Chapter 58 (Part - C) end of Chapter


Captain Chester and his crew finished unloading, and by late afternoon they were setting off for North America. Ballard and Yates ended up filling in a couple of spots for Chester’s crewmen who were injured during Gaspar’s attack. Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Lucille, and Cocoa were sitting at their own table in the cafeteria quietly eating soup with bread until Captain Chester showed up half way through their meal.

“So Enzo is still alive?” Lucille whispered to Haddock before Chester arrived getting a nod as a response.
“You know they could be going to the Mediterranean, Africa, or South America” the Professor reminded them. Haddock nor Lucille acknowledged his comment.
“Finally decided to join us?” Haddock tried to smile.
“I don’t have the luxury you have to just sit back, I have duties to perform” Chester said almost robotically as he sat his tray down taking a seat.

“So how are Yates and Ballard working out?” Haddock asked in a low voice.
“Yates is quiet, a little slow but will do, but Ballard seem more than a bit out there; yet he’s able to work fast” Chester almost chuckled.
“I see…” Haddock observed taking a peek at the two sitting with some of the other crew members at a table nearby.
“Sounds like he’s missing his alcohol…he becomes a captain when he has too much” Lucille chuckled too.
“He’s not the only one missing it” Haddock commented.
“Oh speaking of which…” Chester took a bottle out of his coat placing it on the table. The contents was a clear liquid in a clear bottle with a torn off label topped off with a cork.
“Just what you need…” Lucille looked away.
Chester took out a smaller bottle and carefully filled it up a quarter-way.
“This is what I call Captain Courageous” Chester smiled.
“It looks like medicinal spirits” the Professor squint his eyes.
“It’s homemade clear whiskey” Chester finished.

Captain Haddock took a swig with his eyes getting wide and his mouth puckering up as he shook his head putting the bottle down.
“Now that is what I would call Pirate’s Pyro!” Haddock said just about losing his breath.
“Yes, it’s strong, and I remember you calling it that at one point” Chester pointed out.
“Oh remember the stunt we pulled when we were in St. Petersburg?” Haddock laughed out loud.
“Oh yes, it was one way of warming up, so tell me what’s happened…” Chester cracked a good smile.
“Well it happened liked this…” Haddock began to retell what had happened from leaving Glasgow to arriving in the harbor of Dublin. The rest of the crewmen had already finished eating and were returning to their duties. Chester was quietly listening as he began devouring his food until they reached the part about the aquatic lizard man creature.

“You can’t be serious?” Chester said disbelievingly.
“I’m dead serious” Haddock hit the table getting a bark from Cocoa who was waiting patiently for table scraps.
“It’s true, but please don’t use the word dead…” Lucille shivered.
“I haven’t seen any such thing, but with what Tintin came down with and Ms. Lucille ended up getting I can say something really foul is at work” the Professor finally spoke up.
“Ask Yates and Ballard… they were there too” Haddock added.
“Both of them are chronic alcoholics Haddock, Ballard from what you’ve told me sounds like a superstitious nutcase. Yates just seems to have a one track mind” Chester discounted.

“I need to get back up to the bridge and make sure we’re on course” Chester said looking up at the clock on the wall.
“Here you go Cocoa!” Haddock said throwing her a few pieces of fish.
“Thank you! Finally!” Cocoa barked quickly filling her belly.
“I guess I should get back to the radio room and do some more testing with that cube, so far all tests are coming up inconclusive” the Professor sighed.
“Cocoa and I will join you. That sounds a lot more interesting than just standing around on the bridge” Lucille nodded.

“A life of science is one with much fulfillment” the Professor smiled.
“I wouldn’t go that far…” Lucille smiled kindly.
“Very well, I’ll join Chester to the bridge” Haddock said getting up from the table leaving with Chester.
The radio room wasn’t too far from the bridge. Everything seemed exactly in order until Haddock rushed into the radio room with a serious look on his face.
“Cuthbert! Lucille! Are ya alright?!” Haddock looked as they were about to ask the crew member operating the radio in their absence for any new messages.
“We’re fine Captain, but you don’t sound fine” the Professor quickly noted.
“What is it?” Lucille said quickly grabbing her bag.

“The man on the bridge is unconscious with two slashes, I need you to come” Haddock said in a low voice.
Lucille and the Professor quickly followed the Professor, followed by Cocoa.
“Good Lord!” Lucille exclaimed seeing the man had been brutally clawed twice. Chester was looking for the first aid kit.
“How long do you think he’s been out?” Lucille and the Professor quickly began checking his vital signs.
“Hmm…it doesn’t seem like he’s been down too long…” the Professor said as Chester handed them the first aid kit. Lucille took out some bandages and medicinal spirits dressing the man’s wounds.

“Captain, I’m afraid we’ve got another one…” Lucille said looking at the deep gashes the man had already fearing what made them.
“I need to run a test on these wounds” the Professor said examining him carefully.
“Not now Cuthbert, we got a monster on the loose here!” Haddock said taking his gun out of his pocket.
“You two better come with us” Chester said taking out his gun as well.
“This man needs us though” Lucille argued.
“Safety in numbers lass. We won’t be any good to him if we go down as well” Haddock said grimly.

“Sit him up against the wall in a corner” Chester whispered.
Haddock carefully dragged the crewman into a corner sitting him upright. Chester led them quietly out on the deck. The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon. Haddock and Chester led them down onto the starboard side of the ship until a shouting broke the silence.
“Help! Help!” a man screamed running towards them.
“Ballard? What’s going on?!” Haddock demanded.
“It’s that demon I tell ya! It’s back for revenge!” he warned.
“Quit your blathering you fool! What happened?” Chester scolded him.
“It got Yates and another poor bloke and it’s coming after me!” Ballard gasped.
Cocoa’s ears laid flat on her head again as she began snarling and showing her teeth like never before.

“Cocoa!?” Lucille looked at her with concern, but then saw why she became defensive.
“Behind us!” Lucille said taking out her father’s revolver aiming it.
“It looks like a man to me?” the Professor said straightening his glasses.
“It’s no man!” Haddock said aiming his gun.
Chester looked closely but suddenly saw what everyone had said was the truth, “Of all the banshees! What on earth!?” Chester exclaimed unable to believe his eyes.

The bug eyed, aquatic looking lizard man came running at them with his webbed feet pounding against the deck.
“Give it all you got! This thing shows no mercy!” Haddock shouted.

Haddock and Chester began firing round after round only knocking it back a little as it got closer. Lucille pulled her father’s trigger but nothing came out, she was out of bullets. The Professor stood there almost too dumbfounded to act when the creature was able to be seen in the ship’s lights. Haddock noticed this one was bigger than the last one. He emptied all six chambers into this creature’s ghastly hide. Chester was in disbelief, but wasn’t going to let something out of the ordinary prevent him from acting accordingly. He emptied all six bullets into this creature as it bled dark ooze profusely. Lucille looked in her satchel hoping to find some more ammunition. The creature stumbled a few steps back and paused opening its fanged mouth wide growling.

“Billions of blue bilious blisterin’ barnacles! I’m out!” Haddock continued to back away.
“If twelve rounds won’t slow this thing down I don’t know what will? Run!” Chester shouted.
Chester and Haddock each grabbed Lucille and the Professor by the arm retreating while Ballard had already hi-tailed it. As Lucille was running with Haddock she was able to pull out something she hadn’t remembered putting in her bag. She pulled it out in front of her flabbergasted. Cocoa’s brown fluffy tail led the way as they ran.
“This is no time for toys Lucille” Haddock scolded her as they ran.
“My word! This is my first time seeing such a thing!” the Professor gasped as they ran.
“Yea, and it will be your last if you don’t pick up your feet!” Chester said almost dragging him along.

The heavy webbed feet of the creature made a loud thump with each stride it took towards them leaving a trail of dark ooze that it bled. Just as they were about to reach the other side of the ship the Professor stumbled and fell.

“Professor!” Chester shouted trying to jerk him up and continue dragging him.
Haddock, Lucille, and Cocoa stopped several yards ahead realizing what had happened as Chester turned to defend the Professor.
“Come on you freak!” Chester taunted taking out his long baton flashlight.
“RAAAWWR!” the creature roared at Chester seeing the Professor in the background trying quickly to get back on his feet. It advanced on the Professor ignoring Chester. It stood between six to seven feet tall.

“I said come on you freak of nature!” Chester jumped at it swung the back of the long flashlight hitting it in the arm and followed through with a left hook to the side of its jaw.

The creature clawed Chester and batted him several feet back behind the
Professor. Chester struggled to get back on his feet as the Professor had only his umbrella to defend himself with.

“I’m coming Cuthbert!” Haddock said running throwing his empty gun hitting the creature in the face.
The creature had twelve small holes in its chest and side oozing slow viscous dark fluid.
“Get away from me!” the Professor shouted swinging his umbrella at the beast in a vain attempt to defend himself.
It jerked the umbrella right out of the Professor’s hands and tossed it aside grabbing Calculus by his coat hoisting him off the ground opening its mouth showing its razor sharp teeth.

“Oh no you don’t!” Lucille cried out as she let the boomerang she found in her bag go flying from her hands up above the creature barely missing it. Haddock was able to hit the beast in its teeth chipping one of them with his empty gun. The beast regarded Haddock with a snarl only to be distracted again by a perfect whack in the back of the head snapping Lucille’s boomerang in two. It dropped Calculus to the deck focusing its attention now on Haddock.

Chester was now getting on his feet a little bloodied. He saw Haddock getting ready to try his hand at the creature.
“Haddock! Our trick! Captains Courageous!” Chester shouted taking out his bottle of high potency whiskey and a lighter.

The creature clawed at Haddock in frenzy of slashes. Haddock dodged the first five swipes but as he was taking out his bottle, the sixth swipe got him in the back cause him to stumble forward. The creature then kicked Haddock in the back sending him sprawling forward to the ground.

“This doesn’t look good Cocoa! What to do? What to do?” Lucille panicked looking through her bag as Cocoa continuously growled at the creature standing by her side.
“I still got scrap left in me you troglodyte!” Chester cursed as the creature came charging at him to put him down.

Chester quickly took a swig of his whiskey and began spitting it as he lit his lighter in front of him. The air in front of Chester suddenly ignited sending a blaze scorching and stunning it momentarily.

Haddock recovered swiftly and ran to his friend’s aid doing likewise spitting an instant blaze at their assailant as it screeched and wailed in agony. It stumbled forward and began swinging its clawed webbed hands at both Captains. Winded from their blaze attack, the creature was able to swat them both down to the deck.

“No!” Lucille screamed.
“Grrrr…!” Cocoa stood at her fullest alert on all fours as they rushed to the Professor’s aid as the creature came stomping toward him.
“Stay back Lucille, I’ve about had it with these aliens!” the Professor had both arms spread apart.
“What are you doing Professor?! That thing will rip you to shreds!” Lucille cried out.
Lucille could see reinforcements as she looked behind. Some of the crew members were beginning to finally arrive to help, but the creature was already upon them.
“Where’s the cube?!” the creature said in the most unnatural voice they had ever heard.

“I won’t be intimidated!” the Professor said defiantly.
“Then die!” the creature said through its long sharp teeth preparing to come at the Professor with a frenzy of clawing and biting.
“Professor!” Lucille cried out.

Before the creature could take its third step seven feet away from the Professor, blue and white electrical bolts went flying from his hand electrocuting the creature stopping it in its tracks. It began jerking violently from the high voltage.
“Ms. Lucille, stand back” the Professor warned.

Lucille was so figuratively shocked by what she just saw, she did as she was told and grabbed Cocoa. The creature tried to continue to reach out to grab him, but the Professor let another blast of high voltage lightning bolts escape from his right hand again bringing the creature roasting to its knees as currents began illuminating, buzzing, and swimming all over its body.

“This isn’t over! Just wait until…the black moon…” then the charred creature went forever silent. Moments later the body turned to ash and most of it blew away in the wind.
“Black moon?” Lucille whispered to herself.
“Are you ok Ms. Lucille?” the Professor turned to her.
“How did you?” Lucille looked at him in amazement.

“Oh hehehe! A special gizmo I have been working on for a while to discharge electricity; but, I’m afraid I will need to repair it after giving that alien the highest amount of voltage” the Professor explained.
“Captain Haddock! Captain Chester!” Lucille ran to them with Cocoa as the rest of the crew came to their assistance.
“I’ll steer the ship while you take care of everything else” Ballard suddenly reappeared.
Lucille had an urge to reach out and slap him but restrained herself.
“You’d better not wreck my ship!” Chester warned him.
“I’m sorry Captain but you will need to take the night to recover, and I have just the antidote that will help you recover from any poison that alien may have inflicted” the Professor explained.

“I can steer the ship! I’m a captain too!” Haddock said slowly getting back up to his feet gritting his teeth.
“I’m afraid you will need to take the night to recover as well…those things may be poisonous too, we can’t take any chances” Lucille informed Haddock.
“Hopefully the antidotes will neutralize any poison if there is any” the Professor agreed.

The injured were taken to a makeshift recovery room with cots and most of the first aid kits on the ship. Lucille and the Professor were busy caring for the injured through the night. Five other crewmen including Yates had been attacked. Haddock and Chester lied on their cots still feeling the strong sting of the creature’s claw. Haddock thought more about what Tintin may be facing up against without his help. He was determined to help his partner whatever the cost may be.

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