012

Chapter Twelve

About a month passes until they see land again and it is a welcome site as all rations of the shark meat has been consumed. It comes as a small black dot on the horizon and slowly expands as they inch closer. It seams to be a small island with yellow beaches and decrepit palm trees bordering a rather green jungle. They come upon it early in the morning when everyone but Anjelo, who is driving the ship, is asleep. Anjelo puts the engines on low and rushes to wake his adoring big brother.

He clumsily runs down the stairs to the cabins and knocks feverishly on the captain's quarters door. The captain groans and rolls from his bed rubbing his eyes, slightly aggravated.

"Okay Anjelo. I'm coming buddy," he yawns. He opens the door to a frantic Anjelo who is hoping up and down and breathing heavily.

"What is it? Show me."

Anjelo takes the captain's hand and pulls him quickly up the steps and into the dim light on the deck. Anjelo hauls him to the rail and points out to the horizon at the slowly approaching shore. The captain smiles and breaths a sigh of relief.

"Thanks buddy, kick the engines up a notch and get us into port," the captain pats Anjelo on the shoulder and he rushes off to fulfill his orders. The captain yawns again and turns to find a cup of coffee when Orabella emerges from below the deck wrapped in a thin shawl to keep out the cold although she is already shivering.

"What's the problem sweetie?"

"We're going into port," he wraps his arms around her.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Im not positive but I think this may be part of the Canary Islands," the captain explains.

"Do we know what it's like?"

"I've heard some things but most of the islands are supposed to be abandoned so..."

"Heard things?"

"Don't worry about it," the captain reassures her. "Go get dressed, you're shivering horribly. I'll wake the crew." Orabella retreats back to their cabin to get changed. The captain takes one last look to the growing coast line and strides after his wife to the cabin's entrance.

He first wakes his mates, Son and Gaahl, who rush to the deck and begin to banter about what they were going to do first upon arriving on the sand. Gaahl plans on finding some good rum and loose women. Son has a more conservative plan of going for a run and catching some fish for fresh sushi.

Baron takes to the deck and does a last analysis of the hauling gear in order to assess what supplies he would have to find in order to fix it. He also hopes that someone on the island will have some new trinkets for him to fiddle with.

Iasan who, not knowing why, is running low on pain killers and muscle relaxants. He holds the hope that someone on shore will have some medical supplies. His grumbles are heard more then usual due to fact that the Canary Island's are filled with "Spick Jesus Freaks".

The approaching shore is a welcome site for Alieana who is anxious to find more shaving supplies as her legs have become covered with nicks and cuts from dulling razors. Saul also welcomes those plans.

Johan is the least enthused about going ashore as he is more then ready to be back home. Coming ashore is just another opportunity to get themselves killed. His suspense, however, is very premature as they aren't even a quarter of the way through their expedition.

Fergus's plans are very similar to those of Gaahl. He is itching to be back on solid ground to find some strong booze and busty woman to welcome him back to port. It may a bit of a chore though, with Raul constantly on his hip waiting for an adventure to bust out from nowhere.

Torri and Faux plan on simply sitting on the beach together and enjoying being free of the ships confines. They also are interested in finding someone to give them body piercings, which is Torri's idea.

The captain's main goal is to find some other food stuffs to change things up as their supply of potatoes and flour is thinning fast. He just hopes there is some sort of humanity left on this particular island.

As the island shore comes into better focus, a few things become evident. For one, this island is most likely inhabited as there are small huts located within the clusters of dead palm trees. Secondly, these people are indeed, as Iasan indicated, religious. This is evident by the large steeple jutting into the sky from the center of the huts. Upon seeing this Iasan rolls his eyes and grumbles.

"'Ave fun tryin' ta get poon here. These ladies be prudes."

"Gettem alone and they be freaks," Gaahl chuckles.

"They can't be that bad," the captain interrupts.

"Well lets get in. Im itchin'," Gaahl rubs his hands together.

Once within a hundred yards of shore, they all file down the rusty metal rungs into the wooden rowboat. Son takes his usual spot at the oars and rows them into the sandy beach. As the dingy skips toward the beach and the small huts, a congregation of people begins to form on the sand staring out at them. They are all dressed in long, brown, burlap robes. The men all have shaved heads and large beards and the woman have bushy, unkept hair. They all look very dirty and unclean. Upon the sight of the raggedy natives, Fergus chuckles.

"Look 'at 'em cavemen."

"Jesus went an multiplied," Iasan jokes along.

"An' forgot how'ta bathe," Gaahl adjusts his broadax.

"Just be tactful, please," the captain chuckles but stifles the urge to laugh.

As the hull of the boat scrapes against the sand, it comes to a complete halt which allows them to exit. One of the bearded men steps forward to address them. His eyes are a snowy blue, filled with a crazy intensity. Gray streaks are visible in his beard along with ample filth and grime.

"Visitors be gone!" the bearded man bellows in a powerful voice. The captain, who is the first to climb over the boats rail, stops in disbelief.

"I was hoping we could make port here for a day or two. Surely you can help a fellow brother of Jesus."

"The devil walks among you. Sin is in your presence. Jesus scorns you," the man raises his arms like a possessed preacher.

"We mean no harm holy man."

"Where do you hail from traveller?"

"We hail from many lands," the captain begins. "The Mediterranean, Scandinavia, The Celtic Highlands, The Middle East, The Far East."

"Who is you're saviour?"

"Is there any other? Jesus Christ saves us all," the captain lies as Gaahl scoffs and mumbles something about Odin and Thor.

"You're name, brave sea captain?"

"Captain Valentino Ferrari... and my wife, Orabella."

"What of the rest of you? You do have names?"

"Doctor Iasan Leech," Iasan limps forward.

"Johan Kristmas."

"Saul Odadjian."

"Alieana Reed."

"Fergus O'Flaherty."

"Baron Hassan."

"Torri Reed."

Faux Davies."

"RAUL DAVIES!"

"And you are?" the captain addresses the leader.

"I am Brother Gabriel. And we are the Saviors of Armageddon."

"Saviors my a*s," Iasan whispers.

"What do you seek with us?"

"We just need to resupply and cure a little cabin fever," the captain explains.

"I know how sailors act during shore leave my friend, things we take no part in," Gabriel glares.

"I assure you. We mean no harm."

"I must consult our elders. I shall return," the dark, bearded Gabriel files through the large congregation and strides purposefully up to the high steeple.

The crew stands on the beach awkwardly before the large group of grimy men and women. Fergus' eyes meet with a very young lady standing off to the side. He gives her a small smile and she winks back. She seams to be the only moderately clean looking one in the whole group. The captain notices them exchanging looks and grabs Fergus' arm with disgust.

"Don't even think about it."

Gaahl is getting many dirty looks due to his excessive body art. He however doesn't care in the least. He just stands and looks at them with bug eyes in an attempt to scare the Jesus right out of them. Alieana keeps Saul's hand in a vicegrip until Gabriel returns.

"I have consulted the elders. They have agreed that Jesus loves all his neighbors, therefore he smiles upon you, we will allow you to seek refuge and rations as long as you see fit."

"We appreciate it brother," the captain continues his act.

"We have many empty huts," Gabriel sighs, "we have lost many recently."

"Do yer have local docs?" Iasan asks.

"We believe in the power of Christ to heal," Gabriel explains, much to Iasan's disgust.

"My wife Ariel will show you to your dwellings. If you wish to speak to me again I can be found around the fire during the evenings," Gabriel bows and leaves them to his disheveled wife Ariel. She is a short and chubby woman with frizzy, tangled gray hair and bloodshot brown eyes. Her old cloak is battered and ripped and as she approaches it is undeniable that she has not bathed in quite some time as her stench is almost unbearable.

"Right this way dears," she clucks in a sweet, airy voice and waddles past them to follow her.

"What are these islands?" the captain asks.

"Gabe said earlier good sir. This is the Isle of the Saviors of Armageddon," her eyes are dimwitted and blank.

"Of coarse," Iasan snorts.

"My dear Gabe... Jesus talks to him you know. Tells him things, things non of us would know otherwise."

"And what would those things be brilliant lady?" Iasan asks in an extremely sarcastic way which the dimwitted ditz doesn't pick up.

"Oh you flatter me, but I couldn't tell you that. They be sacred words."

They stroll silently down the sandy beach past many ramshackle hut. Some are small and rickety with obvious holes in the roofs. Others seam to be rather well built with metal reinforcements and rubber insulation. Baron glances back and whispers to the Ariel.

"It appears we are being followed."

"Regan! Is that you?" the sweet tone in Ariel's voice vanishes.

"Regan?" Fergus asks.

"Our blasphemous daughter."

"Show yourself now girl or feel your fathers wrath," Ariel threatens.

From behind one of the ramshackle huts emerges a young woman. She looks slightly different then the rest of the cultists as her hair is combed and her robes are actually clean and free of rips. Fergus recognizes her, as she was the one that gave him a playful smile and a wink upon their arrival. As she approaches the scolding glare of her mother, an angry and vindictive look paints her young, clean face. Her left eye is hidden under her light brown hair giving her the aura of a rebellious adolescent. Her voice is sinister as she greets her dimwitted mother.

"What?"

"Get back to the others," Ariel says through her teeth.

"Who are these people?" Regan asks with a quick glance at Fergus.

"Non of your business."

"Well they sure don't look like Jesus and the three wise men," Regan says sarcastically.

"Don't get cheeky you little b***h," Ariel spits and slaps the young Regan in the face. Regan's face turns red with rage as the captain and crew shift uncomfortably. Regan gives her mother one last deathly glare and stiffly walks back in the direction of the slowly dissolving crowd.

"Sorry my dears," Ariel's voice is sweet and dopey again. "I fear for that girl, Lucifer has hold of her I fear."

"Thats terrible," the captain continues to act.

"My own daughter... Well here we are, five or six of these are free."

"Thank you very much," the captain bows.

"Umm, ma'am, does anyone have any feminine hygiene supplies?" Alieana asks before Ariel walks away.

"What would you want those things for? Jesus says they're not necessary, the most beautiful body is the natural body. Besides this is only an earthly vessel, the only maintenance it needs is the blessing of the lord."

"Of course... what was I thinking."

"You weren't deary."

"Obviously," Iasan says sarcastically once more.

"I like you Mr. Leech. Now I'll leave you to yourselves," Ariel smiles moronically and strolls back in the direction that Regan left from.

"That may be the dumbest person I ever did meet," Gaahl chuckles.

"She sure is dense," Iasan replies.

"Lets check out these huts," the captain strolls into the first one. Inside, there are three wooden cots set up under a roof which is filled with many gaps and holes. He turns around and looks back to the crew.

"Three beds. Who wants it?"

"We'll take it," Torri and Faux step forward, Faux has Raul's hand in her's.

"Very well," the captain steps aside allowing Torri, Faux, and Raul to go inside their new temporary home. The captain strolls on to the next hut which only has one bed under a sheet metal roof.

"You and the young lady can take this one," the captain says to Saul.

"Sounds good."

The next hut is made completely of sheet metal. Inside are two hammocks and a small fire pit. Gaahl steps forward and nods taking this shack with his usual bunkmate, Son. Fergus takes the next small shack to himself. The captain and Orabella find a shack for themselves made of ply-board and sealed tight with plastic wrap. Johan takes a very small hut which has to be crawled into. Iasan and Baron also find their own emptied out shacks.

As the sun becomes fully masked by the flat blue horizon, silence falls all around them. A large fire cracks and pops in the distance, muffled by the gentle sea breeze and singing jungle birds. The crews first peaceful night without tension in as long as they can remember.

Author's Note

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