Chapter 4 - The Guy (3)

Sinister improved on his previous sigh. He’d have to get them out of this mess all by himself. He had to assess their circumstances. They were on a ship, somewhere way out on the open seas. It was probably already dark outside and he’d no idea where they were headed. All in all not a bad assessment, thought Sinister. He could have used a few more adjectives though. Perhaps something like “inhumanely chained up in a rotting cell” and “suffering most profusely” and “headed for disaster at the hands of calculating killers” would have brought over his thoughts more clearly, he mused.

Bottom-line, they were stuck and they were in trouble. They needed to escape. Perhaps that crossbow and arrows in the corner could help them! No, he was just kidding himself. There weren’t any crossbow and arrows in the corner and they couldn’t reach the trapdoor high above their heads even had there been a crossbow and arrows, which, as we have ascertained, there weren’t. Perhaps he should sleep on it, thought Sinister and promptly did so.

oooOOooo

It was almost certainly early morning when Sinister awoke but the hold was as dark as ever. The ship appeared to have anchored sometime during the night and the faint sound of small waves lapping against the hull could probably have been heard had they been outside on the deck.

Suddenly the trapdoor above them opened and a cruel sailor’s face peered down.

“Come on up lads!” he shouted cheerfully. “You’re free to go!”

“What?” Sinister shouted. He couldn’t believe they were free!

“We’re free to go?” he asked incredulously.

“Nah, mate, I was only kidding. Like to brighten up prisoners’ faces before feeding ‘em to the sharks, eh what! Grab the rope-ladder!”

The ladder was thrown down and, realising they couldn’t stay down there forever, Sinister grabbed Dexter by the arm and pulled him up the ladder.

The sun was shining brightly and the ocean was a peaceful calm as far as the eye could see when they reached the deck. The sailor was beaming at them, an evil glint in his eye.