Chapter 1

The shouting of the men around me is hollow. The curses, calling names and insults are merely words, meaningless. The only thing that has value in this moment, is the noose that is being attached around my neck bij the former quartermaster, the man I once regarded as my best friend.

‘I’m sorry, Cat. I have done what I could to make them decide on another punishment.’ The eyes of the betrayer try to look sincere, even though the lie is known.

‘Bullshit. It was either your or me and you bloody chose to save your own skin,’ I growl to him as he tightens the rope of death. The rough surface scrapes unpleasantly against my throat.

‘That choice wasn’t there at all. You are the great evil here, not I.’

‘You were my friend. The crew probably saw you as my accomplice, someone that had to be taken out as well.’

‘At first they did, until I joined them.’ He smiles pleased, the mask is removed.

‘B*****d, you should be getting hanged here. Or the both of us, considering I cannot escape this thanks to this bunch of imbeciles.’ With a nod, since my hands are chained behind my back, I gesture to the once loyal mariners, who are nothing more than pirates now.

‘It was nice knowing you, Caitlin Ward. May God keep your soul.’ Grinning he turns around and walks away to take place between the mutineers, who are waiting impatiently for the execution to happen.

‘Go to Hell, Reginald. By the way, there is no God. If there was, He would not allow this and take you instead of me. At least I can say I die as an honourable person. Can you say the same?’ My last words are mocking, but contain more truth than any one of them will ever be able to speak.

The end is here. A power pulls the noose and hoists me up. Below sounds a mix of unrest and cheering, they are delighted at the sight of their captain that is being slowly strangled by their doing.

I had expected more of them, civilisation and humanity. Do not have any pretendencies of people, because disappointment is unavoidable then. One starts alone and ends like that. Every promise is empty and friendship is nothing more than an illusion, so that the eventual treachery stays hidden.

The only thing that is certain in life, is death.

The pain is almost unbearable, the pressure lets me distinctly feel the breaking of bones. For how long have I been hanging here? A couple of hours at least.

Looking out over the clear blue seawater, above which the seagulls are screeching hellishly, and the salty sea in my hair, the last bone breaks and the windpipe gets closed off completely.

Before the last breath is puffed, is the ecstatic cheering of men audible.

The last thing I feel before the world becomes black, is hatred.

They will pay for their crime. They will pay in blood, just like the ones after them. The water will be honest once more, even if she has to be coloured red in order to accomplish that.

Judgement Day will come.