Disclaimer: M. Mouse on the offensive. He and lawyers charging, retreat! (Don't own them as should be obvious)
Haunted
Chapter 5, Part 1
A/N: I betcha yer wonderin' 'bout that title huh…Bet yer thinkin', "A soul devoured! Whose?" Yea…kinda scary isn't it? Is it Jack's, Will's, Ana's, maybe even Elizabeth, but to be honest I doubt it would matter a great deal to anyone if it was her…I like her, but let's face it, she isn't the reason anyone is reading this. I hope you realize that I am just egging on any curiosity you might have had previous to reading this little thing, and if you didn't, well now you do, don'cha? I know…I am such a tease… ;o)
"Hell is over rated," Jack retorted back to Osrick. It had sounded good in his mind, but the way it came out lacked any force and sounded just above a whisper. Osrick gave a smile and a nod,
"I am somewhat impressed by your ability to speak already. Most on the brink of death would be some what less fiery when brought back from such a fate. But then they didn't have a man beyond normal human capacity bringing them back, did they?"
"I'd rather have died," Jack said with much more force then before.
"You would have," Osrick grinned. "If not for my expertise and some special medications not of the norm. Do you remember that burning you felt in your wounds?"
It wasn't something Jack figured he would ever forget…
"I put some of this in them…" Osrick produced a leather pouch and poured a small amount of green powder into his hand to show Jack. "It is pretty useless on its own, but when you say a few words with it, it works wonders." Jack narrowed his eyes at Osrick, still feeling the pain that was the product of the man before him.
"The voice…the chantin'…that was you."
"Aye, it was. The other voice you heard was that of Death it self. Can be very appealing can't it? It is a mischievous being too…has a way of making you want to let go. If I had not started when I did, you would have been gone. Your Anamaria almost made sure of that," Osrick chuckled. Jack's eyes widened, but when he struggled to move, the pain surged and left him feeling paralyzed.
"Where is she?! What did ye do te 'er!" Jack ignored all protests that his body made to the outburst.
"She isn't harmed…badly. All I did was move her, her head hitting my hand and then the floor were just mere coincidences," Osrick acted as if it was truly coincidental but for the smile that was present on his thin lipped mouth. Rage overrode anything else in Jack's mind. It surged through him, flooding him with adrenaline, but the only thing he was able to do was flinch and flex the newly living muscles in his body, they could do nothing more despite the commands firing at them to do so.
"Now Jack, it really isn't the time to be straining your self. Nothing has happened yet." Osrick said as he moved beyond where Jack lay and out of his view. "Right now you and your friends will be reunited and I will tell you a story."
Jack heard rustling and the sound of something being dragged across the floor. When Osrick moved in front of him, Jack struggled to see what he was doing and was startled when Anamaria's head and body were being dragged along the floor beside him. Osrick had her by her arms and was pulling her into another room through an open doorway. He stared in shock and anger at how Osrick treated her as if she were a bag of oats or something insignificant. Her face was streaked with tears and her cheek was scrapped and bleeding from the hit. A bruise was forming quickly on her once smooth skin. Fury was an understatement to what he was feeling. No words could describe what he wanted to do to the man that was now humming as he worked. He couldn't speak for the feelings coursing through him and not being able to move but slightly was maddening.
Osrick returned and moved past Jack back towards the door. A moment later he was dragging Will along the same way he had Ana. Now he could guess how helpless the blacksmith had felt when he himself had said 'wait until the opportune moment.' Those words flashed through his mind as a warning. Trying to do something could jeopardize the others' lives. Not more than they already are.It wasn't like he could move much anyway.
Jack made slight motions to test himself and found that he could shift his body without it hurting as much as before. Had the man that only a while before controlled Anamaria, save andheal him? What in the 'ell was he planning to do? Jack felt Osrick's presence and looked up to see him looking down at Jack, smiling.
"You're beginning to feel better, no?" Osrick asked. "Good, I won't have to try so hard to move you. It's amazing what a little amount of that powder can do. Not only did it help take you away from Death's hands, but it is healing your wounds to a degree…at least until they aren't life threatening anymore." He was picking up Jack and moving him to the same place he had taken Will and Anamaria as he spoke. Jack wished for only the ability to grab the sword that was stained with his own blood and shove it through Osrick. He silently seethed with the anger, fanning the flames of it in his mind so his body would heal that much faster. Anger was a great motivator.
Jack saw that the room they were moved into was made of stone and had no windows. It was lit by candles and a small fireplace that softly reflected off the three serene faces sitting across from the fireplace in chairs that they were tied to. Flames of fury shot up that much higher. Osrick harshly placed Jack in a chair across from the other three so he was facing them.
"Make a move and they'll be dead before you can blink," Osrick said nonchalantly as he tied Jack's hands to the back of the chair and then his legs. Jack tensed his muscles on instinct so the ropes wouldn't be as tight. He looked around and saw an old wooden table with various hooks and knives lying scattered about it. The smell of the sea and fish filled the room. There were even some left over fish bones strewn across the floor. This was indeed a fisherman's house, but no fisherman was present. Then Jack looked at Osrick who had stepped back to admire his own handy work. He was wearing old weathered clothing…that of a fishermen's.
"Ye killed him…didn't ye?"
"Didn't take much…just a simple twist of the neck, he didn't suffer." Osrick shrugged his shoulders. "It was unfortunate for him, I was wearing clothing that would have brought too much unwanted attention, and he had these on. Naturally I needed to swap and it is never good to have living loose ends around...and to think I received a nice, isolated house with the deal was just grand. No one to hear the screams."
"Do you have any idea who that girl is, Osrick? Jus' fer taken her like this will get yer neck tied to the short end of a long drop. Instead of doin' this ye can make a pretty profit by ransoming 'er. Ye should take advantage of this instead of blowin' it on what ever yer plannin'," Jack gave him a grin. "She's not a bad lookin' lass either…do ye really want ta hurt somethin' that fine?" Osrick roared with laughter as Jack watched him intently.
"Your petty mind games won' be working on me Jack. I have no desire for money, a 'fine' woman, nor need for it. If I wanted that, I wouldn't stoop as low as to kidnap the governor's daughter. No, this is about certain people taking liberties they shouldn't have, and if I don't want anyone else doing such things, I need to make an example of what will happen no matter how infamous the person may be, such as your self Sparrow. Think of it as…bettering a cause," Osrick chuckled.
"That was a wedding you interrupted. There are already dozens of British soldiers on duty out there and there will be plenty more on the look out for those two. Do ye really think that you will get te do anythin' before they come chargin' in this little shack?"
"There won't be anyone interrupting the events that shall take place. As we speak there have already been varying reports of the suspect being spotted within the walls of the city. They have no reason to suspect anything happening outside those walls." Osrick explained. Jack's face revealed little of the thoughts swarming his mind, and simply looked up at Osrick with a blank face.
"Any more ideas as to how you will be getting out of this alive? I truly thought you would be more creative than this from what I have heard of you, but then again, tales from the sea are always exaggerated, don't you agree?"
"Yours as well?" Jack asked with a raised eye brow. This seemed to catch him off guard and Osrick thought for a moment before bursting out in laughter again.
"No, I suppose not…at least not most. There are always those that are just unbelievable, spun by drunken sailors who really have no idea what they are speaking of. The idea of me being a demon spawned by the devil himself is quite preposterous, but then again…not really too far from the truth I suppose."
"But-"Jack couldn't even begin to imagine what the man was talking about.
"Now Jack, this is what I want to share with the whole group. I've always enjoyed a good story and have come to appreciate the art of telling one as well. I want to see how I do since I have such a captiveaudience," Osrick grinned. He turned and walked over to the three unconscious beings before tapping them each on the faces and speaking gibberish about 'time to wake up'. Across from him, from left to right were Elizabeth, Will, and Ana. They were all spread apart enough to where they would be out of arm lengths reach of each other. Jack watched as they each woke up and realized where they were. Will looked at Osrick and glared at him.
"Your Osrick," Will growled low, he looked over at Elizabeth as she shook her head and looked around.
"Indeed young Will. I see Mr. Sparrow informed you of my name before your unfortunate encounter with a cast iron pan," Osrick smiled.
"Jack…yer-yer alive…" Ana looked at him sitting across from them in disbelief, thinking she was seeing a ghost.
"Aye, love. I'm still here," Jack looked at her, giving her a half smile trying to reassure her.
"Wha-where am I?" Elizabeth asked softly as she looked around.
"How…I-I…ye were dyin'…in me arms," Ana shook her head.
"Wait, why am I tied up?" Elizabeth struggled panicking.
"Release us!" Will fought hard against his bounds.
"Now, now everyone, calm down. No need to panic…yet," Osrick chuckled.
"What is the meaning of this," the young blacksmith seethed.
"Will…"Elizabeth looked to him. Both she and Will seemed out of place in their attire. Will's dirtied suit, and Elizabeth's gown that was torn in various places stood as a reminder of what they have already been through on this day.
"Who are you?"
"I am Osrick Dimitri."
"Let us go ye mangy seadog!" Ana growled as she pulled against the ropes even as they tore into her skin.
"Jack, what happened?!" Elizabeth gasped as she looked at his stained, shredded shirt.
"Long story…"Jack muttered.
"Quit an interesting one, still unraveling to be honest. Your friend Anamaria here had the honors," Osrick said. Elizabeth looked to the pirate with shock.
"He's lying…isn't he?" Ana glared at Osrick with burning rage, but guilt also filled her features.
"It's not yer fault Ana. Don' let 'im make ye think 'at," Jack said in a soft way that penetrated and caused her too look at him.
"Ye were gone Jack…it was my fault," Ana shook her head.
"But…"Elizabeth looked from one to the other.
"If this is about money-" Will started.
"Believe me, Mr. Turner, it isn't about money. Are you really that dense to believe I would go through all this just for money?" Osrick questioned, a bit of annoyance showing through his façade.
"Then by all means, what isthis about?" Will asked.
"What ever it is, leave 'em out of it Osrick. They're just kids wantin' te start a life together. They've never don' nothin' te you," Jack looked at Osrick. Sweat was forming on him as a result of him being close to fire place and his wounds being left bare to the elements. The pain had lessened to a bearable degree, but any numbness left over from his brush with death and the mysterious powder had faded away.
"Ah, but they did, though indirectly it may have been. What happened to me was a direct effect of the things that you all did. You all played parts in hurting my business and for that you will pay. Let me not get ahead of myself, as I told Jack, I have a story to share with you," Osrick said before pulling up another chair. The three younger captives looked uneasily at Osrick, none able to understand what was taking place.
"Tell us what we did," Will demanded, but caught Jack shaking his head silently across from him.
"All in good time. The faster I get through this, the faster you all will die, so I suggest you be a bit more patient." Osrick spoke as if he were disciplining a young child.
Will clenched his teeth in defiance, but silently obeyed Jack's mouthing of 'let him'. Jack needed time to analyze the situation and try to figure a way out…now may be the only chance he would get.
A/N: Apologies for this update taking so long, there have been a number of things that came up during the time I wished to be working on this and they became priority. I hope you all enjoyed it, it's a lot longer than the last one! Actually it is part 1 because I intended it to be even bigger, but I figured I didn't want to overload you or anything. So part 2 will be up very soon.
Thanks to reviewers:
Ahiflame: Haha, see, I'm not the only one who's gets this warped kind of pleasure from writing this stuff. Hope it didn't creep you out too much though….unless that's a good thing?
Angelmouse1215: Wow…thank you for your great review. I'm so happy you find my story to your liking. If your hooked, I'll do my best to keep reeling you in. ;o) Really, it was really a pleasure reading your review. I hope this chapter answered your questions, if not I'll see if I can better explain them later. Thanks!
Inu lover: Ohh…cool, Inu is dog. I love dogs myself…wish I could have one where I live. But anyway, glad you enjoyed it, hope you like this one as much.
Orlandolover32: Thanks for your compliments, it is really making me excited that you and everyone else loves this as much as I do! On your fav list????? Alright!!!!!!!!!!!! :oD
Kacijo12: Was that chapter confusing? I'm sorry if it was. I guess I have it all figured out in my head and might not put as much info as I need too to help everyone else follow my complicated little mind. I hope all your confusion was cleared up in this chapy. If not, you can email me or something I'll try to better explain what has been happening so far. Glad you like, I'll keep writing, I promise!
Ferntree: Yea I know…poor Jack, he's always getting in trouble even when he doesn't intend to. It's good to hear you're excited about reading this. Thanks!
Jackfan2: LOL, sorry your mouse wasn't working. Heh, scared huh? I think I would be too for them….yikes…as always it makes my day when I know you have enjoyed what I write. Thanks for all your help with this story and everything else you aid me with. You don't know how much I appreciate it. *Salutes* Onward and forward we sail!!!