Lost City of Atlantis (POTC 6) + Shorts

Annette Versus Alligator

1728
After Curse of the Black Pearl

The adventures of the Black Pearl led the crew to Spanish Florida. Jack Sparrow was leading his crew through swampy waters of the land, wadding in the dark, warm, and murky water that soaked their chests.

The land around them was dominated by trees, so Jack assumed that going through the water would be the best way to get across the swamp. Their speed was slow, because their boots kept getting stuck in the gummy mud beneath the water.

Annette was in the very back, listening very carefully to the animal noises around them. The buzzing of swamp insects by her ears sent shivers down her spine, and the croaks from frogs were becoming unbearable. Even the air was hot and sticky, which she had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't complain about it. Suddenly, a dark log floating in the algae-infested water caught her eye. She narrowed her eyes at it, and saw that it had dark green bumpy skin. It wasn't a log, and it was floating quickly to the crew.

Annette called out to warn everyone, "alligator!"

"Out of the water, for your lives!" Jack shouted and everyone began running out of the swamp and to solid land as fast as they could. It was difficult, because the mud was sinking their boots and the water was thick and difficult to get through quickly.

Annette tried to take a step but her boot got stuck in the thick mud that laid under the water. The suction from the water wasn't letting her take her foot out, despite her great efforts. She looked back and saw that the alligator was vastly approaching her, so she quickly looked around and saw that her best bet was the branch that was hanging above her head.

She managed to jump to grab the branch and pulled herself up as fast as she could. She let her ankle relax and it managed to slip right out of her boot. She used her abs to pull herself up and hook her legs over the thick branch. She was just out of the alligator's reach as it jumped out of the water and tried to snap at her. She squealed in fear, thrusting her hips up to the branch to avoid getting a bite taken out of her butt.

"Annie!" Jack exclaimed in fear. He managed to get to land, watching helplessly as Annette was clinging to a low-hanging branch for dear life. The rest of the crew surrounded the water, their jaws dropped in anticipation and suspense.

Annette assessed the situation, and saw that there was no way out but through the water. She had no idea where the alligator was, and she had no desire to become its lunch.

Once she knew her legs were secure, she let go with her hands and hung upside down on the branch.

"What are you doing? Are you mad?" Gibbs asked in a harsh whisper, as if the alligator could hear him. He didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Shh," Annette put her finger to her lips while she tried not to swing. Her hair fell as she hung upside down. She needed complete silence so she could concentrate on not getting eaten.

Annette silently waited for the alligator to come back up. When it did, she swung out of the way just in time, but she managed to wrap her arms around it. She screamed as the alligator collapsed back into the water, bringing Annette down with it.

"Bugger," Jack grunted. He leaned over the water to try to see Annette and the sea-dinosaur but he could not see anything past the green algae that covered the surface of the dark water. All that he could see were the occasional bubbles that rose up to the surface.

"What should we do?" Gibbs asked frantically. He wished there was a way to help her.

Jack put his dirty pinky nail between his teeth and anxiously gnawed on it. He had no idea what to do. His heart was beating fast against his chest, and he felt sick to his stomach.

The alligator quickly rose back up to the surface with Annette straddling it and hugging it for dear life. Her eyes were bulging in terror and she had absolutely no plan, only improvisation. The alligator was trying desperately to fling her off, but she was holding on like her life depended on it, because it did.

"Come back!" Jack ordered. He flailed his arms to try to emphasize the importance of Annette being on land.

"I'm... try-ing!" Annette struggled to say as she unsuccessfully tried not to scream.

Annette wrestled the alligator with grunts and screams until it dipped below the surface again. She sucked in a gasp of air before getting submerged under the water. The sounds of her struggling were suddenly silenced. The crew continued to watch helplessly, with no idea what to do. She didn't come up for a while.

"Was she eaten?" Marty asked with fear in his eyes.

"Dear lord, I hope not," Jack said under his breath. But he couldn't be sure. He glowered at the water, and let his hand grip his pistol. He pulled it out, and furiously waited for the alligator to come back up.

Everyone waited in silence for something to happen. A few of them were expecting a cloud of her red blood to disperse throughout the water, while others were waiting for one of Annette's severed limbs to float up to the surface. If a human is battling an alligator, an alligator will almost always win.

Just as they feared, a cloud of red dyed the water. Jack's arm fell to his side in defeat, while Gibbs had to turn around because he couldn't bare to look. A few of the crew members slowly took off their hats to pay their respects to their deceased friend. Jack's lips parted in sorrow, before anger waved over his face and he cocked his pistol and aimed it for the water, planning to avenge Annette as soon as the alligator came back.

Jack almost pulled the trigger when Annette came popping out of the water, desperately gasping for air. Her dark hair was clinging to her scalp and neck and drops of water were sliding down her face. She got turned around a couple of times as she tried to find her crew, but when she did, she locked eyes with Jack and they both let out sighs of relief.

She quickly swam to the edge of the swamp and begged the crew to help her up. "Get me up. Get me up."

Jack put his pistol back and the crew frantically rushed to her aid. Her clothes were soaking wet with a nasty sulfur smell, and she was now missing a shoe. In her hand, gripped her dagger.

Jack's eyebrows were raised, absolutely flabbergasted that she was standing in front of him, unharmed. He wasn't expecting her to return, but the relief he felt was almost overwhelming. She coughed for a moment and spit into a nearby shrub.

Annette looked down at her hands, now covered in the blood of the alligator. She wiped the blood from the blade with her pants before sticking it back into her belt. She really didn't want to kill it, but it was her life or his life. She popped the collar of her soaking wet coat and she glanced around at her bewildered crew. Annette did not realize that they had whole-heartedly believed that she was killed by the alligator. She tried to be nonchalant and not make it a big deal so she asked, "what? Pick up your mouths. Let's go."

Annette began walking away from the swampy area, hoping to never have to do that ever again. She only lived by sheer luck, determination, and being unnaturally fearless. Mostly luck.

Jack had to dodge a few trees to catch up to her and he said, "I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I," Annette replied honestly. Even she was in disbelief that she lived. She was certainly glad she did.

The crew all managed to get out of the swamp. Jack was both impressed and terrified over the entire situation. He did not know what he would have done if Annette didn't survive. He felt an uncontrollable bubble reform in his chest over Annette, a feeling he would never be able to push away.