Headed by a Snake

Usually, there were only two guys assigned to keep watch after the sun went down.

Then, there was Philman.

Philman pissed off the Captain... f*cked up some knots or some rookie shite-- Harvald had no idea...

It was a grand f*cking achievement, as the Captain'd been so f*cked in the head, as of recent.

Anyroad, the kid was assigned to nightwatch as punishment.

Didn't make a difference. The idiot couldn't be trusted to keep both his eyes open, by sun or starlight.

That meant the kid's punishment was more like it was aimed at him and Rallen.

...What should've been a night of spades and sleeping in shifts turned into babysitting a gods-damned fish.

"Not. f*cking. funny," Harvald growled. "Now where is he?"

"'E said he needed ta take a piss," Rallen sneered, "Uvver side o' the ship, I s'pose."

The pained scream of a man cut through the foggy night... followed by a loud splash.

"That him?" Harvald asked.

"Eughh," Rallen bared his teeth in a groan, "sure sounded like it."

Harvald remained calm, but raised his voice, "Man overboooaaaard!!"

Rallen beside him snickered like he'd heard a joke, "Funny. Like anyone'll give a shite about a fish fallin' int'the drink. 'E can swim, just as good's the rest of us... and the icy chill'll make sure he won't do it again."

"Or whatever's in the deep'll show him," Harvald rolled his eyes. "Permanent-like."

"Face it, Harv," Rallen playfully punched Harvald's arm, "It's just you an' me here on nightwatch. Just us to fight off the beasties. Just us to decide whether the fish is worth savin'."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Harvald grimaced... "Hey... you hear that?"

"What, I don't hear nothin'?"

"It's the kid," Harvald explained with a grimace... "He ain't kickin'."

Rallen finally seemed to understand how shite the situation actually was... and he led the way to the port side... "Sea god's socks... 'ere's no sign of 'im."

"You got a spyglass, don't you? Hand it over."

"Yeah, yeah... don't break it, though. You know how expensive crystal is..."

The bastard stole the thing... yet he still had the nerve to complain about its cost.

Bloody idiot.

Harvald took the spyglass and peered through the fog. Couldn't see a damn thing... until he did.

That something looked big... magnified five times over, anyroad. A shadowy creature in the water... something that looked like it could've had two arms and two legs.

"You see somethin' Harv?" Rallen asked, "Leviathan wang or what?"

"Saw a guy... treadin' water, I think," Harvald returned the tool to Rallen.

"The fish?" The guy grabbed at his shoulder, "Was it Philman?"

It seemed Rallen was starting to panic, too. If only the ship anchored a bit closer to their island base, he might have opened all the sails, himself, to get to shore...

"Can't be sure," Harvald brushed Rallen's hand away, "But jus' to be safe, I'm gonna go wake the crew."

Rallen's worried face turned into an incredulous scowl, "Seven hells, Harv. Keep yer trousers on. S'almost dawn-- and then we'll be able to see jus' fine. Don't try to f*ck it up for e'ryone else, wakin' em before."

Harvald grit his teeth and shook his head, "You make it sound like I give a shite about your opinion, Rallen-- or anyone else's for that matter."

"Anyroad," Rallen growled, "Wakin' up the crew won't do shite. Best you'll get is a pissed off Cap'n and six lashes when the sun comes up proper."

Harvald groaned as he turned and began to walk away. Like Rallen was saying, slivers of light broke through the fog, the sun trying its damnedest to break through the thick fog.

It gave him... a little bit of confidence... and a tinge of guilt.

Rallen was his friend... and he at least deserved an honest explanation. He stopped and half-turned his head.

"Listen, Rallen. I know we're adults-- we ain't supposed to be scared o' shite... but I'm creeped the hells out. It's dark, even with the sun breakin'. Pissin' rain. Fog's out. And I swear by the sea god's gods-damned suspenders that I saw a man in the drink that don't look like no man."

Hoping for an answer, Harvald instead heard... something tear.

It sounded like... the sound of a cleaver, cutting through a fish. And shortly after... was a slosh of something spilling onto the deck.

He hoped it was a high wave of water... and not blood.

Harvald turned to where Rallen was standing... absent of the glow of a torch... absent of a shadow or silhouette.

"Rallen? You there? Y'cunt?"

...Harvald stepped forward, his hands grasping at nothing in front of him. The fog felt... thicker. The sound of the rain falling upon the deck had become deafening.

"This isn't funny, you dogf*cking bastard!"

Another splash.

Something had fallen off the side of the ship, kersplunking into the drink.

Against his better judgment, Harvald hurried to the railing and peered over.

Nothing. He couldn't see two fulms past his head, much less into the waters below.

He could see the end of the deck, though.

Blood.

As he feared.

...But no Rallen.

Harvald tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. His whole body felt as cold as a dead fish. He needed to get the hells below deck and wake the crew-- he'd take the lashings gladly, if this was all just a bad dream.

He tried to turn back--

...but something was holding onto him.

Peering down... it was... a hand, the color of skin... but it was with tiny black holes, each like there could be eyes or sharp teeth hiding inside of them.

And... it was huge... easily wrapping around his ankle in a crushing grip.

"What the..."

Another hand... this one connected to an arm, reached up to the wooden railing... and tore the wood apart as easy as if it were parchment.

Then, the rest of the creature climbed onto the deck.

It... was the man he saw earlier, treading in the water... but it wasn't human.

It was a rocky creature, its jagged 'teeth' jutting forward and widened into an eternal grin.

Harvald soiled himself, then and there...

He wished he had a sword... Seven hells, he wished he had a gods-damned carving knife.

He wished he had a voice-- a good strong, sailor's voice... As it was, he was too scared to even scream...

"Y-you... you killed..."

"Hush now, boyo," The creature had a deep, wet voice, straight out of Harvald's nightmares... like it had been gargling sea slugs.

It reached a stony hand over to cover Harvald's mouth... "Or don't. We can do 'is da hard way or da easy way-- it don't matter none, really."

The creature lunged forward, taking Harvald off his feet, keeping hold of his jaw as he was pinned to the deck underneath its weight.

Dazed, confused, and gods-damned terrified, Harvald laid still... staring at the creature that was going to end his life.

"Y'see... da funny fing about us Coral Boys... All sorts of folk-- two-legged pinkskins... sailors 'at should know betta... dey'z fink we're nuffin' but 'ulking brutes... dat alls we can do... is foight... 'n foight good..."

The creature leaned his head in close... enough for Harvald to smell its breath, rancid and stinking of rotting fish...

"Mmph!! MMmhh!!" Harvald tried to struggle... but there was more strength in the creature's porous stone arm than in Harvald's entire body.

"Dey'z right, 'f course... We'z real good at fightin'... Hurr hurr..." The creature continued. It licked its lips... revealing an eel-like appendage that looked nothing like a tongue... "Real good at muuuurderin'... but... we'z can be sneaky too... Cunnin'... Can fink real real f*ckin' good. Gooder an' anyone finks..."

Harvald felt hot tears running down his face. His fingernails had broken off, trying to grab onto the creature's skin. It was as hard as it looked... but more rough... jagged. It cut into his fingers and palms, barely brushing it.

"Ain't no one expected dis, ah?" The creature sneered... "Comin right up in the middle o' the night... fog coverin' the stars. Gettin' right inta bed wiv ya's... close enough ta be f*cking you'z as you sleep."

The creature's maw came even closer... and he whispered into Harvald's ear... "S'long as we kill the lot of you... don't matter if it's a fair foight... or jus' like 'is, eh?"

"MMHHHH!!!" Harvald's eyes widened as he felt cold metal bite deep into his leg... quickly replaced by the burning heat of a fresh wound.

Blood flowed freely-- and his trousers were wet with blood and piss.

He was quickly losing consciousness...

"Guess wot I'm tryin' ta say... is if'n you'z want da mission done pre'ty or clean-like... or fair, even-- da sailors're good. Da army. Da horse boys," The creature chuckled... "But if'n you'z want a job done good... well... you know 'ow it is, boyo."

"Oyyyy..." A deeper, gravelly voice in the fog bellowed... "Quit yer f*ckin' yappin', Catshit. We'z got a 'ole ship ta murder."

The silhouette in the fog... it was an even bigger creature than the one jamming a blade in Harvald's leg.

"Kehehe... you'z got it, Twelve o' Twelve..." The creature sighed and looked back to Harvald... "Say 'ello to da sharks for me, boyo-- oh, an' in da next life... don't f*ck wiv da Coral Boy Marines."