Hello Lovers! Sorry for the delay. School is starting this week (tomorrow) so I've been busy prepping for that as well as enjoying the last few weeks of summer, BUT hopefully this chapter is worth the wait!
The ENTIRE first half of this story was written while I was listening to Te Vaka's song Loimata e Maligi on repeat. Go check them out while you're reading this chapter, I promise it'd be worth it ;)
All character belong to whoever made them, yadi yadi yahh.
As soon as the lock fell into place John's lips crashed on mine. He carried me carefully into the bedroom, kicking the door closed and playfully tossed me on the bed. After our conversation this morning I was nervous about what would happen tonight, but as John pushed me down and kissed me all of that nervousness melted away.
I tried my best to unbutton his jacket, seeing me struggle he couldn't help but chuckle as he took over for me. Finally the jacket landed on the floor, followed by his undershirt leaving him in his slacks. I couldn't help but trace my fingers over his chest and stomach, admiring him in the glow of the firelight. His body wasn't lean like Jim's was, but he was strong. Power exuded from him, and I couldn't help but shiver at the thought of just what he could accomplish with such strength.
I gazed curiously where his natural shoulder turned into his metal one, tickling where skin and machine met. "Does it hurt?" I asked, concern laced in my voice. It wasn't nearly as scarred as I thought it would be, but I wanted to make sure if I had to be careful.
"Nah, not anymore," he whispered, lust dripping from his words.
I knew he was expecting me to shrink away in fear, but instead I bent down and planted a kiss at the junction. As I lifted from my kiss John stood up and gently pulled me up with him. For a second it seemed our fervent pace had slowed, as he helped me let my hair down. His hands expertly pulled out the various pins and soon my curls were loose down my back.
"You act like you've done that a couple of times," I giggled, impressed that he was actually able to manage taking down my hair so quickly.
"I have two sisters t'at I've had to help plenty of times. After a few years ya pretty much become an expert."
He bent down to kiss me again then slowly began to untie the ribbons of my corset. When my bodice started to loosen my nervousness started to skyrocket, instinctively I wrapped my arms around John's neck and buried my head. He could tell I was self conscious, and when my dress dropped to the floor he wrapped his arms around my body protectively.
"Are you sure you want t'is lass?" He whispered.
I wanted this more than anything, it's just this was all uncharted territory for me. I nodded while nuzzling into his neck even deeper. "I'm just nervous. I've never.." I trailed off too embarrassed to even finish my sentence.
He pulled back enough to where he could just see my face. He tenderly lifted my chin and gave me a look that melted my insides. "If ya don't want t'is all ya have to do is tell me."
His expression was one of such love and concern, my self doubt slipped away to be replaced with confidence. I looked him square in the eyes, grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a rough, passionate kiss. "I want this," I whispered against his lips, "I want you."
Feeling his hands slide down my naked back gave me the motivation to shimmy my way the rest of the way out of my gown. It was a relief being free of the extra weight, but with that relief came uneasiness. You're naked. In John's room. About to make love to him.
John leaned back to look down at me. At first I just wanted to listen to my instinct and cover myself up, but he gave me a look of such adoration that I nearly forgot my self doubt. "Ya know, I've seen thousands of beautiful, glorious galaxies in my life, but none of 'em compare to you lass." He wrapped his arms back around me after seeing me visibly shiver, confusing my excitement with me being too cold.
I snaked my arms around his neck, leaned up and gave him a heated kiss. Sparks danced where our skin met, making me sigh against his lips and mold myself against him. I could feel his excitement press into my stomach and for a fleeting moment I was worried. John was so much bigger than me, I wondered how we would manage to fit together without someone getting physically hurt.
These worries soon vanished as our kiss deepened, becoming more desperate. Before I lost my courage, I snaked a hand down to unbuckle his slacks. Thankfully these gave way easier than his jacket did, and a few seconds later we both stood there wearing nothing but firelight. I took a few steps back to risk a curious glance down John's body, and immediately heat shot through me like lightning.
"John," I half moaned, he chuckled when he noticed I was looking at his length. When I realized that he'd been watching my expression, my face glowed in a deep blush.
"It's okay lass, it'll only hurt at first." He kissed down my neck towards my chest, "I'll go nice and slow," I could tell by the worry that flashed in his eyes that he was worried about the same thing I was, but he did a good job of hiding it. Before I knew it he had lifted me up, carried me off to the bed, and loved me as I've never been loved before.
He was right, it hurt horribly at first, probably the worst pain I've ever felt. But, after those shocks of pain came waves of pleasure. The entire night was spent having sex. We'd make love, fall asleep with him still inside me, then we'd wake an hour or so later ready to go.
The first couple of times were spent going nice and slow, but once I grew acclimated to his size we were able to play around with different rhythms. By the time the sky began to lighten we had made love on almost every piece of furniture in his stateroom.
His bed, the floor, the bathroom counter, the shower, his desk, and even the couch held memories of our sex marathon. Good thing the crew went to shore last night, otherwise we'd have some explaining to do. After our second shower together, we were laying in the bed when he propped up on his elbow to look down at me.
"So, ya said ya wanted to have t'at talk of yers." He started to trail designs down my chest and stomach, temporarily making me forget my train of thought.
"Umm, yeah," I grabbed his hand so he would focus. "But before I say anything I need to know the answer to one question. Do you love me?"
This time he didn't hesitate with his answer. "Yes. I thought I've proved t'at over, and over, and over…" he whispered as he came down to kiss me.
"Then what am I supposed to do at the end of this trip?" I asked. I wanted more than anything to abandon the wedding and go with John, but I wanted him to ask me to do it.
"Come with me." he said, determination blazing in his eyes. About damn time.
"And how do you think we'll manage that?" I deadpanned. "You and your crew will only get paid if I am delivered in one piece. You'll have a mutiny on your hands once they find out I'm running away."
He laid there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling deep in thought. "What if they don't find out till yer out of their reach?" he whispered.
"If they don't come for me, the Montressor Royal Family would, and if they don't then my father would." I turned to him as reality hit me. "If I don't go through with this wedding there will be a witch hunt for me and anyone who helps me."
I couldn't help but start to cry in frustration. One feeling I absolutely hated was the feeling of being stuck. I closed my eyes trying to calm my nerves when I suddenly felt John shift around. Before I knew it I was being pulled into his arms as he tried to comfort me.
"Just tell me what ya want lass," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair. "Whatever it is ya want, we can figure out how to make it happen."
His words instantly soothed me. He didn't say we'll help you like I would have the final say alone, but we as in him and I together as a team. A united front. Equals. I looked into his eyes debating with myself if I should be selfish and tell him what I really wanted.
"You." If there was ever a time to be selfish, it was now. "I want to go with you without anyone else getting hurt."
"Done." he said confidently, without hesitation.
"B-but, that's impossib-"
He leaned down and cut me off with a kiss. "One t'ing yer gonna learn 'bout me is I'm a master at gettin' out of situations. Just ask Jimbo." he winked.
I relaxed into him as much as I could, but he could tell I still had an edge of anxiety.
"Anastasia," he whispered. The sound of my full name on his lips sounded strange. He tilted my chin up and forced me to meet his gaze before he continued.
"What if I could promise ya we could sneak away, and still guarantee yer family's safety?"
Cautious excitement built up in my stomach. "Then I'd leave with you tonight and never look back."
I knew if anyone else heard me say such things to a man I'd just met, they'd think I'd gone nuts. Hell, I would've thought the same thing in their positions. But deep down in my soul, I knew John was the man that was made for me. I knew by the way he gazed down at me, the way he held me, the way he made love to me that he felt the same way. This is where I am meant to be.
"He pulled me back into the safe warmth of his chest. "Let me pull a few strings and see what I can do. I promise ya lass, we'll get you out of t'is mess."
"I know," I whispered, pulling him in for a kiss.
I glanced out the window behind him, the look of annoyance that shot across my face made him look as well. He threw himself back with a groan, obviously not happy that we could see dawn approaching.
"Looks like we have to get back to our responsibilities," I giggled.
He looked down at me, a mischievous grin on his face, and in a flash he was back on top of me. As he bent down to kiss on my neck, he growled "T'e only responsibility I'm worried 'bout t'is second is makin' you come, again."
I gasped at the sudden change in his mood, but the feeling of his hands on my naked body immediately set my soul on fire. Instinctively I arched into his touch and moaned out his name. As he moved down my neck towards my chest and then my stomach, I tangled my fingers in his hair guiding him where I wanted him to go. I cried out in frustration when John halted his descent right at my hips, taking far too long to get to his destination. Seeing me writhe on his bed in anticipation seemed to amuse him more than anything.
"What's wrong my lass?" he crooned, placing love bites on each hip.
"You're teasing me," I growled. When he kissed the inside of my thigh I cried out again. "John, please…" I begged, lifting my hips in an attempt to end this sensual torture.
"Ah, ah," he chuckled, "Ya need to learn t'at good t'ings come wit' patience."
My hands knotted in the sheets in anticipation. Just as his hot breath was an inch away from where I needed him to be, there was a pounding on his stateroom door. Both of us froze, eyes wide in shock, until the sound of Jim's angry voice came from the other side.
"Hey! The crew is about to be back!" he shouted. "If you two don't hurry the hell up you're gonna have an awful lot of explaining to do."
As we heard him stomp away we both burst out in laughter. I rolled onto my stomach to crawl out of bed, when John pulled me back against him. "Who said I was done wit' ya just yet."
"You heard him, we have to get ready before the crew gets back." I tried to keep my thoughts straight as John grabbed my hips. I lifted an arm behind me to run my hands through his hair again.
"Just one more time," he pleaded.
"John, we've had sex at least a dozen times since we came back from the ball. You act like we won't be alone every night for the rest of this trip."
"We didn't just have sex, we made love. And I'm hopin' yer wit' me every night after t'is trip." he whispered hotly.
"I don't think you bending me over your desk constitutes as making love." I laughed.
"Oh, but judgin' by how loud ya were I'd say you loved it plenty." he shot back, letting go of me so I could finally stand. When I was finally upright my knees nearly gave out, last night had left me deliciously sore and weak. As I stretched my legs to try and regain some strength, John looked me over a look of sincerity in his eyes. "I just don't want to waste a moment wit' ya lass."
His tenderness struck me speechless. I crawled back to the bed to sit beside where he lay and asked him, "Are you afraid that I won't be able to sneak away?"
He tried to hide the fact that what I said was exactly what he was thinking. "Nah," he brushed me off, "I'll feel better once we have a plan. We can talk it over tonight after dinner wit' Jimbo." He sat up and started rubbing my neck soothingly. I leaned into his touch, allowing my nerves to settle as he comforted me. After a few minutes we could hear some bustling around outside on the deck, so we both rushed to take a shower and get ready for the day.
Thankfully, no one noticed how we both came out of John's stateroom at the same time. As we started down the stairs to start on breakfast, my leg muscles started to scream at me protesting the work I was putting them through. Every woman I knew warned me about the pain the first time you slept with someone, but no one ever warned me just how sore your legs would be the next day. John noticed how I was extra careful walking down to the galley, not my usual speedy self jumping down two stairs at a time. Once we got down to the bottom, he looked behind me to check and make sure no one was there then held my hand to help me down the last couple of steps.
"Are ya okay lass?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. My legs just ache from last night." I whispered, trying to hide my blush.
He chuckled, "Well I'll just have to massage 'em tonight for ya."
My face glowed even brighter as I punched him in the shoulder playfully. While we both distracted ourselves with getting breakfast ready, Jim bounded down the stairs with a knowing grin on his face.
"I would ask y'all how your night went last night, but then again I'm afraid I don't want the answer," he joked.
"Oh shaddup Jimbo." John laughed, "By t'e way Ana and I need to have a talk wit' ya after dinner tonight."
"About damn time," Jim whispered then looked at me. "So I'm guessing you've made a decision?"
"Yeah, I did." I glanced behind him to make sure we were alone. The majority of the crew were back on board so we had to be careful we weren't overheard. He probably thought the same thing as he just nodded his head then turned back to John.
"Everyone's back on board Cap'n. We're just going through preliminary checks then we should be good for launch."
"Good," John replied. "Once t'at is done send t'e crew down to eat. I want to make sure everyone's fueled up for t'e day ahead."
"Aye Cap'n," Jim saluted, then walked off to follow out his orders.
The rest of the time was spent in comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own whirlwind of thoughts. When the crew filed down, we both put up our usual wall, careful not to gaze too long at each other or laugh too loud at one another's jokes. It was exhausting really, trying to walk the fine line between seeming too friendly but keeping from acting obviously distant with each other.
Breakfast went by without a hitch, and for once I was glad that I had a sink full of dishes to clean. I didn't want any of the other men to see how I couldn't run up and down the stairs like I did the day before. Once everything was cleaned and put away I hobbled my way up to the helm for my list of duties for the day.
When I finally managed to get up the main staircase, I was surprised at the scene I was met with. John, Mr. Otis and Jim were all crowded around a digital map, heads bent obviously discussing something important. As I walked over, I leaned over John's shoulder to see what they were talking about. On the map was a clear line of our projected path with time's dotted here and there predicting where we would arrive and when.
"Last I heard the latest attack was here," Mr. Otis muttered, pointing to a red area on the map that was just above our current path. "Unfortunately, the victims have no idea what direction they were headed. They've since turned off their radio receptors, but they were last tracked twenty degrees below us to the north east." He then motioned to a group of about six ships flashing red on the map.
"Did they mention how many screechers there were?" John asked.
"No sir. They attacked in the dead of night, cutting off the ship's main power so no one could see anything."
"Damn it," John cursed, "I was hopin' t'eir raidin' season would be over by t'e time we'd be comin' through."
"Look, there are two other ships in the area. Maybe we can ask them for an escort, just until we are out of their territory." Jim suggested, pointing to two yellow ships on the map.
"Who is they?" I asked, thoroughly confused. The three men just continued with their planning as if I wasn't even there.
"If we team up with two other cargo ships carrying valuables t'en we'd just become even more noticable," John answered. "As long as we stay in front of 'em and keep from bein' surrounded, we should be able to slip by wit' out any problems." All three of them stood there for a second scratching their heads before finally agreeing with their captain.
"Keep yer eyes open Mr. Otis." John muttered, "If ya see anyt'ing slightly a miss redirect our path to plan b."
"Aye, sir." he answered.
John and Jim turned away from the control panel, making their way to the railing that overlooked the main deck of the ship. They were still whispering to one another, both of them obviously concerned about whoever 'these' people were.
I came up behind them and crossed my arms. "Are you both going to tell me what's going on or not?" I demanded.
Now they seemed to notice my presence, as they both hid their worry and opened their mouths to speak, I cut them off with a wave of my hand. "Don't even waste your breath saying that neither one of your are worried about anything because I heard everything you guys said back there." They both shut their mouths looking a bit guilty before I began again. "Now, who are 'they' that you both are so worried about? What's a screecher?"
Before shooting each other a look, Jim stepped forward and began explaining. "It's a species of aliens that are called soul screechers. They are the most vile, violent, ruthless species known in the entire etherium. They go around to all the different galaxies pillaging and kidnapping whoever they want, torturing their captives in the most unimaginative ways. That's why they're called soul screechers, they cause so much pain that it's said people's souls screech in agony."
"And you guys are worried that if they find our ship, then they'll take me." I answered.
"Not just t'at," John spoke up. "They're known as a tracker species. If t'ey find out not only do we have a woman on board, but a future queen and t'ey get a single look at you, they'll imprint on ya and hunt ya down. They will follow ya to t'e ends of t'e etherium until they catch you, tearin' down anyone that even t'inks about gettin in their way." By the time he was done with his explanation, his mask had slipped and his true anger and worry began to show.
"Damn it! I should've known better t'an to even try to take t'is route." he ground out through gritted teeth.
"Hey," Jim interrupted, "Who knows if we'll even run into any of them. I bet we can slip through their territory without them even noticing. It's in the middle of the day, I highly doubt they'd attack us in broad daylight."
"Even if yer right, ya can't be too careful." John turned to me and whispered, "Just in case, If anyt'ing happens, I want you to get to my stateroom as fast as you can. Under my desk is a trap door t'at leads to a hidden room. Hide t'ere, and don't you dare come out until either Jim or I come get you." I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just nodded. I noticed a certain spark in his eyes that I've never seen before. That spark is fear. He's genuinely scared that something is going to happen. I wonder how evil these creatures are to make John of all people afraid of them.
He grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Promise me Anastasia, you will do as I ask. Don't come chargin' in like ya did wit' Zach, t'ese beasts will take ya away in a heartbeat and I can't guarantee t'at I'll be able to keep 'em off of you."
The desperation sparked a fear deep down in my heart. These 'monsters' have the strongest man I know desperately begging me. "So I'm just supposed to run away while you and Jim face these horrible monsters alone?"
Immediately his eye flashed red, thankfully Jim stepped in just in time to calm the situation. "Ana, please. John's right, you'd just be a distraction for him when he'd need to be able to focus. We both just want what's safest for you."
Standing there looking at the two of them I could tell that this was an argument that I wasn't going to win. I crossed my arms and faced John, "Fine. I promise." He visibly relaxed and shot me a grateful glance, then turned to Jim and started giving orders.
"Get t'e crew ready for launch, and send another pair of eyes to t'e crow's nest." As Jim went off to carry out orders, I turned to follow as I usually did when I felt a cold metal hand come down on my shoulder. I looked back to see John with a stern gleam in his eye, "Nuh-uh. Yer stayin' wit' me today lass."
I knew better than to argue this time around. He's just trying to keep you safe, don't argue and stick close to him. Thankfully the launch went without any problems, but it seemed the farther out into the etherium we sailed, the worse the tension became between the crew members on board. About two hours after we set sail, you could almost see everyone's anxiety shimmer in the air. I could sense we were starting to head into soul screecher territory when a hush fell over the crew, almost like they thought if someone so much as dared a whisper it would give our position away.
John wrapped a protective arm around me and pulled me close to him, not even caring if anyone of the crew members saw us cuddled together. It terrified me seeing John act so openly afraid, this man who when faced with crazy psycho Zach only grinned with anticipation of the challenge. Instinctively I snuggled deeper into John's side trying to keep an eye out for any oncoming ships. Even the other crew members had their weapons at the ready, eyes watching the etherium for any possible disturbance.
It was dead quiet except for the sound of the ship's engines carefully pushing us further along our route. John leaned down and whispered an I love you in my ear so quietly I barely heard him. Looking up at him I could tell that he was trying to keep a brave face, so I grinned and mouthed an I love you too back. His face warmed momentarily until his gaze shot in a direction that was right behind me. Instantly his grip tightened as I turned around to see.
There they were, their single ship seemed to have appeared out of thin air. I've come to notice that every ship, no matter how big or small, made some sort of noise letting you know it was there. This ship was far enough to not be able to see any close details, but close enough you would think you would notice it especially since it was almost twice as big as ours. The entire vessel from the sails down to the hull was a solid jet black, which would make for perfect camouflage if they attacked at night. I didn't even have to ask John if the ship belonged to the soul screechers, the way his protective grip tightened around me told me everything I needed to know.
"Bring us up to full speed Mr. Otis." John muttered, concern and anger written on his face.
"Aye sir," he answered, pushing the throttle as far forward as it'd go.
Our ship gently started to vibrate with the added power as it pushed us faster through the etherium. Glancing back, I could see they had increased their pace as well, still far enough away but close enough to worry. Just then Jim came bounding up the stairs tucking a laser pistol into his holster.
"Everyone is loaded and ready to go cap'n"
"Good," John glanced behind us. I followed his gaze and was surprised to see the ship was much closer than it was a few moments before. "Shit" he cursed, "Jimbo give the word."
Word? What word? All of a sudden Jim was running down the stairs yelling "All men to battle stations!"
"Ana, remember what I told ya earlier?" I could only nod. "Get down t'ere as fast as ya can. Remember, don't cha dare come out until either Jim or I get you, no matter how much screamin' ya hear."
"John, I'm not leaving you alone." It was crazy, hell was about to rain down and the only reason I was afraid was because I was going to be separated from him.
Immediately his mechanical eye flashed from gold to red and he shook me by the shoulders. "Damn it Ana I need you to get to t'at room now!"
"But-"
"NOW!"
Stunned at his anger, I turned tail and flew down the stairs. The muscle aches temporarily forgotten, I ran as fast as I could to John's stateroom, dodging the crew members that were taking position along the rails. When I reached the door, the soul screecher's ship was alongside ours and the first rounds of laser fire was starting to ring out.
I threw open the door and hurried inside, making sure it locked when it was finally shut. I stood there for a minute trying to calm my nerves and decide what my next move would be. That ursid is crazy if he think's I'm just going to huddle underneath a floor. Then it hit me. As long as I stay out of sight, the soul screechers can't catch me and John won't be distracted. The wheels started to turn in my head and I finally came up with a fool proof game plan.
I made my way to the bedroom and opened up the one trunk I hadn't unpacked. After the Zach attack, I hid my bow and arrow's back down in the bottom where they were at the beginning of the trip. Throwing my quiver on my back I felt my fear slip away, my nerves started to settle and excitement started to course through my veins. Going over to the nightstand, I dug in the top drawer pulled out John's knife, strapped it to my leg then dove for my extra arrows I had hidden under the bed.
Strapped down and ready to go, I stood there going through the plan in my head again. I've been hunting for almost twenty years, I was an expert at keeping quiet and invisible so that wasn't the part that worried me. What made me nervous is I've never killed anything other than an animal to eat. I was going up against intelligent creatures that probably had families of their own back on their home planet.
Yeah, creatures that will kidnap and kill you without a second thought. That was all the motivation I needed to get me moving out the door. As I slowly cracked it open, I was surprised to see how many soul screechers had made it on board. Just from the narrow view I had there were two of them for every one of us.
I slipped out the door and carefully made my way to the right hugging the wall as close as possible. As I slid my way towards the railing , I knocked an arrow and started to survey the scene before me.
My main objective was to take down the least noticeable enemies as quietly and efficiently as I could, making sure I'd constantly move so they'd never guess where my arrows would be coming from. All along the side of the deck, crates were stacked from our recent stop in Denmark. Thankfully, these provided just the cover I was looking for. As I settled into my first hiding spot, I took a steadying breath and looked for my first target.
My eyes were immediately drawn to a skirmish that was happening about twenty five yards in front of me. One of our crew members, Matthew, was battling a screecher that was smaller than the rest, but still was a good foot taller than him. John was right, these creatures were absolutely terrifying. The shortest of them were probably about six feet tall, their skin looked dark and greasy, like an oil slick. They had no eyes, that I could notice anyway, and no lips so their long, sharp teeth were on constant display. Their tongues slithered out, tasting the air about them as they fought to gain control of our ship. Some of them carried laser guns or swords of their own, but a majority of them fought with their claws.
I took aim, trying to find the perfect spot to send my shot. I noticed that no matter how many blows from Matthew's sword came in contact with the screechers skin, it would only leave small gashes, not any mortal wounds. The only spot that wasn't injured was right where the neck connected to the body, and there I noticed a small area that looked more vulnerable than the rest of it's armor hard skin. Well, it's worth a try. I lined up my sight with that sweet spot and let my arrow fly.
Instantly the screecher fell to the deck, screamed for half a second and then let out it's last breath. Matthew whipped his head around, eyes wide at the sudden interruption, then seeing it was me in the shadows with my bow he broke out in a triumphant grin. I put my fingers in my lips, signaling for him to keep quiet about my position to which he nodded in agreement and ran off to find another opponent.
Thankfully my first kill didn't draw any attention, and I didn't waste any time to slip into my next position to fire off the next round. I made my way towards the front of the ship through the crates, slowly picking off screechers when I could get a shot. Turns out that sensitive area seems to be the only weak spot in their skin, since every screecher had gone down immediately once that's where they were hit. I had taken out about eight screechers before I ran out of crates to hide behind and I didn't want to risk backtracking for fear that they would anticipate where the arrows were coming from. A few screechers were starting to notice how their comrades had fallen from an arrow to the chest, not from a laser gun or sword like what everyone was wielding so I had to keep moving.
I needed to think of my next move, and fast. I'd made it this far without any screechers or John seeing me, and I wanted to keep it that way, but my options of cover were becoming severely limited. As I tried to plot my next path, Jim's scream came over the cries of battle and shattered my train of thought.
"SILVER!" Jim cried, right away my eyes shot to where he was running. I quickly figured out why he was panicking, but my heart dropped to my stomach. I guess the screecher's found out who the ship's captain was, because there were four of them fighting with John all at once. His mechanical arm had morphed into his cannon, as he shot at the screecher's they just seemed to roll backwards and then come back with twice as much force. They came back so quickly, he had to switch to his sword to buy him time while his cannon recharged then the cycle would just start all over again.
Right away I saw red, and my anger immediately flared when I noticed how bad John was bleeding from a gash on his chest. Forgetting the fact I was trying to stay hidden, I stood right up and took aim at one of the screechers. I've never made a shot that far, but thankfully adrenaline took over and the arrow silently flew the sixty some odd yards, hitting the screecher right in his weak spot. John barely had time to look my way before I had another arrow knocked and flying towards the next one. By then, Jim had made his way to John's side, and taking notice how easily the first two went down he stabbed the next one right where the arrows in the others stuck out while John finished his opponent off.
Once their immediate threats were taken care of, both Jim and John stared at me wide eyed, one of them pleasantly surprised and the other obviously pissed off that I didn't listen to their request. I couldn't get distracted with a face off with those two, we were slowly winning but there were still a few screechers to take care of. As I took aim again, I didn't notice that one had snuck up behind me until it was too late. Before I knew it, my bow was knocked from my hand, I was picked up off the ground by my throat about eight feet and was slammed against a wooden pillar. The last thing I remember hearing was the sound of a very angry John Silver screaming my name, and then the darkness took over.