The Surf Between the Waves
Chapter 4: First Impressions
Disclaimer: I do not Own the Patriot. Sorry, I know it's a bummer.
AN: Thanks to those who reviewed it was greatly appreciated. I'm just glad I can update again! Well without further ado here is the next chapter.
The town's people had overrun the streets of Charleston with chaos. The more wealthy families scampered off in their carriages leaving behind slaves, servants and even some older family members to fend for themselves in this devastation. While the poorer neighbors that bordered the outskirts of town ran rapid through the market place seizing what food they could and galloping head on into the uncertainty of the situation.
What was left of the Continental army that served us, not more than eighty some men, stood their ground at the meeting hall protecting what civilization we still had. I can imagine though, that when the Lord General arrived many took flight into the confounds of the town. I think I might have folded as well if I were one of them, seeing the vast army he brought with him to conquer us. But luckily, for me, I hadn't or I might be considered a coward these days.
"Ivie, look!" Nancy had recovered from her moment of shock and now was back on her feet barking orders at me as we scurried the streets in search of a way out. "Ivie, this is a safe path no one is within distance of this ally and just beyond that is the prairie. We can slip out undetected."
I bit my lip restraining my joy and shoving skepticism into my brain. There was no one beyond; she was right, but why? This is a frequently used path under normal circumstances, why hasn't anyone thought to use it? I turned my head for but a moment to make sure the coast was clear and in that instant she had taken off down the ally without me. "Nancy!" Her skirts and hair flapped in unison as she raced through the narrow pathway and into freedom.
My feet lunged me forward after her, where she lead I would follow for both our good. She reached the cobblestone way just outside the ally and about middle she halted. Her face turned to mine, pale as the moon, all the breath in her lungs was released and in that moment she looked more angelic than any reverend I had seen in my life. Her long red tendrils of hair blew in the wind shadowing her face and finally the silence was cracked by her wrenching voice, "RUN IVIE! RUN!"
I froze in my spot gasping for air and watching in horror as two men sped toward her, two red coats. My body went stiff and then I lost all rational thought. I ran, I couldn't stop; my body forced me to keep going. I rammed my shoulder into the first soldier sending him and myself hurtling to the ground in sheer pain. I glanced up at Nancy who had still been struggling with the other, and as I pulled myself up I was shoved back to the ground. I felt a weighty pressure being exuded onto my body.
I couldn't breath, I couldn't feel and I could barely see. There was an enormous force upon my neck and I choked, gagging for breath for air but none came. Finally I wriggled as much as I could, kicking and scratching at whatever it was that was on me. That's when I heard the cry of pain and took notice of the man on me, his grip on my throat had weakened and I could begin to feel my feet again. With one swift jest to his groin with my knee he rolled off of me.
I leapt to my feet only to find I had gained a false sense of weight and I toppled to the cobblestone once more. Nancy was screaming as she was being dragged away into the darkened ally we had come from. The soldiers green eyes gleaming at me with sheer joy, "Yer next, love!" He spat, his teeth those of a rotten corpse. I could scarcely make out their figures but I knew enough to know his intent and it wasn't proper.
My eyes watered and my voice sobbed, I had not made it this far in life to become some man's whore! The red coat behind me latched his clammy hands onto my left shin rubbing his grimy fingers up and down the length of my calf. "Such soft skin for a woman." That was all that I could take, I reared back my right foot and slammed it into his face. As the heel of my shoe made contact with his nose I heard a crack, I had broken it. His blood drained rapidly from his nostrils and I made a quick jest to escape but he leapt on to me.
His blood trailed on my bodice and onto my face as he forced a rough kiss to my lips. I couldn't breathe due to the painful state of anxiety I was placed in; his thumb nimbly slid over my breast circling it devilishly. I forced my lips out from under his and loosed a scream. Just then a bullet rang out not some feet from me, and from the ally I heard a small grunt of pain and watched as Nancy flew out of the darkness. Her hair was disheveled and her dress torn and tattered, her sobs were unearthly and they made my heart screech. She dropped to her knees in exhaustion.
The man who had fired the warning shot into the air sat perched on his rusty colored mare proudly as he lowered his gun to the soldier still pressed against me. His eyes loomed down to mine and they frightened me more so than I had been moments ago, his eyes were cold and deathly. I knew those eyes well, my father wore them on the days he would beat me; they were a killer's eyes. No justice could be found in them, not even in this regal soldier's eyes. "Corporal, remove yourself from that woman now before I am inclined to shoot you in your back." His voice was deep and masculine and though my eyes watered I could not close them, I was too petrified.
"Colonel Tavington, sir. The wench she-." The man from the ally slid down the length of the building a crimson tide following him as he dropped to the stone pathway lying to rest in a pool of blood. Nancy released the dagger she had hid under her petticoats her body shaking with fear. The blade chimed as it collided with the hard surface of the pathway.
"That bitch! She killed Brood!" My attacker rose and took off after my companion his sword wielded and face as red as Aster's stove.
My breath caught in my throat as I lunged after him. "Nancy run! Run you stubborn headed mule! Get up!" I cried nearly tripping over my own tattered dress. Thoughts flew in and out of my mind as I searched for any plan but there was none only the cold raspy air washing over me with its evil vengeance.
The woman before me stood and took off toward the prairie her spirit nearly free; just as I felt relief swim back into my heart I heard the Colonel's gun being cocked back. I drove myself straight into my attacker knocking him into the view of Nancy. The pistol went off and it hit but not it's mark. The bullet was buried deep into the back of the soldier beside me; his face drained of color and emotion as his icy blue glare surfaced to greet me, I didn't even bother holding back my smile. Then, Nancy disappeared into the safety of the high golden grass of the prairie.
"Damn you woman!" The Colonel rode up next to me glancing down at the corpse below him. Tavington placed his gun back in his holster and broke a sigh of relief. "Consider yourself privileged, you are now a prisoner of his Royal Highness's army." His voice was boisterous and haughty as he strode around and extended his arm to me. "Don't be stupid girl, climb on."
I stood silent gazing at the open meadow pleading with God that at any moment a band of Continentals would arrive and strike this egotistic brute of a Colonel down. I felt the dead man's blood drying on my face and didn't even bother to wipe it off, I was still paralyzed from all that had occurred in the last ten minutes of my life. "Would you rather me shoot you and call it a day?" His words floated in and out of my mind.
"Colonel you are the officer not I, it is your call." At that point I stared up at him my eyes drained of life and fascination.
"Then get on," he raged through gritted teeth. The sound of hooves rising and falling awoke me from my trance and I latched onto his gloved arm pulling myself up onto the mare. He spurred the horse and created a clicking noise with his tongue to instruct the mare that it was time to move on. As we rode on at a steady pace I glanced back noticing several more Dragoons arrive on horseback trailing behind us. All of their bearskin hats bobbing up and down created an unusual painting against the background of the open range. I suppose it was then that I passed out, my head cushioned by the fabric on the Colonel's back.
When I came to I was lying in the brig of the courthouse. I rolled onto my back gazing at the ceiling my back was stiff from sleeping on the floor. I took a deep breath trying to keep the events of my day from returning to my mind. Through the barred window I caught sight of the setting sun its illuminating colors cascading through the cell and into the hallway.
I stood gazing out at the streets that use to bustle with town's people now barren safe for a few red coats for guards. My face was bland and my stomach rumbling, I hadn't had a bite to eat since that morning and even then it was a piece of bread. From the cracked doorway I heard voices one was superior and the other was familiar to me. It was the colonel and there was another voice that now appeared, a more boyish voice than the other two. I pressed my head against the barred cell listening intently.
"This nuisance killed two soldiers just hang her and place her body on display for treasonous acts." The more distinguished man boasted.
"My lord," Tavington spoke, "it was out of defense. I'm sure my lord can create a lesser sentence for her, if not because it was out of her own defense than simply because she is a woman."
"Colonel just because you are inclined to seek out the female gender for your lust does not mean they cannot be hung for treason." The rough edge of the superior gentlemen cut through my ears.
"My Lord General, I believe what Colonel Tavington is suggesting is that if we begin to hang woman as well as men there might be more of a retaliation from the colonies." The boyish man paused waiting for the General's denial and when it didn't come he pressed on. "The girl is from around here, yes?"
"I found her towards the edge of town, yes." Tavington agreed.
"Than perhaps she can be of some used to us. If she knows this area we can find all of the likely spots where the Continentals might be found." The young man urged on.
"She is a peasant girl, nothing more. I will not lower myself to that level and neither shall the king's army. But I feel your statement about retaliation is understandable and I will not push the issue of a public hanging. But if she should cause anymore trouble I will have her killed and her blood will be on your hands." The Lord General stepped a few paces away before speaking once more, "I leave her in your stead gentlemen, release her if you must but keep a watchful eye on her. Make sure she does not leave this town. She is still a prisoner."
The door to the brig swung open and slammed shut. I stumbled to the back of my cage shrinking as small as I could. It was the Colonel swearing and shouting at himself. After a few moment of this madness I stepped quietly to the door of my cell and glanced down the hall at him. The light flowing through the bars was dimmed and there were many shadows surrounding the corners of the brig. He stood a few cells down his hand pressed to his forehead in a desperate attempt to decode his own thoughts. Some pieces of his auburn hair had fallen to the sides of his face, I watched intently as he strode toward me.
He pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the cell door. It was clear he truly did not want me to go unpunished but perhaps he was forced by the other officer to do so. The door creaked open and I froze in silence. "You may leave." He stood in the doorframe his eyes on the floor.
I slowly stepped toward him my eyes derived from his as I proceeded through the door. "Thank you," I whispered uncertain of his reaction.
"For what, you should be stretching from a rope right now but because of your gender-." He could not finish as I starred deep into the pits of his cold dim eyes with a sinister loathing.
"I care not for gender! Those men would have raped both my companion and self and probably killed us if you hadn't shown up! Yet all you can preach about is my being a woman, I did what I must as a human being and that is all! So if I must be punished for it, punish me! I'm tired of being hated for being a woman! Do what you must to set it right." The words flew from my mouth faster than I could comprehend them; it wasn't like myself to speak so freely, so boldly. Perhaps Nancy was right, this war would bring about a devastation that only the living will feel. Everything will change even us.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest I thought it would break my ribs to pieces, "I suppose you Lord general was right, you only are inclined to seek women out for your lust and because of that you can pity us." I turned to grab the handle of the door when a brisk force plastered me to the wall.
The cold blade at my neck unnerved me and sent chills up my spin. His weight was upon me, and his eyes raging, I had never seen anger this fierce before. What had I done? "Is this what you want? Death? Do you truly wish it that much? If so I will grant it freely!" My words stumbled and suddenly I felt as tiny as a mouse. "Now hear me when I say you are still a prisoner his Majesty's Crown and you will be watched closely, very closely. If you so much as glance rudely at a soldier I will be more then pleased to remind you of your place on this earth! Do we have an understanding?" My teeth set themselves into my lip as I nodded. "Now leave!" With one quick shove I was out of the brig and into the deserted courthouse.
With fear coursing through my veins I took off out of the courthouse, down the stone steps and up the road to Ms. Selton's establishment. Once there a collapsed onto her stairs my eyes draining of their tears and my body quaking with unimaginable pain.
AN: Jeezum! What a mean brute he is! Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter it was actually really fun to write. Sorry there wasn't all that much humor in this one I promise that in the next chapter there will be. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks very much!