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I'm just starting this out to see how things go and hopefully I can really make this look good, so this will change soon
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The Plan That Failed The plan had sounded perfect in the candlelit quiet of the cabin. Now, standing knee-deep in mud at the edge of the mangrove swamp, Black-Eye Blackburn knew better. The air buzzed with insects, and every shadow seemed to move on its own.
He glanced back at the Devil’s Mercy, barely visible through the trees, her dark hull crouched like a beast waiting to pounce.
A crewmate tugged at the rope tied to the skiff, straining to drag it farther inland. “Just a bit more,” the man whispered.
Black-Eye shook his head. His scarred eye burned, not from pain, but instinct. “It isn’t going to work.”
The others froze. Somewhere deeper in the swamp, a branch snapped. Then another.
Scarlett Redgrave emerged from the brush, her boots coated in black muck, her red coat pulled tight. “Explain,” she said calmly.
“They know,” Black-Eye replied. “Someone talked. You don’t move soldiers this quiet unless they’re hunting.”
As if summoned by his words, a lantern flared in the distance. Voices followed, low, disciplined, armed.
Scarlett cursed under her breath. “Damn it. What now?”
Steel whispered free of scabbards. Black-Eye cut the rope, sending the skiff drifting uselessly into the reeds. “We scatter,” he said. “Gold stays buried. Lives don’t.”
The first musket shot shattered the night. Mud erupted beside them. Pirates ran, splashing through water, vanishing into the mangroves as trained men poured in behind them.
Black-Eye dove into the swamp, the stench of rot filling his lungs. He held still as boots splashed past, close enough he could hear a man breathing.
When the noise finally faded, Black-Eye surfaced, slick with mud and sweat. The plan was ruined. The gold was lost. The crew was scattered.
But he was alive.
And in this world, that meant the story wasn’t over yet.
Word Count: 299
Written for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" 
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “It isn’t going to work.” |
© Copyright 2026 Lonewolf (lonewolfmcq at Writing.Com).
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