La Vieja Rata De Mar

Finally, the night was about to arrive, and the captain had begun to move the ropes to survive this adventure.

The orders were clear, and each sailor had gathered in the cabins, to listen to the following instructions given by the first officer.

"Are we all, Paulo?" Ron asked as he played with an old rusty knife that was confiscated from Ricardo for disobedience on board.

"Yes, first officer" Paulo replied calmly.

"Listen well, motherfuckers!" Ron yelled looking at his sailors "...because his life will depend on these words"

"Everyone who came to this sea for their own interests, some coveting fortunes, others seeking to escape from a life of misery, for my part I was only looking for a place to belong in this world"

"Today the gods try to put an end to our dreams... But I'm not going to lower my arms and resign myself to die without a fight"

"And to fight this battle, every soldier on this ship has to follow instructions to the letter, one mistake, and we're all doomed..."

Nobody dared to say a single word in Ron's pause. Exclusively the nerves and expectations flooded the cabin, while the sailors paid attention to every word of the speech of the 'admiral' in front of them.

"Everyone, except Paulo and Lucas, will now go to sleep in the deepest part of the ship, they will cover each door with the boxes of merchandise in such a way that they can only have it, if everyone in the room agrees to it "

"They will sleep in four shifts and each time a shift passes they will count each member of the crew"

"Each crew member will be questioned about his charge and his name, each time a shift passes"

"The names and positions will be noted on a wall in the warehouse"

"Now go to your posts and prepare for the worst, soldiers!" Ron yelled euphorically.

"Yes sir!" He echoed through the cabin as the men headed for the last store on the ship.

Ron waited patiently, while he played with his knife, until only Paulo and Lucas were left in the room.

The room had become very empty, but the sounds of boxes being moved throughout the ship could be heard downstairs.

"Okay, now we just have to discuss the final detail..." Ron said with a scowl on his face.

"Paulo will do 'night watch', but you will do it at the entrance of the cabins, your only function will be to make sure that no one manages to get on the deck and..."

Hearing that, Paulo only smiled bitterly.

He didn't know all the details of the plan and there was one vital part that only cunning rat Ron and the captain knew, but he knew that his mission was to be sent to see if they could reduce the number of deaths per day, while sailing in these waters.

They did not know very well if the creature only attacked those on the deck or hunted a certain number of people and chose the closest ones, so its function was to be the easiest target and see if it manages to survive being down the stairs.

The captain had created three levels, the crew in the most protected part, the sacrifice at the door of the ship's cabins and the cabin of the captain isolated from the chain, probably guarded by Ron.

Though his doubts lay in the one piece he didn't understand, though he guessed it was another level of sacrifice.

"... And Lucas, you will sleep in the cabins, like every night"

"Good luck guys, believe me you'll need it" Ron said, as he got up and headed to the captain's quarters.