“We need to get out of here.” Ivan had said it twice already, but his captain hadn’t moved. Nor had Jean. Both of them stared at the monstrous squid-like creature transfixed in horror while the skull of Blackheart cackled nearby.

  Ivan picked up the skull and slammed it face first into the wall of the chapel. The hole in its forehead splintered farther, bits of bone breaking off onto the ground. The laughter ceased. “Your first mate killed you. Was it because you led them here to die?”

  “Nay.” Blackheart said solemnly. “I’d no intention of letting me crew die. I promised the goddess our souls in exchange for immortality. We could have sailed the seven seas together for all eternity, but as the spell wove around me ship and crew, he killed me. We all died that day, swallowed up by the sea.”

  Ivan’s fingers trembled around the skull as the pieces fell into place. “That town we went in…”

  “A literal ghost town. Ye’ve gone nowhere but around this here town. Everyone you met before died long ago.”

  “Ivan, let it go.” Alek said, having broken out of his stunned trance. He placed a hand on Ivan’s shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. Now. Leave the skull here. He can waste away with his treasure.”

  Behind the captain, their ship began to sink beneath the sea. Bits of debris had already floated towards the chapel’s steps, close to where Jean stood, still staring. No more screams came from the wreckage, but if Ivan squinted, he could still see people moving about in the water.

  “We can’t save them.” Alek murmured as Ivan dropped the skull. Blackheart rolled away with an annoyed hiss.

  “None of ye can escape this.” He warned as he came to a stop, inches from dropping into the sea himself.

  Alek walked away, motioning for Ivan to follow. “Jean, come on.” He called over his shoulder, startling the other man who finally ripped his eyes away from the wreckage. His eyes, misty from the spray of the sea, shone in the moonlight. He’d had friends upon that ship. They all had. Distantly, Ivan wondered if Gator had escaped or if that monstrous creature had devoured him as well. If only, they’d heeded his supposed superstitious warnings sooner.

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  Alek led them to the side of the chapel, revealing a thin path wrapping around the building. It led farther into the darkness, past where their eyes could see. He led the way, moving slowly across moss-slick stone, pressing his body against the outer wall of the chapel. Ivan looked up as they moved slowly in the darkness, the flickering moonlight shining through the stained-glass window above his head.

  Jean nearly slipped behind him, saved only by Ivan’s hand around his arm. Jean swallowed, his nerves getting the best of him, but he gave Ivan a steady nod as they continued forward. The dark waves lapped at their boots as the path sank beneath the water, still there but no longer visible. Alek stubbornly pushed forward, splashing in the water, and Ivan finally saw where they were heading, a small building floating on the waves.

  “I saw it when we sailed in.” Alek explained as they reached the building. It smelled of old water, the rotting wood coming away in their hands as Alek wrenched open the door and motioned for them to go inside. “We’ll hide out here until morning.”

  Morning. It must have been a long way off. Ivan glanced outside into the darkness. Shapes rose around them, familiar yet not. He squinted, trying to pick out what they were.

  “Ships.” He breathed, his heart racing. Dozens, at least. They sat crammed against one another, rocking along in the water, unable to move too far. How many of them had had crews just like them, seeking out a treasure they’d never touch?

  Jean came up beside him and followed his look. “There are so many of them.”

  Alek sat against the back wall, eyes half closed. He wouldn’t come to see the other ships just as he wouldn’t acknowledge that they might not make it out of here. For awhile, nothing of importance happened. They stayed away from the window, stayed as quiet as they possibly could. Their breathing sounded too loud to Ivan’s ears as he tried to listen to any sounds outside. Had any of their men survived? Had that monster dived back underneath the sea? He had no way of knowing.

  Ivan’s eyes snapped open. He’d dozed just briefly, but something had woken him, had him on edge. Alek knelt close to the window. He put a finger to his lips. Ivan moved closer to his captain, his boots causing the old wood to creak beneath him. Jean stood beside the door. His eyes met Ivan’s.

  A tentacle crashed through the building, wrapping around Jean and dragging him under without so much as a scream leaving his companion's lips. Ivan moved forward, cutlass drawn to slash at the tentacle when icy water rose around him. It dragged him under even as he kicked his feet to be free of it, to get himself to the surface. A hand clawed at his arm, tightened around him with bruising strength until his head broke the surface. He sucked in a breath then another, coughing up the vile water that had rushed into his mouth.

  Water streaming into his eyes, he looked towards the building and saw only tattered remains. Alek treaded water beside him, but Jean was nowhere to be found.