Part twelve, or how to survive with an annoying girl in your way
Smee had been shouting at him for sending the rabbit to Cora. He couldn't even understand that. It was a rabbit after all. They had grilled them at their campfires before. Why was he reacting like that now all of a sudden? It wasn't like he had taken its head off himself, was it?
After shooting him another disappointed gaze his first maat had taken his arm and they had arrived at this weird lake
They were alone. No one was there. And Hook found himself wondering why they were here once again. He sighed and looked at Smee: "Why are we here?"
"You will see.", Smee said still angry.
"Oh come on.", Hook said: "I didn't do anything we haven't done before."
"It was a rabbit."
"So what? You have been eating rabbits in the past."
"But not in a world where it has the status of a person.", Smee said: "The animals aren't just animals here. I thought you had noticed that."
Hook sighed: "So what? We have killed others before either."
"But not like that."
"For sure like that! We are pirates after all!", Hook said angryly.
"Stop this now. We need to concentrate on the next thing."
"Let me guess. I found her and took her to Cora?", Hook said bored looking over to the place his first maat was watching.
"You would be surprised.", Smee said: "You made something that would have almost left the curse as it was."
Hook frowned: "What?"
Something crashing through the trees caught his attention. It was Emma breathing hard and looking around in confusion. She held her side that was obviously hurting badly. Her trousers were and her jacket were cut and bloody so he was able to see a cut on her right arm. Her hands were bloody either. She had fallen to the ground several times he guessed.
Something behind her caught her attention. She ran further leaving her jacket in distance trying to leave footsteps in another direction into the forest and running back through the wood. She leaned at a tree hiding herself behind it.
Than his old self came through the trees. He was breathing fast just like her but he wasn't hurt even a bit. He waited for a moment to relax a bit more before he checked the ground around the water.
Nobody else noticed it, but he couldn't fool himself after all. He had heared her slipping behind the tree.
Emma held her right arm that was still hurting where she had deepened the cut of earlier when she had been running through the forest. She had been right. It hadn't taken him long to notice her. He had been running after her, chasing her into this forest, where she had managed to get rid of him for maybe ten minutes till she had fallen again.
She leaned her head back at the tree in her back and squeezed her upper arm where she was bleeding. It was hurting and she was sure that if she would take a look she would find it badly suppurating.
He was following the false tracks she had made. But she was sure it wouldn't take him too long to notice that she was hiding somewhere else. She slipped.
She was sure he had noticed it. The question was now in which way she could escape to get a head stard. He wasn't injured even a bit. He seemed to be used to running through forests. Well, she wasn't even a bit. And she was thirsty. New York hadn't been a preparation for this even a bit! And she had had to run a lot there either. She had been stealing. In the beginning she had been really bad in it. But after a little time she had gotten better.
Well, it wasn't helping her now. He would have a real chance to get her. If she was honest to herself she had to admit that she didn't have even a bit of a chance to escape.
Emma stood up again slowly slipping herself up the tree trunk while breathing hard but as quietly as possible. She pushed herself of the tree with her right hand to stood without any help and took a look back over her shoulder. He was gone!
Emma frowned. She turned around to get a better view and checked every place she was able to see. Her jacket was gone as well. She stepped closer to the tree she had used as a shield before carefully placing her feet without making any sound to the ground. That was impossible. He was gone! But was he really? She had seen his huge sword before when he had lost her track in the forest. She would better not take the risk to run into it. He wouldn't even need to get close to her to kill her.
She was scared. But that wouldn't help her now! She had to stay calm. She had seen enough horror movies to know excactly that she was still in danger. The evil had always the bad habit to show up behind his victim.
She slowly turned her head to her left side. There was nothing. She turned around again slowly. Nothing! But the tracks would have let him here after a while. She didn't want to take the risk of him suddenly showing up in front of her.
She had the bad feeling that she should run! But it would cause too much noise and she wasn't able to run fast anymore. It would be better to leave silently but to get his attention even sooner. She made a step forward with her left food. She took care of placing it without making any sound. Her heel touched the ground.
Suddenly someone grabbed her right wist, used her movement while walking to swing her around and she crashed into a strong cheast. She stared at it in shock for a second before she tried to pull away from it backwards. The grib around her waist didn't yield it even got tighter till she almost screamed out of pain. But she pressed her lips together not willing to give him what he expected her to do.
She stared up in his face and met the bluest eyes she had ever seen before. But it were cruel eyes. Eyes without mercy. He was angry. She had been to much of a problem for him.
His expression lightened up after a moment till it almost seemed charming.
"So here we are.", he said with a deep voice.
Emma said nothing but kept staring into those eyes.
He rolled them and grabbed her upper arm, what finally made her scream. He looked at her in surprise. So he hadn't noticed it before.
He checked her upper arm and saw what had caused her to scream. A grin appeared on his lips. That was not good. If she was thinking about this whole situation now the biggest thread to her was this hook he used to replace his left hand with. Well, and the bloody sword he was carrying with him.
She frowned when he took out a water bladder and had to hold back a scream when he let something drop on her wound that was burning like hell. Than he took off his scarf to put it around her wound: "Need you alive, love."
She clenched her teeth together.
"What? Not asking what for?", he said jokingly but he couldn't fool her: "Well, I've been alone for such a long time. You might be of use for me."
He even played the charming one while telling her to be his whore even though it wasn't the truth. Bloody old pervert!
"Why aren't you saying anything? Scared to much, lass?"
"I'm just not interested in talking with an old perverted liar, that's all.", she said steping back from him.
"Woo.", he said playing to be impressed with a huge grin: "You're a tough lass. Well, at least you're playing one. But you know what? I can see the fear in your eyes. So you better do, what I say."
"Why are you here?", she asked staring at him.
"To make sure that you are save.", he said smiling: "I'm a gentleman after all."
"For sure.", she said sarcastically: "Who should probably believe you that?"
He stepped closer expecting her to step back, but she didn't, even though she was scared like hell: "Well, you. What makes you believe that I was lying to you? What reason could I possibly have to harm you?"
"What reason did you have to harm the white rabbit?", touché.
"What is your name?"
"Why would you want to know that if you are going to hurt me anyway?", she sounded tougher than she was feeling. He could see it in her eyes.
"Fine, than I call you Alice.", he said jokingly: "So come on Alice. We have got to visit a queen."
"You think you're funny?", she said shooting him a disbelievingly glare: "Why don't you answer just a single question? I know you are going to kill me and if it's not you doing it, the queen will do it. So what's the use in hiding it?"
He grabbed her left upper arm so tight that it was hurting and stepped as close that his chest was almost touching her: "If you know that already stop waisting my time."
"Why are you doing this to me?", she clenched her teeth together to hold back a plea.
"Because I need her to get out of here again.", he growled: "I've got a ship to lead."
"Pirate?"
"How do you know?", he frowned a bit surprised.
"Let's say I know a thief if I see one.", she grinned the fear suddenly slowly vanishing from her eyes.
"Why tha-", he froze slowly looking down his body. She had stolen his knife without him even noticing it. Impressive. The problem was the place she was pointing it at right now. It was his precious place.
"Let go.", she said warningly.
"You think you can fool a pirate?", he said in disbelieve but stepping back: "Stupid little girl."
"Not me.", she smiled almost like a pirate: "But them."
Hook frowned and turned around. At the lake were two men searching for something. They hadn't seen them yet but it wouldn't take long anymore. He spun, grabbed her right hand with the knife, drew it aside and wanted to hold her mouth shut, when she was already screaming for help. He pulled her deeper into the woods hiding behind a tree like she had done before with her back at his chest. She tried to get rid of his hold on her but failed.
Now he had a problem. If those two would find them he wouldn't be able to get rid of them and to keep her at placeThose two were even quiet big and strong. It might take him a while beat them. Maybe even long enough for her to escape. . If he would knock her out he would need to carry her later on and that would cost him too much time.
He sighed angrily while she was still trying to free herself. His hand upon her mouth was just stopping her from shouting anything but it wasn't keeping her completely quiet.
"Do you know them?", he whispered angryly in her left ear. She tried to push him with her head away. Just like a wildcat.
"I will kill them and that will be your fault.", he whispered again.
She suddenly turned silent again breathing hard because she had tried to get free so much. He loosend his grib above her mouth a bit, when he noticed how she got weaker. He hadn't intended to stop her from breathing in the first place.
She used this moment to push her elbow hurtingly into his side what caused him to let go of her to lean forward. She jumped out of his little hideout and ran deeper into the forest.
He frowned. So she hadn't intended to get close to those two in the first place. It had just been a bluff.
So running again? Hook sighed. Fine than. If she wanted to walk that plank he would push her down!
This little moment with this strange guy had given her a chance to recover from all this running before. Her right arm was still hurting a lot but it wasn't that much of a problem anymore because he had tight it up really strong.
She ran through the forest again hoping for a little help. She didn't want to take the risk of meeting this two awfull looking men they had seen at the lake before. But she had to get back to it. She was still thirsty and maybe those two could give her an opportunity to get a little sip of water.
Emma heared him following her. He was fast!
"How are you?", a smile appeared in the air right in front of her. She almost stumbled because she was so startled. It was the Chesire cat hanging in the air always a step ahead of her even though she kept running.
"I need help.", even she noticed how helpless she was sounding: "Do something!"
"I already did.", the cat said: "But you ran into the wrong direction. Those guys are Tweedledee and Tweedledrum."
"What?", she screamed in disbelieve.
"Well, they are already following you."
"What should I do now? If I stop he will get me again and just disappear with me before they even reach us."
"Well, don't play with Captain Hook.", the cat said with an even brighter smile: "But I know something that could help you. We are in Wonderland after all."
It disappeared again. She noticed something at her feet. The plants were moving! Something behind her was crashing into the ground. She stopped and turned around when she heared him cursing the world. He was lying on the ground trying to cut himself loose again.
Emma took the opportunity. She ran back leaving a lot of space between him and her feet. She jumped over a tree that was lying on the ground, when she heared him using his sword to cut himself finally loose again. She kept running like her life was depending on it.
He was getting closer. There were no plants at the ground anymore that would be able to grab him. He was fast.
There was some noise in front of her. Tweedledee and Tweedledrum! They were getting closer! She just tried to speed up when the pirate suddenly swung his arms around her waist from behind, hurting her a lot, to pull her into the other direction.
Emma tried to get rid of him: "Tweedledee, Tweedledrum! I'm here!"
"That won't help anymore.", he said breathing hard. Hook swung her around, sat her to the ground, looked at her dangerously and pushed her forward: "Enough playing now. Come on!"
He swung her around again, until she was standing with her back to him and grabbed her arms to pull them behind her back. It was worthless to fight him. He was too strong for her.
When he pushed her forward again he suddenly made an unusually sound and let go of her.
