Chapter 14: Zach

Sean rushed Zach from the cave entrance, screaming in rage. Unable to dodge on the small ledge, Zach grappled him and twisted as they went over the edge together. The beach seemed miles away, with rocks, shrubs, and trees along the cliffside. Holding Sean like a shield, Zach used his last few seconds of momentum to keep Sean's back facing the ground.

Time slowed as the stomach clenching sense of acceleration took over. Sean never stopped screaming, his broken arm flailing as they fell. Impact after impact forced out Zach's breath as they hit rock and tree, careening at last into the packed sand at the base of the cliff.

At least Jillian was safe with Theo, Zach thought as he prepared himself to fight again. His vision was still blurry and his head ached so bad he could barely keep himself up. When Sean started coughing up blood, Zach noticed the broken end of an inch-thick branch sticking out of his chest and collapsed back to his knees.

"I'll be comin' back t' find ya both," Sean muttered through red teeth. "Cac, I hate dyin'..."

"Fuck you," Zach gasped through his own pain.

"And Arrais ain't never died early before, so he'll be after ye as well."

"Good luck with that," Zach chuckled at the absurdity of trading barbs with an undead pirate. "This ain't your world anymore, Sean. All of us face horrors everyday you'll never understand."

"I doubt that," Sean coughed. "I know horrors. I live in hell all but one day a year."

Zach sat back on his heels and shook his head at the dying man. "Fifty years ago, a single man convinced his countrymen to murder eleven million people for no other reason than he didn't like them. To stop the war he started, other men invented a bomb that was so powerful it could flatten a whole city. Our ships have left the sea to take men to the moon and back again." Zach looked down at Sean with his trademark smirk. "We tell our children stories about your kind of petty evil. We even dress in costumes like this to mock you. Hell, I beat both you and Arrais, and I'm just a merchant! You're nothing."

Sean frowned as Zach spoke. "No..."

"You're not even worth killing," Zach said and pushed himself to his feet. "I hope you have a long, hard night with that tree branch in your lungs. When you see Arrais again, tell him I said he hits like a girl and I'm gonna enjoy squandering his treasure."

"You're lying! I don't believe you," Sean gasped as he tried to roll over. "This is our island! We're gonna live forever!"

"You call this livin'?" Zach muttered as he staggered away.

The walk back up the beach took all his will to keep going. He prayed Theo was able to get Jillian back before she bled out. As he approached the stairs, armed men called for him to stop and raise his hands.

"I'm Zach Gilbert, a hotel guest. Is Theo back yet? He was helping me save my girlfriend." Zach wavered on unsteady legs as they approached and quickly frisked him.

"You da guy Theo radioed about?" one man asked with a tone of disbelief. "He say you fell down da cliff."

"That's me," Zach said, showing his cut and bleeding arms. "I think I've got a concussion. Can you guys help me find my girl?"