Vaas's men and their prisoners reached a rocky sandy road, engraved with car tracks and overrun with small grey stones and empty bullets. The lush green grass beside the road was tall and overgrown, and in it sprung wild red, green and yellow flowers and exotic plants. A flock of skittish brown deer were grazing on the thriving grass a few metres from the islanders and their captives. Suddenly their pointed brown ears twitched and their heads bolted up from the ground. Spotting the armed men they rose to their hind legs and quickly scurried away into the wild brush. From the crazy winding road raced two trucks – one being much larger and more confined than the other - and in it were more of Vaas' men. Yellow dust flew up into the air like a cloak of thick smoke and clung onto the captives, making them cough and shudder.
"Pack em' up!" Vaas ordered at full volume, swinging his arm in the air to the direction of the large truck. He still had a tight grasp onto the girl wearing the shirt and shorts, and kept his arm securely around her, observing as his men tossed the hostages abruptly into the truck, bawling brutishly at them in Spanish whilst locking their guns on them.
"Close it up, make sure it secure!" he ordered again, slowly moving backwards, towing the girl by her arms to come with him.
"Wait," she muttered, scanning to her capturer and then at the truck loaded with her susceptible friends, "am I not going with them?"
Vaas chuckled, and hugged her huskily as she stood motionless and bewildered, glaring with wide eyes at the captives who glared back at her, fighting against their taut, burning ropes. "Oh no chica," he laughed, resting his head on her shoulder, his breath grazing on her neck, "I would much prefer if you came with me. Wouldn't you? No?" Snappishly he roughly tugged her back, making her stagger and trip over her feet. He tittered silently, towing her towards the other truck, holding her firmly by her small waist. Two men were already in the back of the truck, as there was no room inside. Vaas pushed her up to the bar of the truck, lifting her into the air so she could get in. One islander, grasped her by the arm and hauled her up. Though there was no hospitality in that manner; as soon as she was half over he let go thus causing her to abruptly plummet into the car and crash on the metal surface. She let slip a tiny squeal as she fell, but quickly silenced herself. The pirates looked down to her and chuckled amongst themselves. Vaas peered up, and snapped something at them in Spanish in a severe, bitter tone, and they shut up – kicking there feet just as a child does after scolding, and twiddling their thumbs around their guns that pointed to the car floor. In one quick and powerful leap Vaas was in the truck, leaping over the metal bar like a tiger or lion, and landing perfectly and steadily on his feet. His heavy, dusted black army boots harshly hit the steel surface, and made the truck thump – causing the passengers to go off balance faintly. The girl remained on the floor in a corner, near to were Vaas stood, hugging her body and glaring at her bare feet -which now bore some small scratches- refusing to peek up at the barbaric pirates that had seized her and her friends.
The road was bumpy, and to make it worse the drivers were wild. Speeding hastily around bends and down stretching golden paths, as if they were on a race track. Somehow, these animals in the back managed to stand, resting there palms on the rusted metal sides of the truck for just a little support. But, Vaas didn't hold onto anything, and yet he remained so still, like a statue, as if the truck wasn't moving at all. His arms were tightly folded, and he mostly glared coldly at the floor of the car, and occasionally glanced up to the horizon to check where they were. The hostages were helpless. Vaulting up and down in the cars, falling onto their backs and stomachs and bruising their skin as they crashed harshly into the metal. The islanders laughed at them, mocking them as they pointed at them with their guns, as if they were ludicrous creatures in a confined zoo. Katerina tried to steady herself, struggling to grip onto the soiled metal floor of the truck or the small corroded metal walls, trying to prevent herself from bumping into Vaas' leg, petrified that he might strike her in anger, or even shoot her dead.
Katrina recoiled to the sudden sound of Vaas' sudden bark, "¡vendar los ojos de ellos!"
Inside the other truck his men nodded quickly, tugging a dark cloth from their pockets. Some hostages shuffled away as they crouched beside them. A hostage, which short black hair, sea water dripping from the small strands of his salty hair, fell to his back and booted the islander in the stomach, and he fell to his knees dropping his gun, coughing. Vaas snapped his head to his direction and screamed, punching the truck with his clenched fist. The two trucks halted suddenly, and the hostages fell forward.
"Don't touch the little fuck, I will deal with him!" he roared, swinging his body angrily out of the truck whilst one hand steadied himself on the metal surface, "Carlos get the fuck up!" he growled as he stamped over to the truck, his face burning; the veins in his neck pulsating heavily against his smouldering tanned skin, and his hands clasped into tight fists - blood dripping from his knuckles.
By this time the man had been kicked out of the truck and into the sand. He kneeled, his body calm as his glared into the dirt.
"Wanna fuck with me do you?" Vaas spat, crouching down, so his face drew close to his. The man refused to look into his burning circular orbs, or even acknowledge his infuriated face. "Hey! Look me in the fucking eye!"
The man glanced up, and strangely Vaas chuckled.
"You want to fight do you?" he teased, pulling out a sharp, jagged knife and swaying it in the air beside the man's face, which now began to drip with sweat.
He laughed, "I'll show you a fucking fight!"
Harshly his seized his wrists and slashed his knife through he frail rope, catching his skin so that blood poured onto the sand and down his arm, yet the man failed to notice. Vaas leaped to his feet, lashing the knife onto ground and stretching his neck and arms.
"Come on, if you think you're the one with the fucking dick! I'll fight you with my bare fucking hands. See what type of man you fucking are!"
The man grunted, and held up his fists and dived for the first swing. Vaas dodged swiftly. A game of cat and mouse. Vaas threw in his fracturing ruthless punch and caught him in the check. Again and again he struck. Thick red blood, seeped from the captive's lips and from his swelling purple cheek. He hit him again. His ear rang like a siren but he didn't stop trying. Again he struck him. Blood began to gush out from the corner of his eye. A strong blow to the jaw. The bleeding man scowled and quickly swung his arm towards the barren pirate. The corners of his blooded mouth stretched into a small smile, got him…or not. His eyes widened, and he noticed that Vaas had lifted his robust arm up above his head, blocking his blow. The enraged pirate viciously snarled and dashed towards him, clutching on the collar of his grey, blood stained shirt. "You got blood on my shirt you piece of fuck!" he roared with atrocious fury. Grabbing tightly onto his shirt his swung his head backwards and then quickly forwards, smashing him brutally on the head with his. Again and again and again until… he fell. He flopped to the floor like a dying fish and remained there, limp and lifeless.
One girl huddled to her friend, "You killed him!" she cried, tears flooding down her cheeks.
"Carlos," Vaas called in a much calmer tone, standing over the body, "drag this meat sack into the car, and throw me a fucking towel, or a shirt, something to wipe his foul blood off my face."
Carlos and two other pirates, jumped out of the truck and grasped onto the limbs of the body. Carlos had lobbed a red bandana to Vaas, as he began to saunter towards the other truck. After scooping up his knife he leaped back inside as his men placed the beaten body back in the truck. They then coiled a cloth around the other captive's eyes as instructed. The trucks accelerated, this time slower, and sped up the path.
Katerina glanced up to Vaas, her eyes wide and full of horror, she clenched her teeth and gulped. Blood slowly dripped from his forehead down his nose. Thick, red and horrifying. Vaas glanced down at her, clutching onto the bandana in his bleeding hand.
"Frightened are you?" he teased, lifting the bandana to his head but not yet touching his skin.
"Don't worry chica," he soothed, curling his lip into a roguish smile, "it's not my blood."
She gulped again, flashing her eyes away from him. He cackled, and dabbed the hot blood from his skin. "Do you have something you want to say Chica?"
She glanced up at him, coiling her palms around her arms, and shook her head vigorously.
"Are you sure?" He teased her, dragging out his words in an attempt to make her tremble. She shook her head again. He chuckled, stretching the corners of his mouth out wide, and then he crouched down beside her, still clutching onto the bloody bandana in his left hand. The car sped over a rock, making the vehicle jolt into the air. Katrina fell forward, nearly colliding into Vaas. Or did she knock into Vaas? An accidental blow that was out of her control. She was not on the floor, face first in the cold metal, and she did not stretch out her palms to stop herself. Her heart may have stopped at that moment, she stiffened and slowly peered up. Her face was nearly touching his, her unsteady breath hitting the skin on his face. She glared into his dark brown orbs and gulped heavily. Her lip trembled, her heart raced and her head throbbed with anxiety. Vaas glared at her, holding her by her arms with his rough hands smeared with her friend's warm blood. "Sorry," she breathed, hardly able to let the words escape her lips. He chuckled and pushed her backwards, so she was balanced again. She looked up to him with a cocked eyebrow, and he raised his in return.
"What chica? Did you expect me to hit you?" he whispered, and snickered. She swallowed her breath and he chuckled again, tracing his thumb down her cheek.
He jumped up and dabbed the blood from his knuckles. Katerina stared blankly at the orange rust on the metal, her head clouded, drawing her knees up to her stomach and stroking her fingertips on her cheek.