A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 27: Sister's Keeper

Annalise rushed up onto the deck as the ship continued to shudder, the way it had when the Kraken first attacked.

"Not good." Marty muttered, just before the ship was thrashed about as the Kraken attacked them once more.

Where it had previously crept and snuck up on them it was now wild and powerful as it smashed tentacles into the ship on all sides. The crew fought to stay both upright and aboard as the ship rocked unsteadily and Will yelled down at the crew below the deck, "Haul away!"

"Heave!" Gibbs bellowed at the men as the crew started to work the pedal that hoisted the cannon net up and out of the hold. "Heave like you're being paid for it!"

"Look out!" Annalise yelled as a tentacle came thrashing through - only this time, it not only smashed the wood of the ship but it grabbed a sailor and dragged him (screaming) away.

Below deck, the crew were facing similar challenges as the Kraken's tentacles broke through the wood of the ship's hull and grabbed various men, pulling them shrieking and screaming in fear, away. It was chaotic and terrifying as they all struggled to fight and stay alive, and only the hope of Will's plan kept everything from turning into a complete pandemonium.

"Lizzie!" Annalise shrieked as a tentacle came close to her sister.

She aimed and fired her rifle, shooting the offending tentacle. It reared away and thrashed before smashing its way into the deck's wooden floor. Grabbing a sailor from below, the tentacle pulled up and thrashed in the air while the poor man in its grasp screamed bloody murder.

Annalise whirled around to point her gun at the sight but she hesitated. If she missed... and then the tentacle whipped back, throwing the pirate off to the side. Annalise gasped and ran to glance over the edge of the ship when she grimaced. The sailor had fallen overboard and into the sea... right above the gaping ring of teeth that rose steadily up beneath the watery depths of the sea.

"Oh my God." She muttered when Elizabeth screeched, "LISA! Get away from the railing!"

Annalise backed away quickly, and not a moment too soon.

Another tentacle thrashed by and Annalise shrieked as it whipped passed her face only to grab yet another poor man who was dragged away while screaming bloody murder.

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Midway across the sea, Jack glanced back as he rowed.

He couldn't hear what was going on and even the faint cries of distress were too far now for him to hear. But the sight was a truly terrifying one as the Kraken's various limbs waved about and crushed parts of Jack's beloved ship.

Yet strangely enough, it wasn't even the Pearl that weighed on Jack's heart. Blue eyes flashed through his mind and Jack lowered the oars of his longboat. Staring back at the Pearl, for the first time in his long career as a pirate, Jack felt... guilt. True remorse. In that moment when William had said the dreaded word, Jack had panicked and fled at the first chance he got (which hadn't been that difficult given how everyone had panicked and run about like headless chickens).

But now, when he could literally see his salvation - a tiny island that was growing slowly nearer, and upon which neither the Kraken nor Davy Jones could follow him - Jack found himself looking back more and more. In his blind haste, he had pulled himself out as far as he could from danger and death. But now... now that he could breathe a little, he found he could only think of brown hair and glittering eyes more beautiful than even the sea that Jack had been so sure would be his only true love for his entire life.

'Who needs them? Save yourself.' That small voice spoke in Jack's head, sounding like a true pirate, the one who hadn't cared when his careless actions hurt Annalise. The one that had saved his skin on numerous counts. 'Go on. Just turn your head and keep going.'