A Red Sky Is Upon Us

by Ryan Gilbert

  Julia glared at Riggs with cold eyes.

  “Isn’t love a reason?”

  Shifting closer, Riggs asked, “Are you tryin’ to tell me somethin’, Ms. Hamond?”

  A grin slowly stretched across his face as he waited for an answer. He could see a faint glimmer of warmth in her eyes.

  Julia was caught off-guard. She did not know how to respond. She was not even sure what her feelings were regarding Riggs. Even an entire sleepless night had not provided her with any answers.

  “No, Captain Riggs, I am not trying to tell you anything.”

  “But you insinuated that you loved me, didn’t you?”

  Riggs could see the conflict in Julia’s eyes.

  “I… care about you; I do not love you.”

  Sneering, Riggs started to walk away.

  “We’ll see, sweets… we’ll see.”

  Motioning for Clint to follow him, Riggs walked back to his cabin. The raid could have gone better, but the talk with Julia was rewarding enough. He knew she cared about him, but now, he had to refocus his thoughts.

  “Ye sure that was a smart decision, Captain? I mean, what with us heading through mermaid territory and black waters, don’t ye think we’ll need all o’ the crew in its best shape?” asked Clint.

  Riggs rummaged through the collection of maps, saying, “We needed supplies, and we got ‘em. Nobody died, so I’d say it was a success.”

  His crewmate started to say something, but stopped, scratching his chin in contemplation.

  “Clint, I want to get this crew out of Richardson’s shadow. We need to be darin’, like that raid. If we didn’t take that chance, we’d be starvin’ on the return journey.”

  Nodding his head in agreement, Clint said, “I see, Captain.”

  “Great. Now, let’s move on to more important things.”

  Gesturing to Clint to have a seat, the Captain pulled out the map to Isla de Dolor and rolled it out across the table.

  “Do you know where we are on this map?” asked Riggs.

  Pouring over the piece of paper, Clint shrugged and answered, “I think so. We just passed this island right ‘ere.”

  Clint pointed to an island a good distance from Isla de Dolor.

  Anticipation rising, Riggs asked, “And how long ‘til we get there?”

  Rubbing his chin, the navigator said, “If the wind stays the way it is, I’d say ‘bout… a day… maybe two.”

  Standing up from his chair, Riggs eagerly grasped his crewmate’s hand and said, “Well Mr. Wayko, this crew’s got only a couple days before we’re all rich. You ready for that?”

  “Of course, Captain. Full sails and hearty lives await us.”

  “Lieutenant, bring in one of those pirates for interrogation,” yelled Commodore Hamond.

  In minutes, one of the bedraggled captives was sitting across the table from the Commodore with his wrists and ankles in shackles. It was the same pirate who had dared to speak after his crewmate had been killed. He smelled like a pigsty and looked even worse. When he shot an evil grin at the Commodore, his yellowing teeth stuck out from behind his mangy beard.

  “Let me explain this to you, you disgusting mongrel. If you do not answer my questions, I will have you shot immediately. If you speak back to me and do not give me the respect I deserve, I will have you shot immediately. If you insult the Crown, I will have you shot immediately. Is this clear?”

  The pirate leaned back in his chair, and, with a laugh that seemed to taunt Hamond, said, “I know a thing or two about you English dogs, an’ I know that ye don’t go searching fer just one measly little band o’ pirates.”

  “We hunt all pirates,” said the Commodore.

  “Nuh uh, mate. You hunt pirates who cause trouble. The pirates you’re talking about are misfits. That’s all the Red Sky is… a bunch o’ misfits.”

  “They are still pirates nonetheless.”

  “They’re pathetic… just like your so-called Navy.”

  Pulling out his gun, Commodore Hamond said, “What did I say before, scoundrel?”

  The pirate showed no sign of fear at all. He stared down the barrel of the gun like it was a minor inconvenience for him.

  “If you want to kill your only source of information, then do it,” he said, glaring at the Commodore with unblinking intensity.

  Hamond was intrigued by the pirate’s guts. It almost seemed like he refused to acknowledge the crew of the Red Sky as pirates. There was even a sort of embarrassment to be compared to them.

  Fascinated, Hamond said, “Tell me everything you know, Mr. …”

  “Garrett. Marcus Garrett. And don’t call me mister… I don’t like it.”

  “Fair enough, Marcus. Now, as you were saying…”

  Resting his chained hands in his lap, Garrett began, “First off, Commodore, why do you want ‘em so bad?”

  “They are pirates. That’s enough for us to hunt them.”

  Garrett simply sat there, staring at the Commodore. His hands gripped his knees like a vice. Hamond could not even begin to guess what the pirate was thinking.

  “I know there’s more yer not tellin’ me. Ye think I didn’t notice those commoners on your ship? What’s so important that you would jeopardize their safety to bring in some worthless codpieces?”

  Now, it was Hamond’s turn to be silent. He had underestimated Garrett. The pirate was smart. He would have to tread carefully.

  “Did they take somethin’ o’ yours? Maybe a family heirloom or somethin’ like that?”

  “I don’t answer to you, Marcus,” growled Hamond, trying to maintain his composure.

  Almost like he was answering his own question, Garrett continued, “No, it can’t be heirloom. A man like you wouldn’t have the desire to pursue it. No, it’s got to be somethin’ more.”

  “That’s enough, Marcus.”

  Ignoring the Commodore, Garrett said, “Is it someone special to you? A lover, perhaps?”

  Leaning forward over the table, Hamond said, “For the last time, Mr. Garrett, I want to know about the Red Sky.”

  Garrett sat back in the chair like he was relaxing. He knew that he had struck a nerve.

  “A couple years ago, me and my mates found a stowaway on board the King’s Bounty. It was a girl… a young, pretty girl. She was so precious that we just had to torture her. We started wit’ the fingernails, rippin’ ‘em out one by one.”

  The Commodore shifted uncomfortably. He had to get the interrogation back on track. He opened his mouth, but Garrett continued talking.

  “As she bled out on the deck, we lit candles and wagered on how loudly we could get ‘er to scream. The ship smelled like burnt flesh for days.”

  He inhaled through his nostrils as if he was reliving the torture. Across the table, the Commodore’s knuckles had turned white from clasping them so hard.

  “When she’d lost our attention, we chained ‘er to the mast in the burning sun. It was a slow, painful death… just the way we like it. Day after day, her skin would grow darker and start to boil until puss and blood covered her body. The only thing she could do was stand there in pain while we…”

  Standing up from his chair with enough force to knock it to the ground, the Commodore yelled, “That’s enough!”

  With a sinister gleam in his eye, Garrett asked, “Are you ready to answer me now?”

  Pounding his fists on the table, the Commodore said, “They have… my daughter.”

  As he let out that last word, he had to keep himself from not bursting out in tears in front of a dreaded foe. Every day that they continued the search just seemed to get harder and harder on his heart. With every passing minute, he almost expected to come across Julia’s dead body floating on the ocean. Garrett’s story certainly did not help ease his tension. It made it even worse.

  Clasping his hands, Garrett stared at the Commodore from underneath his mop of hair.

  “Your daughter, eh? Well now, ain’t that a pity.”

  “What do you mean?�
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  “I mean ye’ll be lucky to get ‘er back alive. The Red Sky’s crew may not be as… sophisticated… as me, but they’re still what you’d call pirates.”

  Placing a map on the table, the Commodore said, “Tell me where they make port.”

  Not even looking at the map, the pirate said, “Can’t say. What’s in it for me?”

  “I do not bargain with pirates.”

  “Then you’re not gettin’ anything out o’ me, Commodore,” said Garrett, reclining in his seat.

  Hamond was at his wit’s end. He had never before bargained with a pirate. It was against his beliefs as an English citizen and his training as a Navy officer.

  “Do ye want to see your daughter again? Or would you rather she be vomiting blood?”

  He knew he could not let his daughter remain a captive of those dreadful pirates. Garrett had instilled enough fear in his mind to make him compliant to the pirate’s demands.

  “What do you want, Marcus?” asked a near-hopeless Commodore.

  Snearing, Garrett answered, “I want to be set free, along with what’s now me crew. Your soldiers killed our captain, so that makes me their captain. Deal?”

  He stretched out his grimy hand to the Commodore, a sinister smile now spread across his face. Hesitantly, the Commodore grasped his prisoner’s hand and shook it.

  “Deal.”

  Two rather uneventful days had passed since the raid. Everyone on board the Red Sky had gone to sleep once the sun went down, everyone except for Riggs, Eli, and Coral Jack. Riggs could not sleep no matter how hard he tried, so he decided to relieve Clint of his duties at the helm. They were all so close to the treasure that would propel them to infamy that it was nearly unbearable for Riggs to miss a single moment. On the other side of the spectrum, Coral Jack and Eli were just fishing to pass the time.

  Riggs was so excited he did not even notice the fog overtake the ship. Before he knew it, he could only see as far as the front of the ship. Gradually, the wind died down, slowly the speed of the pirates. Wisps of fog surrounding the ship made it look like the Red Sky was not even moving.

  “Crikey!” yelped Eli.

  Jack and Eli dashed to the helm, guns and pistols drawn and pointed into the fog.

  “What is it, you two? Did a fish scare you?” mocked Riggs.

  “Can it, Riggs. Get over here and see for yerself,” Jack sputtered.

  Pulling the Captain over to the side of the boat, they pointed down to the water. Once his eyes had adjusted to the small amount of light seeping through the fog, Riggs saw what he had both dreaded and desired.

  Inside the water, wisps of black liquid swirled with the current, standing out against the light blue water. It was as if the blackness had sucked out the color of the water. When the mist would part, the three pirates could almost see directly to the ocean floor because it was so transparent.

  They could see the sunken ships below them, their masts forever deprived of wind. The fish swam through the rotting structures, undeterred by the bones and rotted corpses that rested on the submerged decks.

  Riggs, Jack, and Eli stood in awe as the Red Sky passed over the wrecks. In his mind, Riggs almost wanted to turn around and forget about the treasure, but his heart was filled with the grit and determination to keep pushing forward.

  “We’re gettin’ close now, mates. I know it.”

  “Uh… Captain? What’re we gonna do if we… encounter somethin’ supernatural? Or a mermaid?” asked Coral Jack, a little frightened.

  Keeping the wheel steady, Riggs answered, “We don’t have nothin’ to worry about. If we keep a watchful eye, they can’t catch us by surprise. Even if we don’t keep an eye out, then we would hear ‘em comin’ because o’ their sound. Then, we would just shoot ‘em… like this.”

  Riggs pointed his gun out into the fog.

  SCREEEEECH

  All three men fell to their knees, dropping anything that was in their hands and holding their palms over their ears. The screech was deafening and painful. Whatever was in the fog did not want them to be there.

  SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

  Underneath Riggs feet, he could feel the pounding of his crewmates falling out of their beds and hammocks. Jack turned to him and screamed, “Shut it up.”

  SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

  Riggs grabbed his pistol from the ground and crawled over to the railing. Pointing his gun at the near-transparent sea, he pulled the trigger and let the tiny ball fly into the water.

  BANG

  The screeching stopped.

  Cautiously removing their hands from their ears, Riggs, Jack, and Eli all pulled themselves to their feet. In seconds, the entire crew was on deck, along with Julia, demanding to know what it was that had woken them.

  “What was that, Captain? I damn near had me ears blown off,” said Clint.

  “My head hurts now,” said Doc.

  “Everybody’s head hurts, Doc,” Riggs responded as he walked along the rail, trying to see if he could find the creature that had been screeching.

  Tapping Riggs on the shoulder, Clint said, “Riggs, I really think we should turn around and head back. This ghastly fog and that ungodly screaming don’t seem like we’re heading for anything good.”

  “Ah, but Clint, there’s always the most protection around the most valuable items ye can find.”

  “Captain, I don’t think the crew wants to…”

  Before Clint could finish speaking, the fog started to billow onto the ship, becoming even thicker than before. It covered the entire deck so much that the pirates could not even see their own feet. Thick pillars of the fog shot down from the sky and onto the deck, startling the pirates and freezing them in their boots. Out of each of the pillars stepped a terrifying figure, wisps of smoke and mist emanating from their bodies. White eyes flitted to and fro, eyeing the crew.

  “Ghosts!”

  Instantly, the crew of the Red Sky pulled out their weapons and had them at the ready. Still, the ghosts kept walking forward. Their clothes were tattered and clinging to their skin, which looked like it was clammy and wet. Riggs could even see the veins underneath what was most likely their skin. Hiding behind Riggs and Eli, Julia was trying to look away from the creatures, but their glowing white eyes had captured her gaze. Moving in unison, the ghosts surrounded the pirates, their footsteps forming an eerie beat that even frightened Riggs.

  The ghosts continued to get closer. By now, everyone was back to back, pointing their blades and pistols at the menacing beings.

  “What do you want?” asked Riggs, fear growing with every step the ghosts took.

  The ghosts stopped just inches from the pirates. The one in front of Riggs leaned forward and said in an echoing voice, “Leave here. Get out before you end up like those ships you’ve seen on the ocean floor.”

  Still holding his sword in front of him, the Captain asked, “And who’d do that to us?”

  “The very beings standing in your way.”

  “You ain’t goin’ to scare us away,” said Riggs, trying to hide his fear.

  “Your end will come soon enough. Your bodies will rest at the bottom of the sea, wasting away with time, but your souls will be brought to the eternal torment of Davy Jones’ Locker.”

  “There’s nothin’ stoppin’ us from headin’ straight through you.”

  It almost seemed like the ghost chuckled, but the sound that came out of its mouth was more of a garbled, wispy groan.

  “We are merely messengers, Captain. If you continue on this path, you will find much worse things on Isla de Dolor, things you will not survive. However, you might not survive this either.”

  After the last word escaped the ghost’s mouth, all of the creatures turned into pillars of smoke and fog. They flew around the ship with great speed, knocking the pirates off their feet.

  Some of the crew managed to duck down to avoid the initial attack, but the ghosts circled back and aimed for their legs, catapulting the pirates off their feet an
d into the air.

  Men were screaming. Eerie laughter echoed throughout the fog. Blows rained down on the pirates when they least expected them. No one could have prepared for such an attack.

  Climbing to his feet, Riggs was again knocked down by a ghost, but this time, the ghost planted its full weight on top of him. He could not move.

  The ghost poured a torrent of fog and smoke all over Riggs’ body, so much so that the pirate captain was unable to breath. Immobile, he could only watch as the ghost raised its arms above its head, forming a sword out of the fog.

  There was a scream, and then the ghost’s head disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Releasing Riggs, it flew into the air, taking all of the other ghosts with it. As the Captain sat wheezing on the ground, he saw Julia standing there with a pistol in her hand.

  “How… how’d ye do that?” he coughed.

  “I don’t know. I just grabbed something and swung it,” the girl said.

  Before she could help Riggs to his feet, one of the other pirates grabbed her, holding a knife to her throat. Still catching his breath, Riggs tried to stop him, but the man kicked him in the gut, knocking him back to the ground. The man had clearly lost his mind.

  As the rest of the crew closed in on him, he shouted, “Stand back, all o’ ye. One move and she gets a hole in the head.”

  Helped up by Coral Jack, Riggs said, “Let the girl go, mate. It’s just you against all of us.”

  “No, Captain. I’m saving all o’ ye.”

  For a moment, Riggs took his attention off of his insane crewmate and focused on Julia. Even from far away, he could see her tremble with terror. She was still holding onto the gun, but she seemed too afraid to use it.

  “Julia, listen to me.”

  “Don’t talk to her, Captain. She’ll corrupt yer mind!”

  “Julia, you need to do it,” Riggs said.

  Julia shook her head slightly, so slight that Riggs thought it was just her shaking.

  “She’s the reason all o’ these things’re happening to us,” the man tried to reason.

  The crew inched closer.

  “She’s gonna kill us all,” he ranted.

  With a shaky hand, Julia readied the gun. A finger hovered over the trigger.