Chapter 4 - A Ship

I didn't understand... How was it night? Hadn't it just been day? Hadn't I seen light filtering through that tunnel?

Obviously I was wrong though. That had to be some kind of artificial light, because it was definitely nighttime now. I could see the fucking moon hanging low in the sky!

So why the hell was I in a cave at night?! God, could I have done anything dumber?

I knew better. I knew better, so this didn't make any sense. Had I gone against my better judgment for some reason?

In the distance, I saw a few lights up ahead where I assumed the shore must be, but it was too dark to make out any land.

"I'm glad you guys found me," I said, feeling a sudden surge of gratitude.

If I was sitting here leaking brain juices, just imagine what might have happened to me if I'd just stayed where I was?

"Oh, aye," the only man who seemed to be capable of speech replied. "Lucky for certain."

Still, I was concerned. I was missing huge chunks of my memory and my head continued to throb like a heart.

The shadowy outline of a ship loomed up ahead. It was hard to make out, but I was certain that it looked like some kind of old-timey pirate ship.

I glanced over at the men, wearing their pirate clothes and it all started to make sense.

Actors. These were actors for some kind of pirate cruise or something. I'd heard of similar things before.

Thank God... I was finally beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So, do you guys do tours?" I asked as we pulled up alongside the huge wooden vessel.

"Ssshhh," the man hushed me, placing a finger to his lips. "There’ll be plenty of time for questions later," he whispered.

I shrugged, feeling like maybe that was a little rude and dismissive, but I didn't want to make a nuisance of myself when they had literally just saved me from what seemed to be certain death.

The men expertly tied the rowboat to the side and one by one, they clambered up a ladder that seemed to be hanging from the deck.

I sat there, clutching the edge of the rowboat as it bobbed gently in the water, terrified that I was going to lose my balance the moment I stood.

Finally, it was my turn. I swallowed hard, feeling my knees buckle beneath me as I tried to stand on the rocking boat. I felt like I was falling, and then I realised that that was exactly what I was doing. But a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, preventing me from tumbling into the ocean.

"Careful, lass," the man whispered, tugging me up into a standing position again as he gestured with his head for me to start climbing.

Each rung felt a million miles apart, and my head swam. "Just don't look down," I whispered to myself, willing myself to push on.

When we were onboard, I looked around. The deck was deserted.

"Where's the surgeon?" I whispered, looking between the two men who’d climbed up before me for an answer.

If this was really that serious, I wanted to get the show on the road.

The man with a voice climbed up behind me and gestured for me to follow him.

I scurried behind him, desperately hoping that I was going to be okay... that my memories would return and I didn't have some kind of permanent brain damage.

The ship was dark aside from a few lanterns here and there, their orange light illuminating the deck, though in the distance, I could see the sky beginning to lighten as dawn loomed.

But even in the low lantern light, the whole setup felt convincing—the ropes, the worn wood, the tang of salt. It was like a movie set. It even had that "sea" smell to it. Like a briney, wood smell.

There was no sound aside from the lapping of water against the hull and the footsteps of the men I had just boarded with, each of them going off in their own separate directions. But I wasn't worried about that now. All I wanted was to see the surgeon.

“This way,” the man said, grabbing a lantern from a nearby hanger and gesturing for me to follow him down a narrow set of stairs.

I clung to the railing, convinced I was going to fall to my death otherwise, my balance definitely compromised by the head injury.

He came to a halt in some dark, dingy room in the belly of the ship.

"The surgeon is... here?" I asked, looking around, trying to see through the darkness.

This definitely didn't look like the kind of place where any medical professional would work.

He turned to face me, his expression unreadable. “He’ll see to ye soon. But first—ye’ll answer to me.”

"What?! I thought you said I had a serious head injury! What if I’m dying right now?!" I blurted, annoyed that he seemed to think that now was the perfect time for a little catch-up session, after he’d just basically told me I was on death’s door!

“What were ye doing in that cave?” he asked, completely ignoring my question and my concern as he raised the lantern to get a better look at me. The light felt like a gunshot to my head.

"Jesus, dude! Chill with the light!" I groaned, wincing and shrinking backwards as my stomach lurched again.

"I want to know why ye were there and who ye were with?" he demanded, his voice turning colder now.

"Who I was with?" I grumbled, my brain stumbling with confusion. "You should know! You said they sent you to find me!" I shot back, my frustration and annoyance now giving way to actual anger.

It felt like he was accusing me of something, but I couldn't work out what.

"What were ye doing there?" he repeated, his voice lower and more threatening now.

"I don't know!" I blurted, my irritation bubbling up. "I can't remember! I hit my head! You even said it was serious, but now you want to stand here and interrogate me?! Are you kidding right now?! Was I not supposed to be there or something? Was that part of the cave like, off limits or something? Because if that's the case, my bad, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you want me to do about it now," I snapped, the throbbing in my head worsening.

He stood there for a second and tilted his head, like my confusion annoyed him more than it concerned him.

Then suddenly, he huffed and turned on his heel, heading towards the steps without another word.

"Wait!" I yelled after him. "Where's the doctor? Are you going to send him?" I asked, irritated that he was just leaving now without addressing the actual issue here... my damaged head!

"I'll send him down. But for now, ye'd do well to wrack yer brain and try to remember what you were doing in that cave..." he replied, his voice carrying a threatening tone.

"Dude—" I began, but he cut me off.

"Ye'll address me as Captain," he stated firmly.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Wow, you're really committed to the role..." I muttered under my breath. "Captain," I tried again, unable to stop the sarcasm that dripped from the word. "all I remember is a wedding. I'm here for a wedding... I had a pink dress. I don't know how I got in the cave, but I think I was with a group of people. That's all I remember," I explained, trying to meet him halfway.

I was being honest here and I was still grateful that they had come along and saved me, but this guy was being a bit of a dick, if I'm being completely honest.

He shook his head, muttering under his breath.

I stood there, watching him, but I could feel myself starting to drift, the edges of my vision beginning to blur as the headache grew worse. My thoughts were beginning to slip again as the whole situation started to twist into some kind of surreal nightmare.

Without another word, he turned and left, taking the lantern with him. I watched him disappear, the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance before he closed the door, shutting out all the light.

I sat there, blinking into the pitch-black silence, the weight of everything pressing down on me. I felt like I was on the edge of remembering something important, something that would make sense of this whole situation, but it kept slipping away, just out of reach.

My fingers found my phone in my pocket, and I pulled it out, the screen casting a dim glow over my surroundings. The brightness hurt my eyes, but I kept it on, scrolling through my contact list as a sinking feeling washed over me.

I tried my dad, then my brothers again, each call failing without so much as a ring.

Desperate, I checked the time. 4 PM.

But wait... that didn't make sense.

I checked it again to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me.

It wasn't…

How could it be 4 PM? It was dark outside. In fact, it had looked like it was almost dawn just before the "Captain," had decided that this was the perfect spot for me to wait for the doctor.

I tried to shake it off, telling myself it was just a glitch. I'd obviously dropped it when I fell. Maybe there was something wrong with it now. That was the only logical explanation.

With a sigh, I used the light from my screen to find my way to a stack of crates, taking a seat there as I waited for the doctor, or surgeon, or whoever was supposed to be coming, to show up.

I was cold, nauseous, and my head still throbbed in a way that felt ominous.

This was pretty much a disaster, and I didn't know whether I just needed to wait and be patient or whether I should pull a Karen and demand to see the manager.

The pain in my head seared and I figured that I actually just didn’t have the inclination to fight with anyone right now. I just needed a minute. I just needed the pain to subside a little before I started throwing hands.

At that moment, I felt a soft brush against my leg and nearly leaped out of my skin.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, pulling my legs up instantly and shining my phone light down to the floor to see what the hell had just touched me.

Two glowing green eyes looked up at me, reflecting the light from my phone.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a cat. A very handsome black cat who looked up at me as if to ask what the hell I was so scared of.

I chuckled a little at my admittedly extreme response, which did nothing to help my headache, might I add, and lowered my feet back down to the floor before bending down to stroke the furry creature who had almost given me a heart attack.