Chapter 2
Hook stood in the doorway of the brig and stared at his two small prisoners. The children lay facing each other, sleeping, their bodies curled towards one another. It was as much comfort as they could give each other, their wrists being bound together behind their backs and their ankles lashed together. One of his men, most likely Smee, had shown the two consideration enough to drape blankets over them and shove hay beneath their heads for pillows.
Small mercies, Pan, small mercies are all you will be getting from me, the Captain thought as he stared at the boy's sleeping face. The child seemed angelic now, innocent and pure, and had Hook been in a better mood, he would have broken at the sight and left them in peace. But no, not after a night of listening to the crocodile ticking beneath his window. Not after a night spent reading about all of Pan's atrocities in his diary, his few short hours of sleep spent dreaming of those humiliating defeats. This angelic demon had brutally maimed him. Today he was going to atone.
Hook smiled as he stepped towards the two, holding the bucket steady to not slosh its contents. When he was close enough, he poured the cold water on Peter's head, shocking him and Wendy awake. "Rise and shine, brats!" he laughed, watching as Peter sputtered and thrashed, trying to shake the water out of his eyes. Wendy merely squeaked, the gag in her mouth limiting her range of vocal responses.
Dropping the now-empty bucket, Hook turned and nodded to Mason and Mullins. As the two men stepped forward to each lift a child, Hook left the brig and returned to the deck. Mason and Mullins followed, carrying the struggling prisoners.
Not a word was spoken while the final preparations were made. Mullins handed Wendy to Cookson, who held the girl upright to the side of the staging area, and went to help Mason with Pan. The boy's wrists were untied, but with much struggling the two men got Peter's left arm lashed securely to his side, while a thin but tough leather strap was fastened about his right wrist. Mason had to kick the boy's legs out from under him to make him kneel. Despite Peter's efforts to resist, all too soon he was on his knees before the wooden crate, his right arm held over the flat surface by Mullins, who held to the leather tether to keep him there.
Hook watched the little drama with a mixture of amusement and anticipation. He enjoyed seeing Pan being forced to submit; all too often the cocky brat had danced out of the traps set for him, and it was refreshing to see him brought under control. When the boy was in place, Mullins holding his hand while Mason kept him kneeling, Hook stepped forward and removed the gag.
Peter glared at Hook, "Let Wendy go, Codfish."
Hook smiled pleasantly and nodded at the gagged girl. "Ah, yes, Miss Wendy, the girl dearest to your heart. It caught me quite by surprise when I spied the two of you alone in the woods. But then, as every boy knows, the only way to steal kisses from a girl is to do it away from distractions and discovery." Hook leered at Peter, giving the boy a knowing wink. "Did her lips taste sweet, Pan?"
Peter blushed bright red and glanced over at Wendy. Hook had caught them when they had snuck off together, and because of that, no one knew they were missing. Peter had been so engrossed in kissing Wendy and the strange excitement he felt at doing it that he'd never heard the pirates creeping up on them. And now they were trapped. "What are you up to, Captain?"
Hook squatted down to look the boy in the eyes. "Atonement, Pan. You've wronged me, boy, and now is the time for you to pay for your crime."
"You'll never kill me," Peter interrupted, but the captain quickly covered the boy's mouth, making a shushing noise.
"Now's not the time for brave words and posturing, Pan. I've had enough of that out of you," Hook explained slowly. "I decided that the reason I've failed against you is because I've set my goal too high. I have no intention of killing you. As a matter of fact, Smee, Starkey, and Jukes are standing by to give you the best care possible, which is an advantage I didn't have. You'll even convalesce in my cabin, where it is clean and the air is fresh. And when you've recovered, I'm going to send you home. After that, I will leave this place forever."
Peter frowned and turned to look at the three pirates Hook had mentioned. Smee and Starkey stood close by, holding a bottle of whiskey and an assortment of cloths and bandages. Jukes stood next to a large pot of coals. He pulled out a large, flat piece of red-hot metal, then nodded to Hook before plunging it back into the fire. Peter noticed the boy looked rather pale and that his hands were shaking.
"What are you going to do?" Peter asked softly, dread building in his stomach. His mind was putting together the clues, and the answer he obtained terrified him.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'?" Hook replied, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
Peter blinked. "You want to cut off my hand," he whispered, his eyes growing wide.
Hook smiled and drew his freshly sharpened sword. "Aye."
Both children instantly went wild, panic seizing them. Cookson lost control of Wendy, but the girl's bound feet kept her from doing anything but fall to the deck. Once he picked her back up, she continued to try to kick him, not caring that she couldn't go anywhere. Her only thought was to help Peter. Pan writhed in Mason's grip, trying to wriggle free while pulling against the strap Mullins held. His fear gave him strength, but still his small muscles were no match for the two strong adults. They held him fast and Mason didn't comment when Peter managed to turn his head enough to bite the man.
Hook let the boy struggle, enjoying the terror he'd managed to instill in him. He wondered briefly if Peter would find a way to escape, then shook his head. Pan always escaped, it was inevitable. But that didn't keep him from trying to kill him anyway. "It's rather strange," he said at last, "that you defy death without blinking and laugh at the reaper while you spit in his eye. But I merely threaten to maim you, and you fall to pieces. Where's your backbone, Pan?"
Peter froze, his gaze locking on the Captain. "Are you merely trying to scare me, Hook? Or have you found the courage to take me on when your lackeys are holding me down?"
It was Hook's turn to flush, but he gave the boy a low chuckle. "Don't worry, Pan, I understand why you're afraid. You are the eternal youth. You don't fear death because you can't comprehend it. But you can comprehend what I now have in store for you. You can understand it because you've seen it up close. You cut off my hand boy," Hook snarled, his voice becoming more sinister as his anger grew. "I remember that day as if it just happened. I remember the pain, and I remember seeing you standing there with my blood on your face and on the sword in your hand. Tell me, boy, did you revel in my screams? You came to see me often while I recovered, but you thought I slept then. Did you enjoy seeing me laid low? Did you hope to get a sense of death by watching me pass on?"
"Of course not!" Peter snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. "I'm not a monster like you."
"No," Hook roared, "you are much worse than a monster! You are an aberration, an abomination of nature and all the laws of man. You flit about all day, causing mayhem and strife. You never suffer the consequences of your actions! NO LONGER! I have suffered long enough, and I shall suffer no longer. You will PAY!" Hook raised his sword and brought it down in a deadly arc. He saw the surprise in the boy's eyes, watched as it turned to shock. He barely felt the resistance as his blade cut through flesh and bone, the force of his blow passing completely though the boy's arm above the wrist. It sank into the wood with a thud, and for a moment all was still.
Mullins teetered back on his heels, caught by surprise by the sudden lack of resistance on the other end of the strap. He regained his balance but nearly fell again when he beheld the severed hand dangling from the piece of leather. And then the air was rent by the high-pitched, hysterical scream of a child.