Darbble No. 4: Where We Were Pt4

Where We Were Pt 4

Start with Pt 1 here

***

The inside of the ship was unlike any sailing vessel Miranda had ever seen. Empty, the interior was a vast open space without bench or mooring to hold on to. 

The captives were lined up along the walls, their backs pressed against the tiny divots in the shiny silver metal. The Jengu occupied the center of the space, standing back to back in a circle.

"How do you think this thing sails?" Jerome asked, his shoulder pressed against hers. The captives were quiet, subdued, taking in the new wonders with wide eyes. The children clung to their mothers' skirts, peering out curiously. No one spoke and Miranda barely dared to breathe.

The ship began to move, and Miranda's breath caught in her throat as it began to fall from beneath them. The Jengu were steady on their feet, but Miranda could feel her heart beating fast and hard. 

"Tell them not to hold their breath," the big man instructed her in French. "They'll get sick if they do."

She relayed his message to the captives, and everyone nodded that they understood. Miranda felt the pressure building behind her eyes, and a strange buzzing sensation started in her toes and worked its way up her body. 

"We're diving," Jerome whispered. "We'll feel the effects of the pressure changes as we go deeper into the water."

Miranda noted that none of the Jengu seemed to feel the effects like they did. 

Suddenly the ship rocked hard to one side, throwing most of the captives to the ground. The mothers pulled their children close, and stayed down, as others scrambled to get back to their feet. Even a few of the Jengu stumbled with the impact. 

Though she couldn't understand the language, the big man was barking orders to the others. The ship lurched again, and a massive bang echoed throughout the interior of the ship. Something large had struck the outside of the silver ball. 

Miranda fell, pulling Jerome down with her as the ship seemed to turn end over end. People screamed as they were bashed against the sides of the ship. 

The big man rolled toward them, and he gathered Miranda and Jerome into his arms, holding them against his chest as they continued to bounce around the interior of the ship. 

"Hold tight!" he grunted into her ear as the force of the impact against the side of the ship shook them all. Water began to rush into the ship, and more captives screamed as they realized they were about to drown. 

The big man barked more orders, and the Jengu gathered as many captives as they could, holding them as he held Miranda and Jerome. The ship began to break apart violently, and Miranda cried out as several women were swept away by the sudden rush of seawater.

"Hold your breath!" her captor demanded as water began to rush over them. "I won't let you die, I promise!"

"As if we can believe you!" she shouted, out of patience and certainly about to die. "You're a brute, you Jengu monster! A brute and a killer!"

"Save your breath," he ordered as the water covered their heads. Miranda closed her eyes, waiting for the horrible death that was drowning.