Fish- 12: Collared or Chained
Kind of a bit upset at not getting one done yesterday. Tried to get two done today and it just failed, but that’s okay. Anyways, here’s number 12 of @amonthofwhump‘s May challenge!
Content Warning: uhh, some more manhandling, tied up, suspension, stress position, a knife, basically the Captain just being super mean.
Fish thunked to the ground as he was dropped below deck, not even given the opportunity to climb down the ladder.
The two crewmen dropped below deck, surrounding Fish before hauling him to his feet. They dragged him back over to the area where the tank was. It had previously been cleaned up and moved to the side. Sweeney held the boy back while Alik moved over to the wall. He grabbed a length of chain and a short rope, along with a crate.
Climbing on top of the crate, he swung the chain over the wooden poles in the ceiling. Sweeney pulled Fish over and they tied his hands with the rope. They were pulled over his head and thread through the chain until he was dangling a few inches off of the ground. Sweeney moved to pull the chain up tighter, and the boy swung his foot out, aiming to kick, but Alik grabbed it tightly.
Pulling his legs back down as he struggled, they wrapped the lower half of them in the chain. The weight of the chains around his ankles pulled down on his shoulders and he groaned out. Pleading with them to let him go.
And then the Captain came below deck. He was carrying a large book in one hand, and a knife in the other.
“What are you gonna do?” Fish asked. His breathing became heavier, his chest heaving up and down from the strain on his arms.
Alik and Sweeney walked back to the ladder, standing by their bunks, watching.
The Captain walked around Fish, inspecting him before setting the book down on the ground, brandishing the knife in his hand.
“What are you doing!” The boy cried. The knife met his back. “Hey, no- stop, wait!”
The knife cut cleanly through the back of his t-shirt. Fish twisted around to see him as he stood behind the boy.
“Well, what’s this?” The Captain asked. The tip of the knife trailed across the middle of Fish’s back.
The boy shuddered, goosebumps running over his pale shoulders, before he realized what the Captain was talking about. The knife traced the shape of a teardrop, waves of water and other images, engraved onto the boy’s back.
The image was based around a simple teardrop about the size of his hand. Waves and other drops of water filled inside the image, along with a cursive J. Two capital A’s were on either side of the teardrop and a sentence in ancient text curved around the bottom.
Fish wanted to say what it was, explain, but he felt like he couldn’t breathe. The only think on his mind was pain, and discomfort. And to leave, get back in the water. Any way that he could.
“Hey, come ‘ere.” The captain called. The two men walked over. “Can any of you read that? Do you know what it says?”
They both shook their head. “Sorry boss,” Sweeney mumbled.
“Wassit say, boy?” The captain demanded.
Fish just shook his head. The captain grabbed a bucket of water from aside and stood in front of the boy. “What does it say?” After a few moments of silence, the Captain threw the bucket of water onto Fish, splashing the contents all over him.
At first it felt nice. He welcomed it, but then it became cold. It dripped down his front, down his shorts, soaking his hair. Shivering only made everything worse as it tore at his shoulders, tugging at the sockets with every shaky breath, every slight movement.
The captain threw the bucket towards the boy, striking him square in the chest. He groaned out as he swung back and forth slightly, the chains rattling. The bucket clattered to the floor. The captain picked up the book and flipped through a few pages. He looked back at the image on Fish’s back, tracing over the images and letters with a rough hand.
“What does this mean?” He stated.
“It’s- it’s nothing, just-” The boy tried to explain, but his breath wouldn’t come. It was just a tattoo, honestly. Something he and his two friends had gotten together over a year ago. Theirs varied slightly but it was all the same idea. If he could just explain-
“What does it mean!” The Captain shouted.
His words were interrupted by coughs and sputters, trying to catch his breath as it hitched in his chest. “It’s just- a- it’s nothing- really, it’s-”
The captain placed one hand on the back of Fish’s neck, and with the other, placed the blade of the knife flat against the boy’s back, directly under the writing of the tattoo. He leaned towards the boy’s ear.
“What did I say about lying to me?” With a grip around his neck he tugged downward ever so slowly, adding more pressure unto his shoulders. Fish’s face contorted into a grimace as he was tugged further towards the ground. His shoulders screaming.
“No, I- I” the boy gasped out.
The captain kept his grip tight on the back of Fish’s neck, and looked back at the knife in his hand.
“You look like a human. Talk like one, act like one. But yet you can sink a ship, breathe underwater, and control it with your mind.” Fish felt the tip of the blade adding more pressure on his skin, he shook his head. “You may appear human, but shall we see if you bleed like one?”
The knife moved ever so slowly to the side, a river of blood bursting to the surface.
“No- please, I- stop, please!” Fish panted out, tears breaking through his eyes.
The knife stopped and the captain leaned forward again to speak to him. “Then tell me what you are. Where you came from.”
Fish choked back a sob, shaking his head. “I- I can’t.”
As the grip on his neck tightened, he felt the blade cut through his back in a fast, slicing motion, and he choked through a scream.
“It’s unfortunate you couldn’t tell me what I wanted to hear.” The captain stated. “Maybe these two can help loosen you up a bit for me.”
Fish felt the warm blood trickling down his back as the grip on his neck was released. The Captain picked up his book from the floor and wiped his knife off on his pants.
Alright! So I got distracted while writing this, and decided to draw out Fish’s tattoo. I’m not the best artist, but I had fun designing this anyways. Here you go!
