Pirate Fantasy Flash Fiction: The Wicked Cat (Escape)

The 25th entry in the Pirate Fantasy Flash Fiction series The Wicked Cat, this time around we are reaching the home stretch. I am trying to tie everything in together for a big payoff, but I might not make it only 30 entries. Time will tell on this matter. Hope you all enjoy and please leave feedback if you are interested!

Brynn leaned against the wall of her cell as she sighed in frustration. Her eyes shifted to the manacles that were attached to the floor by a large metal loop buried in a concrete slab by the door. She lifted her right arm and felt the left tug as she moved her limb. She glanced at the door and measured the distance between the loop and the barricade. She snapped her sight back to the ground and waited as the main prison door opened, and two Hyril guards walked through with hideous laughter.

“I keep telling you, there is no reason to worry about what this bitch is going to do to us. She’s locked in the cage for a reason, and she isn’t coming out until we are ready to have our fun with her.” The first guard said. His belly shook as he walked as it hung to his thighs.

“You shouldn’t antagonize her, Mortamir. The reason she’s locked up is because she is dangerous. If I were you, I think we should leave her be and wait for the captain. She would be unhappy if her sister is harmed in any way.” The second guard said as his rail thin body disappeared behind the larger man.

“What the captain doesn’t know won’t hurt her. If I make the bruises light and keep the tearing to a minimum, she will never know I raped her first.”

“You should stop obsessing over this. You are going to do something stupid and end up dead.”

Before the fatter guard could answer, the building swayed as something struck the old castle grounds nearby. The thinner guard raced toward the door and threw it open in time to see a cannonball arc over the building and hit the remnants of the keep next door. The ground jolted and swayed as the fatter guard fell to his knees. “What in the forty-two hells is that?”

“There’s a vessel in the bay, it looks really old. It’s a miracle the damn thing is even floating after the rot I see.”

Brynn’s cheek twitched with a smirk that disappeared as soon as the fatter guard turned to her and wagged his meaty finger her direction. “You have friends out there, don’t you? You think you can stop the might of Hyril with a rotting ship? I should rape you right now!”

Another explosion rocked the grounds, causing the fatter guard to fall to his knees. He wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. The thinner guard stepped outside, leaving his companion alone with Brynn. She nodded to herself and stepped toward the cage door. She lifted her right arm and looped the chain through the opening. When the guard rose to his feet with his sweaty back toward her, she looped the chain over his head and pressed the links across his throat. The guard gasped as he tried to free himself from the garret around his throat. His fingers couldn’t make enough room for him to breath and the more he struggled, the more pressure Brynn applied to the chain. Soon, the guard stopped thrashing and gurgled as his tongue lulled out of his mouth.

The thinner guard walked through the door once more and opened his mouth to say something. Brynn loosened her grip on the chain and pulled the pistol from the dead guard’s holster. She fired before the thin man could call out to the others nearby. She released the gun and rubbed her wrist where the metal clasp rubbed her skin raw. “You should really make sure the manacles fit a lady, next time. Iron isn’t one size fits all.”

She knelt down and reached out to grab the keys from the fat man’s corpse. Her fingers touched the ring once. The keys fell to the ground, rolling farther away from her. She growled and brought the chain around to make a loop with it. She tossed it at the key ring. The links hit the keys and caused them to jingle. She swore to herself and looked through the door to see if anyone else heard the noise. The only thing she could hear was the explosions of more cannonballs hitting the ruins and the manor below.

She wiped her brow with her left hand. She hissed when the salty sweat ran across her raw flesh. She grumbled as she threw the chain once more. The link looped around the keys. She grabbed the chain with both hands and started to tug on it slowly. “This is how father taught you fishing. Relax, don’t fight it and give some slack if it is getting away.”

Painful moments seemed to last forever as she inched the key ring closer to her. She thought they were close enough and reached out with her left hand as her right kept a steady grip on the links. Her body shook and her shoulder almost dislocated itself while she tried to retrieve the keys. Her fingers hooked around the ring, and she sighed in relief.

A moment later, an explosion rocked the room she was in. She covered her head with her arms and pressed her body against the ground. She felt the spray of debris on her back and her neck. She lifted her head and looked behind her. The wall she was leaning on was now missing and a smoldering fire raged nearby, causing smoke to filter through the opening. She sighed in exasperation, grabbed the keys and unlocked her cell. She searched the bodies for weapons, removing two more pistols and a decorative cutlass strapped to the fat man’s waist. She tilted the blade in the dying light and sighed as she saw nicks in the blade and smudges from the fingertips. “Damned bastards wanted to play pirate with my father’s sword. He would be very upset to see his favorite weapon damaged like this. I’ll make sure to take it up with Emilia when I have the chance.”

As she loaded the guns in her sash, she noticed a figure weaving through the burning shrubbery and smoldering ruins. She took a step forward and saw the flowing auburn hair in the pale moonlight. She tilted her head and blinked, “Myrilda?”

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