Monty's Decision

Monty stood on the deck of the ship staring off towards the sunset. His eyes were hardened and his jaw was tight. He refused to look at CJ and Zara. He could not let them distract him. This was for his father. This was for him.

The crew deserved it. They shouldn't have come back.

"Monty, please don't do this." Zara said, coming up beside him, "I don't want you to regret this."

He looked down at her, "I don't think you understand." He said, "I have to do this."

"Are you doing this because you think it'll bring your dad back? Because it won't." CJ said.

Monty clenched his fists. "I know it won't! I'm not doing this for him! I'm doing this for me! Do you have any idea what I had to grow up with?" He whispered through clenched teeth. "My father...my father taught me that life was hard. Life didn't have mercy. So, I shouldn't have mercy either. Everything I did wasn't enough. I didn't hit hard enough. I didn't kick fast enough. I didn't kill....I couldn't do anything right. I was just a pathetic, weak, little ten year old boy!"

Monty whipped around to stare at his friends, "I was ten! And my father...." He turned away, "I could handle my father. He was rough and harsh, but he gave me food, a place to stay. It was apparently more than I deserved. But that crew....They deserve to be tortured and killed for what they did to me. Every scare on my body is because of them.

"They despised me, because I was the captain's son. They thought I got special treatment. Well, it didn't matter, because they beat me until blacked out. They kicked me around and laughed. They spit on me when I just asked for a glass of water."

Zara looked away, and embraced CJ in a hug. CJ stared at Monty, horrified by the crews actions.

Monty glanced at his friends, "I hate them, and I'm going to kill each and every one of them. I'm going to make sure they pay for the pain they caused me. I'm going to make them regret the day they decided to kill my father and leave me on the docks to die. I'm going to kill every single one of them. And then I'm going to toss their disgusting bodies onto an island that no one will find, where buzzards and dogs will eat their rotting flesh."

CJ had never felt so scared for Monty, for himself, for everyone on the ship. Monty usually didn't act like this. He was usually so calm and kind. CJ reached out, wanting to comfort Monty. His hand brushed his friend's shoulder, but Monty pulled away. "Monty...." CJ started, but one look from Monty gave CJ a horrible shiver down his spine.

Monty was serious. And CJ had no idea how to stop him.