A Red Sky Has Fallen

by Ryan Gilbert

  “Ms. Hamond, where have you been? We’ve been waitin’ fer ye ever since we got down here,” said Clint.

  “Don’t ask,” she said, still trying to control herself.

  Right at that moment, she felt a tear start to slide down her cheek. She wiped it away before it fell far, but it was too late. Clint noticed it. He gave her an understanding nod and took her by the hand, leading her through the crowd.

  The crew started to push forward, through the crowd and to the dock. If their captain was going to be fighting, they wanted to be the first to see him win.

  “Watch where yer goin’, imbecile,” said a bystander.

  “We’re part of Captain Riggs’ crew, so shut your yap,” spat Eli.

  The entire scene was so tense that nobody even noticed Julia or Valera.

  Once the crew reached the dock, there was nothing separating them from the man who had almost destroyed the Red Sky and its crew. The instant that Julia caught sight of Garrett, she felt all of the pain that he had caused her run through her body once again. She could do nothing but watch as he stood there, clutching the trident in his hand with his hook dangling at his other side.

  He started to walk towards the crew, intimidation growing with every step. The trident pulsed blue as he came ever closer to them. Part of Julia wanted to run away, to dash through the crowd and hope to not die. The other part urged her to stand her ground with the rest of the crew. Straightening her back, she stood proud and ready to fight if need be.

  “I thought I’d ne’er see that pretty face again. Did ye miss me?” said Garrett, pointing the trident at her.

  With the spikes of the trident inches from her neck, Julia replied, “I was glad you were dead.”

  “Tsk tsk tsk… ye’ll be missing somethin’ today. When I kill yer pathetic lover, I’ll be sure to kill you next.”

  Addressing the crowd, Garrett shouted, “I am yer supreme ruler. With the power of Poseidon at my fingertips, nothing can stop me. Look out at that ship in the bay. I took that single-handedly and turned it to my side. If the Navy ain’t able to put an end to me power, none o’ you pitiful idiots could even come close. Bow to me and accept yer fate as servants of an almighty god!”

  Nearly everyone in the crowd immediately dropped to their knees. The only people who remained standing were Riggs’ crew.

  “Ye dare oppose me?” he asked the crew, thrusting the trident toward them.

  “Wit’ every fiber of our being,” answered Coral Jack.

  Garrett raised the trident above his head, ready to strike him down. The three spikes burned with a blue flame as its wielder prepared to destroy Jack. Even in the face of certain death, the boatswain stood strong. Beads of sweat poured from his forehead as he stared up at the trident.

  “Oi! Garrett! Remember me?” a voice shouted from the street.

  Everyone turned around and watched as Riggs walked through the crowd and squeezed in between his crewmembers. Luckily for Jack, Garrett turned his attention to the Captain. The flames that consumed the trident extinguished as the two locked eyes.

  “Are ye ready to fight me?” Riggs asked.

  Garrett surveyed his opponent, and an evil grin spread across his face.

  “Ye look just as weak as ever, boy.”

  Brushing the comment aside, Riggs said, “I want yer guarantee that my crew’ll go free… even if you kill me. Nobody else should have to die because of your problems with me.”

  Garrett’s expression did not change.

  “Got yerself a deal,” he said, laughing to himself.

  The two shook hand and hook.

  “We’ll fight at the end o’ the dock. Nobody’s going to be stealin’ me trident.”

  Turning his back to Riggs, the villain said, “Say yer goodbyes and make ‘em quick. Time’s a’ wastin’.”

  “I don’t need to say anythin’. I’ll be the one standin’ at the end o’ the battle,” Riggs said, defiance written on his face.

  As he followed Garrett to the end of the dock, Julia prayed that he would be victorious. She could not bear to see him die right in front of her, especially after he had fought so hard to save her. All of the crew either had their hands balled into fists or clasped like they were praying. They all must have felt the same.

  As the distance between Julia and Riggs grew, she whispered, “I love you.”

  Once they got to the end of the dock, Riggs pulled his sword out of its scabbard and pointed it at his former crewmate. He was not taking any more chances than he needed.

  “Turn around, Garrett.”

  The pirate ignored him.

  “Turn around and face me,” Riggs shouted.

  Garrett spun around and blasted the Captain in the chest with the trident, knocking him to the ground. Riggs’ breath was knocked out of him as he clambered to his feet.

  “Now that yer far enough away, let’s start this fight,” said Garrett, laying the trident on the wooden dock.

  Immediately, it stopped pulsing or glowing.

  Pulling out his sword, he said, “I thought it’d be more humiliating for ye to die with the same weapon that cut me hand off.”

  Garrett jabbed his sword at Riggs, but the Captain blocked it. He spun underneath the sword and tried to dash toward the trident, but Garrett caught his foot. He tripped flat on his stomach, catching his sword in the space between the boards of the dock.

  He rolled to the side just as his enemy’s blade pierced through the wood of the dock. Kicking Garrett’s foot out from underneath him, Riggs took advantage of the momentary weakness to grab the man by his throat and drag him to the ground.

  Garrett’s head was just inches away from the sharp blade of his sword. Riggs grabbed him and tried to shove him forward to drive his skull into his own weapon. The two struggled, but the Captain was fueled by anger, love, and determination.

  Just as Garrett’s face was about to touch the edge of the sword, he dug his hook into Riggs’ shoulder, forcing the young pirate to let go of him. Shutting the pain out of his mind, he grabbed his sword and was about to kill his enemy once and for all.

  With a quick movement, Garrett caught the sword with his hook and rolled out from under his opponent. Yanking his sword out of the wood, he swung it straight at Riggs’ head, but the Captain ducked backwards and kicked him right in the face.

  Both pirates got back to their feet. Their swords clanged as they smashed together.

  “What’s the matter, Riggs? No witty banter… no petty insults?” asked Garrett, trying to distract the Captain.

  Riggs fought back against his enemy, crossing blades and shoving him backward. Taking out his dagger, he tossed it at Garrett’s neck, but it only nicked him. A tiny line of red appeared on the mutineer’s neck, but he did not even seem to notice it.

  The two ran at each other. They both swung their swords at the other’s head, but the weapons clashed together. Garrett tried to stab at Riggs with his hook, forcing the Captain to catch him by the wrist. Both tried to force their sword closer to their enemy’s head, but they were fighting as equals.

  At a stalemate, Riggs drove his forehead into Garrett’s chin, stunning him. It was the moment that he had been waiting for. Ducking underneath a slice, Riggs tried to run and get the trident.

  Again, Garrett caught him just in time. The Captain was yanked backwards by his coat collar, nearly falling to the ground. Luckily, he smashed Garrett with his elbow before his enemy could decapitate him.

  “Yer provin’ to be more of a pest ‘n I thought,” said Garrett, rubbing his jaw against his arm.

  “That’ll all be changed once you’re dead,” Riggs spat.

  Garrett swung his sword, but Riggs jumped onto one of the pylons attached to the dock. His enemy swung again, and he jumped over the sword, landing back on the wooden boards.

  Tired of Riggs’ ducking and weaving, Garrett grabbed him and tossed him through a table that had been left on the dock. Even after being thrown through a table, he was still able to fight.
Grabbing a broken piece of wood, Riggs hit Garrett in the side of his head with it, stunning the traitorous pirate. The Captain grabbed several crab traps and tossed them at his enemy, but Garrett managed to dodge most of them, causing a raucous of splashing water as the traps hit the water. Just as Garrett was regaining his footing, Riggs threw a bottle at him, cracking him across the face.

  Garrett stumbled back, dropping his sword and giving Riggs the perfect opportunity to attack. He swung his sword with all of the fury that he could muster, but the traitor was always just a hair’s distance away from the blade.

  As Riggs prepared for another strike, Garrett dashed forward, surprising the Captain. Without any warning, the hook was driving straight toward Riggs’ heart.

  He grabbed Garrett’s arm as fast as he could. The grit on the villain’s face showed as he pushed his hook closer and closer to Riggs’ flesh. The edge of the hook gleamed as it came ever so close to ripping out another heart.

  Their arms were trembling from the amount of strength being exerted. Riggs clenched his teeth, trying to push the hook away. He could not die like this.

  “Give… up… you fool,” Garrett said, trying to channel even more strength.

  “I’ll… never… give… up,” said Riggs through his clenched teeth.

  The hatred between the two felt like burning steam rising from their bodies. Both would stop at nothing until the other was dead.

  Taking a deep breath, Riggs let go of the hook and leapt to the side. Garrett was taken by surprise, flying forward onto his knees. Before the traitor could even get to his feet, Riggs kicked his sword into the water.

  Garrett looked at the water where his sword had fallen, then back at Riggs. He was staring down the blade of a captain who would gladly kill him.

  Riggs caught sight of Garrett’s belt. There were no guns.

  He was powerless to stop his former captain, even with his hook.

  Riggs could hear the crowd of pirates cheering as they watched him holding Garrett at the end of his sword. He was finally able to kill the cause of all of his troubles.

  Then his eye caught sight of the trident, just laying at the end of the dock. He could almost hear it calling to him. The power was finally getting to him. He could not withstand the temptation any longer.

  Backing up to the trident, Riggs stuck his sword back in its scabbard and let his fingers curl around the shaft of the weapon. Garrett stepped forward, but Riggs jabbed the trident at him.

  Even with Poseidon’s weapon pointed at him, Garrett did not seem scared. In fact, the evil smile was still on his face as he fiddled with his arm.

  “You tried to embarrass and kill me, Garrett. Now, I have the very weapon that you fought so hard to get. Do ye regret anythin’ that ye did?”

  Garrett shook his head, his devilish smile growing by the minute.

  “I don’t regret a single thing. I relished killing your old friend, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Oh… and your lil’ wench? I just loved hearing her scream.”

  Riggs raised the trident, ready to drive it through his mutinous crewmate.

  Garrett brought his hand up and said with a laugh, “Goodbye, Riggs.”

  *click* BANG

  The trident fell to the ground as the Captain grabbed his chest. He looked down at the black hole in his shirt, shocked as he staggered at the edge of the dock. As Riggs fell backwards into the water, the last thing he saw was the smoking barrel of the gun hidden in Garrett’s sleeve.

  Julia screamed once she heard the gunshot.

  Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. She saw the look of surprise as Riggs grabbed his chest. The image of the black hole in the fabric had implanted itself in Julia’s memory and would be there for eternity. Instantly, she felt as if a gigantic void had just opened in her heart.

  Ripper had to hold her back to keep her from attacking Garrett and getting herself killed. With tears streaming down her face, she tried to fight against the Jamaican, but she was not going anywhere. She kicked and flailed, trying to get loose, forcing Clint to grab hold of her as well.

  All of the crew was shocked beyond belief. Riggs had always managed to get out of even the toughest situations. Now, he was just gone. With one sudden gunshot, he was gone.

  As Garrett picked up the trident once again, Julia tried to push her way past the crew.

  “Let me go! Let me go, I have to go!” she cried.

  “Dere’s nothin’ ye can do, Ms. Hamond,” said Ripper, trying in vain to calm her.

  “Do you want to end up like… like Riggs?” asked Clint, holding the girl’s arms at her side.

  She tried to breathe, to calm herself, but she could not. With every step that Garrett now took, her breathing grew faster and her anger intensified. It bit deep into her heart that she could just stand there and do nothing.

  Or could she?

  Taking a deep breath, she relaxed a little. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to relieve some tension. Cautiously, Clint and Ripper eased off on their restraint and let her stand on her own. Garrett was still approaching them. His walk seemed fatigued, like he had just fought harder than he ever had before.

  “Are ye okay now, Julia?” Clint asked, letting go of her arms.

  She did not say anything. She just glared straight ahead at the man who killed her love.

  “Julia?” he asked again.

  Before the navigator could say anything more, Julia snatched one of Ripper’s guns and aimed it at Garrett’s head.

  BANG

  The shot merely deflected off of the trident, bouncing harmlessly into the water.

  “Ye know, missy, it’ll take a lot more n’ that to kill me. With this trident and this power, I can do anything.”

  As Garrett came to stand just feet away from them, the entire crowd backed away, but the crew of the Red Sky stood tall. They were not about to back down from a fight. Riggs giving his life just made the fire in their hearts burn brighter and hotter than ever before.

  Dropping the pistol to the wooden boards beneath her, Julia stepped forward and said, “You may have that trident… and you may have the power of the gods… but we have one thing you don’t have, you son of a bitch.”

  “And what be that?” asked Garrett, mocking their outpouring of emotions.

  “We have friends. Whenever you kill one of us, the rest will keep fighting back until you are dead. You have nothing to die for… but we do. We are a family… and a family cares for each other… and loves each other.”

  “What say you?” she asked the crew.

  “Aye,” said Coral Jack.

  “Aye,” said Petey.

  “Aye,” said Eli.

  “Aye,” said Ripper.

  “Aye,” said Clint.

  Garrett burst out laughing.

  “Do you really think ye stand a chance against me?” he asked.

  Laying a hand on the hilt of her sword, Julia replied, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know… but we will certainly try our hardest. If we die, then we die with honor… like Doc and Riggs.”

  Leaning in closer, Garrett said, “If you all want to die like pathetic underlings, then I’ll be glad to accommodate yer wishes. I wasn’t planning on keeping that deal wit’ yer captain anyway.”

  Julia and the rest of the crew immediately pulled out their swords. It did nothing but make the murderer laugh even harder.

  “You fools, did ye think I meant we’d fight right now? My mistake.”

  Not one single member of the crew lowered a weapon.

  “To make this a more satisfyin’ victory for me, I’ll give you ten minutes to get your precious Red Sky ready for battle. That way, I can send all o’ ye down to Davy Jones’ Locker meself.”

  Cackling, Garrett swirled the trident around in the air. An eerie mist flew from the spikes, engulfing the pirate in a cloud. It was so thick that nobody could even see him. The mist then drifted out over the water, taking with it any sign that Garrett was ever on the dock.

 
The crew watched as it settled over the dark skeleton of the HMS Magistrate. They were in for a massive battle, and they knew it. However, before they could fight, they had some business to take care of.

  All of the crew rushed to the end of the dock with Julia leading the way. They needed to retrieve their captain’s body. There was no way that Julia or any member of the crew would let Riggs decay in the murky water at the end of a Rebelde dock.

  When they had reached the end, all of the pirates tried to find the body, but they could only see a few feet underwater. It should not have sunken that quickly. Julia peeked her head under the dock, but nothing was down there either.

  “Jack, get Valera to…”

  “I see somethin’,” Clint exclaimed, grabbing the girl’s arm.

  Sure enough, there was something. It even looked like a body. All of the crew tried to grab onto it, but it was still too deep to retrieve.

  Then it started to move. Nearly all of the pirates held their breath, hoping and praying to whatever deity they held sacred.

  It rose closer to the surface. Everyone was so silent that the only sound was the breaking of the waves against the pylons.

  The thing suddenly sped toward the surface, breaking the silence and splattering the crew with water. It was Valera.

  “Did you see anything down there?” Coral Jack asked her.

  “Do ye have the captain’s body?” Clint asked, pushing Jack aside.

  The mermaid did not make eye contact as she slowly shook her head. She did not say anything, nervously running her hands through her wet hair.

  Without turning, she said to Julia, “I-I’m sorry.”

  Julia felt her lip starting to quiver, but she took a deep breath and tried to contain herself. With the crew starting to make their way back to the Red Sky, she stayed where she was. Her eyes could not leave the water.

  It all hit her like a knife to the heart. She would never see him again. She would never be able to touch him again. She could never feel his rum-soaked lips kissing her again. What hurt even more was that she did not even have a chance to say goodbye.