A Desperate Plan

Over the next couple days, Alanna, with the cooperation of Jack and his men, formed and reformed their plan to rescue Will, making sure everything would go as planned. Desperate to keep her ordeal from overwhelming her, Alanna kept herself occupied by investing in the tasks aboard the ship. This kept her demons away while the sun shown, but once darkness fell, they wreaked havoc on her unconscious. Too often she awoke abruptly, her body damp with sweat. Flashes from her encounter with Erebus darted through her mind, raw and unforgiving. As much as she wanted to seek solace within the confidence of her friends, she was forced to stay reserved. There was still a job to do, and she couldn't afford to lose their respect, especially under the watchful eyes of Jack Sparrow. He stayed well out of her way, but she could hardly avoid him for long, seeing as this was his ship.

It wasn't only Jack who noticed Alanna's strange behavior. Several members of Will's crew, Arthur especially, began questioning her about her current state. One sharp look from her, however, told them to leave it well enough alone. Though increasingly worried, they obliged, concentrating instead on their plan, which would very soon be put into action.

Meanwhile, unaware that the Pearl was rapidly approaching, the Black Raven sailed on, celebrating their recent spoils. Will, along with his ship, was captured and there was no one to stop them. As the crew continued their business on deck, Erebus was having his own fun below, shoving Will's recent defeat into his face. Erebus smirked for the billionth time that day, gloating at his captive. Will looked worse for wear, to put it lightly. He was against the wall, his wrists bound and tied to a light fixture attached to the wall. Having been beaten several times, his face and body were bruised and scraped, his lip bleeding from having been split for the second time. On top of that, the hopelessness of never seeing Alanna again was like a crushing weight on his chest, making it hard to breathe. She would no doubt be dead by now, as well as the members of his surviving crew. All he could hope for now was that his death would be quick and painless. Immersed in these thoughts, he barely heard Erebus's taunting words.

"So this is how you make your final stand, is it, Will? Broken and defeated at the hands of your enemy? I would have expected more from you."

Casually he stepped close to him, lifting his chin with the hilt of the dagger in his hand. He sighed disappointedly. "Your lover is gone forever. Your crew has abandoned you. And now you find yourself at my mercy. You stopped me from killing my target a year ago, but I must say your death will be far more satisfying." He moved even closer, his breath stirring the hair beside Will's ear. "Like it or not, Turner, I've won."

Laughing softly, he backed away, gloating at the pathetic figure in front of him. Fingering the dagger, he walked out of the room without looking back.

Upon entering the afternoon sun, the pleasure he got out of Will's torture quickly faded. His men were shouting franticly, saying that the Black Pearl was not but 100 yards away and rapidly closing the gap. Agitated by this new presence, he hurried to the helm and gazed into the spyglass. Not only was Jack clearly intending to catch up to and perhaps engage battle with the Raven, but it had appeared as though Will's crew, including Alanna, had survived and now joined him.

Now infuriated, he snapped the spyglass shut and turned to his men.

"Lower the anchor on the starboard side!" he bellowed. "If they want a fight, they're going to get it! Make sure the Dutchman is anchored! I'll have your heads if that ship is lost!"

As soon as the Dutchman was anchored and the line severed, a great rumbling sound could be heard from the starboard side as the anchor clambered into the water. With any luck, it would grab a piece of the reef below, thus causing the ship to swing around. Sure enough, the anchor caught, and the Raven turned abruptly around, the pull of the anchor splitting the wood as it did so. Below, Will was becoming acutely alert of the recent turn of events. As the ship turned, he struggled to keep himself upright. Eventually the ship leveled as the sound of cannons sounded off nearby. Having been so familiar with the Pearl, he recognized them immediately. Now more confused than ever, Will could only listen as the battle began, wondering whether or not he was going to be rescued.

At the helm, Erebus held firmly onto the wheel, now facing this new threat.

"Alright, Jack," he muttered to himself. "I was willing to spare you when you crossed me before, but I'll not be so merciful this time. Prepare to lose your beloved Pearl."

Aboard the Pearl, the crew was quickly preparing for the battle that would soon begin. However things would go, they vowed to stick to the plan unless something happened they couldn't control. As for Alanna, she faced this battle with both determination and fear. She would have to avoid Erebus at all coasts if she were going to have any chance of saving Will. Not only was he a skilled and dangerous swordsman, he had a power over her that went far beyond his physical ability. She set her jaw as the Raven came up alongside them, clutching her sword fiercely. If she could keep an eye on him somehow and make sure he didn't come near her, everything should go as planned.

"Now!" Jack roared, and at the sound of his command, Alanna, Arthur, and a few others grabbed their hooks and swung them into the air, all of them attaching to the Raven's deck. Effortlessly they swung across, instantly being met with an onslaught of attackers. As the battle began above, fresh cannonballs were being thrown into the cannons below, the spark of ignition sending them careening through the air, striking the other ship's hull. The war cries of the two crews joined in harmony with the booming of the cannons below their feet. In the cabin, Will continued to listen impatiently as shouts from the Pearl's crew became clearer. Within seconds, the doors flew open as Jack came barreling through them. Will's startled expression quickly turned to a mixture of relief and confusion.

"Bloody hell, Jack," he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Jack shrugged as he sauntered casually toward his comrade. "Ask your girlfriend," he replied, cutting him loose. "She's been calling the shots lately."

Will's heart leapt. So she was alive, and what's more, she was just outside fighting to save him. Smiling with relief, he followed Jack into the thick.

The battle was worse than Will expected. Not only were his rescuer's numbers dwindling, but the Pearl was beginning to take on water, and fast. The effects of the constant cannon fire were taking its toll on the ship and it was sinking quickly. In addition to that, he couldn't find Alanna among the contributors of the fight. Before he could further his search, he and Jack were caught by a couple of Erebus's crew. Looking around franticly, he found an abandoned sword and picked it up without a second thought. He would have to find Alanna later, but for now his only concern was staying alive.

Towards the mast, things were just as bad if not worse. For Arthur, his most recent attacker had left him with a bloody gash along his forehead. Cursing madly, he rounded on his next opponent, consequently leaving Alanna to fight for herself. Up until now, he had kept a firm eye in her, coming to her aid despite her objections. As he further engaged in his duel, Alanna herself was bombarded with a fresh wave of adversaries. The brute was slightly heavy but well armed and equally skilled. Though it took a while, she was able to fend him off and finally land a disarming blow. As she turned back to assist her friend she stopped dead. A few feet away, Erebus stood facing her, smiling in mock welcome. Unable to breathe, she grasped the mast, staring in horror at her attacker. The worse had happened, and she could do nothing to escape it. Her world began to spin and the sounds around her were becoming muffled. Somewhere far away, she heard someone call her name, the urgency growing with each second. Beyond her, Arthur was screaming at her, desperate to get her attention. He was quickly being outnumbered as Erebus himself advanced on him. But Alanna remained where she was, frozen in fear. Too late, she realized what was happening and shook her head in an effort to clear it. Slowly, her senses began to return, only to be stunned when Erebus slid his blade into Arthur's chest, sending him to the floor. Satisfied, Erebus looked casually at his sword and wiped the blood from it with his shirt before moving on.

As the battle neared its end, a terrible shriek filled the air. Bewildered, the other men, Will and Jack included, stopped to wonder what made that horrifying sound. The battle was clearly not going in their favor, and if they were going to have a chance to escape, it was now. They abruptly fled their opponents and headed for the railing, seeing their only way out was to jump. The awful scream continued as the crew sailed into the water and Alanna, her world going black, realized with a jolt of recognition that the blood-curdling scream…was hers.