Author's Notes: Due to the small amount of violence in this chapter, I have decided to have it be PG-13. Enjoy, and please read and review!
Part V
David quickly lunged to his feet, as Isabelle reached behind her for the gun that had been left with them. Before Isabelle could pick up the gun, another pirate stepped out of the bushes and kicked it away from her. Isabelle could see the bandage on his leg, and realized that, unfortunately for her, that this was the pirate she had shot. She gulped. David's advance towards Barnes was halted as three more pirates stepped out behind Barnes. He paused in mid-step and then moved to block Isabelle with his body. She cautiously stood up behind David, casting a wary glance at the leering pirate near her.
David took in the situation with no small amount of trepidation. They had no weapons, he was wounded, and they were surrounded by four armed pirates and a man with a score to settle. He wondered how far away Mauriri and Katie were. The pirates prodded them forward until they all reached the clearing, and Barnes turned back towards David.
"I'll repeat the question again, Grief, just in case you weren't listening the first time," Barnes said, his eyes as cold as ice. The haughtiness in his voice had been replaced by barely suppressed fury. "Where is Katie? I know she was with you. Where is she?"
David met Barnes' snarl with a glare of his own. "Do you think I'd let you get anywhere near her, Barnes? She's not here, and I'm going to make sure you never find her, you bastard." Behind him, David felt Isabelle latch on to his arm. He could feel her trembling.
Barnes' face darkened at David's words, and he started to move towards David. He stopped himself as he took in Isabelle holding on to David. His eyes narrowed in cold calculation and his lips twisted into a sneer. He gestured towards the pirate standing near Isabelle.
"Bring her here," he commanded. The man nodded and grabbed Isabelle's arm, pulling her roughly away from David. His grip on her arm was fierce, and Isabelle knew that it would leave a bruise, if they survived this, that is. He dragged her over to Barnes, and roughly shoved her to him. Isabelle stumbled into Barnes, and he grabbed her other arm, pulling it behind her and turning her so that she faced David. He twisted her arm up until she winced, and then he placed his gun to her head.
David, who had moved forward in protest, stopped abruptly. He could see the fear in her wide eyes, and he felt a shaft of fear stab him in his gut. He instinctively reached out to her, taking another step forward. Barnes reacted by taking a step back, pulling Isabelle with him, and glared at David.
"I know you don't want anything to happen to this lovely lady, Grief, so I suggest that you not try anything." Barnes pushed the gun even more tightly against Isabelle's temple, and her eyes widened more, staring pleadingly at David. He forced himself to back up, but every muscle in his body was tense.
Barnes laughed, an ugly sound that made David's skin crawl. He lowered the gun and pulled Isabelle closer to him, running the gun along her jaw. "Good for you, Grief. Wouldn't want to have to do anything to…Miss Reed, I'm told… before my men have a chance to enjoy her…gifts." He then ran the gun along the strip of stomach that Isabelle's torn blouse displayed, and she flinched.
"You lay one finger on her, Barnes, and you'll wish you were in hell," David growled, his jaw clenched tightly, absolute fury in his eyes. How dare this bastard touch Isabelle, threaten her! It took all his strength not to leap at Barnes and throttle him. Only the knowledge that them killing him would leave Isabelle alone to their mercies kept him restrained.
Barnes was amused. "That amounts to what we call an 'empty threat,' Grief. You have no weapons. I can see the bandage on your shoulder. And should you attempt to get away, I'll just shoot her," he said, placing the gun against Isabelle's head again. She tried to jerk away from him, and he merely twisted her arm higher until she cried out.
"Stop it!" David yelled, remembering just in time not to lunge forward. Isabelle looked at him, tears of pain standing in her eyes, but David could also see the anger collecting there. Isabelle, don't move, he'll kill you, he silently pleaded. He knew that an angry Isabelle just might do something rash enough to get herself killed.
Barnes, smirking at David, placed the gun in the hollow of Isabelle's throat and started to trace it down her chest. "Where is Katie?" he drawled softly, the gun reaching the open edge of Isabelle's shirt. She suddenly moved, her foot kicking behind her to solidly connect with Barnes' shin, her free hand landing a blow on Barnes' ribs.
"Damnit!" Barnes swore, his grip on Isabelle's arm loosening. She reached around and scratched her nails across his cheek, leaving red welts in their wake. However, Barnes quickly shifted his hand to grab her upper arm and swing her around to face him. "You bitch!" he yelled, then released her arm to deliver a backhanded blow to her jaw that knocked her heavily to the ground. He reached down, cursing, and pulled her to her feet.
"Don't you ever try that again!" he hissed into Isabelle's face, then shoved her at the pirate that had taken her from David. Barnes gingerly touched the scratches on his face, scowling as he looked back at David.
"Let's try this again, Grief. You tell me where Katie is, and I don't let that man with Miss Reed take out his bullet wound on her hide. You don't tell me where she is, and you get to watch Miss Reed die slowly, knowing you could have stopped it, just before I kill you."
David glanced at Isabelle. The pirate held both her hands behind her, and he could see the bruise already starting on her delicate jaw. Tears of pain made tracks freely down her cheeks, but she was resolutely silent. He stared into her eyes a moment, willing her to stay strong. She gave him a tiny nod, and he turned back to Barnes.
"All right, Barnes. You want me to tell you something? Well, here it is." He inclined his head slightly, and Barnes followed his example. David waited a moment, and then said in a low, clear, icy voice, "Go to hell!"
Barnes jerked his head back, rage distorting his features again. He took another step towards David, and without warning, punched him in his wounded shoulder. David yelled in shock and stumbled back as fingers of pain clawed through his body. Barnes stepped back.
"I gave you a choice, Grief. Too bad you didn't take it." He turned towards the pirate holding Isabelle, and said, "Be creative. We'll watch."
Behind him, the three remaining pirates held David back even as he struggled to reach Isabelle, and the first pirate grinned. The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed across the clearing.
* * * * * * *
Katie followed Mauriri as he set a breakneck pace across the dark jungle. She wondered how he could find his way so well in the darkness. She continued along behind him, aware of Jack behind her and Tah-mey bringing up the rear. All she could hear was the rustle of bushes as they passed, and the harsh rasps of their breathing. The silence allowed her to imagine all sorts of horrible things. She saw David slipping further into unconsciousness, and imagined his wound becoming severely infected. She thought of what would happen if any animals found them. But worst of all, she imagined that Barnes had found them. She knew her cousin's temper; it wouldn't be well for David and Isabelle if he found them. She kept up a silent running plea in her head, asking God to keep the two of them safe until her group could get there.
Suddenly, ahead of her, Mauriri slowed down. He held up a hand, and Katie immediately stopped. So did Jack and Tah-mey. Katie bent over her knees, trying to get her breath back. She looked up at Mauriri.
"What is it?" she asked softly. Behind her, she could hear Jack checking his gun, and Tah-mey sliding his knife out of its sheath to check it.
Mauriri looked around the jungle. "We're close," he said. "We need to go a little slower and more quietly now, just in case David and Isabelle aren't the only ones there." His words caused the fear in Katie to inch even higher, but she gamely swallowed and nodded. They continued along a little slower than before, but now they were very careful about the sounds they were making.
Without warning, Mauriri froze. Katie just missed slamming into his back. He looked back at her, his finger at his lips. Even in the darkness, Katie could see the wariness in his eyes. He motioned for them to move forward. They crept ahead, and not a sound escaped them. Katie saw a tree that they had passed on their way to the boat. She had remembered the unusual shape of the twisted trunk, and realized that they were very near the clearing where they had left David and Isabelle.
She heard a noise ahead of them, and understood why Mauriri had stopped. There were voices coming from the clearing. She heard garbled talking, and then heard David clearly. He was yelling at someone to stop. Her blood ran cold as she recognized Barnes' voice. She gasped when she heard the sound of someone being hit.
Mauriri led the way to the outside of the clearing, and they all paused to have a look. Katie could see immediately that their early caution had not been necessary. The group in the clearing was too involved in what they were doing to have paid any attention to noises coming from the jungle.
In the clearing, Isabelle was being held upright by a surly-looking pirate while Barnes yelled at David. Katie could see a bruise on Isabelle's jaw, and blood was trickling down from a gash along her cheekbone. There was also blood coming from her split lip, and the meaty fist of the pirate holding her was smeared with that blood. As she watched, David cursed at Barnes and then spit on him. Barnes slammed his fist into David's stomach, and David doubled up, coughing. Katie also saw fresh blood dotting the bandage around David's injury. She guessed that her wretched cousin had probably hit David in the shoulder, or had one of the men around him do it.
Unlike her earlier reaction to watching one of her ship crews get shot, she didn't feel anguish, but instead she felt a tingling rush of fury in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her fists as a hot wave of adrenaline swept through her. She wanted nothing more than to go out there and rip her cousin's head off of his body. She turned towards Mauriri, her eyes blazing with a cold blue fire.
"What are we going to do?" she demanded in a harsh whisper. She gritted her teeth as she heard Isabelle cry out in pain.
Mauriri, with one last glance at the clearing, drew them back a little ways. He waited until they had all gathered around him, and then began.
"There's five of them, and four of us. I don't think we can count too much on David or Isabelle. I saw that all but the one holding Isabelle had guns, so that leaves us with three guns and a knife to their four guns. The best way would be for the four of us to circle around and get behind the nearest pirate. It doesn't look like they know that we're here at all, or Barnes would probably have his men in the jungle looking for us. OK, this is how we'll do it…"
As Mauriri outlined his plan, Katie listened intently, but a part of her was keeping itself trained on the noises coming from the clearing. They only served to fuel her anger. You are a dead man, Mitchell; you just don't know it yet, she thought, as another cry drifted back to her.
As soon as he was sure that everyone knew what he or she was going to do, Mauriri rose and silently got into position. He waited until the others were ready, and then looked at each in turn. They nodded, and he faced the clearing again. He raised his arm, and all eyes turned to him. He dropped his arm, and the four of them burst into the clearing.
David's throat was starting to get hoarse from yelling. His heart bled as the pirate holding Isabelle delivered a series of painful blows to her face, cutting her cheek and mouth. He couldn't stand the cries that were coming from her. He struggled madly against the men holding him, and even with the three of them, they were hard pressed to keep the enraged man from breaking free and going after the pirate hurting Isabelle. He struggled even as his shoulder screamed in agony and his stomach roiled with the effects of the blow Barnes had dealt him.
Suddenly, to his astonishment, four figures leapt from the bushes surrounding the clearing. The three pirates holding him grunted as three bodies tackled them, and they fell to the ground in a writhing mass of punches and kicks. David felt a small hand grip his arm and help him to his feet. He found himself facing a pair of concerned blue eyes.
"Katie?!"
She smiled slightly. "David." Her eyes ran over his bleeding shoulder. "Are you all right?"
He nodded, hardly believing that she was there. His head snapped around suddenly and locked on the man holding Isabelle. The pirate was staring around him in shock, his mouth hanging open. David looked back at Katie, and wordlessly she nodded. He needed to get to Isabelle. He briefly touched Katie's cheek, and took off.
The pirate saw him coming only seconds before he got there, and David hit him with a satisfying thud. The man went flying. Isabelle fell on her knees as he abruptly released her. David dropped down beside her.
"Are you OK?" they said at the same time. David gave a little bark of laughter and let his eyes roam over her bloodied face.
"I'm so sorry, Isabelle," he murmured. She gently shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault, David. Now go get that bastard."
David turned to see the stunned pirate shaking his head and slowly getting to his feet. With a yell David leaped at him. All the fury he had felt as he'd been forced to watch the man beat Isabelle came to the forefront. Ignoring his shoulder, David hit the man with a flurry of blows. Two right hooks followed a series of gut punches, then a kick to the knee stopped him in his tracks, all capped off with a spectacular left uppercut that knocked the man out cold. He fell to the ground, measuring out his length on the jungle floor.
David panted in satisfaction, before Isabelle cried out and grabbed at his hand. He fell to the ground just as a bullet whistled by his ear. He looked around. Barnes lowered the gun he had just shot, his eyes wide and crazed in anger. David scrambled up, but to Barnes' bewilderment, David ignored him to pull Isabelle to the edge of the clearing. With a yell Barnes charged after David. David turned just in time, and the two began swinging.
Isabelle picked up a length of wood that lay on the ground, determined to keep anyone else away from David. Just then one of the pirates charged at her, and she swung her makeshift club hard, catching him a painful blow across the chest. He gasped for air, darting her a hateful glance before running back towards the others.
A little distance away from Isabelle, a melee was going on. Mauriri, Jack and Tah-mey were trading blows with the pirates. Tah-mey's knife scored a neat hit on one of the pirates as Isabelle watched, and the man grabbed his cut arm, howling. Jack and one of the other pirates were locked together, shuffling in a ragged circle as they continued to pummel one another. Mauriri, who had lost his gun somewhere, hit his opponent with a vicious blow to the gut, but the man managed to kick out with his feet, and the two fell apart. Unfortunately, the pirate fell close to his own weapon, and drew it as he and Mauriri sat up to face each other.
Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, Katie appeared behind him and smashed her gun down on the base of his skull. His eyes rolled up in his head, and with a groan he slid bonelessly to the ground. Mauriri nodded his thanks to Katie, and the two of them headed off to help Jack and Tah-mey.
Meanwhile, David and Barnes continued to fight. David managed to get Barnes around the throat, but the man struggled like mad and brought his head back to connect sharply with David's jaw. David released him, but then swept his leg out and knocked Barnes off of his feet. He fell heavily on his back, and David was on him. He landed a blow to Barnes' mouth, and red blood spilled freely down the man's chin. Barnes let out a strangled scream and levered himself off the ground, catching David around the middle, and they tumbled into a heap again.
Tah-mey's knife scored another blow, this time drawing blood from the pirate's chest. The man squealed in fright and turned to run, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Katie's gun. She smiled coldly.
"I wouldn't if I were you," she said, gesturing for him to move. Defeated, he slumped and walked to the edge of the clearing. He knew that he was a dead man. The law in the South Seas looked with very little favor on pirates, and even less on murdering pirates.
Jack's opponent froze as Mauriri, who had recovered his gun, pressed it into his ribs. The man scowled and released Jack, but not before punching Jack in the eye. Jack cursed and hit him back. The man dropped to his knees as Mauriri clicked the hammer of his gun. Tah-mey moved to relieve Katie from watching the pirate she had caught, and Jack dragged the unconscious one she had hit over to join his companions. Katie turned to see David and Barnes still fighting.
David and Barnes rolled around on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand. Isabelle couldn't get a hit in; she was worried that she might accidentally hit David, with the rate that the two were changing position. Finally, David got free of Barnes with one last kick, and stood away from him. Barnes rose slowly to his feet, one hand hanging limply at his side. David was facing Katie, and Barnes had his back slightly to the cousin he didn't know was there.
David looked around him. The fight was just about over. Mauriri, Jack, Tah-mey and Katie had managed to take care of Barnes' pirates, and Isabelle had done a fine job protecting him. His eyes turned back to Barnes.
The man was breathing heavily, his face a mask of rage. He was staring the end of his way of life, and he knew it. He turned hate-filled eyes on David, standing just a few feet away.
"Give it up, Barnes," David called. "There's nothing you can do now." He gestured at the subdued pirates. Barnes just stared at David, and an odd expression came into his eyes. David didn't like that look. He liked it even less when Barnes slowly smiled, a twisted little grin that raised the hair on David's neck.
"That's not necessarily true, Captain Grief," he said slowly. "You've caused me a great deal of trouble. Without you, Katie would never have been able to find me. That little twit could have gone on believing that unstoppable pirates were raiding her ships, and it would've all been fine."
David shook his head at Barnes' reasoning. He couldn't believe how much Barnes was deluding himself. Katie had already figured out that it had to be one of her people. She would quickly have figured out that it was Barnes.
"You caused me to lose the one thing that mattered to me most, Grief," Barnes said, and he was no longer smiling. His features were red and distorted with anger. "Let's see if I can return the favor."
He raised the gun in his hand, aiming at something to the side of David. He had to have picked up the gun just as they rose from the ground. David suddenly knew, in the pit of his stomach, that Barnes was aiming at Isabelle. He heard her gasp next to him. Even as Barnes' finger tightened on the trigger, David was in motion. He desperately strained to reach Barnes. Yet he knew that he was too far away.
Everything seemed to slow to a crawl. David saw Barnes move in slow motion, saw the hammer cock back on the gun, the click echoing like thunder in his ears. He stretched out his arm and lunged.
There was a roar that, to David's ears, was as loud as a cannon. A cloud of smoke from a gun filled the air. David heard the thud of a body hit the sand. A red miasma rose up in his mind, filling his vision with despair.
"NO!" he screamed, feeling his heart shatter to pieces. He'd been too late.
Oh, aren't I awful to leave it there? *evil grin* Who gets shot? I promise not to have the next installment wait so long-it's actually about half done. Please, enjoy, and use that little button down there and review!