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steveguyhi1243 · 3 years

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“A Hellish Fantasy” chapter 16 is up!

Excerpt:

Taking one final glance into the mirror before heading out, Millie reached for the door and left her cabin, beginning the long journey out to the boat deck and then back inside, not caring that it was at such an ungodly hour. If somebody had a problem with her, they could speak to the knives.

Her heart was pounding, out of both excitement and anxiety. She hoped that Octavia was right about the ship’s jail, and that Blitzo was right where they needed him. Because once they found him, they could get back to finding Moxxie, who was running out of time. She found herself shivering, ignoring the fact that she was inside and wearing a heavy jacket loaded to capacity with knives and everything.

And she was catching other passengers’ attention, too. Walking around with visible weapons would always draw a curious eye, and just as predicted, they scurried away once they laid eyes on her.

Fine by me. Scurry away, rats!

Normally, there would be the occasional junkie who would try and start a fight, but Millie had seen enough out of the rich folk that she didn’t think it would happen. And even if it did, the knives would be enough protection.

The clanging of her feet on the ground soon became her only company, with the exception of the occasional passing steward. She knew Monte wasn’t going to be after her just yet, although he probably already knew that they were coming.

And she hoped for it.

You aren’t getting any mercy from me.

Her chest rose as she took in a deep breath before stepping out from the grand staircase onto the boat deck, steadying her shaking hands. She had never been anxious about a kill before, and she wasn’t sure why this one was weighing on her mind so heavily. As long as she kept her cool, it would go just like all of her other kills: Quick, easy, and messy.

But still, there was an unshakable feeling of dread in her stomach that wouldn’t go away.

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself, throwing the door open and letting the frigid nighttime air embrace her.

There were still a few passengers on the deck when she stepped out, passing her by like she was nothing, the dark sky concealing her weapons perfectly. She waved out of courtesy as they passed, but limited her interactions to just that, descending the stairs to the bow.

Something felt wrong about being out alone, lacking Moxxie’s comforting presence. She missed hearing him drone on and on about things she couldn’t care less about, or how he would geek out about the stars in the sky, or the warm feeling of his hand in hers. The last time she had been out on the deck at night was when her and Moxxie took their trip up on the first day, and something about staring at the dotted sky without him triggered a sense of loneliness that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine him being back, and the panging guilt and sadness would come back the second she opened them up again. She knew how petty it sounded, refusing to shut up about her husband, but at the same time, marrying someone meant that they became a central part of your life, even if they were a bit clingy. She didn’t mind it, and even she remembered times when she would come off a bit strong. That way, they cancelled each other out. She didn’t consider herself some damsel who couldn’t go five minutes without her husband, if anyone Moxxie was the one to do that. But, she was worried sick about him and wasn’t going to feel bad about it.

She briefly peered over the railing, at the icy cold water. It made her thankful that she was safe on a heated and luxurious ship, safe and away from the dangers of the elements. That water had to be freezing, at least judging from the small pieces of ice dotting the water around them. Swimming had always been an enjoyable activity for her, but something told her that taking a dip in there would end badly.

“Excuse me, miss,” a voice suddenly called out, “Are you lost?”

Millie glanced up to see a man with a blue hue glaring down at her from the crow’s nest, waving down at her. He wore an officer’s uniform, with features on his face that seemed to resemble gills, giving off an aquatic aurora.

“N-No,” Millie responded, “Why do ya ask? It ain’t your business.”

“Just making sure. I’ve already had to help enough people, and Satan knows how easy it is to get lost down there. Name’s Baxter”

“Hello, Baxter.”

She was never one to want to engage in small-talk, and she began making her way out, knowing that time was running low.

But then she remembered their current issue.

“Actually,” Millie asked, “Do you know where the brig is?”

Baxter paused.

“Brig? Um, strange question...But I’ll help ya,” he stammered, “Just go down to G deck and follow the signs, they should be pretty easy to follow.”

“Thank you!”

“Baxter, stop chit-chatting and look at this!” another voice from the crow’s nest shouted, a hand grabbing Baxter and forcibly turning him around.

Millie was about to open the door to the deckhouse when one of the two men began desperately ringing a bell, chiming three times and screaming about something, the sound resonating with a low tone that seemed to shake the air around them.

She was no sailor, but she knew enough to figure out that three bells was not a good thing. She walked out to the very front of the ship, in an attempt to figure out what the ruckus was all about.

Although the frigid air burned her face and the lack of moisture made her breathing more laborious, she still managed to sprint over at an astounding pace and lean over the railing, nearly throwing herself overboard in the process. Her heart beat accelerated out of anticipation, expecting some sort of behemoth beast to emerge from the water and swallow the ship while under the cover of darkness. She had been told tales of the monsters that lurked in hell’s oceans spun by the local sailors, telling stories of fish the size of buildings and swallowing boats with a single movement of its jaw.

I don’t see anything…

Then she saw it.

At first, it appeared as if nothing was out of the ordinary. That was, until a portion of the sky grew darker and larger, seeming to increase in size every second. It wasn’t until she caught the reflection of the ship’s headlight on the surface that she realized the sight before her wasn’t a figment of the night sky, or a sea monster, or some mythical godlike creature coming to wipe them out.

It was an iceberg.

And it was getting closer...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33610564/chapters/83520478

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steveguyhi1243 · 3 years

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“A Hellish Fantasy” is up!

Hey Y’all! I’ve been working on a story idea for awhile, and the chapters are finally going up! Here’s an except to the story:

Sure enough, an hour later the alarm went off and woke him up, the obnoxious beeping piercing his eardrums.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he regained his bearings and stepped off of the bed onto the floor, his face greasy and his hair ruffled. The clock on the wall read “3:03,” the sky dark outside of the window, nothing but the stars and sea.

It’s too early for this.

Moxxie resisted the urge to lay back down and sleep, knowing that there was a more important matter to attend to. Each second he was idle was another second that their suited foe was getting away with the book.

“Millie,” he tapped her on the shoulder, “Wake up. We need to get going.”

But she only snored louder.

“Millie, c’mon, we have things to do!”

Still no response.

She was quite tired earlier.

Eh, it’ll be fine.

Deciding that she deserved some extra sleep anyways, he snuck out into the hall to continue searching, still dizzy and tired from the combination of a spotty sleep schedule and two glasses of wine.

Gently closing the door behind him and making sure not to create a ruckus, he walked further along, the lights seeming dimmer than they once had before.

The hallway was the same as they had left it: Silent and quaint. His footsteps were quiet against the velvety carpet, the fabric soft against his aching toes. It was much cooler out there than it was in the cabin, a breeze whipping against his head as he passed a vent.

Out of nowhere, a different, familiar cold feeling gripped him, his heart beating rapidly as he felt eyes on him, although he couldn’t tell from where. It was the same way he had felt back on the dock, when he had spotted the suited man watching him from afar right before carrying the luggage away.

The brief flicker of a shadow at the end of the hall confirmed his worst fear:

He wasn’t alone out here.

“Hello?” he called out, hoping that the shadow wasn’t who he thought it was.

“Hello, Moxxie.” a voice responded from right behind him, much closer and louder than he was expecting.

Shit.

He spun around just in time to spot a familiar face looming over him, monocle and all.

“Sorry about crashing your dinner,” Monte said, waving his cane, “How about you come over to my cabin for dessert?”

Oh hell no.

Moxxie knew it! Something was up with this guy, he knew it from the first minute he had laid eyes on him.

“N-no thank you,” Moxxie responded, “I’m good.”

Monte lunged over and covered Moxxie’s mouth, his other hand gripping his shoulder tightly.

“I wasn’t asking.” Monte hissed, “You’re coming with me.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33610564

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