Chapter 127-One life to lose

Chapter 127: 127-One life to lose

CRAAAAASH!

A metallic bird slammed into the pirate ship’s communications tower, tearing through the metal supports with its powerful claws. The entire structure tilted before collapsing onto the deck, crushing a stack of ammunition crates beneath it.

"Get that thing off the ship!" Captain Rourke roared. "It’s going to be the end of us!"

His men opened fire. Bullets hammered against the creature’s metallic body, producing a shower of sparks.

The bird barely flinched. It spread its enormous wings, revealing rows of overlapping metal plates, then let out a shrill cry that made several pirates instinctively cover their ears.

"Keep shooting!" someone shouted.

The creature twisted its head toward them. Its beak opened and a stream of green liquid burst from its throat.

"LOOK OUT!"

The pirates scattered, but they were too slow. The acid splashed across the deck, eating through metal as though it were paper. One man slipped while trying to escape, landing directly in the spreading pool.

"Aargh!" His scream cut through the gunfire as the corrosive substance burned through his clothing and ate into his flesh.

Another pirate grabbed his arm to pull him away, only to have the acid splash onto his gloved hand. He immediately released him, stumbling backward and screaming as the material of his glove began to dissolve.

"Water! Get me water!"

"Don’t use water!" another man yelled. "It’ll spread!"

Nobody knew what to do. They had fought other survivors, raided vessels, and killed people who resisted their demands. They had believed that enough weapons and ruthless men could solve almost any problem they encountered. But no amount of intimidation could frighten these creatures.

The birds didn’t negotiate. They didn’t surrender when their opponents threatened them. They simply attacked, tearing through the pirates’ defenses with terrifying efficiency.

A second bird swooped toward the deck. Its metallic claws caught a man by the shoulder and lifted him several feet into the air before throwing him against the railing.

The impact left him crumpled on the deck, barely moving. The creature circled back, its red eyes glowing.

"Captain!" one of the surviving pirates shouted. "We can’t hold them!"

Rourke swung his weapon toward the sky and fired until his magazine was empty. "WHY WON’T YOU DIE! JUST DIE ALREADY!"

The bird continued flying. A second stream of acid struck the ship’s upper deck, melting through a section of the railing. Metal dripped onto the floor in glowing, smoking strands.

Rourke’s face drained of color. His ship was supposed to be one of the strongest in his fleet. He had reinforced the hull, equipped it with weapons, and gathered men who were willing to do whatever it took to survive. Yet a flock of mutated birds was dismantling everything he had built.

"Why are these birds so stubborn! They refuse to die!" His first mate complained from the side.

"Retreat to the lower deck!" he ordered. "Get everyone away from the exposed areas!"

His men scrambled to obey, abandoning whatever weapons and equipment they couldn’t afford to carry. Unfortunately, the birds had no intention of letting them escape so easily.

They swooped down in relentless waves, their sharp claws scraping against metal and their beaks snapping viciously at anyone unfortunate enough to fall behind.

The creatures pursued them as though personally offended by their presence, their shrill cries filling the air while streams of corrosive acid splattered across the deck. Wherever the liquid landed, metal hissed and flesh sizzled, turning their desperate retreat into a nightmare.

Captain Rourke ran faster than anyone else, his boots pounding against the deck as he shoved past his own men.

He didn’t spare a glance for those struggling behind him, nor did he hesitate when someone screamed for help. When it came to survival, he had never been the sort of man to gamble with his own life for the sake of others. His safety came first, always.

Loyalty, camaraderie, and the lives of his subordinates meant very little when death was breathing down his neck. If abandoning his men bought him another minute to live, then he would abandon them without a second thought. After all, a captain could always find new men, but he only had one life to lose.

---

On another vessel, Sarah crouched behind a damaged equipment cabinet, pressing both hands over her mouth.

She could hear the pirates screaming outside. Every few seconds, another crash shook the ship, followed by the shrill cries of the metallic creatures.

Dylan stood beside her, staring through a narrow gap between the cabinets.

"This can’t be happening," he muttered.

Sarah turned toward him. "Do something!"

"What do you expect me to do? Shoot them with my bare hands?" He asked, annoyed by her absurd request.

"You’re a man! Find a weapon!"

Dylan glared at her. "A weapon? Did you see what happened to the men who emptied entire magazines into those things? The bullets barely scratched them!"

Another impact shook the corridor. Sarah screamed and grabbed his arm. "Do something Dylan. I don’t want to die here... Do something!"

A metallic bird had landed on the deck outside. Its claws scraped against the surface as it moved, searching for something to attack. Its red eyes swept across the wreckage before settling on a wounded pirate lying near the doorway.

The bird lowered its head. A thin stream of acid dripped from its beak, sizzling as it touched the metal floor.

The wounded man tried to crawl away. He didn’t get far. The creature lunged, and a terrible scream followed.

Sarah clapped both hands over her ears. "Oh, God. Oh, God, please!"

Dylan pulled her farther behind the cabinet. "Keep quiet!"

She looked at him in disbelief. "Keep quiet? We’re going to die!"

"Do you think I don’t know that?" He argued back at her.

He knew they were dying and he was terrified. Too frightened to move. The realization made his stomach twist. He had spent the past several days convincing himself that he could find a way back into Aymara’s life, that her ship would eventually become his refuge, and that he could escape the miserable existence he had created for himself.

Now, Aymara’s ship was nowhere to be seen, and the creatures attacking them could melt through the very metal protecting them. He had never felt so helpless.

A loud screech came from above. The bird outside spread its wings and took off, its claws tearing a long groove across the floor as it launched itself into the air.

Dylan waited until the sound faded before peering through the gap again.

The deck was a disaster. Sections of the railing had melted away. Smoke drifted from damaged equipment, and green acid continued eating through the metal in several places. Men were dragging the wounded toward the lower levels, while others desperately tried to extinguish fires started by damaged electrical systems.

Then Dylan saw something that made his heart sink. The ocean around the ship was littered with debris.

One of the smaller pirate vessels had stopped moving entirely. Its upper deck was covered in corrosive liquid, and smoke poured from its engine compartment.

Another ship was drifting sideways, its crew desperately trying to steer away from the birds. The fleet was falling apart.

"We have to leave," Sarah whispered.

Dylan didn’t offer a word of response. He was staring toward the empty stretch of ocean where Aymara’s cruise ship had disappeared.

"She did this," he muttered.

Sarah turned toward him sharply. "What?"

"Aymara. She vanished and left us here!" His voice was weak. "She left me behind..." He stammered. "... Me?"