The Core, A.R.C. [shoe dog free ebook txt] 📗

There were many chances of finding hiding places from the swarm but those chances were getting dimmer by the moment with every spot she takes to throw it all up. A bloody gunk of her insides followed by a rotten organ. She was getting weaker each time she ran for her very last life but with determination she can muster out, she ran till she got to the edge of the beach. The smell of the salt water hooked onto her nostrils and reeled her closer to where the sands were like pure grind up black coals and the ocean was furiously angry. Tidal waves were violently coming and going, pulling whatever what was on shore to the water-and she was determined to be pulled away from the hell hole her and her crew was lured in. She figured the sea couldn’t be any worse. Besides, it’s a pirate’s passion.

The bodily gunk began to take form from the trail she left behind. Within her blood and parts of her organs slowly arose howling creepers, out stretched and deformed. The stench of decaying entrails and blood wafted itself throughout the jungle and spread like the blackest plague. They slopped forward and splattered ink blots of blood to leave another trail for the other entailed creepers to find and follow. Oh, they smelled her flesh. The main course meal to devour and her bones to saver and her scent of her fear didn’t make it any harder for them to go claim her life-and she knew it.

It was much too late to save herself and was out of the question a long time ago to
do for her shipmates. So with a quick decision she took something that she thought would be some help for whoever would find it and to send out an alarming message. Her sense of hearing was failing her as well but she had just enough to hear the curdling howls and the sloshing sounds of the ocean a head. “Almost…there…” she thought. The beach was just on the other side of the over large plants.

She pulled out the paper with her fresh open numbs where three of her fingers use to be, from her bosom which was bloody and gashed. With her other few sets of fingers she marked the paper with her blood from her finger prints. She wanted to smile a little. Go down knowing that she escaped from this hole and didn’t think about giving up or exposing so much weakness like her crew had
done. She wanted to smile a little at the thought where she imagined herself opening her captain’s mouth and spitting a wad of her spit in it and forcing him to swallow before she slit his throat.

It was his fault this happened to them. As far as she was concerned, she should’ve been captain. For her last sixty seconds it was her that escaped the torture. Her that made the effort to think of a plan and stick with it. She just didn’t expect the major set backs that was coming to get her. But she felt cocky enough to smile anyhow and it would all be over once the sea claims her life and not this island…


She ran threw the plants to find the other side as a high cliff instead of the beach.


She had never thought her last hope would be crushed by the sight of her standing between a dead end at a hundred feet down and the rotten creepers a feet away. It was all a trick once again. She had her hopes up for the ocean and it was there-just have to throw yourself into it and that’s not how the rules of the island went…she slowly excepted her fate of what was coming to her this moment and she allowed the rest of her tears to flow.

“This is it.” She whispered to herself.

The winds blew with a mighty force but she could only feel it blowing right through her. The paper was snatched from her hands by the
winds and her eyes followed it as if it was a frantic free butterfly. She didn’t even have to turn around towards the blood creepers to know that they were behind her. The smell was enough already.

One by one they grabbed her and threw her down. Some ripped out her hair and started to eat it before they got to her gushing gruesome head. Others started to
gobble up her flesh from her fingers, arms, to her neck all the way down to her feet.
She screamed with every bite and swallow they did…she screamed as her body was turning into a meat picked clean skeleton…but she kept her eyes on the flitting paper till it was lost in sight.


The Demon Port

was set to sail off on the third night of the month of June but due to a heavy dispute that was occurring in Scally’s Tavern

, it temporarily had to be put on hold. Captain P. Slate had his pistol stretched out as if his hand grew another hand and was cocked and ready to put a bullet through the town’s drunk who was accusing him of sleeping with one of his mistresses. Both men had their eyes locked on one other. The
tavern shut down in total silence except for the heavy breathing coming from the drunk.
The mixture of the anticipating audience and the dueling gang of pirates appeared to be as
if the whole scene was a classic painting. “If you don’t want this night to be the last night you had took your drop of rum then be smart about it and lower your gun.”

“She’s my piece of ass! MINE! And just like the other two tramps, she knows her place!”

“A drunken pimp. A first time for everything. How about you see it as me helping you out? The rate you’re going, either your liver will walk out on you permanently or the ladies will kill you.”

“You did fuck her! You and your crew are dead!”

As an oppose to the biggest combat that Scally’s ever had in a year the local’s troubled, Gimpy, limped his way in bringing along with him pieces of trash that flew in from the strange unpredicted wind. “Hold your triggers mateys. My hairy ears have heard some news and my good eye has spotted something that can be legendary better than this brawl.” The remaining audience eagerly followed Gimpy out of the tavern while the pirates still stood there being skeptical of themselves and the news they heard. Eventually they came out.

The small town gathered to where Gimpy was standing which was at the dock of
where the ships were anchored. His neck seemed to be one of the few body parts that
still worked as he looked up and pointed his finger, which was premature, at the main top
Mast. When everyone else looked up they couldn’t tell what it is. “Give me a
telescope!” Captain Slate yelled to no one in particular. One of his crew handed him the
Telescope and took a glance. The winds were still a bit choppy. A storm is coming
through… he thought to himself. But it looked like a piece of paper. “Do you know what
that is gents??” Gimpy asked optimistically. “That there mateys is a promise. The answer to all your worries and debts!”

“Stop your gabbering Gimps and tell it straight.” Captain Slate hated to have an
explanation dragged out.”

Gimpy limped to his own pace towards Slate. The crowd parted like the red sea to
let him by as he one stale grayish eye and the other good eye was fixed on the agitated
Captain Slate. He grabbed Slate by the shirt and pulled his face to his own. Slate could
smell the twenty years of strong foul breath of whisky but he kept a straight face anyhow.

“You’re the one with the telescope aren’t you? You can’t tell what that is paper up there?
And my name is not Gimps.” He let Slate go with a shove. And limped back to where he
was standing before. Slate couldn’t help but to hide a little smirk for the old coot. Him
and Gimpy’s relationship had never changed for as long as he can remember. Gimpy was
like a dad/grandfather with some fire in him that has never been put out, no matter how
many times people and life itself has been trying to. He couldn’t help smiling a little
on the flashback of the first encounter he had with him. “Your mother’s a whore, laddy.
And I see a fighter in you. No hussy will teach you great wonders of the sea!”

Yeah, he disrespected his mom but it wasn’t nothing new that he already known
about her and nothing new of what he thought of her anyway. Besides always had a deep
passion for the sea. So he left his cowardly mother and Gimpy took him under his wing.
The classic way of how Mr. Miyagi took in Daniel. And whenever he stops by the place
where he grew up in, Gimpy limps from somewhere-what seems like out of no where and
greets Slate by slick comments. It’s his only way of showing him that he was glad to see
him whenever he does ports.“That paper up there is the answer to all your desires!

It’s the call for one of you to get that prize! That paper is the crescent of The Black Souls! You all heard the legend many of times, the haunted family of the powerful black magic
who holds the most valuable treasure there is! Obviously the last crew wasn’t successful
enough to take it so think of this as an invitation! Who have the balls to go?!”

The crowd remained silent and some looked a bit nervous. Yes, they heard the
story of The Black Souls. The haunted family that had the worst curse. The legend says
no one will ever get whatever treasure the posses and the only way out of that island is by the sea but apparently, no one had ever reached the sea. So they die a tragic death. Slate stepped forward with so much confidence. “Aye, I will set sail!” His reply was the cue to set off a wave of “ayes” from the crowd and immediately the different crews went to their ships. Gimpy walked over to Slate and said, “That’s your ship the paper landed on…what are you going to do about it?”

Slate knew that Gimpy was calling him bluff but he also knew how to answer bluffs as well. “Why don’t you join my crew then? I know you haven’t been on an adventure for years. The paper is calling for you too. And I could use your sight.” Gimpy’s laugh was tiresome and had less air to it. “You don’t want me to
embarrass you. But hell, I’ll go. I’ll be up in the ’ol crow’s nest! So I ask you again Slate, what are you waiting for?”. Slate smiled wide and showed his teeth that he turned into little skulls. “Oh, it’s on old man”…