Take Me Forever

by Sellers, Julie

  “You heartless swine!”

  As Hawkins laughed at her outburst, he came back to her and slapped her. Then just for spite, he dipped his head and bit her nipple until it started to bleed. She cried out in pain, but her cries could not be heard over his laughter. He was still laughing as he climbed the stairs out of the brig.

  After Hawkins left, Mercy was bound and determined to free herself even if she had to break a bone to do it. She had been working at freeing her right hand ever since she had been shackled. For an hour, Mercy tried to free her hand. She ripped her skin as she pulled. Blood drained down her arm and she almost passed out from the pain. She willed herself to keep going. She rested for a few minutes then with made one big attempt to free herself.

  Drawing every ounce of strength she had, Mercy closed her eyes and jerked arm. Pain swept throughout her body, but she had done it. Her right arm was free. Now she had to find a way to get out of the other three shackles.

  She glanced around the area to see if she could now reach something that might help her. She saw a small dagger that Hawkins had left on the table. She stretched her body as far as she could and reached for the dagger. She could barely grab the tip of the blade. Her frustration began to build. All she had to do was reach a little more. Finally, she was able to grab the dagger. Quickly, she pried the other shackles until she was free. She devoured the food and water on the table to replenish her strength.

  Quietly, Mercy crept to the stairs. It was dusky dark and she knew it wouldn’t be long before Hawkins returned for her. With the dagger out in front of her, Mercy cautiously climbed the steps. She crouched down when she reached the last step. She peered out onto the deck and saw no movement. She listened for voices and heard nothing close to her. It seemed the coast was clear. She raced to the edge of the ship, grabbed a buoy, and jumped overboard.

  Once she surfaced, Mercy gasped for air. She watched the ship as it sailed away without her. She hadn’t thought about how she would survive in the open ocean when she had jumped overboard. She had rather die from drowning than by the hands of Hawkins or his crew. She would drown herself if she was about to be attacked by sharks. She floated in the water awaiting her fate.

  Luckily, there were no sharks nearby. In the moonlight, Mercy could barely make out land in the distance. She swam and swam until her arms and legs cramped up. She paused and let her body rest before swimming again. It took her until nearly daybreak to reach the sandy shores of an island.

  Mercy collapsed on the beach the moment she was on land. It was midday when she revived. She tried to stand, but her legs gave out on her along with everything else. The long swim had taken its toll on her. She crawled up the shore until she found a tree to shelter her from the sun.

  She immediately fell into a deep slumber for a few more hours. She was awakened by her stomach grumbling. The tree she had rested under happened to be a coconut tree. There were two coconuts lying on the ground near her. She smashed them together until one of them burst open. She used a rock to scrape pieces of coconut out of the shell. She devoured the one she cracked then used the rock to open the other. Once her stomach was full, she looked around and tried to figure out where she was. There was obviously no sign of life or someone would have found her by now.

  It wouldn’t be long until dark so she forced herself up and searched for wood to make a fire. She found a long stick to help her walk. She combed the beach for driftwood before going inward into the jungle-like area to gather small twigs. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Mercy finally got a spark by rubbing two of the sticks together like she had seen Cain’s men do when they made camp. She blew lightly on the smoke until she saw an orange glow. With a roaring fire, Mercy curled up beside it and went to sleep.

  She was awakened by bright sunlight. After eating more coconuts, Mercy decided to explore her new surroundings. She took the dagger and her walking stick and began walking inland. As she walked, she marked her path by making an “x” on the trees with the dagger so wouldn’t lose her way. The foliage was similar to that on Corbin’s Crow. There were trees and vines everywhere along with fragrant flowers. She found a small stream, but the water was undrinkable but she thought it might lead her so she began to follow it.

  Along the trail, the stream widened. She had to cut her way through the thickened forest to follow the flowing water. Once she was through the underbrush, her path became easier as it turned into tropical flowers instead of thick vines. Soon, Mercy found a hot spring. Steam rolled over the rocks. She dipped her foot into the water and found it to be so refreshing.

  Thinking this would soothe her aching muscles, Mercy couldn’t resist the temptation as she discarded what little clothing she had on. She used her stick to measure the depth and found the hot spring to be about four feet deep and two feet in the shallowest end. She slowly stepped into the water and let out a big sigh of relief as the hot water covered her entire body.

  She relaxed in the shallow end until the heat began too much. She climbed out of the water and sat on a rock beside it while she examined her surroundings. She needed to find shelter and something to use for clothing as her shift was now nothing but a torn piece of rag. It seemed she was completely alone on this island so she didn’t bother trying to put the torn shift back on. She spied some banana trees nearby and thought she might be able to use the leaves to cover herself.

  Mercy gathered as many small vines as she could carry as she made her way to the banana trees. First, she picked a bunch of bananas and ate her fill. Then, she used the dagger and cut some leaves. She sat perplexed as she tried to figure out how to use what she had for clothing. Several attempts at making something suitable failed then it hit her. She took the small ends of all the leaves and piled them on top of one another. Then, she took the dagger and made a hole through all the leaves big enough to place a vine through. She wrapped a vine around her waist and used it like a belt.

  Once she established the correct measurement, she cut the vine and began assembling the leaves onto it. It took four leaves to span the vine’s width. She stood up and wrapped the concoction around her. The leaves nearly dragged the ground, so she took the dagger and shorten her new skirt.

  After making a pointed design out of the leaves, Mercy tied the skirt around her and admired her handiwork. Her skirt came just above her knees so she could maneuver easier. She used the leftover leaves and made a sack to store her goods in. Now all she had to do was find something to cover her breasts. She got an idea when she spied a coconut tree.

  Moments later, Mercy stood at the base of the tree. There were no coconuts on the ground. Her stick was not long enough to reach any. She hit her stick against the tree trunk to try and shake some loose. Finally, she was successful. Four coconuts hit the ground and only one of them burst open.

  She used the dagger and carved away all the insides of the opened one. She placed the contents into her bag beside her bananas then measured the empty hulls up to her breasts. The shells wouldn’t cover her completely but it would have to do for now. She made holes in each of them and strung vines through them until she had a makeshift top. She tied one vine around her neck and one around her back to keep it in place. She gathered some orange flowers and tied them to the vines so the vines wouldn’t chafe her skin.

  Knowing she must look ridiculous, Mercy didn’t care. She was alone after all. As the sun began to sink in the sky, Mercy knew she didn’t have much time to find shelter for the night. She gathered up her belongings and made her way back to the shore where she had left the wood she had gathered the previous night.

  When she built a fire, she settled down next to it and ate two bananas before drifting off to an exhausted sleep. She awoke early the next morning and decided to try to find drinkable water today. She could not survive on coconut milk as it was a natural laxative. This time she set off in a different direction on the island. She came across another stream and decided to test it to see if it was drinkable. She cupped her hands and dipped them into the s
mall stream. At first, she took a small taste. Realizing it wasn’t salty, she drank her fill. This water had to be coming from a different source than the ocean so decided she needed to find shelter somewhere close to her new water source.

  She kept walking along the stream until she found a nice size clearing with some bent trees that would make a good cover for a shelter if she could find something to top it with. She covered it over with as many branches and large leaves she could find and crawled inside. It wasn’t much but at least it might keep her dry if it rained. When she finished her shelter she sat down to rest and the pungent smell of oranges filled the air.

  Oranges, she thought. Her mouth began to water as she thought about juicy sweet oranges. She looked around until she saw a small orange tree and ran to it. She gathered several oranges and went back to her shelter to eat and prepare for the night. She built a fire and crawled into her shelter to sleep. She kept the dagger close. Even though there may not be people on this island, there could still be wild animals or snakes that could harm her.

  Chapter 17

  After another week of grieving, Cain decided that he had to get over Mercy. He had to accept the fact that she was dead. He had to move on with his life. Late one night, Cain went into the newly built village to the tavern. He sat alone at a table and drank himself into a stupor. A woman approached him and sat down beside him.

  “Cain, I hate to see you like this. Let me help you home,” the woman said.

  “Rita,” Cain slurred.

  “That’s right baby. Rita is here now to take care of you,” she answered as she looped her arms through his.

  The last time Cain saw Rita was when he brought Mercy to the island. Rita considered herself to be his woman. She was furious when he brought home his new bride. In the past, whenever Cain felt the urge to relieve his manly urges, she was always more than eager to comply. Once they were safely at Cain’s house, Rita escorted him to his bedroom. She took off his clothes and helped him into bed. Then, she removed her clothing and joined him.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Cain asked as he became aware of what she was doing.

  “Cain, I need you and you need me.”

  “The hell I do. I need Mercy,” Cain said as his temper began to boil.

  “She is dead. You need to let her go.”

  “No!” Cain yelled.

  “Calm down,” Rita remarked as she stroked his chest to try to get him to calm down.

  “Get out of my bed and put your clothes on,” Cain ordered as she practically threw her out of his bed.

  “Fine! You had your chance to be with a real woman,” Rita snarled as she began putting on her clothes.

  “You bitch! How dare you insult my dead wife. Mercy was a saint,” Cain angrily replied as he moved toward her.

  Cain picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, gathered up her remaining clothes, and headed straight to the front door with her. He opened the door and tossed her to the ground before saying, “Never cross my path again or it will be the last thing you ever do.”

  He went back to his room and put on his clothes and boots. He decided to take a walk to calm down. He went to the beach and stared at his ship in the water. He climbed the gangplank and boarded his only other love. He locked his cabin door behind him and sat at the table with a bottle of tequila. He took a few swigs before something on the table caught his eye.

  Slowly, he focused his eyes until he could read the piece of paper. It was the other item that Samson had given him from the Satan’s Curse. It appeared to be a treasure map. Cain smiled as he looked at it. A treasure hunt could help him keep his mind off of his misery. It was about time he got back to living up to his reputation as a pirate. At first light, Cain summoned his crew. Samson was the first to arrive.

  “Captain, where are we headed?”

  “Samson, we are going in search of treasure. Seems Hawkins left us a treasure map. Instruct the crew to stock the ship and prepare for a voyage. We will leave on the morrow.

  At dawn the following morning the crew was aboard and making preparations to set sail. Cain plotted the course and they set sail. This was going to be the journey that brought Cain out of his grievous state of mind. For weeks, they sailed, south. They stopped at a few ports and raided a few ships along their journey.

  Cain was acting like his old self as they pillaged a ship carrying gold. They acquired enough loot that they could return home and forget about finding a treasure that may or may not exist. Cain wouldn’t hear of it and they continued roaming the sea.

  Chapter 18

  Late one afternoon, Mercy began to feel a strong breeze mixed with rain. The clouds darkened the sky with their low lying black formations. The wind showed its magnificent force as tree limbs began to fall around her. Thunder and lightning erupted in a frenzied music and light show. The air felt ominous, and Mercy began to get frightened.

  Suddenly, the storm raged out of control as the wind gusts nearly blew Mercy off of her feet. In seconds, she was entirely drenched from the torrential rain. She was afraid of the fast striking lightning.

  Mercy frantically searched for shelter on the island that was quickly turning itself inside out. She fell over a fallen tree and overturned her ankle. She screamed out in pain as she stood and put pressure on her sprained ankle. She got up and began hobbling toward anything that could protect her.

  While she sought refuge, the thunderous sky turned deadly. Trees were falling all around her. It was raining so hard that she could barely see a foot in front of her. She had to fight for each step as the wind kept blowing her backwards. She knew she had mere moments before the deadliest part of the storm hit and completely destroy this tiny island.

  Just as Mercy was about to give up hope finding shelter, she fell into a pit. She fell fifteen feet down before landing on the muddy bottom. She lay there for a second catching her breath from the sudden fall. She assessed her injuries and found nothing except new except for the pain from her overturned ankle. She may be trapped inside some sort of pit, but at least it had would protect her from the wind and rain.

  It seemed like hours passed and the water in the pit had risen to her knees. She was in fear of drowning if the storm didn’t cease before long. Once the water level approached her breasts, Mercy feared that this was going to be her demise. As Mercy looked to the sky, she could see nothing but black. She was helpless and wished for a miracle. She prayed to Cain’s spirit to help her in her time of need.

  As soon as those thoughts left her lips, the earth behind her moved. Suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way. The water that was trapping her descended its depth as she clung to the vines to hold her position. The current was too strong and swept her along a path underneath the ground. She seemed to be in some sort of cave when the water finally washed her aside. She was more lost than ever as she spit out the water she had consumed.

  She was in total darkness and could hear water running past her. She knew that if the water could flow, there had to be a way out. Exhausted, Mercy curled up in a ball and cried. Millions of thoughts ran across her mind as she closed her eyes. She was hungry, lost, hurt, and alone. Things couldn’t get any worse. Sleep finally overtook her as that last thought dissipated.

  Hours later, an extremely sore Mercy awoke. A large stick had washed up beside her sometime during the night. She picked it up and used it to help her walk on her blackened ankle. She also used it for a guide to make sure she didn’t fall into another pit and to see where she was stepping.

  Slowly, she followed the path of flowing water. She placed her hand in the water and made sure that she was traveling with the current. The sounds of the rushing water grew louder and the air became less dense. As she was about to take another step, her walking stick didn’t hit bottom. She paused as she kept moving the stick in front of her trying to find ground. There was nothing there but a strong current.

  “Now what?” Mercy whispered aloud.

  For a few minutes, she contemplated her next mov
e. The way she saw it, she had two choices. One was to go forward and hope she didn’t die. The other choice was to give up and die in her dark surroundings.

  Cain’s spirit had helped her once. She hoped it would work again. As she stepped out into the water, Cain’s name left her lips as the current swept her over a waterfall. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and hoped that it would be over soon.

  Once the water ride was over, Mercy took a breath. She was floating in a pool of water that was only three feet deep. She opened her eyes expecting to find darkness. To her surprise, she found a glimmer of light. It wasn’t coming from the sun though. Something else was illuminating the cave.

  She climbed out of the water and began to walk along the edge of the cavern floor to the source of the light. The path winded and twisted as she dodged overhanging boulders. The air began to get warmer the closer she got to the light. Strange ashes filled the air as she realized where she was. She was inside a volcano!

  She confirmed her suspicions as she saw a pool of hot, molten, lava flowing on the other side of the cave. Hoping that the volcano wasn’t about to erupt, Mercy headed straight for the heart of the volcano. The closer she came, the hotter it became and she began to sweat excessively. It was becoming harder to breathe.

  Finally, Mercy cleared the worst of it. The air began to cool down, and the flow of the lava started to subside. A few hundred yards later, Mercy found a flowing stream of water. She wasn’t sure if the water pure enough to drink this close to the center of the volcano.

  She couldn’t stand the thirst any longer and cupped her hands into the stream. She drank quickly until she couldn’t drink anymore. She was going to die of thirst if she didn’t drink it, so she decided to take her chances with the possibly contaminated water.