Dead-or-Alive

-Chapter 4.2-

-Chapter 4.2 🌊 Go On Account-

The instant the trees parted more people than houses allotted for swarmed the streets. With the sun just peeking out over the goliaths they called trees, Sybil had assumed more would be asleep, but as the saying goes an early dragon gets the sheep. The mob only promised to grow in both number and folly as the day wore on.

Giving the treacherous houses a once over for safe measure, Sybil shuddered. They were poorly constructed out of wood and held up on wobbly stilts. Groups of men and women reclined in the shade under the homes, not frightened in the least that the buildings above them appeared ready to blow over with the slightest breeze. "Isn't that dangerous?" she asked Thatcher, pointing to the monstrous heights the buildings rose to. They stared dead into the eyes of giants.

Thatcher gave the houses a brief glance and shrugged. "It's safer than it looks."

"Really?"

"No. Let's go."

With that said, he began shoving his way through the crowd not minding Sybil's fear that death may be short at hand. He had been there enough to know that regardless of their tendency to shake in the wind, they wouldn't fall. However, she didn't need to know that.

Sybil rushed after him, standing unusually close in case one of the towering evils above her decided today was the day to crumble. She could handle obnoxious pirates, sea serpents, sexist pigs, and if Ato willed it, bloody feaking dragons, but what she would never be able to handle was the thought of her bones turning to dust under the weight of a village.

The Captain veered off the main path and over to a building, that to Sybil's vast relief was level to the ground. She sighed and couldn't help but smile, capturing his attention. "Afeard of heights, are we?" He already knew the answer, but he did love to tease her.

Shaking her head adamantly, she answered with the confidence of a baby rabbit, "Of course not."

What she didn't say and didn't need to say was the fear of having her bones crushed beneath a building worked both ways. Plummeting from the clouds, onto a not so soft surface, that also stood the chance of impaling her, had its own horror, wouldn't you say?

Sybil stopped at the building, but Thatcher continued walking. Gazing in through the windows she caught glimpse of Quinton throwing back a pint of rum before raising his cup in the air, sloshing some over the side. The crowd that had gathered around him raised their own mugs, laughing at something he had said. Whether what he had said was funny remained a subject of much debate for Sybil. From what she had seen and heard people tended to do what he wanted. It wasn't a bad thing, but for some reason she refused to let her guard down. Not that she would ever tell her concerns to Thatcher. She couldn't see that conversation ever going over well.

"Why did you stop? We're not there," he cackled, a mischievous glint in his soulless eyes.

Her heart stopped and she wished for the first time in her life to enter a tavern, but to her own dismay her feet still managed to follow the Captain to the mother of architectural atrocities. Its legs were thin and weary and it would not surprise her to hear they're home to a family of termites. Ignoring her conscious that told her just to start climbing, her eyes trailed a wooden ladder up, up, and up until the floor of the building prevented her from seeing any further. On the bright side, she reflected, the ladder wasn't made of rope so in the very least it would be a little sturdy.

He watched her eyes widen in fright and a sense of accomplishment bloomed inside his chest. What fun the journey up would be! "Aren't you going to start climbing? This is the first stop of many."

She glared daggers his way and marched over to the ladder. She would show him. Or so she thought. Not even five feet up her stomach churned and the desire to climb back down took root in her mind. Sneaking a peek at the ground, Sybil saw Thatcher close behind and knew that wasn't very likely if she valued her pride. Facing the sky once more, her arms and legs went numb. On second thought, maybe she could jump.

A gust of wind blew and sent the ladder whipping back and forth, threatening to yank out the nails that held it in place. Sybil hugged the rungs like her life depended on it. Soon realizing that she would never work up the courage to jump, she swallowed her fear and put one hand in front of the other. Thatcher piped up from below, "I would've been willing to bet three gold pieces you were about to jump. Think ye can survive the rest of the way lassie?"

Sybil bit her tongue. She truly hoped so.

Listening to the frantic pitter-patter of her heart, the noise became her sole source of solace and without noticing she stopped paying attention. Out of habbit Sybil reached up for another rung, only to grab air. She wobbled slightly, but was too thrilled to be scared. Flinging herself up onto the deck of the store, she lied on the floor with a ridiculous toothy grin.

Seconds later, Thatcher pulled himself up until he was standing over Sybil wearing a critical scowl. He didn't bother saying anything, not that he needed to word his disappointment, and headed inside, a bell chiming as he opened the door. Perhaps, he shouldn't have taken her here, but he did assure himself he would get her a cutlass for safety sake.

Hearing the bell chime behind him, he acknowledged Sybil with a gruff nod. "Good to see you haven't gone completely mad."

Sybil rolled her eyes, before she was once again petrified by her surroundings. Unlike the last time, that time around it was due to pure excitement. Pikes were mounted on the walls right alongside bucklers. Racks had been placed by the only employee she could see on the far side, holding swords and battleaxes. On shelves spread throughout the store were various flintlock pistols and black balls with corks jutting out one end. It was marvelous!

Drawn to the peculiar spherical objects she picked one up, sending both Thatcher and the other man into a frenzy. They cried out in unison, "Put that down!"

 A/N: Ahoy! If you don't mind entertaining me, what is your weapon of choice? What do you think Sybil will choose?

P.S. As of yet, the video above is my favorite pirate song to listen to. Do you all have any favorites? <3

-Max-