A Haunted Past (short story)
Title: A Haunted Past
Author: Mirkk Timbertree-Bayvel
Monster
Crimson drops fell from his fingertips onto the salt-crusted deck, some mixing with the blood already there, and he couldn't tell if it was someone else's or his own. He watched several large drops splatter irregularly against the wood. He wondered for a moment if eventually the drops would stop or if they would begin to pool. His eyes followed the blood up from his hands and along his arms, across his shoulders and realized it covered his chest. Then the shouting began.
"What should we do with their bodies?" someone yelled.
"Av v'koort," a guttural voice barked. "In the water. With their burzgafk Ashrim cousins."
Mirkk raised his head, looking around. He watched the other rowers place their makeshift weapons - nets, clubs, and rusty sailor's knives - in a pile before the mast. When krolvin attacked another ship and felt their numbers were too few, they would force the slaves rowing below to fight, their number never enough to be a threat to the krolvin themselves, but enough to increase their odds of krolvin victory. Some chose death by the sword over fighting. Others plunged themselves into the depths of the sea at first opportunity. Others still - the ones that had any semblance of hope - would fight.
Mirkk moved over and tossed a rusted machete onto the pile. He must have moved too slowly, as one krolvin shouted at him in Krolgeh. Mirkk stared at him, shrugging. The krolvin - the one the rest of the slaves referred to as "Pig Eyes", less because of his beady eyes, and more so because of his smashed and upturned nose - snorted, "Faster. Clear out dead."
Mirkk saw Pig Eyes had a necklace of freshly sliced ears dangling around his neck - freshly cut pointed ears. It caused Mirkk to think of everything that just happened, had happened over the past two years, and would likely continue until his death. He quickly moved to the side railing and retched.
He could hear Pig Eyes bursting into raucous laughter behind him. Mirkk moved to wipe his mouth, but only managed to smear blood from his arm across his lips. He furrowed his brow, his heart racing as he spat, frantically trying to clear his mouth of the blood. He retched again.
Mirkk bolted upright in the night.
"What's wrong?" Her voice broke the through the darkness. He exhaled slowly.
"I'm sorry. I'm not keeping you up, am I? I just..." He paused, as if trying to collect his thoughts. "It was just a dream. I'm sorry."
"A nightmare?" She asked, concern in her voice.
"Yes," he confirmed tensely. He could sense her rising, sitting next to him.
"Would you like to talk about it? Was it the krolvin again?"
He heard the rain pattering through glass-paned balcony doors of their room in Firefly Villa, interrupted occasionally by the sound of distant thunder.
"It was all manner of things. I can't seem to…" his words tapered off as he glanced around into the night as if hoping to find some answer. "It was all very piecemeal. I remember Liabo waxing and waning rapidly. And town. There was an animal in decomposition right outside the -"
He felt her hand gently resting on the back of his head, her fingers softly running through his hair to comfort him. "An animal outside.." she carefully urged him to continue.
"Right outside the courtyard of the Library," he said faintly. "Then I was back on the ships rowing, and - " He paused. He couldn't possibly tell her the next part of the dream. She'd never look at him the same. She would see him as a monster - unforgiveable. She would hate him. After all, he hated himself.
"I'm so sorry. I know this was supposed to be our time together, away from all the distractions. I don't know -"
"Shhh," she whispered softly. "Come. Lie down." He laid beside her and she held him, cradling his head in her arms as she tried to lull him back to sleep.