The Dye of Carmine

She; who perceives the air colder and the moment elapsing slower. The eyes those held so much warmth glistening in them remains cruelly gloomed—reflecting the calamitous of the humankind.

She walks lower and lower down the stairs, her hands holding onto the railing for aid, a frail frame trembling, shivering.

Was it the freezing air of the last december night? Or was it the devastating sight her eyes soaks in.

She gazes down at her feet, the carmine blood drenching her footwear. Her heavy chest heaves up and falls.

The shoes being black changed to no different colour. Although, the little splattering of red on the white laces and the white soles being dyed red could be easily discerned under the luminescence provided by the cruise.

The brightness of the warm day sleeps, the darkness of the frozen night deepens.

Her eyes reddened, short metres away a man addressed as the captain being held back by two men, dressed in a formal crew uniform.

He holds a submachine gun, firing again and again at an intruder—his mind abscend.

He doesn't realise the gun has emptied of bullets. She peers around, countless of passengers and intruders lay, stretched on the floor. Layering identical to bloody butchered pigs. Some breathe heavy, they groan in pain, mulish flesh prevents them peace and depart the soul.

She wishes to awake soon. She prays someone would stir her away out this abyss of nightmare.

Hundreds of heavy and muted footsteps storms. Her eyes lifts as her vision unveils of men with armed weapons flooding the cruise.

Firing echoes around the ocean, they kill every people on sight, and they fall on the ground numbed. The scarlet eyes travels to the captain. The men who had their arms wrapped around the captain had been shot.

The captain's eyes wide in lament for the man who cared, bleeding out to their grave.

He picks a firearm from the hands of a dead armed man. He runs towards them.

Screaming, he thunders bullets, they breath off when the doom hits.

But then, hundreds of bullets rumbles at him. He bleeds out from every of him.

The captain's form jerks, shoulder drawing back, leaning along the pressure of the pain from the holes.

The weapon in his hands slides out, he drops down to his knees, his lifeless eyes lowered to the ground.

There lies the captain; martyed.

Roars firing of bullets from behind her. Her feet still below the stairs. Unaccompanies not even a twitch of muscles.

A hand wraps around her wrist. Shielding her behind his back.

Neva blinks halfway, she glances up, the familiar back masking the horror filled scene from her eyes.

They miss their bullets at them, Rhett conceals the both of them behind the stairs, by the cut stringer. All in a couple of breaths.

"Cease-fire!! Cease-fire!!" A man screams as the thugs attention diverts. Huston breathes heavily, he leans on the railing of the parallel stairs. He screams for he knows the woman behind the conceal.

He had been looking for her alone, through every crook and corner. For he had send the men guarding him to aid the comrades. They had been appallingly overthrowned by a threat of a killer. He doomed them, frantically appearing ripping their flesh off.

He thanks his stars, for he had been blessed. She was there in the corridor, panicked and gasping.

She attempted to run away, the assailants shooting without mercy, tragic screams echoing—blinding her. Her blurry mind had driven her out from the safe concealed place.

He wanted to calmly seize her. A gun aimed at her, he warned her to surrender. But she; she ran faster, faster than ever.

All Neva could hear was white, all she could see was red and all she knew was to run as far away.

Hysterical citizens crowded the air, and suddenly, he was conscious of her dissapearance.

"Stop firing at her!! She needs to be alive!!" Huston yells at the top of his lungs, the thugs do as he commands.

Their weapons in the same position, their body in the same posture, alarmed they closen Neva and Rhett.

"Surround Them!!" Huston demands, eased she's finally revealed.

The running of boots reverbs from numerous directions—nearing them around.

Rhett groans in anger. He had almost run out of bullets. A brief distant away, there lay machine guns carried by the rotting savages.

"Stay here and cover you ears." He asks of Neva. He slides out, stark before all, pointing the gun at them. He nears the assailants, they closen the grave. Hands over his head, he throws away the gun in his hands.

She gazes away to him, he kneels down, Huston sighs out, the killer man at end had to bow down to death.

His head tilted down, Rhett hovers over the machine guns, the foolish thug's guard abandoned. He smirks, shielding himself with a death savage, in his hand he had possessed a machine gun.

Then booms the noise of the gun in the air—penetrating the enemies flesh.

The gang weakens, before their bullets hit him, they go through their doomed comrade. They drop to the ground. Huston screams, he commands, petrified if the fires burn Neva.

His warnings goes to deaf ears, for their lives has come to a risk, and they know it matters greater than the howlings of his nonsense.

Rhett would pick the guns on the ground with no owners. He destroys them, and lasts only the wounded and the scaredy rat Huston hidden behind the walls. Ceasing a chance Rhett carries Neva safe in his arms, the weapon still in his hold.

They course up the stairs, the assailants storming on the cruise unending.

---

They reach the third deck. The floor to their cabin. Inside the room he lets down Neva on the floor.

"Why the fuck were you out there!!" A raged Rhett raises his voice.

She stays unmoving, gazing at nowhere.

"Neva!! Gather yourself!" Rhett grips her shoulders, shaking her stiff form.

She flinches, tangling their eyes.

"He said he wants me. All of them are dead because of me..." Her lips trembles, her eyes burning with tears surging in them. Rhett says nothing, embracing her tight.

"Stay with me." He wipes the tears away from her cheeks. She grabs his hands.

"Noah...he was with his father." Her shivering voice barely comes out a whisper.

"I'll go look for him." He steps away from her—nearing the bed. He uncovers the firearms hidden behind the quilt.

A machine gun in his hand. He hangs a bag with his prepared spare magazines, a laptop and some cash inside. Vigilant Rhett makes a gap between the closed door and peeks out through it.

There swarms the men, half of them in the hallway, while some checks the rooms behind those closed doors.

He brings Neva beside him, having her back lean on the wall. He agapes the door, firing without giving them a chance to secrete. They horde out from all directions. Machine guns for both of his hold, he dares reveal out the room.

Rumbles Rhett storm of bullets, sparing them none.

He exhales deeply, kicking one away on his way. He rushes towards their cabin for her.

"Let's go." He grabs Neva's hand leading her out. "Noah?" She mumbles.

"We'll get him." Rhett affirms, aware of the thugs showing out from inside of the door they stand before.

Neva gasps in horror, the door lock had been hit by bullets. The broken door slightly open.

Rhett grips the weapon firmer, his steady steps with the positioned gun peeks into, covering her with awareness he gets inside.

His eyes lands on a corpse.

Neva covers her mouth, recalling the face of the death man. Noah's father lay on his back at the cold ground. His white shirt dyed in carmine.

He was shot in the chest. Rhett steps towards the bathroom, having not seen Noah. He grips the knob and without the need of twisting it he slides open the door.

His heart numbs at the sight. Beside the bathtub Noah drowns in his own blood. He perceives his little chest rising up and down brutally weak.

He rushes to him, throwing the gun aside, he was hit at the stomach. His father had hid him there, but to no avail.

Noah breathes, he had fought very bravely, his eyes open vaguely.

He hurriedly grabs a towel nearby.

"Hang on Noah. Stay awake." Rhett tries to keep the blood from flowing, he applies pressure with the towel on the wound.

He glances at the door, Neva stands there with tears streaming down her face.

"He's alive Neva. We need to get out of here." Rhett grabs another towel, he binds it around Noah's stomach.

"I'll carry him Rhett." Neva voices out nearing them. He needs to carry weapons and fight off the evil outside awaiting them. Rhett nods, helping Noah into her arms.