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Previously on Listening For That Sweet Tune:
Chapter 25: The Flaming Locust On the Red Sea Pt. 1
When I climbed up to the main deck of the
ship I immediately looked for signs of life. Blood covered most of the floor
but no bodies could be seen. My heart began to drop with terror as I began to
think that we made a terrible mistake.
'Our ship has a motor on it so I'm going
to look for gas in the engine room to get us moving forward. Go and look in the
captain’s room to see if you can find any signs of life. The captain said to me
as he was beginning to head down a bloody flight of stairs.
'Be careful!' I yelled. 'There might be
something more than we bargained for on the boat.' Something terrible must have
happened here but the question was if it was still on the boat. Walking up to
the captain’s cabin I heard screeching from underneath my feet from metal
sliding against metal. The stairs in front of me were rusting and I was worried
that they might collapse from under my feet but as I was midway up the stairs I
realized that the metal steps were sturdier than they looked. I looped around a
corner—still following a blood trail—and midway down the wall to my right was
the captain’s cabin. Looking down at the blood trail it went underneath the
door I was just about to open.
Inside the captain’s cabin were three
rectangular rooms side by side. I was in the center one as the one to my right
had a desk and several books and pieces of paper as the one on my left—where
the blood trail was going—was what I could assume to be his bedroom while the
one I was in had two staircases that led up to where you steer the ship. I
headed towards the bedroom following my instincts but maybe my curiosity as
well. I wanted to know where the blood was coming from but as I reached the
bedroom I saw the trail pool I the bed and then nothing. No body was anywhere
so I immediately hit a dead end but one could only wonder where the body went.
From the stairs outside to here the blood got thicker and more in quantity so
this had to be where they were headed and not the opposite direction.
I turned around to look into the other room
in which a large wooden desk sat with several pieces of paper and books were. I
looked at the loose pages that were on the desk and the ground but no writing
was on them to help further my investigation. Looking at the bindings of the
books I noticed that they were in Latin. 'I can't read this.' I said aloud but
continued to look through the books on the desk to see if there was something I
could understand. I slammed the books on the desk in frustration--I wish there
was something that could tell me what happened here. I shuffled through the
drawers to only find pencils, pens and miscellaneous knick knacks. I left
everything as it was and began to leave but took one last look around to make
sure I didn't miss anything. I walked upstairs following my efforts and saw
another book sitting next to all the control panels that steer the ship.
Opening it I realized that it was a journal and that it was in English the
first page follows:
This
journal belongs to Captain Ezra Craft.
'Today
the sanctions went through. Me and my crew have been approved to venture where
no man has bothered to go. There has been much talk of this day and I never
thought it would be me to carry out this journey but here I am. I gathered all
of my best men in the local tavern and we celebrated the whole night. The
anticipation is weightless. I cannot wait to see what is on the other side of
this fog, beauty I hope. There is a great bright light that sets behind this
fog and it has to be bright if it can manage to penetrate this fog. Gathering
all my men on the Flaming Locust we prepare for our first sail on this new
ship. Men look at me and ask why such a name for a beautiful ship and I can
only respond that I have seen it in my dreams as if I woke up washing aboard.
This is the only proper name so it must be done. '
I turned the page to the next but pages
had been torn out showing me an entry that was long after they first set sail.
I wondered to myself why anyone would rip out the pages of what I could assume
to be the most important book on the ship but it may soon be revealed to me. I
sat down in a chair that was behind one of the many monitors and propped my
legs up before I began reading the next page.
Entry 15
'It has
been several weeks since we first set sail and I regret to acknowledge to
myself that the crew is growing restless. The last few days we have had a great
wind behind us so we let down our sails and turned off our engines to enjoy
this great breeze but we have not left this infernal fog just yet. The
secondary captain has reported to me that my own men, a few my own flesh and
blood, have been talking to one another and they wish to go back and leave this
whole ordeal. I can't let that happen, we have gone very far and turning back
will only make our great nation worry about their place in the world. It is
impossible to think that we are the only type of people here and that there is
no one left but us but this fog has prevented to many adventures from many
generation men. No longer will we tell these old folk tales of another people
living across the seas, it will become first hand. No longer will we sing songs
of bright lands that have much light! I must talk to my men.'
More pages were ripped out and several
were left blank. I thought to myself that it seemed that this journal had ended
before it even began but as I continued to flip through the pages I found
another entry.
Entry 46
'I hear
from my first mate, also my son, that the remainder of the crew wishes to
overthrow my position as captain of the Flaming Locust. I never thought a fear
of death could come to those who leave the home they hold so close and clear.
I'm sure it has been just over a month now and we have already felt with four
fatalities. Though most are suicide I can't help but think wearily of the
remaining crew. We still have a several months supply of food and water and it
will last longer now since we lost some but I think that it is the least of the
crew’s worries. I hear the crew yell outside, maybe it is time, maybe it is
time for me to stand down.'
Entry 47
'Nothing
can describe what I have seen today. During the night a crashed ship had
floated near us and we searched for survivors and we have! A husband and wife.
The husband told us that they were from the other land and they look fairly
similar to our kind. They have seen the brightness and call it The Sun! Such
beauty is just an arms length away but then it happened. The ringleader that
wishes my whole overturn killed the poor man, shot him straight in the head and
began to force himself on the woman. I tried to push myself through the crowd
but they acted like devils. Now that they know that land is close they have
calmed down and now with their little piece of meat I guess they will act
accordingly but there can always be suspicion of another uprising.'
I stood up from my seat and walked to the
front windows to look down on the main deck. There was several blood pools that
led from there to the lower decks. I could only assume what the captain said
was true because this is the only thing I heard that happened upon this ship. I
looked at the staircase that led into the dark lower decks and hoped Captain
Grey was alright. I continued to the next entry.
Entry 48
'Upon my
morning rounds two days later since we stumbled upon the woman I found that two
more crew members have gone missing from there posts. I asked amoung my men but
no straight answers were given to me so I looked for them in their perspective
living quarters underneath the ship. They weren't their either as I moved to
another living quarter I found Thompson, the ringleader, praying amoungst
himself in the midst of candles. I knew this man was not a religious man at all
so I inquired that he would tell me what he was doing. He never broke from his
prayer but I began to listen to him. He spoke of how he was a wicked man and
how we wished that the creator would bless him full of forgiveness of his
actions. He constantly talked of the woman he raped several times and how he
would never touch her again and that he would serve her as if she was a god
then it became clear to me that he was not praying for just some creator in the
sky but the woman as a creator herself.
I
laughed to myself thinking of how childish he was but then I thought that maybe
the two men were down with her doing whatever bidding of a dark overlord. As I
approached her cell I noticed that I could not quite see inside because we were
very far below the main deck and I brought no light for me so I lit a match to
fuel the lateen beside me and what I saw was a shock. The men were dead and the
woman was shivering in the corner in her white dress that was now covered in
blood. I demanded for her to speak but she said nothing to me. I dared not to
go within her cell because if she was able to overpower two men then she could
overthrow an old man like myself. I rushed back up to talk to Thompson on what
he had done but he was now praying in a circle with five other men. I asked
what they did to the two men. 'A sacrifice' they said to me in unison. I told
them to kill her and throw her into the sea. They couldn't agree with me more.
They broke their prayers then talked amoungst themselves how they would do it.
I went back up to my cabin to think about what just happened.
Later
that night I looked out my window and saw the crew through three bodies
overboard and held a funeral service to the men that they let to get killed.
Hypocrites.'
Entry 49
'The day
after the funeral was an enlightening one. Land was within our grasp and six
men had died. Today is in remembrance of those six and today will always be
remembered as that day I sometimes think about for myself of everything that
has happened and wonder if it all has been worth it. If it carries us higher
and to a better state that we are currently in then how could it not? My
remaining son tells me that there was nothing that I could have done and he may
be right I can't say that it would be for the best but it was for a greater
cause. The crew will sleep soundly tonight.'
Entry 50
'I
thought it was all over but I'm afraid that it has only just begun. Sometime
during the night that witch came back on the ship and began to eat several more
men while they were asleep. She went back to her cage willingly, which only
makes me so much more on edge. She is something else and we messed with the
wrong kind of creature. Good thing I came prepared. It is time to settle this
myself.'
Remember me
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