Chapter 5
"Speak up!" The official snapped.
"'M sorry." Jack said simply. The comment reached Elizabeth as a whisper through the crowd and driving rain. "'M so sorry Ana, Gibbs,"
"His crew…" Elizabeth breathed in confusion. "What happen-?"
"…Will, Elizabeth; sorry." Jack finished too soon, much too soon for Elizabeth's liking.
The tempo of those relentless drums increased, and the rope was fitted around Captain Jack Sparrow's neck. As the slack was removed, Jack closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them again, what Elizabeth saw chilled her to the bone. She quickly averted her gaze, finding the ground to her right more interesting.
~*~
Jack stared out at the crowd listlessly, assuming he would find no acquaintances. As his eyes roamed towards the back of the crowd, they stopped on three familiar persons.
Despite what the voice had told him—had made him believe—a faint glimmer of hope flared in his heart. He managed to lock his gaze on Elizabeth's, ignoring the torrent of water that separated them.
'Jack, give it up. There's no way she would help you even if she could.'
Jack took in a sharp breath, closing his eyes. So the grand plan was not only for Captain Jack Sparrow to be hung friendless, but tormented by a dark figment of his imagination, as well.
An evil chuckle echoed through the complex chambers of his mind. 'Really now Jack. Is that all you think of me?'
Jack's eyes snapped open, suddenly preferring the dark haze of the courtyard to the searing blackness in his mind where the voice dwelled.
Elizabeth quickly broke their eye contact, leaving Jack utterly alone.
'Not quite alone, Jack. Are you forgetting me?'
Jack sharply suppressed the desire to scream at the voice, to ward it off forever. Despite his best efforts, the voice's malicious echo streamed through his mind.
~*~
The drums stopped cold and a sharp release resonated across the courtyard.
Elizabeth's head shot up and her eyes widened in horror as Jack's gaze dropped. His eyes closed not a moment later as the plank disappeared from beneath his feet. The infamous pirate slipped down through the newly opened hole.
Just when she dared to hope that the rope might break, his body came to a sharp stop. The pirate was left hanging awkwardly from the noose.
The crack of a neck breaking was non-existent and Elizabeth sadly lowered her gaze, not wanting to watch her friend suffer.
The crowd dispersed, considering the spectacle to be at a close. The unrelenting water pouring from the sky helped to hasten their departure. Elizabeth remained long after everyone else, including the Governor and Commodore Norrington. She was frozen in place with one hand to her mouth and eyes darkened with sorrow. Without her knowledge, tears formed in her eyes and silently slid down her face. The truth hit her like a slap to the cheek: Captain Jack Sparrow's legacy had come to an untimely end at the mercy of gravity and a hempen rope.
Elizabeth watched numbly as the swing of an ax severed the rope, dropping the lifeless form unceremoniously to the ground. A slight swirl of dust kept dry by the platform swirled, defining the only movement below the gallows platform. The official and executioner then took their leave quickly, dashing for the cover of the fort.
The monotone clomp of an animal's feet followed by wheels crunching on the cobblestones alerted Elizabeth to the fact that someone had come to collect the body. She didn't, however, turn to look in the direction of the cart. Instead, she waited until it plodded into her line of vision: first the donkey, then the cart's driver, then the rest of the cart itself. The driver was cloaked in black, a hood protecting his head from the rain and serving to hide his face.
The cart drew up next to the platform that loomed gloomily against the dark sky. Once the driver had pulled the reins back, bringing both the donkey and cart to a stop, he easily slipped down from his perch. He efficiently made his way beneath the dais, blending in with the shadows. He emerged a moment later, carelessly dragging the body by the bindings on its wrists. The body sagged through the puddles between its origin and destination, picking up water and various sediments along its path. The noose remained tightly around the pirate's neck, a brutal reminder of how shamefully his life had been taken.
The cloaked man, despite his slim form, effortlessly lifted the dead weight into the back of the cart, very nearly throwing the body in. He quickly drew a canvas tarp over the body to shield it from public view before heading back towards the front of the cart. He jumped up to the driver's seat, collected the reins and whip, and then tapped at the animal's flank.
The beast of burden shook its head free of the water before slowly stepping forward. The driver directed it in a wide arc, turning back from the way it had come. After becoming accustomed to the extra weight, the animal picked up pace, trotting from the fort. The cart carrying the body of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow bounced along behind.
Elizabeth covered her face with her hands, allowing the tears to grow into audible sobs. She harshly shook her head, trying to convince herself it was all a dream. When she discovered there was no way to escape the here and now, she turned and ran from the fort, seeking out the comfort of her husband's arms.
[a/n: Please review, it helps my low self-esteem.]