The saltwater stung Zane's cuts like a hot flame. He had picked himself up and dived into the ocean in pursuit of the yacht. He had no intention of waiting for the Apocrypha to turn him into a five-star meal, nor was he about to let Layla suffer at the hands of Frank.
He had only known Layla for a few hours but it seemed like months due to how much they had been through in the short time. Zane also felt responsible for the way things had turned out. If only he had made better choices then they wouldn't be in such a terrible predicament.
Fortunately, the yacht hadn't gained much speed as yet so it was possible for Zane to get on board if he hurried. However, he knew he had to be careful. All of Frank's crewmates were armed with rapid-fire guns. His chances of survival were quite slim and he knew it.
As Zane got closer to the yacht, he realized just how beautiful it was. It was a three-story luxury superyacht around 450ft long with a snow-white color. It even had a hot tub and a helicopter situated on a helipad at the top. It seemed extremely expensive.
Zane then latched his fingers onto the lower end of the yacht, yanking himself on board. The seawater pitter-pattered from his hair and clothes as he took a moment to catch his breath.
Carefully, he then looked around to see if anyone had seen him. Thankfully, none of the ten men seemed to be on the outer deck. However, this did not ease Zane's anxiety. All he had was the small pocket knife that Layla had given him earlier. That was not much help against an entire crew with guns.
"It's eleven full-grown men all equipped with assault rifles up against one nineteen-year-old with a single pocket knife. Yeah... You can do this, Zane!" Thought Zane sarcastically to himself.
Zane straightened his head as he moved up onto the lower deck of the yacht. He then crouched before slowly moving towards a narrow passageway to the right that overlooked the ocean. He was no expert but he knew that it was best to be as silent as possible.
Afterward, Zane moved towards a staircase that reached up onto the second deck. This was when he heard the chatter of two men coming from above.
"Man, I hate that the boss takes all the good chicks for himself!" Complained one of the men.
"Dawg, I swear he should have let us just kidnap a bunch of hot girls. Instead, the guy just caught one other girl and said we should all share her! Can you believe the audacity? What the hell does he take us for!?" Argued the other.
"Tsk! I know we're supposed to be a team but I think we should kill the boss and steal the Layla girl for ourselves!"
Zane then stopped to think about the men's conversation. Based on the way they spoke, it was evident that another girl was present onboard aside from Layla. This enraged Zane significantly. He hated how Frank and his crew could treat women as mere objects.
"Fu**ing scum! It's because of people like you that the world can't become a better place! You all deserve to die!" He cursed.
Immediately, Zane covered his mouth. He had allowed himself to speak a little too loud for his own good. Unfortunately for him, one of the men had heard his little outburst.
"Hold up! Did you hear that just now?" Queried one of the men.
"I don't know. Maybe it was the waves?"
"No, I'm sure I heard someone call us scum!"
Zane knew he was in trouble. He needed to get himself into position just in case one of the men came to find him. To make things worse, if they did find him, then he would have no choice but to kill them in self-defense.
Zane held the knife in his hand and took a deep breath to calm himself. Quickly, he dived behind the staircase to keep himself hidden. In case one of the men decided to look for him, he had to ensure he was in a position that would allow him to catch them off-guard.
"Come on, Zane..! You've got this! Just keep calm and strike once presented with the opportunity..." He encouraged himself.
Just then, Zane listened as the two men continued to converse between themselves.
"Hey, follow me! I'm sure I heard a voice just now. Help me check!"
"What are you scared of? Go do it by yourself! I checked the yacht before we left and no one was aboard. I'm not wasting my time going down there just because you thought you heard someone!"
"Tsk! Fu*k you, man!"
"Aw! Then f**k you too!!"
"What'd you just say?! F**k you and your mom, and your dad, and your whole f***ing generation!"
"I swear I'd put a bullet in your head right now if Frank wouldn't kill me for it later!"
"Pu**y!"
The men then went silent as Zane remained in hiding. Shortly after, the sound of footsteps began approaching. He quickly held his breath trying to settle his heart rate so he wouldn't hesitate when he had to go in for the kill.
Zane then saw a foot emerge from the bottom of the staircase. He then carefully got himself into position, waiting for the man to come into full view. Anxiety played Zane like a fiddle and cold sweat ran down his face like rain. He was scared but he wasn't about to back down. However, something changed in him for a split second as soon as he heard the man's next words.
"You called us scum? We do what we want when we want! You must be a real pu**y if you think there's something wrong with the way we do things!"
Zane didn't know why, but as soon as he heard these words, he felt as calm as a cool breeze. The look in his eyes shifted from a fearful blue to a cold uncaring gaze.
"Right, I'm justified in killing these guys. They're all scum. There's no need for me to be afraid..." He muttered to himself.
As soon as the man stepped into full view, Zane dived toward him, slamming the knife into his throat without hesitation. His windpipe crunched like biscuits and blood gushed onto the deck like a waterfall. He gagged as the blood filled his throat, preventing him from calling for help. Shortly after, he fell to the floor lifelessly.
Following his death, Zane continued to look at the man's corpse with an unchanging look in his eyes. Droplets of blood were scattered across his face and his hands were stained red.
Zane wasted no more time. He quickly began searching the body for whatever he could use to aid him with Layla's rescue. He now had the assault rifle the man was carrying but it was much too heavy for an amateur like himself. A rifle would surely dislocate his shoulder if he tried to use it. He then continued his search until he found a 6" combat knife and a 9mm handgun.
Zane then quickly tucked the weapons into his waist before tossing the body into the ocean.
"Craig?" Called the other man on the second deck, hearing the body plunge into the ocean.
Zane immediately got back into hiding before the second man came rushing down the stairs.
"Hey man, are you okay? Sorry about earlier. I don't know what came over me..!" He apologized.
Unfortunately for him, he had failed to see the pool of blood. Due to this, he slipped before hitting his head on the edge of the stairs which rendered him unconscious.
"Easy enough," muttered Zane.
Carefully, Zane then re-emerged from hiding before tossing the man into the ocean while he was still unconscious. It was a lucky break for him and he wasn't about to complain.
"Two down, nine to go inclusive of that fat pig."
Zane then slowly moved up onto the second deck. He ensured that no one was present before carefully moving to the interior of the yacht.
Upon arriving inside, Zane couldn't help but be impressed by how neatly built the yacht was. Its aesthetics were simply amazing. It was very spacious, designed with patent brown wood. Couches, tables, and different doors leading to different rooms were present all around. It was like a modern-day house floating in the ocean.
"Must be nice to be rich. Living comfortably without a care in the world except for yourself."
Zane then silently moved around the yacht, looking for any signs of Layla. After searching around half a dozen rooms, he finally stumbled upon one final door. Silently, he crept closer before placing his ear on the door, listening attentively for any signs of movement or chatter.
This was when Zane finally heard the unpleasant crying of a girl from inside alongside the disgusting moans of a group of men. He was uncertain if the girl he heard was Layla but it made him even angrier just thinking about it.
Carefully, he turned the doorknob before quietly pushing the door open. However, the next thing he saw almost made his eyes fall out. Before him, stood a total of seven naked men. They surrounded a lone girl with short bouncy pink hair and sky-blue eyes. She was pinned naked to the bed by two of the men while the others gang-raped her. It was a disgusting sight to witness.
Fortunately, the girl wasn't Layla but it still made Zane sick. Due to this, he felt like he had to help her. The men all had their backs turned to the door which made them oblivious to Zane's presence. However, Zane decided not to use his gun to kill them since the gunshots would alert the other crew members above. Instead, he would use it simply for intimidation.
"How convenient that seven of you are gathered in one spot," suddenly said Zane aloud.
Immediately, all the men swung themselves around in shock to see Zane pointing a gun at them. To make things worse for them, none of them had their weapons on them due to being naked.
"How the hell did you get on board!?" Shouted one of the men.
"Not important. Just keep quiet or I'll kill you. I'm tired of idiots like you who take everything for a game! People like you are the reason this world can't be peaceful and happy..! Gang-raping a helpless girl for your own pleasure! You're all shameless!"
For a moment, the men were wrapped in fear. This was until they noticed that Zane was the same one that Frank had left on the beach earlier.
"Wait... You're that kid that Frank left to die on the beach..! I don't know how you got on the boat but you're biting more than you can chew here! As if a coward like you can do shit!" Argued one of the men.
Zane didn't respond. Instead, he looked over to the girl who the men had been raping. Her body trembled like an earthquake and her eyes were soaked with tears. It was evident that she was traumatized.
Just then, one of the men approached Zane, ready to take the gun from him, just as Frank had done earlier. He was certain that Zane wouldn't try to retaliate. However, to his horrific surprise, Zane reached for his knife before slitting his throat with little hesitation.
Blood splattered across the floor as the man held his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. However, before he knew it, he laid lifeless on the floor. The remaining six men were frightened by this. The last thing they had expected was for Zane to kill someone so easily. Even the girl was terrified to see this.
"Hey," called Zane to the girl. "What's your name?"
"I... I'm Sarah..." She quivered.
"Sarah? Don't worry, I'll get you out of this."
The men then quickly fell to their knees, begging Zane to spare their lives.
"Hey, kid, we're sorry, okay? Frank forced us to do this! I promise we won't try to hurt you! Just let us go!"
Zane frowned before answering the begging man.
"Hey, take your clothes and use them to tie the hands, mouth, and feet of your friends. But don't touch the girl or I'll kill you."
"Will you let us live if I tie the others up?!"
"I will."
Quickly, the man did as Zane instructed. He took their clothes that were sprawled across the floor and used it to tie the hands of the other men. However, once he was finished, Zane slit his throat.
The other men released muffled screams as soon as they saw this. It was now evident that Zane had no intention of letting them live. One by one, Zane drew his knife across their throats, killing them. However, before he could kill the final two, Sarah began crying to him.
"Please, no!" She cried. "I don't want to see them die! I'm begging you..! Please stop!"
"Why? They hurt you, didn't they? They're bad people so they deserve to die, right?"
"I... I know... I don't forgive them..! But I can't take it anymore! This is too much for me to handle! Why is this happening to me?!"
Due to Sarah's pleading, Zane decided not to kill the remaining two men. Unfortunately, their deaths were slowly beginning to weigh on his conscience as well. This was the first time he had killed so many people. It was only because of his anger that he was able to do it with such little hesitation.
However, Zane knew he couldn't allow himself to start feeling remorseful just yet. Due to this, he continued to justify his actions. He needed to if he was to save Layla.
"Fine, I won't kill them," he agreed. "Just get some clothes on and get out of here. Go hide in another room until this is all over."
Zane then quickly gun-butted the two remaining men, rendering them unconscious. A minute later, after Sarah had gone to hide, Zane proceeded to the final floor above him.
Carefully, he walked onto the third floor, surveilling the area to ensure that no one saw him. There were still two remaining men inclusive of Frank so he had to be careful.
Cautiously, after a minute of looking around, Zane arrived at the only part of the third floor that he hadn't checked as yet. This was when he saw the only remaining member of Frank's crew standing in front of a door as its guard.
Promptly, Zane carefully approached the man with his fingers wrapped around the trigger of his gun. If he wanted to take Frank by surprise then he had to be quiet.
Just then, a severe pain rocketed through Zane's leg. This caused him to release a soft yelp, grabbing the attention of the guard. Unfortunately, the pain killers that Layla had given him earlier were starting to wear off. This had resulted in the pain of his fractured leg catching him off-guard.
The guard then swung himself around in shock, ready to alert Frank of Zane's presence.
"What—"
"Shut up and don't make a sound!" Quickly warned Zane, pointing his gun at him. "All your crewmates are already dead. If you want to live then tell me where Frank is..!"
The man noticed the countless bloodstains that covered Zane's clothes and hands. This terrified him significantly as it could only mean that Zane had truly killed the others.
"H-he's behind this door! P-please don't shoot!"
"Is Layla with him?"
"Do you mean the girl..? Yeah, he's about to sleep with her! I... I can get them if you want!"
"Just call Frank out here as if everything's normal. Tell him there's something important you want to show him! I don't want him taking Layla as his hostage! If he does then I'm going to give you a third eye, got that?"
Shaking with terror, the man proceeded to open the door and call Frank out. However, to Zane's astonishment, the man screamed at Frank instead of doing what he was told.
"Frank, help!! There's an intruder!!"
Immediately, Zane fired a shot that lodged itself right in the middle of the man's chest. His body fell to the ground with a thud before Zane limped towards the room door.
He then pushed the door open, waving the gun inside. This was when his eyes met a half-naked Frank who was paralyzed with shock. Layla was also present inside the room but she too had been reduced to minimal clothing with tears in her eyes. For some sick reason, she was also strapped to the bed, unable to move.
"F**k! How the hell are you alive!?" Cursed Frank.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance! I hate bastards like you so damn much! But I'm not here simply for revenge. I'm here to correct my mistake and get Layla back!"
"Damn, kid! You sure grew a pair of balls!"
"I've already killed all your men and even rescued the girl downstairs. Just give up and make this easy. I'm not going to act like I enjoy killing but I'll make another exception for you if you push it too far!"
Frank hissed in frustration. There wasn't much he could do. He was nowhere near his gun and Zane could shoot him at any moment. Due to this, Frank did the most unexpected thing.
He ran towards Zane at full speed, ready to disarm him. Zane quickly took action and pulled the trigger, shooting Frank in the stomach twice. However, to Zane's astonishment, Frank clenched his teeth and continued to charge.
Frank then speared Zane to the floor, forcing him to drop the gun. Zane's injuries stung him like a thousand wasps, causing him to groan in pain. However, Frank wasn't finished. He quickly wrapped his fingers around Zane's throat and began choking him to death.
Zane gagged and coughed as he fought back but it was to no avail. Frank still had an iron grip despite the bullet wounds in his stomach.
"Damn it..!" Thought Zane to himself. "There's no way he just survived being shot in his stomach twice! That ain't fat! It's fricking blubber!"
"You little shit! I'm going to end you!! You come onto my boat and kill my crew as if you're some badass from some James Bond movie and expect to walk out alive?! You're a dead man!!"
Zane slowly began to feel the life leaving his body. He needed to think of something fast. This was when Zane remembered his knives. He desperately pushed his hands into his waist, retrieving the small pocket knife that Layla had given him before. Quickly, he then jabbed it repeatedly into Frank's throat, filling him with holes.
Frank's eyes widened in shock as he snorted, trying to maintain his breathing. Unfortunately for him, he could no longer survive with all his injuries. His body fell over lifelessly beside Zane in defeat.
Zane then slowly tried to pick himself up but this was when he realized just how emotionally and physically exhausted he was. His body refused to move and before long, he fell unconscious.