For Jack, going back to the cave was like reluctantly going to hell for a stay. As the three riders came around the side of the rock wall, there it stood. Now that he looked at it again, he was reminded of a small animal facing the cavernous mouth of a larger predator. A shiver worked its way up his spine as he sat there looking at it. The cause for all that trouble that had led to this moment lay in that cave. He slid out of the saddle, pulling the reins over Silver's head to give the horse's head freedom of movement. Ahead of him, Will turned to look at Jack over his shoulder.
"Do you think they're even here yet?" In response to his question, Jack nodded upwards towards the cliff. Will glanced up, seeing the vehicles sitting on the ledges above, visible in the sliver of moonlight shining down over the cliffs, creating shadows at the bottom and making a spotlight on the cave entrance.
"They're here." He said quietly. "Hopefully there won't be too many obstacles." He had a feeling that there would be a few guards around as a precaution. Smythe probably felt assured that Jack and Will were still locked in his hideaway. Arrogant man. Despite the seriousness of the current situation, the side of Jack's mouth moved upwards into a smirk. There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance and Smythe had crossed it a long time ago, which was fine with Jack. To Jack, men with an ego were easier to exploit than those who were unsure. The unsure were cautious; the egotistical believed they had everything right and never seemed to notice the holes in their deluded theories. Smythe had underestimated Jack Sparrow. That would bring him to his downfall.
Jack turned back to the saddle bag and flipped up the flap. He pulled out the handgun and checked to make sure the safety was on and the clip was loaded. When he was assured that the safety was on and that the clip was loaded, he tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. That having been done, he turned back towards Will and Cecilia. The woman was watching them both in a manner that gave Jack the feeling that they were being sized up. When she felt his gaze on her, she looked back down to the book held in her hands. Jack laid a hand on Will's shoulder.
"Ready lad?" Will jumped, making it clear that his attention had been somewhere else at the moment. The cutlass held in his right hand tumbled from his fingers into the sand and he quickly knelt to pick it up. He handed it to Jack and got to his feet. He switched his own cutlass to his right hand and shook his left. The pain had been uncomfortable for a long time, but now it was beginning to go numb. The cloth that had been used as a bandage was beginning to turn pink as the blood made its way through the many layers.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He responded. Jack didn't even bother to suggest him staying out of the fight. He knew if he did, they'd waste precious time arguing over it and Will would end up going anyway. It was better just to bypass the argument completely by ignoring it. Cecilia slapped the book shut suddenly, making both the blacksmith and the pirate jump.
"We don't have much time." She suddenly seemed very different than the woman who had appeared in his living room earlier in the evening. The look in her eyes was almost deadly, but also calm. Once again Jack felt very intimidated by her and looked back towards the caves.
"Then I guess we better get moving." With a final look towards Will, he started off across the sand towards the cave. After a moment's hesitation, Will followed after him. Cecilia brought up the rear, the book held tightly to her chest as if it were a child that needed to be protected. They stayed close to the wall, hiding in the shadows as they made their way towards the cave entrance. Jack gripped the cutlass tighter as they walked onwards. If felt like the closer they got, the more he could feel icy fingers slowly closing over his beating heart. He wasn't afraid; it was the memories. It felt like only yesterday that he and Will had run from the cave after hiding the treasure. He remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach and at that time, being almost absolutely sure that he would never go to sea again. But even as the memories came back to haunt him, another thought came to him. This is a second chance to make right all the wrongs that have been done. If there hadn't been a chance, there really would've been no point to bringing you back, right? Jack felt the cold fingers retract slightly. No, there wouldn't have. This time, I'll be the one walking away.
The crack that rent the night air brought him out of his thoughts and he turned just in time to see the blade fly from Will's fingers and go flying into the sand. Jack looked towards the mouth of the cave to see the man standing right beside the entrance, taking aim. The pirate turned and grabbed Will's shirt, pushing him backwards right before the bullet hit the sand in front of him, exploding upward like a miniature fountain.
"Get against the wall!" Jack shouted at them. Will grabbed his cutlass before sinking deeper into the shadows, against the wall. Cecilia had already been there from the first shot. When he was assured they were alright, he turned to look back out at the cave again. The sniper was having trouble seeing them in the shadows, but Jack could see him just fine. He handed his cutlass to Will and pulled the gun out of his waistband and flicked the safety off.
"Is that going to be able to reach all the way there?" Will whispered as Jack took aim. Jack lined up the man, steadying the gun with his other hand. The moonlight worked for him, being at his back. It had created the shadows against the rock wall, but created a shaft of light down near the entrance of the cave. Jack exhaled slowly and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang through the night and the sniper didn't even have time to yell out before he crumpled to the ground. They waited to see if there was movement, but it soon became apparent that there wouldn't be. Jack ventured out onto the sand, walking towards the cave. Cecilia walked beside Will, who seemed ready to protect the woman when danger presented itself again.
The trip to the cave turned out to be uneventful. It seemed as if only one man had been placed on guard and now he lay dead at Jack's feet. Jack placed the toe of his boot underneath the man's arm and rolled him. A disgusted scowl crossed his face as he looked down upon the man's face.
"Jones. Ye dirty traitor." He growled, recognizing a man who had been on his crew. Crouching down, he roughly grabbed the jacket and pulled it off the dead man. He searched through the pockets for things they could use. A small pile began to form by his feet. When he had searched the last pocket, the pile consisted of a rather deadly looking pocket knife, more ammunition to the gun, a set of keys, and a wallet. Jack handed the smaller gun to Will and picked up the rifle Jones had been using. He stuffed the wallet in his back pocket and the ammunition and knife in the front pocket, and then threw the keys to Will. "Hold on to those. They might come in handy later." Will nodded and slipped them into his front pocket.
Cecilia walked past them into the caves. As she went by, she placed a finger on her lips to quiet them. Both men did so immediately and followed after. Cecilia started rummaging through the bag at her hip. "Where did I put that flashlight?" She muttered quietly. After a few uttered curses, there was a click and a beam of light appeared and pointed towards the floor. Unable to see Cecilia in the darkness, Jack and Will followed the beam of light.
"I wish this was happening in the day time." Will whispered to Jack. "At least last time we could see when we came to bury the treasure." Jack nodded, watching the light beam. The lack of light and the seemingly endless walking made it feel like a good amount of time had passed, when in reality they had been walking only a short time. Jack began to feel impatient, fingering the trigger of the rifle in his hands. His cutlass blade tapped rhythmically against his leg, almost making him feel more rushed. The closer they got, the more he could almost feel her presence. Hold on, Ana. I'm coming.
Suddenly Jack could see that the walkway opened up into a cavern ahead of them, silver moonlight shining in through an opening in the ceiling. As they drew nearer, Cecilia flicked off the flashlight and returned it to her bag. She turned to Jack and Will.
"I need time." She whispered to them. "I need you to get me that time. Draw attention to yourselves, create a distraction, do what you must." She reached up and touched Jack's cheek, and then Will's. "Just please don't get yourselves killed. I've taken a liking to you boys in the short time we've shared together, and it would break my heart to see anything happen to you again." She gave them a sad smile. "Good luck." With that having been said, she turned away from them and walked through the cavern entrance. The ledge led both upwards and downwards. Cecilia took the downwards route. Will crouched down and scooted towards the edge.
"Jack!" He hissed over his shoulder. The pirate crouched as well and came up beside the blacksmith. Down below, Smythe sat on a rock with an impatient expression on his face while five other men searched the cavern for Jack's hidden treasure. Will looked over at Jack, a confused expression on his face. "I thought you gave them the directions to find it."
Jack held up a finger. "He asked me where the treasure was. He didn't ask me where it was exactly. It's all in how you word it, Will." Will shook his head, a half hearted grin on his face and looked back down into the cavern. Jack pointed over towards where the ledge opened up onto the cavern floor. Ana was leaning against the wall, idly trying to loosen up the ropes tied around her wrists. Hannah sat beside her, watching the men searching.
"Hurry it up, you idiots." Smythe got to his feet. "It can't be that hard to find a chest." He grumbled.
"It wouldn't be if we hadn't slid a rock over it." Will muttered. Jack grinned and positioned the rifle against the corner of the ledge. He peered through the sight, lining up Smythe's chest in the crosshairs.
"Good riddance…" He growled as his finger tightened on the trigger, but the shot was never fired. The gun suddenly flew from Jack's hands and down into the cavern, landing with a clatter below. Jack whirled around to find the barrel of a gun staring him in the face. The pirate stared coldly at the two men.
"Get up." Jack glanced at Will, then back at the pirate and slowly rolled onto his back with his hands up. As he climbed to his feet, he kept his eyes on the pirate. The pirate held his gaze, the barrel of the gun never leaving Jack. At least not until Will's foot slammed into his wrist. Jack took the opportunity to grab his wrist and force the gun upwards. All work stopped as the gun went off, the noise ricocheting throughout the cavern. Jack slammed the pirate's arm into the wall, causing him to drop it completely. The pirate's other hand curled into a fist and slammed into Jack's jaw. Jack went with the blow, recovering just enough to slam his knee into the pirate's stomach and shove him backwards. The pirate stumbled, trying to recover his balance. Will quickly corrected that problem, sticking out his foot as the man stumbled backwards. He tripped and fell backwards over the ledge. Jack rubbed his jaw angrily.
"Where's the gun?" He demanded. Will winced.
"He kicked it over when he stumbled backwards." He pulled the handgun from the back of his waistband and held it out towards Jack. "But we still have this one." Jack snatched it from him, sticking it in his own waistband and pulling his cutlass out of his belt.
"Now I'm mad." He started stalking down the winding ledge. Smythe looked up from the dead body of the pirate and sighted Jack. An eyebrow was raised.
"Good show, Captain Sparrow. I knew of the stories told about you, but I never thought most of them to be true. Now I'm beginning to wonder." He crossed his arms. Jack glanced over and down at him as he made his way along the winding path downwards.
"Aye, and I'm about to show ye just what the stories don't say about me." He growled. He was vaguely aware of Will following a few feet behind him, but he didn't care. Right now the only thing that mattered was getting his vengeance.
"Lucky me. I'm getting to see the famous Sparrow in action." He said in a mocking tone. Jack sneered at him.
"Now are ye actually going to fight me, or are ye goin' to send yer thugs after me?" He raised his hands. "I can't believe ye actually gave them immortality." While he was talking, his free hand slid over his pocket, palming the pocket knife. He finally reached the floor, brushing past Ana. As he did so, his hand met with hers and she took the knife from his hand. "I'm right here, Smythe. How about ye face me like a man this time?" The expression on Smythe's face darkened and he picked up his cutlass.
"This will be your final fight, Sparrow. I'll make sure you die and stay dead this time." He snarled as he lunged for Jack. Jack brought up his blade, parrying the blow. Behind him, the remaining four men snapped into action. They scrambled for their swords.
"Where are they?" The cutlasses had been leaning against a nearby rock, but now they were missing. A whistle caught their attention.
"Hey, are you looking for these?" The four whirled around to glare at the young blacksmith with an armful of swords. "Finders keepers, I guess." He gave them a quick grin. There was a moment of pause before the pirate in the lead cursed and took off after him. Will turned around and sprinted away from him, calling taunts over his shoulder. Nearby, Jack and Smythe were face to face, blades crossed in an equal match of strength.
Ana nudged Hannah with her leg and knelt down. "Turn around." She commanded. Hannah did as she was told. Ana flipped the pocket knife open and grabbed Hannah's wrist with one hand while cutting through the ropes. It was made slightly more difficult by the fact that her hands were still tied, but soon the ropes snapped and dropped to the ground. Hannah took the knife and quickly cut through Ana's ropes. Ana shook her hands, feeling pins and needles as the feeling came back. "Don't think they liked me much. Tied my ropes tighter than yours." Hannah looked like she was unsure if she should smile at that or not. Ana raised a hand and whistled for Will's attention. "William! Over here!" He changed directions, sprinting towards her. The pirates followed after him, still shouting threats at him. He skidded to a stop in front of Ana and she pulled a cutlass from his arms. "Give one to the lass."
Hannah reluctantly took one, holding it in front of her. Ana smirked, standing beside Will with her blade at the ready. The pirates skidded to a stop when they saw the armed blacksmith and pirate. They decided they weren't stupid enough to face them unarmed and turned tail to run.
Cecilia held the open book in her hands, chanting softly. Smythe suddenly stumbled back from Jack, a strange expression on his face. Jack stood back, wary. Cecilia's voice rose as she recited the spell. Smythe turned towards her, face contorting in fury.
"You stupid wench!" He shouted. "I should've killed you when I had the chance." Jack lashed out and slammed a fist into his temple.
"Shouldn't talk to yer mother that way, Jonas. Not very nice." Jonas lashed out and swept Jack's feet out from underneath him. Jack hit the ground and rolled out of reach. Both men got to their feet and Smythe lunged again. Jack blocked his swing and hit him again, knocking him backwards. "What's the matter? Ye seem a little tired." He mocked. Cecilia's voice stopped. He glanced towards her. She nodded.
Jack looked back over at Smythe, his expression cold. "Ye never gave me a chance." He pushed Smythe down onto the ground, standing over him. "Bewitched me to make me yer pawn and then ye get rid of me like I'm trash. Shot an unarmed man in the stomach." Jack pulled the gun out of his waistband. Smythe's eyes darted over to the weapon before going back to Jack.
"Do it." He stared at Jack with a vacant expression. "Kill me, Jack." A surprised look flickered on his face when Jack threw the gun aside.
"I may be a pirate, but I'd like to think of myself as an honorable man." He kicked the cutlass over to Smythe. "Pick it up and fight me so you can die with dignity." Smythe stared at him for a moment before grabbing the sword and getting to his feet. Jack gripped his weapon tightly. With a scream of rage, Smythe attacked. Jack parried him, knocking the thrust to the side and returning to a defensive position. Smythe steadied himself and lunged again. The clash of sword blades caught the attention of everyone in the cavern. Ana gripped Will's shoulder tightly.
"Come on…" She whispered, praying that Jack would be the one to walk away from this fight. Smythe's strokes were growing wilder as he grew desperate. The unpredictable strokes were harder for Jack to block and he started to lose ground. One stroke dragged across his arm, creating a thin red line. Jack glanced down as the blood began to well up.
"Yer goin' to pay for that." He growled. This time it was Smythe who was on the offensive as Jack pressed forward. Smythe blocked the first few strokes, but the fourth knocked the cutlass away. But the loss barely even registered as Jack shoved the blade through his stomach. He made a strangled sound and backed up, the sword still in him.
"Have a taste of mortality." Jack said coldly. Smythe dropped to his knees.
"I can't die." He said in shock. Will and Ana spun around as there was a clatter behind them. The four pirates they had been up against earlier collapsed to the ground. Their flesh quickly dried up and turned to ash, leaving bleached bones behind. Smythe looked up at Jack. "How…?"
"I don't know how." Smythe looked back down at the ground. He toppled over, hitting the ground and kicking up dust. Dead eyes stared straight ahead. Jack nudged him with his foot twice before kneeling down and taking his pulse.
"He's dead." He muttered as a hand rested on his shoulder. Ana knelt down beside him and he took her into his arms. "We finally won." She pressed herself against him, happy to be in his embrace again. Suddenly Jack stood up, accidentally pulling her up with him. "Cecilia." He said.
"Who?" He let go of her, hurrying towards something lying on the ground. Ana hurried after him. As she drew near, she realized it was an older woman. The woman from the beach, the one that had told her that Jack would need her help again. Jack knelt down beside her, shaking her arm.
"Cecilia." He called. There was no response. He shook her harder. "Cecilia." When she still didn't respond, he picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse. After a moment he laid her hand back down on the ground. "Thank ye, Cecilia. Couldn't have done it without you." Will knelt at her side as well.
"Is she…?" Jack nodded.
"She's gone." He said quietly. "Her job was done. She must have done something to break his defenses so I could kill him." He reached over and shut her eyes. Ana covered her mouth with her hand as Jack stood up. He put his arms around her, holding her close. She never cried, and it bothered him to see her do so now. It felt so good to have her in his arms again and he never wanted to let go.
"Danny!" Jack and Ana both looked over as Hannah screamed his name. Will had begun to waver and then just fell over, lying still on the ground. Jack started for him when Ana suddenly went limp in his arms. He went to call her name when a wave of dizziness hit him. He blinked as the cave began to spin. His knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground, still holding Ana to him. When his knees hit the ground, he just kept going till he was laid out completely. The entire world around him faded to black and all went quiet.
It's time to go, Jack.