The old woman took me to a small house located near the ranch.
"Would you like anything? Supplies? Shoes?"
"No thanks, I don't want to overstay my welcome."
"Suit yourself. We've had some recent trouble with a pirate crew. They've set up shop in shantytown deeper in the forest, kidnapping people to sell them into slavery. Perhaps you've met them."
"I've encountered a few lone bandits on the way, yes. They're gone now, and that's how I got this rifle!"
"Well done, hija! But forgive me, you're not from around here, what's your story?"

 

 

            We sat on the front porch and I explained my journey, from leaving Boston by boat to this day.
"Wow, it's been quite a trip! And I guess you want to go home, right?"
"Exactly, I saw a lighthouse on the coast. Given its condition, people live there. Maybe they spotted my boat or know where I could take one."
"You've got great perception! We do business with them, when we're not being attacked. Maybe you could help us. You've got a firearm, it's quite rare around these parts. I'm asking you to get rid of just one person, their leader. Get the general then the soldiers will give up without a fight."
"I can do that, yes. If you promise to help me leave this place."
"Agreed, I promise. Shall we go inside?"

 

 

          "You can stay here for the night. Your best chance would be to attack just before sunset. 3 a.m. might be appropriate. When you leave for the lighthouse, follow the main roads and don't venture out. Coastal pirates are far more vicious than those next to us."
"Many thanks to you! I'll be back in one piece with your help!"
"I'm sure you will! Good luck on your journey."

 

 

            I lay down on the sofa. The house had no roof and I could see the stars emerging as night began to fall. I had a quick assassination to do before reaching the lighthouse. I didn't mind, because the reward was a trip back to Boston. Once back, I'd deal with Queen Isabel and return to Katy. A simple plan for a peaceful life.

 

 

          Shantytown, around 3 a.m.

 

 

            I took up position on some rocks above the shantytown. There wasn't much to observe, my feet dangling perhaps, but otherwise I saw a couple of guards trying not to fall asleep at their posts while others made the rounds. I was looking for a muscular guy with a helmet on his head, that was the chief's general description I asked for before leaving the ranch.

 

 

          Once I had spotted him, I drew my rifle and aimed. Muscular man, helmet on his head, Spanish words given to his troops, it was definitely the leader. To be sure of killing him, I decided to shoot his upper torso, the least muscular part of his body.

 

 

          The shot woke up the whole slum. The pirates would soon be hunting me down, and I couldn't stay there. To get to the lighthouse, I had to take a road guarded by a pirate stationed in a tower. He was looking for me with his sniper rifle. Too bad he didn't know which rocks I was hiding behind.

 

 

          After my second shot, I ran away from the pirates. There was no point in wasting the few bullets I had left on them. I followed the moonlit dirt road to an abandoned village, one of my checkpoints before reaching the lighthouse.

 

 

            I made my way to the small village square, joined by the dawn and its chirping early birds. I could see the mountain from here, the main hub of my Costa Rican adventure. All I had to do was climb it and head back down to the coast on the other side.

 

 

            My ascent had gone perfectly, and I didn't meet a soul in the heights. The lighthouse hadn't moved since the last time, which was a good thing. It could have been attacked or destroyed in a matter of days. The main road led back down towards the coast. I still had some ground to cover, but my goal was in sight.

 

 

            I was almost arrived, but decided to take a break at a roadside cottage with its own greenhouse. Like the village, this one looked abandoned, but I remembered yesterday's conversation with the elderly woman - there could be pirates around here. As a precaution, I pulled out my rifle and headed for the front door.

 

 

          After inspecting the door to see if it was booby-trapped or not, I kicked it in with my foot. Everything seemed normal, the house had just been abandoned by its residents. I wanted to pick up some supplies before getting to the lighthouse.

 

 

            I'd forgotten a key part of the conversation with the elderly woman: pirates lay vicious traps. I stepped on a pressure plate hidden under the carpet and a grenade rolled to my feet. It exploded instantly, releasing a gas that asphyxiated me and made me pass out.

 

 

          When I woke up, I had been disarmed and stripped of my leather armor. I was tied to a post with my breasts exposed, in a rather awkward position. I stared at the small group of pirates who had picked me up and placed me here. I was angry at them, but mostly, I was angry at myself for having been tricked once again.

 

 

          One of the female pirates came over and inspected me from head to toe before speaking:
"Qui es tu, étrangère ? Tu ne ressembles pas aux autres que l'on capture ici."
She spoke in French and wondered what I was doing here. They knew I wasn't from this part of the world.
"Fuck you, bitch!"
"Une fille qui parle anglais ! Fascinant ! Le boss sera ravi de faire ta connaissance. Amenez la au cargo et apportez le joug, au cas où elle tente quelque chose."
I was going to be taken to their base in a... joug? I couldn't translate that word and that didn't sound good.

 

 

            So the French word joug meant yoke. It was a device quite unpleasant to bear. In its physical form, because I could no longer use my hands for anything, and in its moral form, because I felt like a draught animal. I was escorted to the pirate base, with the man in front and the woman behind with her rifle pointed at my buttocks. I'd had better endings to my former vacations.

 

 

            We kept walking along the beach, the midday sun beating down on us. I had a gift for getting myself into perilous situations... To spice things up halfway around the world with pirates who spoke French. It was hopeless to try an escape without the risk of being shot. I would have to endure what was to happen next and find a way.

 

 

          The pirates halted by a boat stranded on the beach. I was forced to kneel while they examined it. I didn't need to know any further. It was my boat, and it wouldn't take them long to find out. The pirate woman stared at me to keep me subdued while the pirate man talked to her:
"Une jolie fille et un bateau échoué, quelles sont les chances ? Tu penses que c'est le sien ?"
"Je ne sais pas et j'm'en fous. Elle a de beaux seins cependant. J'ai hâte de m'occuper d'elle !"
"Faudra voir ça avec le boss. On devrait y aller, les autres s'occuperont du navire."
Perverted bitch, she was leering at my breasts!

 

 

          The pirates' base was a massive cargo ship also washed up on the Costa Rican coast. I could see dozens of them... it reminded me of an old factory in Boston. I was in a real quagmire, and it would get even worse after dealing with the pirates' captain.

 

 

            I was locked up in a cage on the cargo ship. Several minutes later, a man with a ridge and a killer's grin came and sat down. The pirate leader himself had come to check on his merchandise, me:
"My men told me they'd picked up a priceless treasure on the coast, and they didn't disappoint. You're gonna fetch a nice fortune when I find you a buyer. An American girl, right? I heard they had a pretty good slave network up there."
"Screw you and your men! I've slaughtered dozens like you, you don't scare me."
"Did someone ever tell you the definition... of insanity? That's exactly how you sound, a disillusioned lunatic. Look where you are, trapped like a fucking rat! But don't worry, we've got plenty of time to fix that."

 

 

          "You won't get away with it, I'll make you pay!"
"Keep talking, girl. In the meantime, we'll have to remedy this attitude disorder. Maybe spending some time with the crew will ease your mind. If you behave this badly, I'll let them deal with you as they see fit."
"You won't break me that easily, I've been through worse!"
"Is that a challenge? I'll accept it. We're going to take off those pants and gag you. You're going to be one of us until you're sold, sweet slave..."

 

 

          Completely naked and gagged, I was taken to a room, still yoked. A hooded pirate woman opened the door and saw me on the bed:
"Hot new slave! Don't worry, I'll be nice to you."

 

 

          "Come on puppet, spread your thighs and let me work my magic."
There was nothing I could do, no way to escape or struggle. I was going to have to endure their assault and resist with all my energy. Back in hell, from castaway to slave. I had to believe in my purgatory to save myself.

 

 

          After being soiled and humiliated by pirates for several days, they eventually found potential buyers. Remember my boat? Well, it was searched from top to bottom, and the pirates managed to contact a large group of raiders in the Commonwealth. I was bartered for guns and ammunition and sent back to Boston. I didn't think I would hate returning home that much. To celebrate my release, the pirate's leader decided to change my hairstyle, too rebellious for his taste:
"Voilà, it's better like that! We'll miss you, American slave. We'll keep some of your hair as a souvenir. Bon voyage!"

And thus concludes Act 5 (Chapters 21 to 24) of Calista's adventures. Will she manage to regain her freedom and complete her journey unscathed? To be determined in the final act!

 

 

END OF ACT 5