A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. I had writer's block and it was really frustrating. I hope this chapter makes up for the lost time. Plz leave a review so I'll update sooner than before. I'm already working on the next chapter and I hope you like whom I introduce.
Chapter 6: Stranded
'What's this crushing feeling? Why can't I breathe; why won't I breathe?' His body felt as if it were getting tossed around. Something was placing pressure on his head and his lungs refused to take in air. Every time he opened his mouth to engulf the darkness, his body would reject it and cause the boy to close his cold, blue lips again. His lungs were burning and praying for air, his ears were going crazy with the rushing sound. Something hit him hard in the chest as his hands gripped out in the darkness. Everything felt different than usual.
'Liquid?' Jack thought. Yes, it was liquid! That could only mean one thing: Jack had been tossed into the sea. The storm was still raging above as the undercurrent rolled the teen around below. However, Jack was slowly coming to his senses as he began to kick his legs. Then gripping with his arms, Jack pushed back the water and soon came to just below the surface. In a final ditch effort, Jack pushed back his arms and kicked as hard as he could.
Jack never thought he would enjoy breathing so much. His lungs quickly filled with air, moist, salty, refreshing air. Air for him to live off of. His lungs burned, but gradually began to feel better. Jack took several deep breaths before he began to tread in the water.
With weary eyes, the young man looked over the ocean surface. He couldn't see the Pearl any more. She had finally sunken to the depths of Davy Jones' locker. He also couldn't see Hector anywhere. "Hec-" Jack's voice cracked and was cut off. The young man had swallowed too much salt. His throat was dry and his voice scratchy.
Ruling out yelling for his friend, Jack just continued to tread water. He turned in every direction, looking for some clue of Hector's whereabouts. Nothing. A deep worry was beginning to build up inside of Jack. Hector Barbossa was the only true friend that Jack had. If he had lost the other boy… That was nothing to think about. Right now, he needed to stay alive.
Jack's body was already tired when he jumped onto the door, now it was growing weak and he would not be able to swim soon. The seas were slowly calming and the storm was being flushed away by the dawning sun. As golden rays struck the water, the young man began looking for something to hold onto.
With morning there came light, and with light there came visibility. Jack was able to see the debris from the Pearl easier. Planks and splinters floated here and there. Barrels bobbed up and down while small pieces of furniture rocked back and forth. The barrels were a ways away and would be far too tricky to hold onto. The furniture was soaked and old, meaning that it would fall apart; even the planks were unusable. Being splintered and way too small.
Then, something caught the young man's eye. A shadow in the water; larger, darker, and deeper than the other shadows. Jack swam a bit closer. The shadow was not far off and it was gradually becoming larger. This meant that whatever had created the distortion was rising from the depths. Suddenly realizing what was coming, Jack swam harder than before.
Just as the item broke surface, wet and slippery hands gripped onto its side. Fingers desperately searched for a holding as the wood was wet and quickly slipping away from them. Swimming closer, Jack was able to reach out and take hold of the handle protruding from the side of the door.
As his fingers wrapped around the curved gold, Jack began to pull himself from the calming sea. The door immediately began to tip due to the added weight. Not wanting to be pushed back under the surface, the young man let go of the door. There was a small splash and a bit of a wave when the door fell onto the surface of the water. Jack clung onto the edge, no longer trying to pull himself up onto the wooden door.
Gripping the handle, the young man rested his head on the door. Water that came over the bobbing object, splashed gently against Jack's face. He was weak from all the excitement and swimming. His limbs were sore and his legs would hardly move beneath the water. It was no surprise to him when his eyes slowly began to close and the world around him started to get dark.
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"Jack… Jack…" the voice seemed to be traveling through water. It was distorted and echoed into his hollow mind. "Jack…" again it came to him, producing a light. But a very small light it was, for around him there was nothing but a pitch darkness. Then, a soft touch that was both physical and mental. "Jack, you must wake up."
He heard the words, but didn't understand them completely. They had an odd sound to them, as if someone was choking back emotions. "Jack, please," this time, the voice sounded filled with tears and pleading to the young man to live. Slowly, the light grew larger in his mind. Then, another sound entered the man's dream world. It came with a heavy breeze through the dark. To the young man, it sounded like soft sobs.
The sobs created such a feeling of sorrow and guilt inside the young man, that he wanted whomever was crying to stop. Realizing the noise was coming from the light, the young man did not hesitate to reach for it. However, it was far away by then and slipping from his grip. Not wanting to loose the warm feeling it gave him and not wanting to leave the crying person alone, Jack summoned all of his energy. With one burst, Jack reached just far enough to jump through the light and enter the world of the living before the darkness could pull him away again.
---
Blinking several times, Jack was temporarily blinded as the light flooded back into his mind. Groaning softly, the young man soon realized how sore his body was and the fast coming headache. Not being fully awake, Jack was not able to figure out where he was. Groaning again, he slowly turned his head. What he saw sent both relief and sorrow into his heart.
Before the young man had fallen into the pits of unconsciousness he remembered seeing and feeling the cold water of the sea brushing against his skin. The waters had surrounded his body and were slowly chilling his heart. Now, his cheek pressed up against wet, but warm, sand. Meanwhile, soft waves batted at his feet playfully. The sun shown down upon Jack and began to warm his clammy skin.
Jack soon became aware of each and every part of his body. His fingers twitched, then flexed themselves; no longer where the boots on his feet, allowing his toes to freely wiggle as the breeze cooled them. Making a few faces, Jack began to sit up. He moved his stiff arms underneath him and pushed up with his elbows. This caused the young man to soon realize that his back was stiffer than the rest of him. A dull pain surged through him and Jack flopped back onto the sand.
Letting a rather large sigh escape, Jack settled with looking up at the clear blue sky. It had been completely different from before. Its blue beauty had been washed away by hellish gray waves. Demons of the water had twisted and turned in excitement when the moonlight was extinguished. They had found their prey and did not hesitate to attack the Black Pearl. Another sigh came from the young man as he remembered abandoning the Pearl.
Tears began to emerge in his eyes, when Jack remembered the sobs in his dreams. It suddenly occurred to him that he could not have gotten onto the beach without help. Almost gasping, Jack quickly turned his head to left again, nothing but sand. Then he looked at his right. Two eyes stared back, red and glossy from the tears. "Hector…" Jack whispered in a raspy voice. "Jack," was the boy's reply.
The young pirate's legs were huddled up to his chest and his head rested on folded arms. He was more drenched than Jack had been, seaweed still tangled in his red hair. Hector's white shirt was torn and his pants were half the length they use to be. Like Jack, his boots had been taken off of him.
Jack couldn't help but give a small smile. Hector saw the smile and simply scowled at the young man. "I told you not to do that to me! When I saw you in the water… hanging onto that door…" Hector moved forward, his palms pressing into the sand. "I'd thought I'd lost you." the young man's voice was but a whisper this time. "You're my best friend Jack," Hector again fell away from Jack and hugged his knees to his chest.
It was like when they were just young teens. Hector worried about Jack all the time, especially since Jack had been through so much. Every time Jack would fall or hurt himself in some way, Hector was there to look after him. The two had spent so much time together, it was almost like having a brother. That's why, Jack had smiled.
Reaching out with his shaky arm, Jack managed to reach Hector's hand. A softer smile found its way onto the young man's face. Looking into his friend's saddened eyes, Jack simply said, "Thank-you." Hector smiled back and gripped Jack's upper arm near the elbow. Helping the young man to sit up, the young pirate replied. "No problem, you know how it is." Their bond was strong and would not be broken easily.
---
The fire snapped, crackled, and popped as the flames engulfed the branches. Fortunately, the boys had been washed up on an island with a lush green forest. As Jack's legs had begun to recover, the two friends had entered the jungle to collect fire wood. However, they made sure to keep near the beach, which was the safest place on at that time. Birds squawked and monkeys chattered in the jungle forest. There was probably something that fed off of those animals.
At first it was easy collecting the kindling. Fallen branches and old plants that created the underbrush were taken. Still, kindling would not get them through the night. Plus, they needed the strong branches of the trees to create a shelter. Might as well grab firewood while they were at it.
Because Jack had been weakened more from their previous adventure, Hector told him to keep collecting the twigs and plants. Meanwhile, the young pirate would be chopping away at the trees. "With what?" Jack had asked, pointing out that they held no weapons. Hector simply chuckled, which confused his friend, and reached into his shirt pocket. When his hand came out of the tethered cloth, there was a rather large knife held in it.
Suddenly, Jack's eyes grew wide, for he recognized the knife. "Hey, that's mine!" Even though both were nearly 18 years of age, one could mistake them for children. Lunging forward, Jack dropped all the kindling. His hands reached out for the knife that he use to carry in his belt. The pirate got the best of the sailor, for his reflexes were faster, as he quickly pulled the knife out of grasp. This sent Jack to the jungle floor, where he met lush leaves and a rather wet ground.
No longer chuckling, Hector broke out in laughter. He held the knife in one had and swung in front of Jack as the young man turned onto his back and looked up at the pirate. "You want it back?!" Hector teased. Scowling at first, Jack suddenly relaxed and began to laugh as well. "Here, let me help you up." The red head reached down to Jack and helped him onto his feet.
"Well, I'll get this to the beach," Jack said only one thing before he collected the fallen kindling and began to walk away. While Jack bent down to get the kindling, Hector had already began to climb a nearby tree. For many hours, all that could be heard was the cursing and swearing of the young pirate as he tried to collect the branches.
By the time the fire was started and a rough shelter built, it was night again and the stars had come out. Oddly, neither of the boys felt unsure about sleeping. Both of them quickly dropped into dreams after placing the extra wood on the fire. Jack was the first to drift off. His weary eyes stared up at the branches that acted as a roof, the ocean's waves against the beach were soothing. The night animals had begun to sing to each other and call into the darkness. Feeling no threat at all, Jack fell away from the conscious world.
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Note: B/c Jack refuses to be called a pirate, Hector began to call him a sailor
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For the next ten days the boys lived off the edge of the forest. Never going more than fifty feet in, the two friends found fruit trees to live off of. Mangos and cocoanuts were in a great abundance on he island. Many of the different birds and monkeys had eaten many of the fruit. However, after a day or two, the animals stopped coming around because of the smell of humans. This left a surplus of food for Hector and Jack.
Water did not prove to be an obstacle either. A small stream was near by. Jack and Hector collected water in cocoanut shells. Because they had to use the shells, the boys only cut off a small portion of the top of the cocoanut, making sure it was big enough to pull the meat out. On the third day, Hector came up with an idea.
"Jack, we don't know how long we'll be on this island." The two were once again visiting the stream. Jack was in the middle of taking a drink when Hector spoke. "Yeah?" Jack asked, knowing that the young man was coming up with something. "Well, however long we are here, we're going to have to bring water from the stream, which is a twenty minute walk."
Standing up beside his friend, the dark haired man simply shrugged. "So?" Jack began to walk back towards the beach. Hector moved to catch up with him, then slowed down to his friend's pace. "Never mind, I'll tell 'ya back at the camp." Shrugging once again, Jack let it go as he held three cocoanuts in his arms.
When they got back to the beach, Hector took one of Jack's cocoa nuts and ran towards the shelter. Jack was surprised but quickly gave chase. Hector had already collected his share of water and Jack thought the boy was trying to take one of his as well. "Was this your idea!" the sailor cried after his friend, suddenly dropping his other two cocoanuts. "Oh know! Now I'll have to go back," Jack stopped chasing his friend and looked down at the wet sand before him. The cocoanuts lay on their sides, still drops of water dripping out of them.
Anger welled up inside the young man. Clenching his fist, Jack looked up at Hector. Ready to yell, Jack suddenly found him self speechless and confused. His friend had slammed the cocoanut into ground, digging it deeper by scraping it on the sand. "What the hell are you doing?" Jack asked as he moved towards the pirate.
"Take all the excess shells and do the same. When a storm comes, they will fill with water and we won't have to go to stream for a few days. When we get enough cocoanuts, we won't have to rely on the stream every single day." The sudden reasons for Hector's actions hit Jack like a brick wall. However, this wall wasn't hard but rather funny looking.
Trying to control himself, Jack held a hand over his mouth, small snorts escaping as the laughter slowly came. "Laugh all you want, but it'll work." At these words, Jack let loose all the laughter. He cracked up so much that his sides began to hurt. Falling to the sand, the young man only laughed even more. One of them was obviously going crazy, but seeing how they had spent only a couple of days on the island, Jack knew it was Hector.
Ignoring his friend's ridiculing, Hector began to place all the cocoanut shells into the ground. He was certain that it would work, and when it did… Holding the cocoanut he was about to set in place, Hector sighed. If the it didn't work, and it didn't rain for some time, Jack would have a hay day teasing his friend.
---
A slender hand reached into the rain and gripped onto the side of one of the cocoanuts. Water streamed down the skin and into the cocoanut that was already half full. Pulling the object out of the sand, the hand brought the cocoanut up to two lips that were ready for a drink. However, before a sip was taken, the mouth smirked and calmly spoke, "Told ya."
"Whatever!"
---
It was the tenth day that everything began to go wrong for the two friends. On the tenth day, they're friendship was tested in a most cruel way.
The tenth day began like the past nine. The sun rose, causing the sea to turn orange and the sand to begin to heat up. In a matter of hours, the beach would almost be burning. However, for the time being, it was peaceful and cool. And just like usual, Hector was the first one up. He watched the sunrise each day, waiting for Jack to wake up. And just like every morning, the young pirate would check the water supply and the food supply. Today, the two of them would have to travel into the jungle for more fruit.
An hour passed and the peaceful orange had disappeared. Instead, a soft yellow took over the world, dulling the colors. It wasn't fully morning, nor was it dawn. Jack began to stir from sleep. His arms and legs stretched as his eyes blinked opened. "Oh, sorry," Jack said as he realized that one of his fist had knocked on the head of a very grumpy Hector. Sighing, the pirate stood out of the shelter and walked onto the beach. "I said sorry," Jack said, scrambling to get out of the shelter himself.
For the next few hours, the boys refilled the cocoanuts that had been drained by them, the sun, or one of the animals. Jack kicked sand over the fire, to make sure it was fully out. The young man missed having his boots and hoped that Hector and he would find a way off the island soon.
When all the morning chore were done, including those few private things, Hector called Jack over to the right side of their stick shelter. That was where the food supply was held. "What is it?" the young man asked upon arriving. Hector pointed down at the few cocoanuts and mangos that were left in the sand. "We had a monkey raid last night. We'll have to go gather more fruit."
"Alright, but the trees are nearly bare. We should start rationing what we have before the trees run out." Jack kept his eyes on the spot where most their food use to be. He hoped that Hector would just agree with him and then they would go get more.
Instead, the young pirate shook his head 'no' and placed his hands on his hips. "No, we need to go deeper into the jungle after collecting what we have. If one of us stands as far away from the beach as possible, then the other shouldn't get lost while collecting the food." When Hector finished, he looked into the lush forest. The trees were close together and foliage was thick. Everything was green or dark green. It would be hard not to get lost, but they could do it.
However, Jack had a large uneasy feeling in him. "No, Hector, I think we should stick to our usual trees-"
"The fruit on those trees is either too old or too young! We must venture into the jungle. Now if you think it is too dangerous-"
"Are you calling me a coward!?" Just like Hector had cut Jack off, he did the same. "No," Hector quickly said, realizing that this was the first time Jack had misunderstood something he had said. "I wasn't saying that at all. I just thought that I couldn't make you do anything you didn't want to do." The young man had turned away from him with his arms crossed. Hector moved up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Jack." Hector knew that Jack was a bit stubborn, so he was a bit surprised when the young man turned around simply smiled at him.
"I know you didn't mean it. I guess I'm kind of missing civilization. I wish that a town or something was on this island." Jack moved away from Hector and looked into the jungle. There was a very small chance that they wouldn't get lost. However, it was that small chance that Hector had been reaching at. 'He's always helping me and doing things he doesn't want to. Maybe I should return the favor.' Turning back to Hector, Jack gave a beaten sigh. "Maybe we should go a bit deeper into the jungle…"
Hector brightened up once Jack spoke those words. Not bothering say thank-you, the red strode by his friend and into the thick jungle. His eyes were gleaming with pride and curiosity. Yet, there was a wide smile on his face, that had bothered Jack. Ever since the third day and Hector's triumph with the water situation, he had suddenly assumed command. At first, Jack didn't mind. He thought that it was just to get on his nerves or to tease him about doubting Hector. However, after a few days, Jack was getting sick of the attitude.
Letting out another sigh, the young man looked at the jungle. He had to admit, the thought of exploring the thick forest was allowing anticipation to rise within the him. He let a smile slide across his face as he too trudged into the jungle, not realizing that yet another chapter of his life was about to begin.
---
"Okay, I think we've gone far enough Hector," Jack ducked just in time to miss a swinging branch that Hector had let loose. The two boys had been walking for a solid two hours, leaving Jack with only a faint idea in which direction the beach was located. "We should turn back." Jack cautiously stated. He noticed that ever since he started to complain about how far in they were, and since the search for a fruit tree was unsuccessful, that Hector was beginning to get a bit edgy. "Hector-"
The young pirate turned around suddenly, almost causing his friend to bump into him. There was a great annoyance in Hector's eyes, but no anger. Frustration came easily to the pirate and he didn't mind taking it out on others. Since Jack was the only person there, and causing his frustration, it was only natural to let everything out on him. "Jack, if you have a problem with which way I'm going, then go back! But until I find us some more food, I'm not returning to the camp." With a fast nod at Jack, the young man turned around and resumed his march through the jungle.
Now anger rose up in Jack. Hector refused to listen to his reasons for being so troublesome. The young man felt nervous in the forest and desired to go back. He sensed that something was about to go wrong. If Hector felt the same feeling of discomfort, he was obviously ignoring it.
Jack took in another breath and decided to try again. It would be the fifth time since they left camp. Hopefully, the young man would receive a different reaction. "Hector-" unfortunately, Jack didn't get past the boy's name. Hector stopped once again and turned aggressively towards Jack. "Jack!-I don't want to hear it! I'm sick of your complaining. Now just go back to the camp. I'll find my way on my own!"
Instead of backing down like last time, Jack clenched his fist and shoved his face in Hector's. This time, his anger was greater than before. "That's the problem! I don't know where the camp is! You've gone so far in, I've lost sight of the beach and have no idea what direction it is in. If you had just listened to me once, this wouldn't have happened. But no!-you were too busy playing captain to even notice that something was bothering me!" Hector was speechless, he had no idea that Jack had grown so angry.
"Jack, I'm sorry-"
"Forget it!" The young man threw his arms up in the air. "I'm going back; just like you wanted." He said the last few words in a grumble. Hector only watched as his friend lowered his head and anger and began storming through the jungle. He wasn't sure if Jack actually knew which way the camp was, but by the way he was walking, it seemed that way. "Trying to make me feel bad after all!" Hector hissed before turning and continuing his search for food.
---
'Just keep walking. Don't look back. He wants you to look back.' Jack thought to himself, forcing his head forward and his feet to move through the brush. "Maybe I should go back… No, he'll only yell at me more," the young man shook his head and continued on his way. However, the urge to go back to Hector was increasing with each step. The feeling of dismay still wouldn't leave Jack, and this worried him. If something happened to Hector… "I've got to go back to him!" Jack lifted his head and turned around. Staring into the thick jungle for only a moment, the sailor dug his feet into the ground and launched him self through the foliage. Even Jack's pride would not keep him away from his best friend.
---
While Jack was making up his mind to return, another was fighting himself and his instincts. "I don't need Jack. I've done everything for him and he has done nothing for me. I can take care of myself. Hmph, 'I don't know where the camp is!' What kind of an idiot does he take me for?" Angrily murmuring to him self, Hector walked through the brush. However, there was a side of him that argued for Jack. "Still, he seemed rather uncomfortable. I wonder if anything else is bothering him," closing his eyes and shaking his back and forth, Hector tried to get rid of the idea. "Forget it. 'Playing captain', what's that 'spose to mean?!"
Hector made his way through the jungle, blinded with rage, regret and confusion. His feet walked over the soft ground, not bothering to see where they were going. Meanwhile, all his eyes saw was Jack's angry face while his ears were filled with the sailor's anger voice. 'One fight, that's all it was. It won't hurt our friendship, will it?'
Just as Hector thought this, his feet suddenly found no ground underneath him. He was falling backwards and the lush green forest turned into a green-golden canopy above. Spots of the blue sky shone through. Then, a bang to the head and his body began sliding down a steep slope on muddy plants.
Not being able to control his limbs, arms and legs flailed out on either side of him, reaching out for everything and anything. Unfortunately, the ground this far in held moisture easier than the other areas. The thick canopy above kept out most of the sun and the plants had grown and learned to conserve the water. Therefore, most of it went into the soil, creating a dangerous slide.
Hector straightened his legs, trying to gain control. This sped him up a bit, causing him to loose even more control. Everything happened in a matter of seconds and half way down the slope, Hector's feet crashed into something hard and large.
Because of his straight legs, when the young pirate hit, his body was sent sprawling over the rock and rolling down the rest of the slope which was littered with stumps and prickly plants. Soon, everything gave way to a rather open pathway, created by water. The pirate landed in the muddy water face first. His arms immediately sank into the mud, causing a suction sound to come from the man's efforts to rise from the water.
Moaning from the pain in his head, Hector looked around the swamp he had landed in. It was dark and dim. Everything seemed alive as frogs croaked and crickets sang. Fireflies buzzed around the man, their flashing lights slowly becoming dim. "Great," Hector grumbled as he rose to his knees. "Things can certainly get worse, I just hope they don't." As if fate decided it, a sound of bubbles and shifting water came from behind the pirate.
---
Where was Hector? Jack couldn't see him even as he approached the spot where they had fought. From there on, the grass and plants were broken from Hector storming around. "Hector!" Jack called out into the jungle, hoping his friend had not gotten too far. No reply came and Jack only saw the path of damaged plants go on. Sighing, the young man decided to follow, praying that nothing had happened to his friend.
The greens and browns raced past Jack as he ran through the forest. His eyes never left the path left by his angered friend. The feeling of foreboding never left either. In fact, once the sailor realized he still had the bad sensation, his steps became quicker and his heart beat faster in apprehension.
It was not long before Jack thought he heard something. Thinking it could be Hector and hoping it was, Jack sped up rather carelessly. Not watching where he was going and only concentrating on the whereabouts of his friend, Jack leapt into the air to try and clear some of the brush. Unfortunately, he did not see that Hector's path no longer went across, but down.
---
The croc wasn't all that big, but that didn't mean he wasn't strong. Besides, seeing a set of teeth like this one had would give anyone a reason to fight. However, Hector had one big disadvantage: his leg was broken and he couldn't move from his spot.
Turning to face the fearsome creature, Hector quickly grabbed a branch from the ground. Once the pirate tried to move, a searing pain shot up his leg and into his entire body. There was no way he could freely move to fight the lizard. Taking in a deep breath, Hector gave one push from his good leg and temporarily found himself on both legs standing up. However, this was but a split moment as his body made the water splash when it fell back down.
The movement stunned the croc a bit, causing it to hesitate in attack. Nevertheless, once Hector looked helpless again, it lunged at the young man. Defending himself, Hector swung the stick at the croc, hitting the side of its head hard. Unfortunately, the croc had a thick hide. The blow only confused the creature and broke the man's stick.
Growling as much as a lizard could, the croc slowly turned back to the pirate. Opening its mouth, it quickly moved through the water and came upon the panting boy. Hector only saw the croc's mouth open wide and all the teeth inside, before he shut his eyes: not wanting to see his own death.
When no pain or blood came, Hector listened. His world was black, but that was because he had his eyes shut. There was a thrashing sound in the water which caught the man's attention. Slowly opening his eyes, the young pirate looked towards his opponent. Suddenly, a smile of shock and relief burst forth on the man's face. "Jack!"
It was indeed the young sailor whom had come to save his friend. However, Jack did not realize this at the moment. All he was concerned about was keeping his butt pressed to the ground. As for the thrashing, it was the croc whom was pinned underneath the sparrow. Its air was quickly running out and its pride was vanishing. Never before, had a creature opposed its power.
Finally, the croc gave up and stopped thrashing around. The weight on its snout lifted, allowing the creature to escape. And escape he did. Not wanting to face the one whom had almost killed him, the croc turned around rather quickly and swam like there was no tomorrow.
---
Only looking at the retreating croc for a moment, Jack quickly turned to his friend. "Hector!" the young pirate was sitting in the water with his legs collapsed to one side. One hand held onto the man's left leg and he was panting from the pain. However, a small smile was placed on his face as he looked up at his friend. "Are you okay," Jack walked through the ankle-high water over to his friend.
Bending down beside the pirate, the sailor began to look over Hector. "It's just a broken leg Jack, I'll be okay."
"No, you won't. If you haven't noticed, we are stuck in a swamp full of snakes and crocs. With your broken leg it'll be impossible to climb back up the slope," Jack sighed and sat back in the water. Hector also had a few scratches on him, these could lead to infection which was the last thing the men needed. "I guess I'll have to carry you." Jack stated plainly.
Hector looked up at his friend in shock. Jack was strong, but he too had experienced a tumble down the slope. Hector did not know if Jack was injured from the fall, but he knew that the man was not completely unscathed. Besides, Jack couldn't carry him all the way back up to the camp, "Jack, you can't. It would be impossible and…" Hector trailed off in the middle of his statement as his eyes looked past Jack and on the river. They seemed to have seen a ghost.
"Hector? Hello… Hector?" Jack waved his hand in front of his friend, whom seemed to be in a trance. Wondering what had caught the attention of the pirate, Jack looked behind him onto the river. There, just bobbing in the shallow water, was a wooden vessel carrying a dark maiden.
A/N: Sorry I was out for so long. I had to take a trip to New York and wasn't able to have much free time to write my strories. But I'm back and much more motivated. I hope you all liked this chapter and will patiently wait for the next one. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. All reviews will be received with gratitude and all signed reviews will be answered. plz review!
Love ya!
Marlo