Into the Jungle
Jack was the first to see Elizabeth collapse to the ground, and his heart sank into his feet. Immediately, he bolted to where she lay a crumpled heap upon the sand, the rest of the crew followed behind him. He knelt beside her, running his hands over her face. "Lizzie?" She didn't stir. He pressed two of his fingers to the side of her neck. Thank god, she still has a pulse, he thought to himself, and relief filled him further as he noticed the small but steady rise and fall of her chest.
"Jack, what happened?" Gibbs asked, making his way through to crowd of pirates.
"I don't know, but she's breathing at least. We should get her inside."
"Do you think that's the best idea? Staying here that is? Whatever or whomever is out there is likely to come back."
"Don't be so paranoid, Gibbs." Jack said, lifting Elizabeth into his arms. As he did, the dart Elizabeth had clutched in her hands fell to the sand.
Gibbs noticed the object, "Jack!" He exclaimed picking up the dart with his fingers.
Jack nodded in acknowledgement. "It seems we have our culprit. I've changed my mind. Gibbs you're absolutely right, we cannot stay here. Everyone, gather your things. We're moving on." Jack said marching toward the tree line, Elizabeth firmly cradled in his arms.
"Into the jungle, Captain?" Gibbs asked, voice fraught with worry as he struggled to stay in step with his captain.
"What other choice do we have?" Jack asked sadly.
"Back to the ship for one. This is too dangerous, Jack! A fool's errand…" Gibbs thought that was plainly obvious.
"I'm afraid that's not on option." Jack said as he continued to walk.
"What's in your head, Jack?" Unsure as to why Jack would continue this death sentence of a journey.
"We need the chest, Elizabeth needs to get to the temple, it's too late to turn back now." Jack spat with surprising venom.
"Christ, Jack, she's not even conscious. Are you really going to put her life in danger, all for a ruddy boat?"
"There's more at steak than just the Pearl, mate. So be helpful will you, get our things, and stop pressing matters that don't concern you." Jack said in frustrated grunt. The crew eyed the two men's argument with weary glances.
With a sad nod, Gibbs obeyed, and headed back to the cave. Jack looked down at the eerily still Elizabeth, her face expressionless as she slumbered in his arms. He hoped she would regain her wits soon, otherwise it would be quite a long journey indeed.
After several hours of hacking their way through dense jungle trees, Jack decided they needed a break (well mostly his arms needed a break), and stopped near a small creek running through the jungle. Jack propped Elizabeth up against a nearby tree while all the men filled their pouches with water, and splashed their faces with the refreshingly cool liquid. Jack took off his bandana and dipped it in the water before pressing it to Elizabeth's forehead. She stirred slightly as he made contact. "Elizabeth" He cupped her cheek with his hand. "Can you hear me, love? Are you all right?" but she didn't answer. Whatever concoction the dart was tipped with, was very potent.
Jack surveyed Elizabeth's map, trying to decipher their best stopping point for the night. They'd have to endure a few more kilometers to make any kind of progress. Jack wished more than ever that Elizabeth was more able bodied than her current state had left her.
They continued the arduous trek through the jungle, finally stopping when they found suitable shelter for the evening. Another cave, smaller than the last, but at least they'd be able to keep a closer watch on everyone. Jack instructed Gibbs to double the watch for the evening, hoping that at least one of them would be able to give some kind of warning. Almost instantly the crew had fallen asleep. Elizabeth remained unconscious while Jack stared intently, his furrowed brow increasing with every passing minute she had not woken up. Gibbs also had a difficult time sleeping, displeased by the fact that Jack chose to keep going. The whole situation made him ill at ease.
A few hours passed and the jungle came alive. The sounds of animals hunting prey in the distance mixed with the chirping of various bugs and birds created an eerie cacophonous symphony into the night air. Jack listened closely for any kind of rustle or twig snapping, holding onto Elizabeth with a protective grip, while Gibbs sipped his rum a bit more fervently. Save for the fire in front of them, it was black as pitch everywhere else. Any light put forth seemed to be immediately absorbed into the blackness surrounding them. After another hour or so, Gibbs had finally managed to drink himself into some kind of sleep, and Jack had begun to nod off slightly despite his better efforts to stay awake. He hadn't noticed that all the sounds around him ceased. There was a deafening silence hanging in the air.
All at once, there was a loud scream outside of the cave and the fire inside was extinguished suddenly. Jack bolted upright along with the rest of the crew. A slight breeze wafted through the cave sending a distinct chill up his spine. Jack groped for his sword, though he couldn't see a damn thing. Everyone slowly removed their weapons from their sheaths waiting patiently for whatever predator was threatening to enter the cave. It was dead silent again, all Jack could here was the sparse and labored breathing noises of his crew. Jack moved to his feet slowly and whispered to Gibbs to stay with Elizabeth. Slowly Jack inched himself toward the mouth of the cave, sword drawn in front of him. He closed his eyes for a few moments before walking further, hoping his eyes would adjust to the darkness. With minimal visibility he continued forth. He could only make out one of the crewmen who were on watch. It had been Jacob, one of the young men they picked up in Tortuga, who was closest to the cave. Jack put a hand on his shoulder asking him if he'd seen anything. The man was unmoving, eyes focused straight ahead. Jack shoved him, trying to snap him out of his trance, but to no avail.
Suddenly a gust of wind whipped passed Jack toward the cave, taking him completely off guard. Jack snapped his head back toward the cave. A few yells of alarm came forth along with the sound of a pistol being fired and men spilled from the cave in every direction. Elizabeth, he thought frantically. Jack sprinted back toward the opening, but was pulled back suddenly and violently. He looked up to find two large eyes, black as coal, staring straight through him as Jacob stood towering over him. Before Jack had a moment to react, Jacob lifted him by the shirt and shoved him against outside of the cave. Jack struggled to free himself. The lad was a brute under normal circumstances, but unencumbered by inhibitions and nautical hierarchy and clearly under the influence of some kind of hypnotism or sorcery, Jacob was more of beast than man. Strong hands gripped Jack's arms and shoved him into the rocks again. Jack was beginning to feel a mite dizzy, but used what strength he had to whip his head foreword to collide with Jacob's, sending the man backward a few feet and allowing Jack a moment to breathe and to steady his sword. Unfortunately for Jack, Jacob was none too stunned by the action and was on him almost instantly, his own weapon drawn. Their swords rang piercingly together into the night. Back and forth, back and forth. Blow after blow, Jacob struck hard. Jack was barely able to grip the hilt as the sword vibrated vigorously in his hand. Defending each blow grew increasingly difficult. Jack was certain his arms had turned to lead and Jacob was quickly backing him into a corner. Jack needed to think of a way out, better yet he needed a distraction. For a moment he thought he might be able to gain the advantage if he could break away long enough to dart around behind the man, but Jack was soon corrected when a heavy swing of Jacob's sword sent Jack's careening into the forest. The crew who stood outside watching the ordeal made an attempt to interfere, but Jack shook his head at them to stay away. No sense in anyone else getting killed on his behalf. Jacob swung his right fist hard against Jack's cheek, forcing Jack to divest a mouthful of blood. The lad meant to swing again, but Jack ducked just in time. Trying to break free, Jacob grabbed Jack and shoved him harder against the wall, holding him firmly in place by the throat, increasing Jack's dizziness. Unexpectedly, Jacob finally spoke, his voice hollow and menacing, "You can't fight this Sparrow. No matter how hard you try to protect her, she belongs to us. One chance, Jack. Leave the girl and go back to your ship or more of you will die."
"Never." Jack spat in his face, temporarily disarming his adversary. Jacob grappled at his eyes. Jack signaled to the other men to grab some rope while Jack absconded a rifle. With a mighty swing, Jack knocked Jacob in the head with the butt of the gun sending him to the floor. "That's going to hurt tomorrow." Jack said to himself. The crewmen returned with the rope and Jack ordered them to tie Jacob to the trunk of one of the trees. Out of breath and increasingly woozy, Jack collapsed on a nearby rock, head firmly held in his own hands.
Gibbs came rushing out of the cave as he realized the commotion had died down. "Mother's love, Jack! What the hell was that?"
"It appears we are dealing with forces far beyond anything I've ever encountered before."
"I'll say" chimed in one of the crew members. "Toby was plucked from the beach with naught a sound, all that's left of Nathan was the scream he let out right before Jacob became possessed by the devil. I don't know about you lot, but I'm thinking it might be time to turn around."
"No one is going anywhere!" Jack bellowed, trying to stand, but ultimately sitting back on the rock and spitting some more blood onto the dirt.
"You heard him, Captain. If we don't give them Captain Swann, they're going to kill more of us." Another crew member added.
"Jack" Gibbs muttered in hushed tones. "You can't put the whole crew in such a perilous position."
"Can't I? I'm the Captain. They will do as commanded." Jack was starting to get agitated. Gibbs had never seen such a side of him before. "Or I'll keelhaul every single one of you!" He yelled, turning away from Gibbs.
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open as she listened to the ruckus outside. Alone, in the cave she opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to voice any other sound but hoarseness. She struggled to lift herself into a sitting position, her head feeling heavier than it did after a lengthy night of drinking. She could hear Jack yelling at the crew, he sounded fierce and unyielding…almost like Barbossa. Utterly unsettling. She'd never heard him so deadly serious in all her years of knowing him. Shakily she got to her feet. Holding herself up against the wall of the cave, she made her way outside.
"I'll not die for her, and I'll not die for you. There is naught in it for us." Another crewman chimed in. Aside from Gibbs and Barton, a man from the Devil's original crew, everyone else was in whole hearted agreement, muttering similar sentiments and insults thrown in the direction of Jack and Elizabeth.
"A mutiny is it?" Jack stood, sword drawn.
Suddenly the din quieted, and the crew stared passed Jack, looking sheepish. Puzzled Jack turned his head to find Elizabeth breathing heavily, leaning against the cave entrance.
"Elizabeth." Jack quickly ran over to her, helping her to lean her weight against him instead of the cave.
"I'm all right." She choked out. Jack signaled for water. Gibbs hurried to the pair with his own pouch. Elizabeth emptied its contents greedily and handed it back to Gibbs. She cleared her throat before speaking again, "Would someone like to explain to me what's going on out here?" She asked, voice still quiet and trembling.
"Nathan has been taken, Jacob is not quite himself, and we have been, not so kindly, instructed to leave you here and return to the Devil lest we all wish to meet our maker in a timely fashion." Jack offered to her simply. "These lot wish to abandon the cause."
"Let them." She whispered.
Jack wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "Beg your pardon?" he asked sincerely befuddled.
"Let them, Jack. It doesn't concern them. We don't need them here. They'd be better fending off our enemies back on the ship."
"What's to stop them from commandeering the ship and leaving us here to rot?" He said rather loudly.
"I left loyal members of my crew on the ship for a reason, Jack."
"You're serious?"
Elizabeth nodded, Jack ran a hand over his face. "Fine." Jack turned to the disgruntled crew. "You're free to go." The men quickly scrambled to the cave to gather their belongings. "But I'm sending Mister Gibbs with you to ensure we still have a ship upon our return."
"Assuming he doesn't drink himself into a coma." Elizabeth muttered under her breath, beginning to feel a bit more like herself…slightly.
"He won't." Jack glared at Gibbs who nodded with fervor.
Everyone departed save for Jack, Elizabeth, Barton, and Jacob, who still remained tied to the tree.
"What are we to do with him, Captain?" Barton asked indicating a thumb toward Jacob.
"Leave him for now. We'll reevaluate his condition in the morning. If I were you, I'd get some rest" Jack answered before turning to Elizabeth who had slumped back against the cave. She stared pensively at her palm, suddenly afraid that perhaps these guardians were not, in fact, champions for the greater good, and she was, in fact, leading everyone to their untimely demise. Jack sauntered over to her, lifting her chin with his finger, and questioning her countenance with just a look.
"They took Toby to get to me" She answered. "Nathan too."
"It's not your fault" Jack attempted to assuage her guilt, if even slightly.
"Of course it is. I insisted we go this far, the crew needn't have had a part in it, its me they're after, how isn't it my fault?" She paused staring back at her palm. "It would probably be safer for you back on the Devil." She muttered softly, like the sound of a feather hitting the floor.
Jack rolled his eyes, "I'm not leaving you in the jungle alone."
"They'll not harm me, they need me."
"Completely out of the question, and if you believe for one moment that I'd entertain the thought, then you have officially lost your senses." Jack picked up her hand and she hissed as he pressed his fingers into the gash on her palm. Immediately, Jack turned her hand over. "Where did you get that?" He asked with consternation.
"On the beach. I think one of them was in the cave."
"You saw someone?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, how…exactly?"
Elizabeth paused thoughtfully, wondering if her explanation would even make sense to Jack, but continued anyway."It was like a nightmare, but far more real, and doubly terrifying." Elizabeth proceeded to give Jack the details of her dream as he looked on, fear beginning to cloud his features.
After she'd finished, Jack didn't say anything for a moment. He soon realized that he needed to get her away from this place and quickly. Whatever these guardians wanted from her couldn't possibly bode well, the Pearl certainly wasn't worth this sort of trouble, and surely they could manage to hide out from one crazed Spanish Captain and his armada.
Elizabeth could see the deep worry in his eyes as he was thinking of a way out of their predicament. She put her hand on his cheek, attempting to turn his focus toward her.
"We need to leave." He said decidedly.
"I can't leave, Jack."
"Elizabeth, this is not worth whatever answers you are looking for. We need to go…now."
"Jack, I physically can't leave." And it was true, they had gone too far. She could sense that much. She might have had a chance while they were still on the beach, but deep within the jungle, there was only onward.
"Sure you can, it's easy" He grabbed her hand and led her back toward the way they'd come. They'd made it five feet when Elizabeth was flung violently back toward the cave. "Bloody hell!" Jack ran to where she landed "Elizabeth, are you all right?"
"I told you" She said, dusting off her pants as she got to her feet. "There's only one option for me. Please, Jack, go back to the ship," she pleaded with him.
"Not a chance." He pulled her into his arms.
"Bloody stubborn pirate." She sighed exasperated.
"We should sleep" Jack said, kissing her forehead.
"I've slept plenty, but you rest. I'll keep watch." She smiled at him.
Jack raised his eyebrow skeptically.
"I wont let them take me without waking you first." She assured him, placing her palms on his chest.
"That's all I ask." He bent his head and captured her lips hungrily. "For a split second I thought I lost you this morning. Scariest moment of my life." He whispered to her, resting his forehead against hers.
"You won't be rid of me so easy." She tried to make light of his sorrow. She didn't enjoy a glum Jack Sparrow. So she attempted kiss away the sad look on his face, peppering his face with a feather light touch. Jack closed his eyes, soaking in the sensation.
Running her hand down his arm, Elizabeth grabbed Jack's hand and led him back to the cave. Arranging some of the blankets they'd brought and both of their coats, she pulled Jack to the floor, urging him to lie down.
Sighing, he did as he was bid and lay down with his head in her lap. Elizabeth leaned against the wall of the cave gently stroking Jack's face with her fingertips as he quickly fell to sleep.
Morning came without disturbance. As he woke, Jack stretched his limbs like a feline napping in the sunlight, but when he reached for Elizabeth, she was nowhere to be found. Neither was Barton. In a panic Jack burst forth from the cave, only to find Elizabeth speaking with a still tied up Jacob, and Barton returning with an armful of fruit.
"Good morning." Elizabeth greeted him cheerily.
"Morning." He said rubbing his face. Elizabeth closed the distance between them, planting a kiss on his pursed lips. "I thought you'd run off with Barton" He said with a minimal trace of humor, Barton choking behind him at the Captain's suspicions.
"Apologies, Captain. I didn't want to wake you" She kissed his cheek and returned her attention to Jacob. "Jacob was just explaining to me the events leading up to his most surprising possession."
"Ah. A story I would be much interested in hearing as well."
"As I was saying. It was two men what grabbed Nathan. Tall, dark skinned, tribal markings. They shot him with some kind of poisoned dart. He dropped to the ground almost instantly." Jacob recounted.
"I believe they used the same method on Toby." Elizabeth pondered, knowing first hand just how true that was.
Jacob continued. "It was one man who came for me. Grabbed me from behind. Stronger than anyone I've ever encountered. He held me in place, a hand over my mouth, and whispered something in my ear in a language I did not recognize. That's when things started to get fuzzy. I do apologize for attacking you, captain." Jacob turned his attention toward Jack.
"Quite all right, mate. Could've happened to any one of us." Jack brushed off the apology.
"I was waiting for you to decide whether or not we should untie him." Elizabeth turned to Jack as well.
"I don't see why not. You're not still feeling fuzzy, are you?" Jack asked as he got uncomfortably close to Jacob, scrutinizing his every facial feature.
"Clear headed, sir"
"Brilliant. Cut the ropes, then." Jack stood, clapping his hands together. "We'll need to get moving as quickly as possible. The sooner we can get to the temple the better." Jack turned toward Elizabeth who nodded her head in agreement. "Jacob, I'll give you the same option as the rest of our cowardly lot to head back to the ship if you choose to. Won't hold it against you."
Jacob stood up and stretched. "Well, I've already been possessed, what more could happen?"
"Careful what you wish for, mate." Jack snickered, before cutting the man free.