FLEE

Chapter 1

The fog was thick and the air was clouded with hefty snowfall and misty exhales. The ocean was a lonely place; vast and chilled. Why Sebastian had chosen this life was impossible to think of at the moment. Why he had chosen the life of a thieving pirate over what he had at home was beyond even him at this point. He had it all back at home. He was just being the typical rebel when he decided. It seemed utterly absurd to him now. Sebastian lifelessly stared forward into the fog, standing at the front of his ship resting his hands on the navigation wheel. Every now and again he'd turn it randomly. His golden blonde hair was now dirty and wet due to the moisture in the salty sea air. His head was basically covered by his large hat which was nearly mangled. The sole reason he wore it was because of his history with it. His brother had given it to him. Sebastian was clothed in a trench coat and white undershirt with everyday blue pants. Though they were torn and spotted in dried dark blood. It looked as if he had gotten into a rough fight some time ago. That was not the case, necessarily. The blood was that of his crew, his friends, his family…brother and sister.

They turned right before his eyes becoming nothing but soulless creatures that thrived off of blood and death. It was like something out of a cinematic. Their skin, blood and bones blacked within minutes. They changed like they were possessed by some…sickness. Then they attacked him. Sebastian had no choice but to kill them. It was him or them. That would explain the lifeless stare he held. His eyes were always a cold sky blue but now they seemed gray and frozen. "…There…" he whispered, turning the steering wheel. His voice was low and scratchy. He sounded no different than those beasts he once called family. Did he even know where he was going? The piled snow on his shoulders would prove he had not even moved from that spot in hours, possibly days. Perhaps when he took the life of his sister he may well have taken his own. He could not summon the mental strength to further ponder it. The wind began to grow stronger and the water's currents crashed against Sebastian's boat; forcing him to sway from the turbulence. His hat flew from his head and met the floor. His attention directed to it as he bent to retrieve it and return it to his head. After doing so he looked back at the water to see where he was headed. A large obstacle was in his sight. An iceberg was only yards away.

With no time to react he grabbed the wheel. Anxiously trying to curve the boat's course he only slightly turned it. He was unable to evade the mountain of ice. As if he were in a cinematic some more…he watched his ship collide with it. The jagged edges of the icy mountain tore open the side of his boat. "!" Boards of wood flung in various directions before inevitably meeting the blanket of the sea. Luckily it wasn't a head-on collision and the ship was only torn open on its left side. It was afloat for now but the water was filling the inside of the ship. "…" He could hear the water entering the bottom of the boat. Slowly rising to the deck, it would be with him soon and the ship was sure to sink within minutes. Sebastian shut his eyes and embraced the water as it crept to his feet; cool to the touch yet he remained motionless. "A captain would go down with his ship." That phrase slowly repeated in his mind. He palms slowly slid off of the wheel. He took a couple steps away from it. The man stood tall, proud that he had come this far to even survive what he had been through. As the water rose and swayed with the turbulence it was now high enough to fill his boots. It would a fine death. It was a death that he could accept. The death a real pirate would suffer. The ship slowly but surely floated forward as far as it could and steadily sunk under, breaking into pieces through the waves and currents of the sea.

The waves of the water swallowed him up. The currents engulfed everything and anything that was a part of the ship. The sea was a deadly place. However it was as forgiving as it was dangerous. What's this? Sebastian was alive. He opened his eyes to realize he was hunched over a large hunk of wood floating about. He sighed, "I'm a tough one, huh?" Letting his eyes fall forward he noticed the fog thinned towards the North. So much so that something was visible. "Land?" the thought shot hope into Sebastian. He found himself now shivering from the cold. His muscles aching and legs numb. His only thought was to propel himself forward and get to the land somehow. Maybe this was a sign that he just might make it after all. Flailing his arms and legs he attempted to make way to the vision of land he saw. His fingers were frozen from the icy water and his skin numb from the cold. His endurance prevailed and he swam his way to the docks. His eyes met a rusty latter to the side of the dock. "There." He whispered before anxiously swimming towards it. As he closed in on the latter his arm reached outward. The man struggled keeping himself afloat. His right arm slapped onto the snow covered wood as he pulled himself upward. He panted, breathing heavily from all the movement he just did. The air was chilling. He couldn't feel his legs but arose to his feet. He wrapped his arms around himself shivering. "If only my hat was still here."

Sebastian walked forward. The sound of crunching snow and boots hitting wood started to fade and meshing mud was heard. His head hung at his shoulders as he trailed onward. He was officially off the docks and heading to the city. He knew not of where he was going but he wouldn't stop until he was dead. Somewhere…anywhere was better than the water. "STOP!" a voice echoed. Sebastian's ears perked up. He looked around eagerly for the source of the sound. Another human's voice was music to his ears. Even better it sounded like a woman too. On the other-hand it was definitely a scream. Someone was in danger. He began to jog and quickly run. His boots trailing holes in the snow as he aimlessly strived forward to wherever this yell had come from. The sound of bullets being fired echoed the area. The air was thick and foggy. It was difficult to see through but the echoing voices guided him. Whoever was in danger was afraid, and terrified. "Hello, where are you?!" he called out. Running left and right the man anxiously searched for where the scream had come from. As he advanced forward a scene was revealed before him. Coming to a slow stop his eyes went wide with shock. "…Whoa…" he uttered in disbelief. He was nearly speechless. The man saw a woman on the ground firing at a…zombie.

It didn't appear as though it was very beastly. It was hardly moving let alone trying to attack the woman. Yet the awareness of its existence was enough to strike fear into anyone. The figure only lolled its head as it exhaled a cloudy greenish mist. The woman seemed to be silenced by its movements. She appeared unable to shoot, unable to run…unable to move. Sebastian feared for the girl. Whether the zombie was planning to attack or not it would have to be stopped here. He reached for the holster in the belt at his waist. His fingers ran down the buckles as he opened it. Steadily he pulled out his old pistol and pointed at the beast. Without a moment to spare he fired the tired weapon. A fraction of a bullet shot off. It was old and wet due to him using gun powder and being in water. The bullet pierced the zombie's back. It let out a shrieking howl as it cringed in pain. It whipped its head at the sight of Sebastian. Without a moment's glance it turned and scurried off elsewhere. Silence remained for a moment. As the sight of the beast disappeared within the fog, temporary safety was assured. He put away the weapon and went to the women to see if his actions weren't in vain. Rest assured they were not. Her eyes raised and hit the man. Her clothes bloody and her expression frightened and confused. He knelled to her. His knee half way in the snow yet he was numb to the chill. The adrenaline coursing through him forced the man to have her as his only focus. He put his arm around her shoulder under her hair. It was long and thick, tawny and soft. "Are you alright, mate?" he asked, helping the woman up to stand.