Wanted - A Pirate Tale

10 ~ The Attack

Seriously, I can't believe how lucky I am with these movies - and guess what  The Attack is actually a 2012 movie! Very recent indeed! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787442/ - VERY regrettably the soundtrack for this movie was non existent. At least - I couldn't find any. :( So this one is from "The Lone Ranger" by Hans Zimmer. Enjoy me hearties!!!! And never forget: TRUST NO ONE!! Not even a handsome pirate. ;) And no, that's not foreshadowing. Or is it? Mhmm...

Panic. That's the first feeling everyone on that doomed ship feels, as more beams break and things start hitting the deck, presumably more Night Crawlers.

I look, panicked, in Julian's direction. He swallows nervously but motions for everyone to remain quiet.

"Helllloo." The beast outside draws the word out, emphasising each letter. "Hiding my little unfortunate dears?"

The door suddenly caves in. Everyone jumps to their feet, brandishing swords. "Avast!" Julian yells. "Steady, men! Stand your ground!" 

He steps forwards. "We ask for no trouble, great Crawler of the Night. We simply ask for passage through these waters to Tortuga."

The beast turns his head around. I can't help myself but gasp with abhorrence. Julian was right - the thing is neither living nor dead. It's half skeleton - half man. Half of its body is limp flesh, thin and fragile, while the other half is pure skeleton, stained red and brown.

I can feel my mouth open, and close, while two feelings cross me at the same time; the urge to throw up and the urge to faint.

I feel a hand on my arm and look around. One of the crew members is nodding at me. "You alright?" He mouths.

I can't nod, I can only manage the roughest of smiles before I turn my attention back to the beast.

"Passage? You think me a fool?" The Night Crawler's red eyes look at each crew in turn. "You be after the treasure, this I know. Men! Forward!"

The whole side of the ship caves in as beasts come pouring through every hole they can fit through. Julian jumps to his feet, fast as lightning, closely followed by his crew, who brandish their swords.

I step back as Julian takes on the leader, matching his opponent's every swipe of his sword. This terrible scene that's unfolding right before my eyes seems like one bad dream. There's the dreadful scream of a Night Crawler as it's stabbed through the heart, and it lunges at its opponent, who wisely ducks out of the way. One of Julian's men stumbles backwards, pierced through the shoulder. I feel woozy seeing all the blood pour out everywhere.

While I'm trying to hold down my dinner, Julian and his men struggle to keep the Night Cralwers at bay. Thankfully, the entrance to the dining hall is relitively small, meaning only a few can fit in at once. I watch Julian's silver sword flashing in the moonlight as he clashes swords with the leader of the Night Crawlers, and even reaches over to help out one of his crew members who falls on the hard wooden deck.

I don't realise I've closed my eyes until something shakes me. I stifle a scream as my eyes snap open, to see Julian staring at me. There's a giant cut across his face. he spits out a mouthful of blood then shakes me again. "Shayleigh!"

"W...what?" I ask groggily.

"You want to help? Now's the time. You need to use magic."

"I... I can't." I say, panicked.

"You can." He pants. "Draw on your strength - you need to do like you did with the box you opened. Come on, you're our only hope."

"What?" I look around where people are getting slaughtered. "Oh, gosh. How?"

"Say this." He squints in concentration. "Recesserimus."

If it wasn't such a dire situation, I would have laughed. "What?"

"Say it, Shayleigh!" His hands tighten on my shoulders. "Please! You must be quick!"

"Uh..." I look around. "Recesserimus?"

Nothing happens. I shake my head. "Some magic."

"Say it like you mean it!" Julian says again, desperately. He steps back as the giant Night Crawler draws his sword, his left hand never leaving mine in its tight grip.

I close my eyes, taking a few deep breaths, drawing on every bit of strength I have. Unknown energy seems to flow all around me. When I open my eyes, I only see an empty deck. "Recesserimus." I can feel my necklace heat up, once again. It burns like fire.

Just like with the box, some sort of invisible air wave seems to shoot out from me. The wind of it blows my hair in front of my eyes. When I push it away, I look around. The Night Crawlers are all on the ground, some still wiggling around.

Then, the force of something huge seems to barrell into me. I fall backwards, straight onto my back, my head hitting the side of the ship until I'm half lying half sitting on the floor. My vision wavering, I only partially see something heading for me.

It's the Night Crawler. He raises his sword menacingly, growling, blood dripping from his yellowed teeth.

I sort of half-shriek, covering my eyes. It's all I can manage, as I feel energy seeping from every part of me.

"Shayleigh!" Something pants. Julian runs at me, slipping beside me in what looks like a pool of blood.

The Night Crawler stops his rush, pinning him against the wall in one hand, while the other hand brings the sword down to me.

This is it.I think. This is really it. I'll never see my family again - or my father. I hope he knows that wherever he is - whatever he looks like - I love him.

The Night Crawler seems to pause for all of five seconds, peering at me through his red eyes. Then, his hand reaches down to my neck. I close my eyes, picturing his giant claw like hands ripping me to shreds.

Instead, I hesitantly open one a crack to see him peering intently at my necklace - well - at one of them, anyway. He looks at me, hard for a moment, then growls. His shriek is the worst one of them all. He turns away, dropping Julian and sweeping his hand across the deck. Him, and the rest of his alive Night Crawlers crawl out of the holes they came in, and bound away, across the waters.