By Your Side (Will Turner)

15

Evelyn, Will, and Bootstrap Bill began walking below the deck of the ship together. The two was silent as Bootstrap was speaking to them. His voice was rough and raspy but he talked so softly to them. "One hundred years before the mast, losing who you were, bit by bit, until you end up...like poor Wyvern here." Will flung his vest on to cover his back as they stopped in front of what looked like a man. The man looked to appear as though he was molted against the ship's wall for years. Barnacles and different forms of sea objects caked on and within him. Will and Evelyn did a double take at the man who looked like he was sleeping. "Once you've sworn an oath to the Dutchman, there's no leaving it." Bootstrap said right behind them, causing the two to turn around to look at him. "Not until your debt is paid." He added.

Will and Evelyn exchanged confused glances. They both had the same thought swarming through their minds. "We swore no oath." Will said in confusion, looking back to his father.

Bootstrap took a step forward to Will. "You must get away." He looked in between the both of them. "Both of you."

"Not until I find this." Will whispered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a cloth, the same cloth Jack had given him with the drawing of the key Will was supposed to find. Evelyn said nothing no matter how much she wanted too. She had nothing to say. Her mind kept going back to the lashings Will received. The sound to the snaps echoing her mind. Each sound causing her to shut her eyes tight then open once the echoing of the sound stopped. "The key." She heard Will says. Her eyes lazily grazed over the drawing.

A crunching sound from behind Evelyn caused her to jump as she turned around. The man on the wall moved his upper body forward, leaning down with a lantern in his hand. This allowed Evelyn to see just how like the sea he was. He looked like a coral bed in the form of a man. "The dead man's chest." He spoke aloud.

"What do you know of this?" Will asked taking a step forward.

"Open the chest with the key, and stab the heart...No don't stab the heart." He said looking directly at Will. The Dutchman needs a living heart or there'll be no captain, and if there's no captain, there no one to have the key." His voice sounded so strained as he spoke.

"So the captain had the key?" Will questioned the man. They all watched as he began to form back into the wall. "Where is the key?" Will asked.

The man's face read that he had said too much.
"Hidden." Was all he said.

"Where is the chest?" Will pressured his questioned.

"Hidden." And just like that, he closed himself off from the world.

~

Evelyn stood behind Will sitting on the hammock. She gazed at his red and swollen bare back. Beside her was a barrel that had a bowl of water and a piece of cloth on top. A sigh passed her lips as she tiredly placed the piece of cloth into the small bowl of water Bootstrap had given her. "This is ocean water so it will sting but it will clean your wounds." Wounds. Multiple.

"Don't worry I can take it, love." Will replied back softly without looking over his shoulder. She knew he could. Will was stronger than any other person she knew, that was one of the reasons why she loves him so.

Taking in a breath, Evelyn lifted her hand from the bowl and squeeze the cloth slightly. She lifted her arm and placed the wet cloth along Will's back. A small hiss came from him causing her to wince. "I'm so sorry, my love." She said sympathetically to him. Evelyn placed a hand on his shoulder and gave his a comforting squeeze. Will lifted his arm to cross of his chest to he could hold on to her hand on his shoulder. Hesitated, Evelyn began to move the cloth over the blood that oozed from Will's cuts. She placed the cloth in the bowl and squeeze the blood out of it before pulling her hand back up to repeat the process. Minutes passed and Evelyn was dead quiet while doing her work.