strands danged over her shoulders. A large bone jutted from her forehead, though the skin that dangled from it smelled of rotting flesh.

He tried to restrain his heaving, but the retching overcame him. He muffled his dry heaves with his hands as tears streamed from his eyes. The pungent smell of death and decay overcame his sense enough that he missed the two zombies shuffle by. They stopped near the barrels and moaned to each other. He sucked in his lips as his eyes widened. His hands found a small plank of wood that could be used as a club. His body shivered; whether it was from fear or the chill in the night air, he would never know.

The zombies groaned once more and shuffled away, allowing him to relax. He felt a splinter bury itself into his palm. He smiled at the feeling as he tried to remove the large chunk of wood. After struggling with it, he removed the errant lumber piece from his hand and grabbed the improvised club again. He poked his head out from the barrels to make sure no one would surprise him. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he rolled from the barrels and scrambled down the stairs leading to the top deck.

“I’ll never know why his highness decided this ship would have three decks. I know his taste for opulence was overwhelming at times, but this is ridiculous.” He kept crouching on the deck as he made his way to a small door underneath the stairwell. He spotted a hole where fingers could slide in. He looked to both sides before gulping down his terror and slid his fingers into the hole. He heard moaning from somewhere, but continued to force himself to open the door. It groaned in protest. He felt fear grab his heart and squeeze. He gasped and tried to center himself. The door slid open inch by agonizing inch.

He managed to get the door open wide enough for him to slip in. As he made his way into the small room, he heard the snake creature hiss and moan. He pressed against the wall farthest from the door and waited. His eyes drifted down. He spotted a long decayed skeleton holding onto a cutlass propped against the wall to his left. He placed the wood plank on the ground with caution and removed the sword from the dead man’s bony grasp. “Pardon me, good mate. I will need this more than you.”

The snake creature arrived at the door. It hissed as it sniffed the air with its flat nose. He could see the sharp talons that were on her fingers. He muttered curses to himself for not being aware of the weapons his opponents had. He gripped the pommel and waited. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt as though he were underwater and couldn’t breathe. The snake creature moved closer. He could see the odd angle of the broken neck and knew the head wouldn’t be farther behind. He brought eh weapon up to strike as he prayed to his gods.

Something from the deck below caused the snake creature to stop her investigation. She moaned and hissed as her talons clawed at the door. Whatever called her away caused her to utter a wet howl in rage as she slithered from the door His heart still pounded in his chest as he slid down the wall and plopped to his backside. While he tried to calm his nerves, his eyes scanned the room for the first time in the pale blue moonlight. He was grateful one of the moons was full as his eyes caught the glimmer of a clasp on a diary. He reached past the skeleton and grabbed the tome. His fingers fumbled with the simple latch. He cursed the cold and then smiled because he could feel the chill.

He managed to open the diary and flipped through the pages until he reached the last entry. He sighed as he felt tears well in his eyes. “I’m sorry lad. I didn’t mean for you to get mixed up in this. If it makes your soul feel any better, I ended up as a macaw for three-hundred-years. I’m sure you’re laughing in the heavens now, Joachim.”

He leaned forward and placed the book in the skeleton’s hands. He smiled and patted the skull with tender care before he poked his head through the opening. His eyes scanned the horizon. He saw the decaying Nimerian fortress along the cliffs, and the modern Hyril chateau built in them. He saw the three ships waving the Hyril flag and shook his head in disgust. “Even if I manage to get my ship back, there is no way to get away without being seen.”

He spotted a woman standing at the Aft rails She was a gaunt figure with her jet-black flowing hair snapping in the wind. She wore a black leather vest with a white blouse underneath and dark leather trousers and matching boots. He nodded in satisfaction as he saw her hands move across the rail, revealing pallid skin that looked as though it had never seen the light of day. He turned his attention to the heavens and smiled as he mouthed silent thanks to the Eight for granting him fortune.

He moved his way down the next set of steps and wove his way around various grates, barrels, and boxes that were in his way. He was within striking distance from the woman and positioned the cutlass to deliver a clean slash across the neck. He took a step forward. The woman laughed. He swung at her. Her image flickered and disappeared, reappearing a few steps away. She turned her head slightly and offered a cold, predatory smile. “I have no idea who you are, but you’ve made a terrible mistake boarding Lost Hope alone.”

“She is the Last Hope, and she belongs to me. I have come to claim her.” LaCramoix swung his arm back for another strike, but when he was ready to lash out, he was stopped by something grabbing his arm. He turned his head to see a pale, gaunt man smiling at him. The moonlight glittered off his sharp incisors, giving LaCramoix the chills.

“Captain, it is so good to see you again. I thought you had abandoned all hope, since you abandoned us to this cruel fate. I am sure it has been far too long since you saw me alive, I shall reintroduce myself. Commander Ger McAlisther at your service, your second-in-command and the man you swore a blood oath to that you would never leave me behind.”

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