The Escape

For a few fragile minutes, Alanna felt completely numb. Her exposed body lay openly on the bed, bruises speckling her ivory skin. Rather than flee, she remained still, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. As thought began to return, so did warmth and use of her limbs. She sat up, the light from the candles revealing the evening's events. Her hair was mangled, falling in strange tangles down her back. Her eyes were now that of a haunted soul, searching for the solace to heal her wounds, but could find none. The ends of her shirt fell to her wrists, providing little cover. Her legs curled underneath her as she struggled to keep warm in the frigid room. Her breath came in little gasps, trying to regain its normal rhythm. Her eyes searched warily around the dark cabin, searching for the hunter who had so brutally taken her. Her heart leapt at the slightest sound, only to be relieved. For the moment, she was alone. But that could only last for so long. One thing was clear; she had to escape and somehow get to Will…and she had to do it quickly.

As nimbly as she could, she slid to the edge of the bed, gaining her footing. She stood slowly, looking around for her abandoned clothes. Beside her feet were her leggings. That was a start. Soon she found another shirt (the source of it hardly matter at this point) and her vest. This would have to do. She left her boots where they fell, for fear she would be heard as she climbed the stairs. Despite her ordeal, something sparked with her. The time to act was now, or there would be no hope for any of them. Before leaving, she searched for the locket, only to find it half-hidden beneath the bed. Stuffing it in her pocket, she gave one last wary glance toward the deck. From the casual tone of the voices, Erebus was still busy, at least for now. Setting her stance, she crept to where Will and the crew were being held.

In the brig, Will was beginning to feel the effects of their capture. The absence of water left his mouth dry, and the smell could hardly be called pleasant. Above the uncomfortable conditions, his heart ached. He knew all too well what Erebus was capable of, and it would be a miracle if he hadn't taken her by now. What's more, the future looked anything but bright. As soon as he felt Alanna was of no further use to him, she would be killed. Then he would dispose of his men, torturing them until they begged for death. At the end of it all, the only thing left to hope for would be that his own death would result in seeing Alanna once more. Engrossed in the extremity of his situation, he barely noticed the slight noise coming from across the room. The others however, took notice and moved to the opposite side of the cell, curious. On one hand, it could merely be a rat scurrying around the lower decks. Or, by some blessed stroke of luck, it was Alanna, who had somehow escaped the hands of her captor. Sure enough, a slender figure appeared in the eerie light. Will snapped out of his stupor at the sound of her name, and turned to the cause of the excited commotion. He rushed to the other side.

"Alanna!"

"Shh!" she hissed, putting a finger to her lips. As she came forward, Will looked at her, confused.

"How did you escape?" he whispered.

"I didn't," she said simply. "I just got lucky."

Will smiled, but it was not returned. She kept her eyes away from his, only acknowledging him with a few fleeting glances.

"Alanna, where's Erebus?" Arthur asked, holding the same bewildered look as his captain.

"Busy at the moment," Alanna replied, her tone neutral. "But it won't take him long to realize I've gone. We've got to get out of here."

"How?"

For the first time, she smirked, holding a brass key up to the light. "He really needs to take better care of his things."

The crew chuckled lightly. Confidently she placed the key in its lock, and it clicked obediently. All the while, Alanna kept focused, carefully avoiding Will's gaze. Once the lock snapped open, the door swung easily. Motioning them to be as quiet as possible, she let them pass, promising she would follow shortly. At last, Will reached her. He moved to embrace her, but she stepped back.

"Later," she cautioned. "If Erebus doesn't know I've gone yet, he will soon."

Will searched her face, but saw only purpose and determination. This was due to not only the desire to leave as soon as possible, but also the desire to keep the horrors of her ordeal far from her present thoughts. She was in survival mode now, and she was determined to keep it that way until she was sure they would escape unscathed. Sighing, she allowed him to fall in behind her, keeping a firm watch for any of Ereubs's men.

Within moments, they were inching toward to edge of the ship. With a million tasks to be done aboard, the crew hardly noticed. Just as they were hopping onto the balcony, however, a man passing by the stern noticed their desperate escape. He shouted earnestly, alerting the crew to the commotion below. Seeing as there was no other way down, the crew of the Dutchman jumped into the lukewarm water. Soon only Alanna and Will here left. They could hear shouts behind them and were sure they had mere moments before they reached them. Will turned swiftly to her.

"There's no chance both of us will make it. You go. Erebus can't afford to kill me. I'll be all right."

Alanna looked at him as though he were completely crazy. They had no time to argue for within moments, Will was met with the first wave of attackers.

"Go!" he yelled to her as he punched the first man he met. "Trust me!"

Seeing that she had little choice, she unclipped her sword and threw it to him.

"You'd better be right," she said through gritted teeth, and hurled herself over the rail. Will sighed. At least she would be safe now. At this point, he hardly cared about his fate. Her life would be spared, and that was enough. He managed to fend them off for a short while, but soon they proceeded to overpower him, and he was forced to surrender.

Meanwhile, Alanna and the crew found themselves in a predicament of their own. The sea was beginning to get rough, which made it nearly impossible to return to the Dutchman. What little light they had was fading fast, and any piece of land was now well out of reach. They struggled hard against the current without making much progress. All they could do was wait it out and hopefully, if their luck was still with them, a friendly vessel would come their way.

Aboard the Raven, Erebus came forward, smirking as he held Will's own sword to his throat.

"How pathetic," he said, shaking his head. "That you rely on a woman to save your life. Daring, yes, but pathetic. I'm surprised she had the nerve to rescue you in the first place."

Will growled, but could do nothing to defend his honor, let alone hers. Erebus chuckled, holding the sword up.

"Not that it matters of course," he observed. "I got what I wanted in the end. And it's not like you'll ever see her again."

The crew followed their captain's taunting, while one of them inquired why they were letting the others go.

"They are no longer our concern," Erebus explained as they sent Will back into the hull. "If the water doesn't kill them…the sharks will finish the job."

Laughing with his crew, Erebus made his way to the helm, fingering Will's sword all the while.

As the light faded from the sky, the panic of the crew began to rise. Without a ship and no way to climb aboard, they were stranded. They sat in the water for what seemed like ages, conserving their energy. A feeling of forlornness swept over them as they watched the Dutchman slip further and further from their grasp. As for Alanna, her ordeal was beginning to take its toll. She avoided conversation with Arthur, giving him short assurances that she was totally fine. With the coming of darkness, her fear and anxiety grew. They weren't going to get out of this one, and even if they did, Will would be long gone before they could get to him. Even though she kept her head well above water, she felt like she was drowning. The moment they felt it was all over, that they would soon succumb to the water or the creatures lurking beneath it, a sound of rushing water reawakened their hope. Sure enough, a ship could be seen on the horizon, lit by the lamps on deck. Soon enough, the ship loomed into view, but it wasn't whom they expected. Stretching above them, with a figurine of a woman attached to the bow, was the Black Pearl.