This is my first fanfic in English. It's not my native language, so please don't be too hard, if you can find one or two mistakes.
Please R&R.
Yours, Wolvesdawn
Sundown
The sinking sun painted the Caribbean Sea in a glaring red light. Red, just as red as the blood of the injured and dying people that soiled the deck of the Black Pearl. The blood of their enemies but also their own.
Will had never wanted to kill, but how many lives he had taken during this day, he was not able to count. Neither his daily practice, nor the fight against Barbossas undead pirates could have prepared him for this massacre.
They had appeared like ghosts out of the naught: The three ships of the royal-Spanish navy hadn't lost any time and immediately opened fire to the Black Pearl. Before they were able to organize their defence, they were encircled and the Spaniards had begun to enter.
Will stabbed his dagger in the neck of a soldier and whirled around, parried the stroke of the next attacker in the last second. With a disgusting sound the two blades scratched one upon another. He clenched the left into a fist and hit his opponent into the face. The thin bone underneath the right eye broke with a clear audible crack. With a cry of pain the soldier stumbled back, but Will gave him no opportunity to raise his weapon against him once more. His sword made a semi circled move as quick as a lightning and the sword of the soldier flew away. Only one moment later, the man crumbled on the ground.
Careless, Will wiped his hair out of his face and his fingers left a bloody trace behind.
Out of the corner of his eye he perceived a hasty motion. Some sort of reflex caused him to raise his weapon. The blow, which was meant to hit his head scratched along his shoulder and left a painfully burning path. Will stumbled, when the other kicked him in the hollow of his knee. Some endless seeming seconds he fought hopelessly for his balance, and lost. He landed hart on his back and closed his eyes in surrender, when his opponent raised his weapon for the final strike. But the last, all erasing pain did not come. Instead, there was a sharp sound of steel upon steel and then a body hit the deck next to him.
He blinked, and then he could see Jack's slender form against the bright sunlight. "On yer feet, whelp. Or do ya want the next idiot to break 'is neck by stumblin' ov'r ya?" The pirate's voice sounded coarse and a little breathless, nevertheless he indicated no weakness.
"'Would be worth thinking about." Will grimaced his bloody face to a tired smile. But his eyes showed no trace of humour.
Jack reached out his hand and pulled Will back to his feet, just to run his shoulder brutally against his chest in the next moment. Will gasped when the air was forced out of his lungs. He stumbled backwards and pulled the pirate with him. The blade of a Spanish soldier cut thought the air, right where they had stood
. The force of his own attack made the aggressor stumble. With a furious snarl Jack struck out and forcefully punched the temple of the man with his elbow. This finally sent the soldier to the ground.
With some quick large strokes the pirate captain got himself some space, so that he was able to survey the deck of his ship. Will was already entangled in a fight with one of the Spaniards. This day would change the whelp in any case. He had seen it in his eyes. The total absence of hope and joy, which takes place in every man, who had met death too often.
With regret he thought about how young Will actually was. Much too young.
They lost their ground step by step. The Spaniards were vastly superior. They couldn't win this fight. That had been obvious from the beginning.
The recklessness of the Spaniards fight showed, that they didn't specifically want to make captives. Those who had the bad luck to be captured alive, were supposed to die at the gallows. To lay down their arms would buy them only a few hours. But to surrender was no option, not for him. Not for Captain Jack Sparrow. Even though he felt an icy lump deep inside, when he thought about his crew. It was his fault. They died, because they loyally followed him, because they trusted in him.
Jack instinctively dropped down on his knees, when he heard a furious scream behind him. The attack missed him that narrow, so that he meant to feel the whiff of the blade. Without making sure where his enemy was located, Jack thrust his sword backwards and the sound of steel ripping through cloth and flesh showed him that he had hit. He didn't take the trouble to look, if he really knocked off the other. Instead of that, the pirate charged forward and with the force of his attack struck the next soldier down to the floor. Jack didn't give the man an opportunity for defence. Without thinking he smashed the laryngeal of the man with a good aimed blow. Even though he straightened up immediately he could see the raising panic in the eyes of the dying man. To suffocate slowly was not a gracious death.
But Jack didn't care about that. He cared about nothing.
The next attacker caught him completely out off guard. It was really the last moment when Jack was able to bring up his sword. The force of the attack caused a violent pain in his arm. But this was nothing compared with the agony exploding in his muscles, when the blade of the Spaniard slipped off and cut a deep wound in his upper arm. With a cry of pain Jack stumbled backwards. Within a second his shirt was soaked with his own blood. Now, the soldier was sure to have an easy game and gave chase immediately. Jack supposed to see a hint of triumph in the eyes of the other, while he regained his balance with a hasty step aside. Without hesitation he changed the sword from the right to his left hand. During the years he had learned to fight equally well with both hands, and this ability had become a last deadly surprise for several of his late opponents. Jack made just one single fast stroke and this time it was the Spaniard who cried out in pain. The badly bleeding wound on his thigh caused the man to break down on his knees, but the pirate paid no more attention to him. He wasn't a danger anymore.
He should never be told where the shot came from. The only thing he was able to feel was a horrible, all erasing pain that spread out over his entire body. It seemed to inflame every fibre of his being. His perception burst into thousands of little fragments and then there was only an all covering darkness.
The quarterdeck was littered with dead bodies and the wooden deck was slippery from their blood. With a good placed stroke of his sword Will sent his last opponent to hell. Out of breath he surveyed the chaos on deck of the Black Pearl. He saw Gibbs fall, under the merciless strokes of a Spanish soldier. And in that moment he realized, that they had lost already lost this fight, even if some of the pirates offered fierce resistance. Obviously, Jack was hurt, but he also fought doggedly. With his left, as Will realized astonished. Nevertheless his opponent was not able to beat him. But the next moments seemed to be a nightmare for Will. He saw, how the Spaniard fell to his knees, and suddenly Jack crumbled on the ground too, for no apparent reason.
Without thinking, Will jumped in a fluid motion over the handrail. He had to go to Jack. Regardlessly, the young blacksmith cleaved his way through the fighting people to reach the pirate captain; his friend.
Jack lay motionless on his back. He was unconscious, at least Will hoped so. "Jack!" He kneeled down next to the pirate and gripped him by his shoulders. He shook him, in the hope to get an answer. But Sparrow did not move. In this moment he realized the fast growing pool of blood that formed under the man. Jack's once white shirt was red and heavy because of his own blood. A quiet moan disengaged Will from his stiffness. "Will, wha'…"
"Stay calm. You're hurt."
"I say." Jack's voice was only a rough whisper so it was hard for Will to understand the pirate. The irony in the voice of the older man couldn't be ignored. "What happened?" "'Ve been shot" Jack slurred painfully, while he tried to sit up. But he instantly sank back. His normally sun tanned skin turned pale.
"I'll take you out of here, Jack. Are you able to stand?" Will tried to haul the pirate to his feet, but Jack's cry of pain caused him to stop immediately. "Get away from here lad. Ya cannot help me here." But the young man only intensified his grip. "Clench your teeth Jack; I'll not leave you here!" The pirate clutched his collar with surprising force and pulled him down. "Your father 'as already died for me. I will rather go to hell, than allowing you to do the same. Keep to the code." Will only shook his had. "Only guidelines Jack. It was you, who told me not to leave a friend behind." Jack sighed in distress. "Don't do anything stupid lad." he whispered. A hint of uncertainty showed in Will's eyes. Jack unhanded the younger man's shirt. "Go!" he begged.
In spite of the noise that surrounded them, the shot sounded unnaturally loud in his ears. He could feel fresh, warm blood on his face. Horror-stricken he saw, how Will slowly fell back, a bewildered expression on his handsome face. Jack wanted to scream! He wanted to snap the neck of that bloody bastard, who shot down Will. He wanted to kneel beside his friend and forestall the life flowing out of his body in a constant light red stream! But unable to move, all he could do was watching Will lying beside him. Dying.
Jack refused to hear the Spaniard's cries of triumph. His eyes only lay on the lifeless body beside him. And they lay on Will's eyes. Eyes, that seemed to stare at him full of reproach.
He didn't try to defend himself while they carried him away. Only stared at Will, until he disappeared from his field of vision. Passing the others: Gibbs, Marty, Anamaria. He should have protected them. He should have protected them all.
But he had failed.
