Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Frankie
M averick, Eve, Aven, and I take up our positions on the deck. All six teams will participate in keelhauling at the same time, so our little groups are dotted at regular intervals. The Cattle have been lined up on the opposite side, with ropes fashioned around their midsections.
The task is simple enough. Crew members will hoist the Cattle overboard on that side, and we’ll haul them in on the opposite side, dragging them under the boat and across the keel.
That’s keelhauling in a nutshell. They didn’t even need to put a sick twist into the activity because it’s already twisted as fuck on its own.
The risk of drowning is high, but even if they survive the ordeal, they’ll be beaten to fuck and back by all the pulling.
Maverick is at the head of our rope, followed by me, then Eve. Aven takes up the slack at the end. He’s our powerhouse, and I only hope he’ll pull with all his might. Judging by his mounds of muscle, there’s plenty of might to go around.
“Are we really trying to do this as fast as possible? Seems a bit counterproductive, if you ask me. What’s the fun in saving them?” Aven asks as he tests the rope’s heft in his hand.
“So that we can torture them later,” Eve says. “Have you never given your victims a little hope? It makes it that much sweeter when you end them.”
Aven scoffs. “Jim hasn’t even said how the winner will be decided. What if it’s the group who kills the most Cattle? If we’re trying to keep ours alive to the end, we’ll lose.”
“You started working for Jim a few months ago, yeah?” Maverick asks, and Aven nods. “Then you have more than enough money for all the hookers and blow you can afford. Grab the rope and haul as fast as you can.”
Aven sets his jaw and solidifies his grip on the rope. He isn’t pleased, but it’s three on one. I’m glad Eve and Maverick are in my corner.
Speakers hidden around the ship begin playing the same spiel the Normies hear on land. It starts with a rousing orchestral song that sounds like a sea shanty, minus the raucous voices. Instead, Jim’s voice pipes over the music, using that same deep voice Maverick described earlier.
“ Arr, landlubbers! Cast your eyes toward the horizon, for thar be pirates!”
Eve and I share a glance, then turn our attention toward Jim, who beams near the deck’s center. He’s like a proud director watching his third graders prepare to put on a show for their doting parents. Too bad the parents won’t realize the dead bodies aren’t stage props.
“ The naval commanders tried to board their fine ship, and now the pirates must teach them a lesson. For your first course, please enjoy the Keelhauler appetizer: a fresh pairing of cocktail shrimp with a side of bloody cocktail sauce to dunk them in! ”
“Everyone get ready!” Jim shouts, and we situate our grips on the rope.
Boom !
The boat lists to the side as a cannon fires somewhere below. Jim topples to his ass with a laugh, his hand clutching his hat to his head. The slack behind us tightens as the crew dumps the Cattle into the drink, and seconds later, we’re rewarded with a splash.
“Pull!” Maverick shouts, and we all pull back as we planned. “Pull!” he shouts again, and we give it everything we’ve got.
The struggle is immediate. I don’t know why I thought it would be simple to pull a human body from one side of the ship to the other, but I grossly underestimated the difficulty. Instead of water, it feels like we’re pulling him through wet cement.
I count the seconds in my head, holding my breath right along with the Cattle. By the time I reach thirty, I’m forced to suck in air, and it feels like we’ve made no progress.
“Longer pulls!” I shout. “We’re losing progress each time we adjust our grip. Hold tight and walk it backward on my word!”
Everyone nods and firms their grip.
“One, two, three, heave !” I yell, and we all step backward as a unit. “ Ho !” I shout, and everyone instinctively adjusts without being told. “ Heave !”
We pull with all our might, taking a few steps backward, and we practically feel the boat shudder as our Cattle strikes the underside.
“Okay, maybe a little gentler this time!” I shout.
We continue on for what feels like forever but is probably only about two minutes.
Finally, the dead weight of a body out of water slows our progress.
I’m tempted to rush to the railing and gawk over the side to see if he’s still alive, but there will be time enough for that once we get him back on deck.
After a few more pulls that make me feel like I’m going to shit my pants, the man finally clears the side of the ship and lands on the deck.
The outcome is immediately obvious. If his pale lips and skin weren’t enough of a sign, the ability to see part of his spine through the gaping wound in his neck tells me everything I need to know.
“Shit, we damn near took this bloke’s head off.” Aven whistles, then laughs. “I was wrong. We can listen to Frankie from here out.”
My insides recoil, and I want to puke. Where is the motion sickness when I need it?
Maverick’s hand lands on my shoulder, and he gives it a squeeze. He can’t exactly comfort me in this moment, so he’s doing the best he can. And I’m grateful. I feel like shit.
“Six points to Maverick’s team!” Jim shouts. “They were the first to haul their catch aboard!”
Kindra groans and releases her section of rope, sending the other three members of her team stumbling forward. “What’s the fucking point? How can we compete if we don’t know what we’re trying to do?”
“She’s a touch competitive,” Eve whispers beside my ear.
Despite Kindra folding her arms over her chest and refusing to help, her team pulls their Cattle onto the deck next. Unsurprisingly, he’s also very dead.
“Five points to Ezra’s team!” Jim yells.
A team of unfamiliar people come in third, followed by Grim’s team in fourth. The last two teams are eliminated when they can’t get their Cattle above the waterline by the game’s end.
“Better luck next time,” Jim says as they’re ushered to a waiting area below deck.
The dead bodies are removed from sight as servers piddle around the tables on the island. I know this because Jim left the spyglass in my care. Its strap currently hangs around my neck as I stare through the eyepiece and wish I was eating whatever the fuck sort of meat that is.
The pirate music blasts from the speakers again, followed by Jim’s voice.
“ Looks like those soldiers paid dearly for stepping in harrrm’s way.
Let this be a lesson to ye. When you mess with Blackbeard, you’ll get very familiar with the briny deep.
Please enjoy your next course, a plank of beef served with a side of soldier-shaped mashed potatoes. ”
I turn to Maverick. “Planks...like walk the plank? What the fuck will we have to do this time?”
Maverick looks around, as curious as I am, though for a very different reason. I see the excitement in their eyes. All of them. They’re practically frothing at the mouth for what comes next.
Jim motions us closer as the crew starts setting up actual fucking planks off the side of the ship. Four of them, to be exact. Yet again, this is something that is survivable, so I’m not sure what sort of wicked twist Jim has up his sleeve.
And I don’t want to find out.
Before everyone else reaches him, I hurry toward Jim. “Hey, I really need to use the restroom, if you catch my drift. Lunch isn’t sitting so well in my stomach.”
“We can’t stop the show now,” Jim whines. “What about all the guests? They’ll be so disappointed if we take an intermission, and their next course might get cold.”
Is he fucking pouting?
No matter. I have to get out of this.
“Yeah, I understand if you need to keep going. I’ll be back before the next game.” I raise two fingers. “Scouts honor.”
He doesn’t need to know that two more fingers are crossed behind my back. After all, diarrhea can be very unpredictable, especially when it’s fake.
Jim sighs and clenches his fists at his sides. “If you must, but please return by the final game. I wouldn’t want you to miss the special guest.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say with a wink.
He shouts something at my retreating back about staying away from the brig, but he doesn’t have to worry about that. I have zero desire to go anywhere near the criminals.
I hurry to the staircase before Maverick realizes what’s happening. If he follows me, Jim will surely halt the games before I return. I can only hope that Maverick didn’t spot me wandering off in all the hubbub.
Shadows linger below deck. Glass lanterns along the wall provide the only light as I hurry down a long corridor until I reach the bathroom at the end.
Whoever designed it did their best to make it look like it belongs in the same time period as the ship, so I’m grateful when the toilet flushes after I step into the small space and try the handle.
Not that I actually need to use it. I close the lid and sit down.
Almost instantly, the door springs open and a man backs inside, completely oblivious to my presence. My fear is quickly replaced by relief when I realize I could overpower this man with my pinky. He’s quite short.
I clear my throat, and he whips around with wide, bulging eyes. It takes a second to realize that his appearance isn’t due to shock. This is just how he looks.
“Oh, so sorry,” he says as he hurries to avert his eyes. “I didn’t realize this one was in use. Um...can you give me just a second?”
I stand and smooth the front of my corset. “You can turn around. I wasn’t using the facilities, just...taking a break.”
“I’m hiding, but please don’t tell Jim.”
I glance at his wrist, where an orange band circles his skin.
He holds out his hand. “I’m Gary, by the way.
Some guys brought me to an island by mistake, so Jim lets me work for him now.
If he finds out I snuck aboard...” He looks to the side and shakes his head, and his smile finally breaks.
“I’m grateful for Jim. We travel a lot, and I have food and a bed.
As long as I stay out of Chef Maurice’s way, I do fine.
I wasn’t supposed to be on the pirate ship today, but the crew was short due to seasickness, so I volunteered. If Jim knew, he’d be upset.”
“He doesn’t normally assign you to the games?”
Gary shakes his head hard enough to make his jowls waggle.
“Nuh uh, no way. He knows I don’t like the.
..the bodies. He also doesn’t want the guys to see me.
It’s our little secret.” His lower lip quivers, and his eyes bulge a little more.
“When Jim found me in the basement traps, crying in a corner and begging to be spared, he saved me, but he made me promise to never go around the guys who brought me here. They can’t see me. ”
I offer him a soft smile. “Why not hang out in here for the rest of the voyage? It’ll be our little secret.”
“Do you mean it?” His face lights up, and the smile returns. “Gosh, you sure are nice.” He licks his lips and peers around as if someone might hear him. Meanwhile, we’re in a three-by-six room, very much alone. “I’ll do something nice for you too. You know those feds you guys are hunting?”
My heart stops in my chest, realizing what he’ll say before he says it.
“Two of the Cattle on this ship are feds, and they’ve owned it outright.
They’ll tell anyone who’ll listen, in fact.
They’ve said some other shit too. Shit so bad that Jim made us change one of their bands when he substantiated the claims.” Gary shakes his head.
“The red guy is the worst. The shit he’s done to women is sickening.
I’m glad you guys are killing him today.
I can’t stomach hearing more of his stories. ”
I move toward the door, a cold sweat slicking my palms. “Thanks for that, Gary. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Anytime. But you won’t tell anyone you saw me here, right?” He looks down at his feet. “Probably don’t say anything to the guys, either. It was a stupid idea to come on this ship.”
“Scouts honor,” I say, and this time, I don’t cross my fingers. I don’t know which guys he speaks of, so it’s an easy enough promise to keep.
I close the door as I step into the hall, and the lock fastens behind me. I didn’t plan to visit the brig while I was down here, but sometimes, plans change. Spying a sign for the cells, I aim my feet down a dark hallway and head for the truth.