A/N: I know, I'm terrible.
This could not be happening again. Chloe struggled against her captor but there was really no point. He had a knife against her throat and any move she made just made the blade scrape painfully across her neck.
"I told you not to move." His voice was harsh and rough, like he spent most of his time yelling. The knife felt as rough as his voice sounded, clearly it was not well maintained. And given by the smell neither was its wielder.
"Second brat we've caught sniffin around our jungle." His breath didn't smell much better than the rest of him. "What be the chances of that?"
"Let me go." Chloe barely managed to say. The man just chuckled, more of a rasping noise than anything, and tightened his grip.
"Don't think so. Pretty little things like you and yer friend always make us a bit of coin." He shoved Chloe to the side, forcing her face into the mud. She could feel a length of rope being tied around her wrists, something that she was not too happy about.
Struggling against her bonds proved ineffective and only earned her a kick to the side. "Quit squirmin. Or I'll have to make sure you can't move at all."
Chloe stopped moving, not wanting to provoke the man any further. Instead she just sat there wondering how she and Aubrey could be so unlucky to have been kidnapped twice in less than a week. She watched her captor closely, studying his jerky movements and listening to the quiet mumbling he was doing under his breath. Her initial judgment seemed to be true, his clothes were disheveled and stained in various places. He had an untrimmed beard, barely more than stubble that had flecks of leftover food still in it. Height wise he couldn't be much taller than Chloe herself but what he lacked in height he made up for in weight. There was an obvious stomach and the hint of a second chin under his neck.
Chloe shifted her gaze to take a look around the camp. There were several glass bottles scattered about along with miscellaneous food stuff. If Chloe were to guess, given the color and the odor, those bottles contained alcohol at one point.
Slowly an idea started to form in Chloe's mind. Moving very carefully so as to not draw attention, she let her fingers search along the ground. Keeping a watchful eye on her captor, never moving when he faced her or even when he was quiet. After a few minutes Chloe was getting desperate. She wasn't finding what she was looking for and she could practically hear the clock ticking in her head, screaming at her to hurry up.
"Finally." The man suddenly stood up from where he was crouching, placing his hands on his hips as he looked out across the water. "About damn time you got here!"
Chloe followed his gaze to see that the boat she had seen Aubrey on was making its way back across the water. As it got closer she could make out more details about the person in the boat. He had very dark skin with long brown hair and he appeared to be rather scrawny, although it was hard to tell since his clothes seemed too big for him.
"Shut your snatch Clay." The boat grated against the shore as both men worked to fasten the mooring line. "I was only gone for a minute."
"Aye, and while you was foolin around I managed to catch another one." Clay jerked his thumb towards Chloe. "Maybe you should pay old Clay a little more respect Donald."
The dark skinned man called Donald looked surprised before walking over to Chloe. The redhead shuffled away as quickly as she could but was stopped when her back hit a tree. However, something else caught her attention, something that might just get her out of this mess. She wrapped her fingers around the object just as Donald grabbed her by the hair.
He dragged her up none too gently so that his face was even with hers. "I'm starting to think that something else is going on here. Beautiful girls don't come to this island unless they're whores. And the whores don't come out this far from the city."
Chloe wasn't sure how she felt about that but then again she had more important things to worry about. Like the object she was trying to shove up the back of her shirt without the bandits noticing. Luckily she wasn't wearing that ridiculous wedding dress anymore.
"I was thinkin we'd take her to the boss." Clay said from behind Donald. "Get some good coin off of her we could."
"Shut up Clay," Donald let go of Chloe and spun around to sock Clay across the jaw. "You're not supposed to think! The last time we let you think you almost burned down the camp!" Clay held a hand to his chin while his eyes flashed with anger. Before he could stand back up though Donald had drawn a pistol from his belt and pulled back the hammer. "Understand?"
"Yes sir." The bandit cautiously got back to his feet, eyeing the flintlock as he did. Clay moved to gather a few objects from the campsite.
Donald kept a wary eye on him, giving Chloe a chance to successfully hide her little treasurer. She wasn't sure how long she could keep it hidden but these people didn't strike her as the smartest. After waiting a few minutes Clay was apparently satisfied with the state of the camp.
They both grabbed one of Chloe's arms, picked her up and threw her into the boat. She managed to keep from whimpering as her back hit the side of the dingy, something told her that showing any weakness to these outlaws would only end badly. But then again, acting proud or pompous in any way would probably irritate them more…she really needed to find Aubrey.
The two bandits climbed into the boat with Clay undoing the ropes and Donald facing the bow. He never took his eyes off Chloe, giving the redhead an uneasy feeling since he still hadn't uncocked his gun. The boat lurched forward as Clay stuck a long pole down into the murky water. They made slow progress across the lake, the area oddly quiet other than Clay's huffing as he worked the paddle. Donald looked over the side of the boat, scanning the still surface of the water.
"What are you looking for?" Chloe asked timidly.
"None of your business." He snapped back while not taking his eye off the water. She looked to her other captor to see that Clay too was sending nervous glances to the dark waters. Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw something move on the opposite shore followed by a splash of white as something large sunk beneath the surface. Subconsciously she inched a little closer to the center of the boat. Thankfully they weren't out on the water that long, the front of the boat sliding into place along the muddy banks of the island.
Now that they were closer Chloe could make out the sound of scattered arguments and someone shouting orders. Before she could move or even try to get out of the boat herself, Donald grabbed her by the shoulder and heaved. She just barely managed to land without falling flat on her face, her knees would ache in the morning though.
Donald and Clay finished with the boat before they each grabbed one of Chloe's arms and dragged her towards the center of camp. They drew quite a crowd, the men stopping whatever they were doing to stare and gawk at their new prisoner. Which, quite frankly, Chloe could have done without. She was getting rather tired of being stared at by large groups of men.
They made it the center of camp where there was a group of people gathered in front of a large tent. Donald let go of Chloe's arm before disappearing behind the entrance of the tent. The redhead took the time to get a better look at her surroundings, although she wasn't exactly thrilled with what she saw. The people seemed to be even less well kept than the people in town. Caked in mud, missing teeth and the various boils that peppered the skin almost made Chloe lose her lunch.
The living conditions didn't seem much better. Canvas was haphazardly strewn across low hanging branches and covered in moss. The ground seemed to be soaked through, almost more water than earth. The center of the camp had a fire pit, presumably for cooking, but she could only guess how difficult striking a flame was in these conditions.
Turning her head slowly, Chloe tried to see into the tents. The faster she could find Aubrey the better. Who knew what would happen when the blonde inevitably angered these bandits. One thing Chloe was sure of was that they wouldn't be as accommodating as the captain and her crew.
Donald appeared from the shadow of the main tent and gestured to Clay with a wave of his hand. The man grabbed Chloe by the arm again, half carrying, half dragging as the redhead was caught off guard by the sudden pull on her arm. Once inside she had to wait a second as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was an overwhelming sense of relief as she spotted Aubrey sitting in the corner, still bound and gagged but very much alive…and angry. The blonde was staring daggers at the tent's other occupant, another roughly dressed man with a patch covering his left eye. He was sitting on an old log, absentmindedly eating an apple as he watched his men drag Chloe into the tent.
"Found another one, Bumper." Donald gestured to Chloe and Clay shoved her roughly to the floor. She managed to keep silent despite her knees protesting in pain. Instead, Chloe raised her head to meet the one eyed man's gaze. There was a smirk playing across his lips, like he couldn't believe his luck. He stood up from his seat on the log while tossing the half eaten fruit to the side. Kneeling down he grabbed Chloe by the chin and twisted her head side to side, causing Chloe to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything.
Once he was done the man stood back up and walked over to Aubrey. "Tell me somethin." He reached out and grabbed Aubrey's hair, earring an angry growl from the blonde. "What exactly are those fools in Nassau thinkin?"
That earned a snicker from Clay. "They's let their whores run free all over the island now boss." Bumper let go of Aubrey, turned, and slugged Clay across the jaw.
"You idiot!" He shouted. "You ever seen a whore this clean?" Clay didn't answer as he nursed his jaw on the floor. "They clearly belong to one of them pirates. Probably nabbed them off one of those fancy royal ships we've seen sailing about."
Chloe glanced at Aubrey only to see that the blonde looked as confused as she did. Most of the ships in the Caribbean were merchants with a few naval craft to protect the ports. So unless the bandit was mistaken there were ships from the royal fleet nearby. Maybe news had spread about the attack at Kingston and ships from the northern colonies had been sent to investigate.
"What do you want to do with them boss?" Donald's question startled Chloe back to the situation.
The leader gave them both a passing glance before making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Throw them in a tent and keep and set a watch. Make sure none of the boys do anything to them. We don't know where they came from and if we decide to sell them we'll get more coin if they're unspoiled."
"Right away Bumper." Donald kicked Clay in the ribs. Get on your feet and grab the red one." He walked over to Aubrey and tried to grab her arm. Aubrey lurched away at first but stopped resisting when Donald pulled a knife. "Come along quietly and you'll get to keep your clothes on."
Aubrey didn't struggle after that.
The pair were led out of the main tent and taken to the far side of camp. Just like before every eye on the island turned to look at the girls as they were half dragged to a misshapen tent that was right on the edge of the water. Clay pulled the flap back to reveal that the tent was basically empty, just a few wooden boxes and an upturned bucket. This time they were not shoved, thankfully, but as the two captives turned around they saw Donald glaring at them with his knife bared.
"Don't get any ideas. The boss might've said not to hurt you but if you try something funny you'll regret it." He drew the knife across his throat. "Understand?"
Chloe nodded her head while Aubrey gave him a cold look. It seemed to be enough for the bandit since he turned around and drew the flap of the tent closed. They could hear him barking orders to some of the men outside but other than that they were left completely alone.
Now that there was actually time to think, Chloe took a second to calm herself and steady her breathing. "What were you thinking?" She gave Aubrey a tired look. "Is this better than before? Or do you prefer that our captors be filthy bandits instead of pirates that fed and clothed us?"
Aubrey made a few grumbling noises through her gag. Chloe rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked over to her friend. She turned her back to Aubrey and wiggled the fingers of her bound hands. When she felt the fabric against her fingertips Chloe pulled down gently and was rewarded with the sound of Aubrey making some very unladylike noises as she tried to clear her mouth.
"Disgusting piece of trash." Chloe turned around just as the blonde finished expressing her distaste. When they made eye contact Chloe could see just how angry Aubrey really was. "What did you expect me to do? At least I'm doing something."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Chloe shot back. "Aubrey, everything you've done has only made the situation worse."
Aubrey set her face in a hard line, "I want to go home Chloe. That's not going to happen by just sitting around and letting a bunch of pirates walk all over us."
Chloe was starting to get annoyed with her friend. "It's also not going to happen by running off without a plan."
"And what would you suggest we do?" Aubrey retorted.
"Wait until nightfall and escape," Chloe shot back. When Aubrey gave her a confused look she stood up and lifted her shirt. It was a little difficult with her hands tied behind her back but eventually there was a soft thud. A small green shard of glass was laying in the sand, one side broken into a jagged edge.
—
Aubrey shifted for probably the hundredth time since they had been brought to the tent. No one had come to see them and, to put it simply, they were bored.
"Are your fingers numb?" Chloe asked as she too tried to find a comfortable spot.
"A little," Aubrey tried flexing her fingers to get her blood flowing.
Chloe let out a frustrated sigh. "I know why we didn't cut our bonds but I didn't think it would take this long."
"Well," Aubrey said with the barest hint of a smile. "These people don't seem to be the most intelligent. Maybe that Bumper fellow got drunk and forgot about us. Give it a few more hours and we'll probably won't have to worry about them walking in on us. Then we can cut the ropes and get out of here." They sat in silence for another half hour before they heard voices from outside.
"They do anythin?" A voice they recognized as Bumper's asked.
"No boss." One of the guards responded. "Heard them talkin a while back, but nothin since then."
"Perfect." The tent opened and the bandit boss strutted inside. He looked at the pair that huddled a little closer together. "Heard that you two were in a talkative mood. So why don't we talk."
He stood there with his hands on his hips, as if considering which girl he would pick on first. Aubrey met his gaze, letting her contempt and hatred show as she glared. Chloe was a little more reserved, more concerned with the fact that there were a dozen men outside that would rush to the tent if Aubrey did anything stupid. Which, given her recent actions, might be the most likely scenario.
She didn't know when her friend had become so bullheaded and irrational but, if they weren't careful, one wrong word could mean their deaths. To keep that from happening Chloe took the initiative.
"If we tell you will you let us go?" She asked.
Bumper leaned forward as he spoke in a sarcastic voice. "Oh of course I will. That way you can run off and warn your pirate friends."
Maybe he wasn't as dumb as he looked.
"It's not like we owe them anything." Aubrey mumbled under her breath. "We just want to go home."
"Doesn't matter what you want." Bumper dragged one of the crates over to sit on. "My little group has only survived because we've kept a low profile. If those blowhards down in Nassau got wind of us then my little operation here is dead in the water."
He slouched in his spot, "Now, you're going to tell me what I want to know or I'll throw you into the lake."
"Is that supposed to scare us?" Aubrey asked sarcastically.
Bumper made a strange wheezing noise that could have been laughter. "You really are stupid aren't you?" Aubrey made a move to stand but stopped when Bumper placed a hand on the pistol holstered in his belt. "I'd ask for your names but I don't really care. What I do want to know is which ship you came in on."
Chloe remained silent. She wasn't entirely sure why, she didn't owe the pirates anything. If anything this was the perfect opportunity to get back at them for the kidnapping. But something was holding her back. It was surprising that Aubrey hadn't already spilled the beans but, given the death glare she was giving Bumper, she was unlikely to do so.
"I am trying to be polite here." Bumper said with an overly sweet voice. "All you have to do is answer a few questions and I might just let you go. If you don't, well, let's just say my boys ain't as much a gentleman as me." He made a terrible retching noise before spitting out a wad of phlegm.
There was a very awkward twenty seconds where no one spoke before Bumper let out a long sigh through his nose. He looked Chloe in the eye before pulling the gun from his belt and aiming it at Aubrey. "Do we really need to do things the hard way?"
"How about you–"
Bumper moved faster than either of them would have thought possible. Before they could blink, he had wrapped his grubby fingers around Aubrey's neck. "Not very ladylike are ya?" Aubrey struggled against his grip, making strange gurgling noises as she tried to breathe. Chloe stared in horror as she watched her friend's face begin to pale. "Now." He looked back at Chloe. "Tell me what you know or," He tightened his grip making Aubrey trash about.
"McKadden!" Chloe jumped in before Aubrey could completely pass out. "We came in on McKadden's ship."
Bumper froze. "Who did you say?" He dropped Aubrey who wheezed as she tried to suck in air. He started to pace within the confines of the tent, it looked like he was trying to remain calm but his one good eye had started to twitch.
Chloe instantly regretted speaking. There was something in Bumper's eye, she couldn't tell what but it seemed to be a mix of hatred and fear.
"So that bitch is back on the island." He stood there quietly clenching and unclenching his fists, staring at the back of the tent like he wanted to either rip it apart or hide behind it. He seemed to settle after a deep, stuttering breath "Finally."
He stormed out of the tent, barking orders as he went. Chloe and Aubrey were left stunned as they heard the men jumping to attention and running around. The two looked at each other. Aubrey managed to catch her breath but her voice was rough.
"We need to get out of here."
"Agreed," Chloe scrambled to the crate where the glass shard was hidden. "Get over here."
Aubrey scrambled to Chloe's side and turned her back so the redhead could cut her bindings. It was difficult since Chloe's hands were also tied behind her back.
"Ow!" Aubrey grimaced as the jagged edge tore into her hands.
"Sorry." Chloe apologized. It took several minutes and a few more cuts before the rope finally came free. Aubrey reached up to massage her throat.
"Okay. Turn around." Aubrey took the glass as Chloe spun around. This time it was much easier to get the ropes off.
Chloe turned back and grimaced when she saw Aubrey's hands. Thinking quickly, she tore the fabric from her sleeves and grabbed her friend's wrists. She wrapped Aubrey's bleeding fingers with the scraps. "Let's get out of here."
She started to move towards the entrance but stopped when Aubrey grabbed her arm. "Wait. They're still out there."
"Well, we can't stay here. What if he comes back?" Chloe asked.
Aubrey looked around before pointing at the back of the tent. "We go that way and we might be able to slip away." She marched to the canvas and attacked the tent with the broken bottle.
Chloe kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the tent. She was glad that Aubrey had stopped her from rushing outside. They could still hear Bumper barking orders to his men.
There was a deafening tearing noise as Aubrey made progress against the canvas. Despite the racket outside, both girls froze at the sound. Nothing happened so Aubrey went back to widening the hole.
By the time the hole was wide enough there was less noise from outside. Hopefully that meant the bandits were gone and they could escape easily. They slipped through the tear and stumbled onto the wet grass.
"We need to find a boat." Chloe said as she looked around the shoreline.
"It's not that far." Aubrey whispered back. "We can just swim across."
This time it was Chloe that grabbed Aubrey's arm. "No. Remember how Bumper threatened to throw us in the lake. Well, while they were bringing me across I saw something make a large splash on the edge of the water." She eyes the dark surface suspiciously. "I don't want to know what's in there."
Aubrey gave the water another glance. It looked like she was tempted to dismiss Chloe's warning and make a break for it but the expression on the redhead's face convinced her. "All right. But how do we get out of here?"
They both looked around for a suitable means of escape. Shockingly there wasn't a convenient boat for them to borrow. Chloe carefully peered around the corner of the tent and, luckily, no one seemed to have noticed them. The problem was that all the bandits were gathered around the boats. A few were even starting to make their way across the water.
"We might not have a choice." Aubrey said as she looked over Chloe's shoulder.
But an idea started to form in Chloe's mind. "Do you know how to start a fire?"
—
The girls hid behind a rotten log that had washed up on the shore line. They stared at the tent they had escaped from, waiting for the small fire inside to be noticed.
"What's taking so long?" Aubrey asked angrily.
"Give it a minute." Chloe whispered back. A few more anxious seconds passed before a small plume of smoke escaped from the hole they had cut. "See, there we go."
The smoke grew thicker and darker as the back of the tent caught fire. They heard someone shout from the other side of camp and Chloe felt her body tense as she prepared to run.
"Now." Aubrey said and they both sprinted to the left. They used the other tents that hugged the shoreline as cover. By the time they reached where the boats were stored the bandits were completely distracted by the fire. Aubrey made it to the nearest boat first. She heaved her weight against the bow, forcing it to slide ever so slowly into the water.
While Aubrey did that Chloe grabbed the small anchor that secured the boat to the land. Just as she managed to get back to the boat she happened to look over her shoulder and lock eyes with one of the bandits.
"Aubrey, push!" Chloe threw herself against the wood. Together they managed to get the boat in the water just as the person who saw them started shouting at the other men. Chloe grabbed an oar and started frantically paddling in the water.
It was a close call. The boat just barely made it to deep enough water that their pursuers couldn't follow. Bumper was standing on the shoreline, staring at them as they slowly slid through the water.
"That was close." Aubrey mumbled.
"We have to keep going." Chloe said. It wouldn't take long for their captors to follow them, she was a little surprised that they had even made it this far. Especially since they had no idea what to do when they made it to the other side.
"At least we're safe." Aubrey said as she paddled somewhat haphazardly. Just as she said that the boat lurched to the side. Just as she said that the boat lurched to the side. "What the hell was that?"
"I don't know," Chloe looked over the edge of the boat just in time to wrench her head back. A large maw leaped out of the water to snap shut right in front of her nose. Chloe fell back, nearly tipping the boat, while Aubrey swung her oar at the monster. There was a loud hissing noise as the boat rocked dangerously side to side.
"What is that!?" Aubrey screamed.
"I don't know!" Chloe scrambled to her knees and lifted her own oar. "Where'd it go?"
"It went below the surface." Aubrey's eyes were wide with fear, scanning the water for the creature.
"Let's get out of here." Chloe stuck her oar back in the water. This time she rowed a little faster.
For such a small lake it seemed like it took forever to get across. It didn't help that there were lots of tree limbs and roots dotting their path, forcing the inexperienced girls to sluggishly move through the water. They also had to keep a constant watch. At one point they heard someone shouting in the distance so they crouched down, hoping the foliage would keep them hidden.
When the front of the boat finally grated against the muddy shore both girls let out relieved breaths. Aubrey got out first, brandishing her oar like someone would suddenly attack them from out of the woods. Chloe followed Aubrey, her feet splashing into the water. She was about to step onto dry land when something lashed out, grabbing onto her left pant leg.
"Aubrey!" Chloe tried to tear her leg away, only managing to shred the fabric. She thought she was in the clear when her leg erupted in pain. Her scream tore through the forest. She looked down to see the creature from the lake latched onto her calf.
An oar flew out from behind her, striking the creature in the eyes. Aubrey stepped forward and swung with all her might, hitting the giant lizard again and again. It made another violent hissing noise before letting go of Chloe's legs to snap its massive jaws down onto the wood. Aubrey let go just as the lizard began to twist violently, splintering the oar into a thousand pieces. While it was distracted Aubrey grabbed Chloe under her shoulder and dragged her away to a safe distance. By the time the creature was done with the oar they were safely hidden in the forest.
"Oh Chloe," Aubrey knelt down to examine Chloe's injured leg. She tore off her sleeve and wrapped it around the wound. "I don't think this is going to be enough."
Chloe grimaced, she was barely able to stay conscious through the pain. "We need to get back to town."
Aubrey nodded, she slung Chloe's arm over her shoulders. Together they managed to stand up, Chloe whimpering as they hobbled in the direction they hoped was Nassau. Somewhere along the way Chloe must have blacked out because the next thing she knew they were limping into the outskirts of the city. They made it past a few buildings before Chloe started to faint again.
"I have to find you a doctor." Aubrey looked around like one would appear out of thin air.
"Stacie," Chloe mumbled. "You have to find Stacie." Aubrey looked conflicted so Chloe grabbed her wrist with as much strength as she could muster. "Do you really trust some random pirate doctor over her?"
That seemed to convince her. "Fine, I'll try to find them but I don't want to leave you here."
"I'll just slow you down. Head to the docks…find the ship." Her voice started to fade, making Aubrey very worried.
"Okay. I'll be right back." She stood up and ran off into the busy streets. Chloe tried to stay awake as long as possible but her vision kept fading in and out.
She wasn't sure how long she waited there, barely holding onto consciousness. Eventually she felt someone grab her shoulder. "Aubrey?"
"No."
A/N: Not my favorite chapter but I had to figure out how to introduce Bumper cause he's going to be important later.
Fun fact: One of the most successful pirates in history was actually a woman. Her name was Zheng Yi Sao and she took over her husband's pirate fleet after he died. She basically controlled the South China sea from 1801 to 1810 and had over forty thousand pirates under her command.
