Chapter Two
Shirah ran towards the ship. She could hear the engine picking up momentum as they prepared to shut the hatch and leave the blood shed behind.
She clutched the baby tighter in her arms. He was so heavy, and she was so small.
People where being cut down around her, blood marred the perfection of her tailored gown. The enemy where everywhere.
She had been woken by her mothers screams and a hand coming down over her mouth.
A tear rolled down her blood splattered cheek, she had to get on that ship.
She had promised Nyla.
At four years old she hadn't yet realised her mother was dead, her home land taken, all she focused on was getting away from the bad men and do as Nyla had asked her.
Her tiny blade was hidden in the shawl with the baby. He was crying. Screaming. She refused to stop running, keeping her path straight to the ship. She saw soldiers spot her as the Queens daughter and called for the ship to wait as they cut a path towards her. Soon she was dragged into someone's strong arms as she was carried to the ship. The baby was wiggling within her grasp but she held tighter.
She looked over the soldiers shoulder searching the crowd for Nyla or her mother. No sign.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she realised they weren't going to make it with her.
She clutched the baby closer, he was all she had now.
She was thrown onto the ship as the hatch closed behind her.
She heard the screams from behind the closed hatch, a mixture of pleas for admittance and the screams of the dying. She sat on the cold metal floor, baby resting in her lap as she crushed her palms to her ears to drown out the screams and death.
A week later…
Shirah sat on the floor, trying to calm the baby. He was screaming again. Maybe he was hungry again?
She didn't want to leave the baby alone. As soon as she had boarded the ship she had realised what was onboard. The cowards and criminals who instead of fighting for their lands had hidden onboard, allowing their families to be killed outside.
There was a few families on board and one orphan boy a couple of years older than her. She carried the baby down the ship in search of food. She found a small loaf in a container and hide it in her shawl. She broke the bread into the smallest chunks she could make and mixed it with the water she had been given. Maybe the baby would eat this?
She had no idea how to take care of a baby, all of the adults on board where injured or sick in some way, so she was on her own. She tipped the water/bread mix into the baby's mouth slowly.
The nights where the worst.
The noise of the ship kept her awake, she spent most nights praying to their Gods and her mother, that she could go home soon. She wanted to go home. She missed her home. Her mum she missed most of all. Was she waiting for her? She must be so worried. And Nyla must be worried about her baby.
The little boy swallowed the water, but was still crying. Shirah didn't know what to do. She wanted to cry as well. She rocked the baby in her arms as she made the promised that she would get them home.
One month later…
The ship docked and the hatch lifted.
Shirah sunk deeper into the shadows, she didn't want to draw attention to herself.
Over the trip, they had stopped for fuel and supplies and had picked up travellers. She didn't like the travellers.
She had been woken by an old one touching the fabric of her dress, she had seen he knew how expensive the material was, and was just as sure he was planning to take it from her to sell. Thankfully the orphan boy, Cael, had threatened the man off.
She had managed to sneak extra food for the baby, although the travellers where eating most of their supplies.
She had been caught more than once taking food for the baby and had been wiped across her hand for it. The welts where still deep and burning, a reminder to stay in the shadows and be invisible. She clutched the baby tighter and prayed he wouldn't cry out and draw attention.
She could hear the travellers shouting and arguing with the captain of the vessel. They wanted to leave the weak and needy behind.
Shirah held tighter to the baby.
Please no.
She wasn't sure she could keep the baby alive on her own. She prayed the captain would win the argument.
"There gonna die anyway, we are just wasting the supplies!"
"He's right, leave em here"
"I'm not leaving anyone behind! This may be the last of the Furyan race – my race- we all go or you can leave!" Shirah watched the pilot poke the traveller when he spoke. The pilot was outnumbered.
The travellers where right on one thing, the adults on the ship where either dead or two seconds from death.
She could see the annoyance on the travellers face as he looked down at where the pilot was poking him. He laughed which surprised Shirah, before slitting the pilots throat. Shirah's eyes where wide in fear. No!
She moved deeper into the shadows of the ship as the travellers returned onboard, the pilots blood fresh over their dirty clothes. Shirah watched in horror as the people from her homeland where thrown out of the ship if they where sick or injured to be shot.
A woman clung to her husband, tears rolled down her eyes as she begged them to let him stay, they slapped the screaming woman to the ground and dragged her husband to the hatch before throwing him out with the others.
She felt the baby stir in her arms from the screaming and gun shots and whispered soothingly to the infant hoping he didn't make any noise.
She couldn't stay on board.
These men where more of a danger to her and the baby than the thought of being alone. She would have to get off the ship and run.
Hide somewhere far from these men.
She crept slowly towards the hatch, making her foot steps as gently as she could. Her hand still throbbed and hurt even more with the task of holding the weight of the baby. She slipped down the gang way, and as soon as her feet touched the dirty ground she ran.
She ran away from the ship as fast as she could.
Just as she reached the streets, she heard yells from behind her. She didn't look back, just kept running.
The baby was crying from being jostled around as she ran, but she wouldn't stop. He was so heavy her arms where getting so tired, but she wouldn't let go.
She could hear footsteps pounding behind her and ran as fast as she could, dunking down an alley way, hoping to find somewhere to hide. Anywhere to hide.
She was griped forcefully from behind and was dragged off her feet
"There you are! Thought you could get away?!"
She wiggled to get free. And when he brought a hand down to cover her mouth to stop her screaming, she bit him until he dropped her. She hit the floor and heard the baby scream.
"For God sake, its one kid, get her!!" She saw the other man run around the corner and she knew she had lost. She kicked at the mans shin as she tried to get to her feet with the baby. The man ripped the baby from her arms. She screamed and kicked at his legs as he ripped back the shawl to look at the baby beneath.
"Kill it. It'll only be a waste of supplies" Yelled the man who had just arrived. Shirah screamed louder and kicked at the man, jumping up at him in her desperation to reach the baby.
She grabbed the blade from the shawl and was about to stab the man who held the baby when she was grabbed forcefully from behind, knocking the blade from her hands as she was thrown over someone's shoulder. She was being walked back to the ship.
She screamed and kicked her legs, wiggled and pounded her fists in an attempt to help, tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched the man wrap the blooded shawl around the babies neck and toss the baby into a dumpster "Nooo!" she screamed out into the night.
She had failed.
Thank you for reading. :-) I'm sorry the story doesn't stick closely to what Riddick was told, the shawl instead of the umbilical cord, but I tried to keep as much of the storyline as possible. I hope you liked it.
x emmalisa x