Pirates Of The Scorch

Another Has Fallen

Maya

Maya and Newt landed right in the middle of a pure bloodbath. Aris and Rachel had disappeared into the crowd of raging soldiers.

"Aris!" Newt called. His voice attracted the attention of many nearby pirates, throwing Maya and Newt into the battle. Even through the mess of war cries, Newt heard Aris shout a weak, "Newt?"

"They're over there." Maya mumbled to herself, already moving through the hoard. Newt defended Maya's back and followed her. The rhythmic, sharp sound of steel clashing against steel.

"RACHEL!" Aris' voice broke through the battle, silencing everything for a moment. His scream seemed to rip open his throat. It sounded like he was crying. Maya creased her eyebrows and moved faster, her mind racing. She couldn't afford to lose any crew mates to her enemies.  Rage and determination pushed her forward, and enemy pirates and soldiers began to fall at double the speed.

When Maya finally got to Aris and Rachel, she found them huddled together in the shadows of a corner. Aris was leaning over Rachel, his hands clutching her shoulders as he shook her lightly. He was saying something over and over, but his voice was wavering.

"Aris?" Newt stepped forward toward his friend. Aris looked up with a tear-stained face and choked out a whimper. Maya averted her eyes to the boy and looked down at Rachel. It was obvious the girl was dead, yet Maya still had trouble believing it. Rachel, such a strong pirate, had finally met her match.

"Rachel." Maya whispered, her eyes not moving from the limp girl in Aris' arms. "What... What happened?"

"It was me. It was meant for me." Aris sobbed, still holding Rachel. "She stabbed the guy before he got me. I wasn't watching her back like I should've. She was stabbed. Stabbed because of me."

"Mate, it wasn't your fault." Newt comforted, placing a hand on Aris' shoulder. Maya just stood there, her eyes still on the dead eyes of her crew mate, her friend, the battle around her completely numb to her thoughts.

"Maya? Maya?" Newt asked Maya quietly, concerned. He was leaning down so Maya was staring into his eyes instead of Rachel's. "Maya, are you okay?"

Maya shook her head rapidly, as if that would erase the sight from her mind, and blinked rapidly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She gulped, readjusting to her surroundings. "We need to go."

"She's right." Aris sighed, taking his eyes off of Rachel.

"Alright, then." Newt straightened and braced himself to go back into the fight.

"We take her body." Maya said, her voice monotone yet serious.

"Maya, we can't ta-" Newt began.

"We take. Her. Body." Maya ordered, glaring at Newt. Newt sighed and looked to Aris, who already had the girl over his shoulders.

"Alright. Aris, get in between Maya and I. We'll keep you safe." Newt said. Aris moved into his position and the three - well, four - moved back into the chaos.

Maya dueled with a visibly determined soldier from the English armada for some time. Eventually, she came to the decision that they would be at this for what would probably be the entirety of this battle, so she figured out she had to throw in a trick she hardly used.

"Hey, mate." She began, working up to a conversation. "What's that in your hair?"

After a moment's hesitation, he grumbled a response. "I'm afraid I don't have anything in my hair."

"Uhm... Yes, yes you do." Maya bit back a smirk, slashing out with her sword again.

"Maya, what are you doing?" Aris whispered from behind Maya, watching the scene unfold. Maya elbowed him to get him to shut up.

"Woah. It just moved." Maya fell back into character. She stared, horrified, at the soldier's head. "It kind of looks like a pink slug. It kind of looks like..." Maya's eyes widened, "I think you have a tongue on your head."

The soldier freaked.

He dropped his sword and his hands flew to his hair, feeling for the tongue in his hair. Maya used her foot to drag his sword over to behind her, where Aris picked it up. Maya pointed her sword at the young boy's nose. He noticed it and slowly stood straight back up, the tip of Maya's thin sword following him the entire way.

"Tricked ya." Maya smirked before plunging the sword into the boy's forehead. She yanked it back out and watched the soldier fall to his knees. "You fell for it, though." With that, Maya turned to the next soldiers and began to move on, the soldier's corpse being trampled by the next waiting to fight Maya.

Newt lifted himself out of the whole and pulled Rachel up, Aris following after. Maya went last and soon they were all back up on the deck.

There was just as much panic on the deck as there was below. Soldiers and pirates slashed and stabbed, they bled and died, and the saddest part was no one even reacted. That's the thing with death. You should not be scared of death itself, but one should fear becoming used to it.

"There!" Newt pointed to The Candidate, floating not too far away. "Minho!" He shouted, waving over at the Asian boy at the wheel. Minho turned his head after Newt shouted a few more times and he yanked the wheel to the side, sending The Candidate barreling at Warfare.

"We're gonna jump on." Newt warned as Minho made another sharp turn and started coasting at a distance from Warfare, preventing any soldiers from sneaking onto the boat.

"Well, tell 'im to hurry!" Maya snapped, battling three men at once. Minho pulled as close as he could get that was still out of plank reach and ordered Gally to drop the anchor. Newt turned and pulled Maya back to him, helping her finish off the last of the soldiers.

"Ready?" Newt asked Aris, who was struggling a little beneath Rachel's corpse.

"Yeah." He panted, bracing his legs to jump.

"You go first. We'll follow." Newt told Aris, who nodded and stood up on the polished rail of Warfare. He tossed Rachel across first, and then he jumped, landing on his stomach, but on the deck, none the less.

"Together?" Maya asked, backing into the rail.

"Together." Newt nodded. Turning at the same time, they linked hands and leaped. Maya slammed into the rail and gripped onto it with all her strength. Newt wasn't so lucky, and he slipped down the side of the boat. Newt dangled above the water and Maya had to hold his weight and her own.

Maya grunted and tried to get a better grip, but it resulted in her slipping. She and Newt would've plummeted into the water if it weren't for Minho, who had ran forward and gripped Maya's forearm.

"Thanks." Maya said as Minho helped her pull Newt and herself up onto the deck.

"Yeah." Minho shrugged before running back up to the wheel. "It would've sucked to see ya two love birds drown at sea together." He called over his shoulder with a smirk as he walked away. Maya and Newt slid apart, shades of red.

Maya didn't know her face could do that. Out of curiosity, she reached up to feel her cheeks. They were hot, like she had gotten a sunburn. Her eyebrows knitted together and she looked over at Newt to see if he was experiencing the same confusion, but he was just staring at his feet awkwardly. Maya had the sudden urge to do the same.

Her embarrassment show was cut short, though, with a loud cry from a member of Thomas' crew, followed by a sorrowful "NO!"