Davy Jones let his tentacles fly over the keys. With each stroke was a release of emotion. His sorrow, his despair. His anger. The haunting yet beautiful melody floated over the ship, and the crew as they continued to work. No one dared to disturb the captain.
Calypso…she took his heart. Then she betrayed him. And yet here he was, cursed for eternity and still missing her. What use was love, when it only made you so weak? So susceptible to the agonizing hurt of a broken heart…Davy played harder, and the music escalated into a thundering crescendo.
Outside on deck, the young woman from the last raid gripped a rope with all her strength. The crew were pulling a heavy crate into the air. It needed then to be turned and set down on a higher part of the deck. Her name was Mai, and her hands were all bloodied from the rope. But the crewmen pulled harder than she could, and Mai lost her balance, falling to the deck and bumping one of the crew. This crew member had a conch shell for a head. When she bumped him, the head dislodged and fell. He released the rope and the crate fell with a heavy crash.
The bosun, Jimmylegs, brandished his whip at them with a snarl. "Haul that wench to her feet! Ye'll feel the cat for dropping that. Five lashes. Then it's your turn, Hadras!"
"No!" Mai got to her feet and stared at him. "You have no right, it was an accident-"
"Ten lashes for not holdin yer tongue!"
Thud. Silence. Thud. Silence. Thud.
The crew grinned.
"What's this-uh?" Davy asked, glancing from fallen crate to Mai.
"It was an accident…"
"Ha! Ten lashes be owed, I believe." He looked expectantly to the bosun, who nodded to two of the crewmembers. They grabbed Mai and turned her with her back to Jimmylegs, pinning her against the railing. Then the whipping began. It hurt like hell, and Mai cried out with each strike till her throat was numb. At seven, her consciousness faded, but Jimmylegs continued the punishment. At long last, it was over, and the crewmen threw her down into the hold. Her back was ripped and raw.
Two of the crew, however, followed her down. They waited, making sure that the hold was empty, while throwing smug looks at the girl. Mai began to wake up, only aware of the horrendous pain in her back. The two crewmen grinned, she wouldn't put up any resistance. Slowly, Mai turned her head, and saw the two approaching figures, each with nasty looks on their faces. Vaguely, she began to understand that she was in more trouble, but her brain was too overwhelmed with pain to react.
"Get away…" she mumbled.
"Hey, we're here to keep you company…aren't you cold?" one of the crewmen said, smiling evilly. They started to sidle up to her.
"No…stop…" she mumbled again as one of them ran a deformed hand down her arm. This couldn't be happening…now she knew what they were going to do. She closed her eyes and braced herself as they pinned her to the wall and chained her…
Suddenly she heard the crewmembers scream with pain, and the sound of something hard hitting flesh. Opening her eyes, she saw the captain standing in front of her, swinging his broadsword at the two crewmen.
"Not on mah ship, ye don't-uh!" growled Davy. "Twenty lashes for the both of ya!" He stopped hitting them. "Now get back on deck-uh!" They scurried back up out of the hold. He glanced briefly at the girl, then swung his sword at her. Mai gasped, but then felt the chains falling away.
"Th-thank you…" she stammered, still shaken. But Davy merely sheathed his sword and stalked away. She felt relieved. At least that was one thing she didn't have to fear on this ship. She curled up in her pool of blood and fell asleep.
Up on deck, Davy Jones threatened his crew, telling them they would be punished severely if they were to touch the girl. She was to be treated like any other crewmember, but he told them not to hold back on the regular punishment. He then returned to his cabin. Once inside, he opened his locket, letting the memories wash over him…soon the locket's melody lulled the damned captain into sleep.
Pain sunk its sharp claws into Mai's back, and she woke with a start. Looking over her shoulder at her back, she was surprised that it had stopped bleeding already, and was starting to heal, probably due to the curse. She looked around, thinking of the future. What future? It was next to impossible to escape from this ship, and better treatment during her 100-year stay was also unlikely. Then footsteps echoed down the steps of the hold. A crewmember with barnacles over one eye and a wide brimmed hat came down.
"Captain says you're to return to yer duties. Ye'll be cleaning the cannons." Clanker said, then turned and left. Mai got to her feet with a groan, then headed to the cannons. None of the crew was by them, so she decided to try and get a little more rest while she was alone. After all, if someone came looking for her she'd hear them. Especially the captain, that thudding crab leg was enough to wake anyone up. Crawling under a cannon, she let her exhaustion pull her to sleep.
"Enjoying your break-uh?" Mai was awakened by a familiar voice. She looked up to see Davy Jones staring at her coldly. He grabbed her neck with his claw. How had he come up so quietly?
"Damn you…I swear, I'll get off this ship!" Mai screamed, hitting him in the chest. Davy Jones smirked and tightened his grip. "You can't keep me here forever-!" The rest of her words were cut off as he squeezed her windpipe harder, cutting off the air supply. Dragging the girl, Davy made his way up onto the deck.
"This one's been skippin' duty! Let her get reacquainted with the cat-uh." He ordered, finally letting go of Mai. "Ten lashes-uh." He thrust her towards the bosun.
"Just kill me then, you sadistic monster! I don't fear death! I don't fear you! Damn you to hell, though it seems that you already are!" she yelled. Davy Jones looked at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Fifteen lashes-uh!" he snarled, glaring.
The beating was brutal and relentless. By the time Jimmylegs was through, Mai was soaked in blood, and her back was torn open to the bone. She looked up, but Davy was gone. One of the crew pushed her to the side, burying his dagger in her back. She screamed in agony and rage. This wasn't even ordered punishment! With a roar, she grabbed the nearest crewman's sword and swung it at the offending one. Metal hit flesh and a full-out brawl ensued. He hit her across the stomach with his dagger, making her cough up blood. But, rather than dying, she got up and drove her sword through his head. Then Mai winced as metal balls on a length of chain were slammed into her legs, but the bones did not shatter. Truly maddened, she saw nothing but fire and blood and enemies.
"Enough!" all of the crew froze at their captain's order, who suddenly appeared from the shadows. Except for Mai. She staggered up to him, blood pouring from her wounds.
Davy Jones was annoyed. This girl was causing nothing but trouble for him and his crew. He would make sure to silence her spirit this time. Turning his icy blue gaze upon her, he scrutinized his female victim, pondering what punishment to dish out this time. He would have to get a bit more creative.
But Mai was too distracted by rage to be afraid. As her captain opened his mouth to say how she was to be punished, she stabbed her sword into his chest and twisted it. Blood so dark that it was almost black oozed onto the blade. Then, she saw something shiny in her captain's torn pocket.
"Do what ye may, you'll never break my spirit or take my soul, you corrupted creature!"
Davy was completely surprised. She dared to stab him?! Rage clouded his cerulean orbs, and he yanked out the sword, grabbing the handle and her hand with his claw. Then he applied pressure. The girl cried out as his claw pressed down hard on her fingers, still holding the sword. Then she screamed as his claws came together, cutting through handle and finger. With a sickly snap, her finger bones were severed from her tendon, until the digit was hanging by a thread of sinew.
Using her free hand, Mai snatched the shiny object from his pocket and slammed it into the mast. She saw a look of pain flash across his face as she did this. He pushed her aside and bent over to pick up the object. It was a heart shaped locket in the form of a crab, with a face in the center. And cracks were visibly moving across the surface from the hit. He carefully picked it up and returned it to his pocket, then turned back to Mai.
"Ye'll get two dozen for that, you damn whelp!" Davy hit her across the face, so hard that the marrow in her cheekbones was visible. He stalked over to the bosun and held out his right hand. With a grin, the bosun handed his whip to the captain. The crew chuckled evilly…
Two crewmen pinned her to the railing once again. Davy Jones raised the whip high, bringing it down with all his strength. One. Mai screamed in pain. The captain was terribly strong. He raised the whip again. Two. Mai knew that if she wasn't undead, she would die after a few of these horrible blows. Three. Whatever flesh had that had remained on her back was almost gone. Four. Blood foamed at the corners of her mouth, which was wide open, throat raw from screaming. Five. She would rather take the bosun's wrath anytime. Six. She was gasping for air. It hurt like hell. It was worse than hell. Seven. She'd rather be dead, how much she wished she were dead! Eight. No! No more! She couldn't take any more! Nine. The whip dug in along her spine, causing her to convulse in agony. Ten. Both Davy Jones and Mai were soaked in her blood.
Eleven. Davy was enjoying this. Twelve. She is paying dearly for her insolence! Thirteen. How he despised her. Fourteen. Both of them. Fifteen. He gave the whip a slight flick as he brought it down, causing it to curl around a rib, then yanking. Sixteen. No one, no one should ever defy him! Seventeen. He heard several ribs cracking. Eighteen. His locket! Nineteen. She broke his most treasured possession! Twenty. So ironic that something connected to Calypso should be cracked by a woman. Twenty-one. Mai seemed to be unconscious, but he would finish anyway. Twenty-two. He felt such sadistic pleasure at seeing her suffer! Twenty-three. He raised the whip one final time. Twenty four. This should teach her not to defy the Devil of the Sea. Then, he gave another blow, just for good measure. Davy stood there, panting slightly. Then he threw the crimson whip to the bosun and walked off.
He disappeared into the wall, walking out of the bottom of the Dutchman's hull. Gripping the wood with his claw, he let the seawater wash sweep over him, washing away the blood. Teleporting back to his cabin, he sat at his organ in silence. The girl's words came back to him…he was already damned to hell…how he hated his life…this miserable existence, where the only way to hide his sorrow was with his rage, where he thrived on the suffering of others. He missed being able to look forward to each day, to savor the rich happiness that life could bring, to have something worth living for. Now, stuck in this living hell, there was no escape for him. So he made sure that there was no escape for his crew too. Hopelessness was something he was all too used to feeling…
