#dark!mal

Carlos hunched in the alley and stuffed the bacon into his mouth. The taste of grease, char, and fat exploded on his tongue and filled his mouth with saliva. What he wouldn’t give to eat meat every day. He licked his fingers and wiped them on his shorts.

Cackling laughter echoed somewhere along the alley, quiet and mad.

Carlos licked his greasy lips and hobbled out of the alley. He should probably find Mal. His collected tribute wasn’t enough, but it’d been a slow month. Maybe she’d overlook his measly contribution to pound some other poor sap.

His ankle panged as he made his way to Mal’s hideout. He grimaced, one hand out to steady himself against the wall. Hopefully it was just a sprain. He’d have to have Evie take a look. If she wasn’t too preoccupied with groveling at Mal’s feet.

The elevator cranked its way down and he stumbled inside.

Voices grew in volume as he ascended. Jay, Evie, and Mal’s voices made up the hushed clamor. Carlos’s heart sank. He must be last. Great. Nothing to distract from his pitiful tributary.

He braced himself as the elevator stopped.

“Carlos!” Jay’s eyes lit up. “Get in here, you dog.”

Carlos limped inside, frowning at the semi-darkness that shrouded his gang’s faces. “Uh, guys? Somebody forget to pay the electric bill?” He joked, wincing.

Evie raised her brow, her hair artfully flipped over her shoulder. “Carlos. We have a guest.”

Carlos blinked. “We do?”

“We do,” Mal pronounced, chin raised. Her hands rested on her hips as she turned around, powerful in her black and purple leather. Eyes glinted green as she smirked. “I believe you’ve met Captain Hook’s idiot offspring?” She gestured with a gloved hand.

Carlos’s mouth dropped open.

Harry Hook, Uma’s right-hand man, sat propped against a pole. His head rested against his shoulder, his black-lined eyes smeared and closed. Blood dripped from his mangled brown curls down his face and neck and bloomed into red stains on his shirt. His legs laid strewn before him in a heap. Red and purple blossoms dotted his face and neck and the skin exposed on his chest under his torn shirt.

“Harry Hook?” Carlos looked frantically to his companions, who all met his incredulous look with varying degrees of smugness.

“Uma let him off his leash,” Jay all but purred, crossing his thick arms, “and he thought he could wander into our territory.”

Evie gave the pirate a pitiful look. “It’s just sad, really. No fashion sense, and no common sense.” She met Mal’s gaze and they shared nasty smiles.

“What are we going to do with him?” Carlos asked, lip curling as he leaned back.

“Kill him, trade him, hold him hostage – the possibilities are endless, Carlos.” Mal gave Carlos a condescending smirk.

“Uma would give anything to have him back,” Evie agreed, nodding. Her blue curls bounced.

“But what does Uma have that we don’t?” Jay drew himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders.

“Nothing,” Mal simped, eyes glinting in the dim light, “but it’d be fun to watch her dance.”

Evie laughed.

“C’mon, let’s figure out a ransom note.” Mal and Evie headed towards the table littered with broken pencils and ink bottles.

Jay bumped shoulders with Carlos before going to join them.

Carlos spared one more glance for the unconscious pirate. His gut twisted.

Harry gazed up at him through half-lidded, cloudy eyes. He winced as he drew in a breath.

It couldn’t be easy to breathe. Jay knew how to tie someone just loose enough to let them draw in short, shuddery breaths.

Carlos grimaced at the memory.

They’d kill Carlos if he loosened Harry’s bonds.

Harry gritted his teeth through another nasally huff.