A Pirate's Love

The Barbarians

Jake's POV:

As I caught my breath from the shock, the rhythmic sound of the sea calmed my senses. I sat back in the sand, listening to her voice, with the body of Sam laying in front of me. He was just a boy, an innocent life lost by my hand. Another chill ran through my body as I looked back up into the stars for answers. With the crescent moon illuminating from the east, I could clearly see the constellations of Draco and Aquila, and to the west, Jupiter in orbit. In the southeast, I could see the magnificence of the Milky Way, with Mars shining bright. The planets and stars spoke to me, telling me their secrets of direction and navigational pull. From their placement I suspected I was on the coast of Morocco, putting me in the perfect territory to find the Barbary corsairs and the haven for pirates. Moving north was my best option for finding their port. With no evidence of lanterns in the distance, it could easily be a day's journey. I sighed heavily, dreading the thought of walking in the dense Moroccan heat. I couldn't waste time or energy burying the dead.

I looked back at the body of Sam, his skin pale and puffy in the moonlight. The wind shifted the shirt on his chest, making the illusion of breathing. A bullet hole through his shoulder, I shuddered at the gruesome thought of leaving the world like that. It would be painful and slow, with the salty water from the ocean stealing blood from the arteries, causing a battle between consciousness and unconsciousness. A gust of wind blew from the sea again. More illusions. I couldn't help but stare, contemplating on the complications of life and death. Another illusion appeared, the faintest image of his chest rising and falling, only the breeze failed to reach me. That was no illusion.

"Bloody hell," I gasped, coming to the realization, "Sam, can you hear me?" I ignored the pain in my side as I rushed to him, hovering an open palm over his nose and mouth to find proof of life. Warm breath blew on my calloused hand. He was alive. "Sam, can you hear me?" I repeated louder, patting his cheek. A small groan escaped his lips as he moved his head ever so slightly. "For fucks sake, mate," I cursed, swiftly ripping off my belt and pulling it tight around his shoulder so he wouldn't lose any more blood. I pressed down hard on his wound, causing him to yelp out in pain, the sound of life joyous to my ears. "Calm down, it's for your own good," I bickered. He wearily coughed up water from his lungs, his eyes barely opening, the inhale rattling raggedly inside of his chest. "It's a miracle you're alive, boy," I said as I looked around the strip of beach in the darkness, deciding to pull him up more toward the shore. Letting go of his shoulder and picking up his ankles, I dragged him to a large rock in the sand and elevated his legs to improve circulation. I moved back to his shoulder and pressed down hard. He groaned again, his body sopping wet and extremely cold. "Fuck, you're in shock," I cursed, fearing the worst. I peeled away his soaking-wet shirt and tossed it aside. I removed my own, which was drier, and gently placed it on his body, trying to keep him warm. I huddled close to him, using my body heat as an extra heat source while continuing to press into his wound. The action caused the sharp pain in my ribs to return, yet I had no choice but to stay crouched on my side. This boy was going to live.

Shuffling in the distance caught my attention. I looked out into the brush and caught multiple pairs of glowing eyes. Snarling, grunting, and devilish cackling sounded as they observed my recognition of them. I glanced back at the large branch I had dropped when sitting in the sand, then back at Sam's shoulder. It was out of reach but there was no way I was letting up the pressure now. I could feel his blood in my palm, warm and sodden. "You cannot have him, he's going to live!" I cried out, cursing the beasts wishing for his death. Their glowing eyes taunted me, watching my every move.

"Hye–" Sam let out a breathless, indecipherable utterance.

"What?" I asked, shocked at his sudden coherence.