Back in England he had once been on a fox hunt. It had not been a particularly rewarding experience. There was a party of hunters, most of them riding on horses, while some servant conducted over a dozen of foxhounds on the leach. The dogs usually salivated heavily and once they had picked up the trail of the animal, they would become agitated and start barking. The fox really didn't stand much of a chance since the hunters and the dogs outnumbered him so unfairly.

What he despised about it was the fact that it was not really a sport – there was no exertion that was recompensed by success – one didn't have to do much to catch the pray. It was rather a cruel parlour game than an actual hunt. In the end the dogs would get the fox and tear him apart, as the hunters stood by and watching, occasionally praising their pets for their keen senses. He definitely took no pleasure in something like that.

The current situation bore a close resemblance to a fox hunt. Two days ago the Flying Dutchman had picked up the trace of another ship. How they had managed to was beyond him, but given his surrounding and the company he was in, he didn't need to question the fact that they did. Davy Jones barked a couple of orders across deck and Norrington hurried to make himself useful. The fact that the shark-headed crewman with the barbed scourge hanging from his belt had eyed him interestedly ever since he had arrived on board, presented an additional enticement.

Undoubtedly they would catch up with the ship sooner or later. They were probably pirates and since Davy Jones had order from Lord Beckett to destroy any pirate ship that crossed his path, they were already doomed without knowing it. A couple of months ago it would have been of no consequence to him what happened to those strangers, but now things were different. It was not like all of a sudden he had started to morally condone piracy, but after all they were fellow human beings. He believed the punishment that awaited them was disproportionate to their crimes.

To be quite frank, it scared him what he saw in the eyes of those hybrid creatures half man, half monster that surrounded him. It was as if in the course of the many years they had spent on board of the ship, all humanity had left them and what remained was only animalistic instinct. They seemed to be already fletching their teeth like hungry dogs and liking their lips in anticipation. Every time he looked at them he recoiled inwardly, but secretly asked himself what really made him any different from them. He knew despair all to well. They had been forced into their bargain with Davy Jones, because they had no other choice, because despair had driven them to bind themselves to him eternally. And had he not traded his soul to Beckett, because he had nowhere left to go, but back into his old life? Therefore he could not allow himself the luxury of feeling superior. On the contrary, he felt humbled discovering those parallels.

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Josephine had woken to the anxious calls of the lookout. "A ship! A ship! We are being followed," he had called out repeatedly until the whole crew had assembled on deck. They all looked just as drowsy as she felt, but the last remains of sleep quickly vanished from their faces as they recognized their pursuers.

"It's the Flying Dutchman," William Turner announced the verdict right after he had lowered the spyglass.

She had expected this, just not so soon. Josephine shielded her eyes with her hand, frantically trying to make out the ship in the distance, but to no avail. All she could see was a tiny little black dot that was lurking at the horizon. Their time was running out and if they were not able to save Sparrow, her whole plan would be ruin.

"Will we be able to make it?" she enquired nervously.

"No," Barbossa replied matter-of-factly, "even the Pearl barely managed to outrun them and on this ship we don't stand a chance in hell."

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Elizabeth interjected, unusually agitated.

All of a sudden another frightened scream from the lookout interrupted the discussion on deck. This time though, the poor man wasn't even able to articulate what he had seen properly. The only things that left his mouth were indiscernible vowel sounds, but explanation were not needed at that point. They were all able to see what had caused his discomfort.

"Bloody hell," Barbossa whispered as he stared at the picture in front of them. Seconds later he had overcome his astonishment, "Let go anchor! Let go anchor!" he screamed with a discrete amount of panic in his voice.

The crew awoke from its astonished trance and sudden jumped into action. Immediately the deck was filled with frantic activity. The rusty chain rattled noisily as the heavy anchor dived with a loud splash into the waves of the ocean, while the gale still curved the sails and carried the ship ahead. Like a dog yanked back by the leash the Enterprise came to a sudden stop and made the men and women aboard stumble around comically. A loud creaking noise expressed the ships disapproval of being treated so poorly.

They hadn't anchored a second too late. When Josephine pulled herself up on the railing she was hardly able to believe her eyes. Hadn't Galileo claimed the world was round like a ball? Still what she saw seemed to prove his words wrong. Before her lay gaping nothingness - an endless abyss that had no ground. The sea just ended there. Its waves seemed to hit an impenetrable wall. Apparently not even the smallest drop of water was allowed to trespass this invisible barrier.

All she was able to do in the face of such insanity was to let out dry laugh that seemed to choke in her throat.

"Well, I suppose that's the end of the world," William remarked beside her, as he stared with wide eyes into the abyss.

"You think?" she arched a delicate eyebrow at him.

As if on cue Tia Dalma made her appearance on deck. Unlike the rest of them she didn't seem to be even the least bewildered. The look on her face bore close resemblance to the content expression of a runner that made it across the finish line as the winner of the race. "We're finally there," she announced, then turned her head in the direction of Barbossa, "You should prepare da plank."

"The plank?" Josephine looked at her incredulously.

"Yeah, da plank," Tia answered without deeming it necessary to clarify her intentions any further.

Elizabeth came to her aid, "Why? Where would we be going? There is nothing there…quite literally," she gesticulated at the abyss behind her or a lack of words.

"Exactly," the voodoo woman awarded them one of her black teethed grins that was reserved for special occasions.

This explanation wasn't particularly trust inspiring, when she heard it first and it became even less reassuring once the plank was actually extended and they were expected to set foot on it. Somehow Tia was convinced that William, Elizabeth and Josephine were supposed to go on this crazy rescue mission and surprisingly no one was arguing with her. Apparently the others were worried she could make up her mind and send them instead.

"This is insane," Josephine protested just as William climbed on the wooden board.

"Do you want to save Jack?" Tia asked rhetorically.

"Yes."

"Then I'd suggest you hurry up," the voodoo priestess told her callously and motioned into general direction of the plank.

Josephine looked at her in bafflement, but then slowly nodded. She just hoped she knew what she was doing.

Obviously William was less hesitant about following senseless orders. He was already balancing over the plank, only when he reached the end he hesitated briefly. Traces of an inward struggle were briefly delineating on his face, then he made up his mind, closed his eyes tightly and jumped. He seemed to momentarily hover in midair between the ship and the abyss before he disappeared. The invisible barrier between sea and the devouring void suddenly became shiny and viscous like melted silver. William broke the surface and large circles extended from his entrance point. The air flickered like it was heated up too much by the sun, then pacified again. The phenomena reoccurred right after Elizabeth had jumped.

Josephine was the last to go. When she reached the end of the plank, she threw a brief glance over her shoulder to take a last look at the approaching ship. Then she made her decision and jumped.

Author's note: Thanks for reviewing, you guys! As I said the last chapter was a bit weird (what happened in the ceremony was some sort of out-of-body-experience, supposedly induced by the undefinable liquid Josephine had to drink) From here it just gets weirder and then darker...so beware.

The End of the World - I figured it was something like in Eric the Viking (this great abyss). No worries, I'm not gonna leave Josephine haning there in midair for long ;-)