Chapter 18 - The Great Escape?

Jacks calculating eyes looked at the situation they had found themselves in, Louise was siting on the edge of the rocky platform swinging her legs while the gold falls new captain Greer shuffled the pages in a book. After a short and pointless fight where Greer won out due to sheer numbers the rest of them were huddled together at the mercy of the falls crew. It was almost poetic that while worrying about Louise, Jacks mind had become as clouded as Wills had seemed when he rescued Elizabeth. He stared at her trying to get her attention and as he did she gave him the most authoritative but silent look she could muster and shook her head, he was not to do anything. However she forgot that they were both very determined people who never listened to reason. After-all that was why she was sitting here in the first place rather than on the pearl. So he did the last thing she needed to see, he winked as if telling her he had a plan. She sighed to herself and slammed a palm into her forehead, he was going to do something and it would more than likely be stupid, at least stupid in her opinion since it would probably involve some daring feat that would put him in danger. The only problem for Jack was that he was yet to figure out his grand plan and it looked like time was running out as Greer was now grinning.

"So Sparrow I guess you're wondering why I need this 'ere gel?", Greer sneered at Jack. 
"It would be a nice story" he mused, really his mind was trying to conceive a escape.

"I'm sure you'll understand if I don't have time to explain everything but seems we have to sacrifice our little whore here by sundown", he pointed at Louise and 2 of his crew lifted her from the edge, she kicked and struggled but they quickly overpowered her.

He continued, "now where was I? Oh yes well I guess it begins in a tavern last year..". Jack could have sworn he heard someone sounding suspiciously like Ana mumble something about it being typical. "Cray was telling me about this treasure, his new adventure as it were, when we were approached by a gypsy woman who told Cray that he needed to find the new woman of another world" he sighed obviously remembering the journey, "it was a long year of searching but Cray wouldn't give up".

"Can you get to the part where ye want to kill 'er?", Jack butted in. He wasn't one for long stories that he wasn't telling.

Greer turned to Jack obviously on the edge, "don't worry Sparrow, you won't miss the show. Anyway we searched and searched, most of us except for the captain had long given up, some even considered jumping ship at the next port, said they didn't want to sail under a foolish captain. Really it was fate that we found 'er aboard your boat".

"And 'ow do you know she's the one you need?", Jack was growing tiresome and really he needed a plan but still nothing came to mind.

"Cray figured it out, unlike you it seems"

Jack now glanced at Abrey murderously as he stood behind Greer, how easily he had changed his loyalty, not that Jack had ever really thought him loyal, but still he had felt a small sting as Abrey had sold his information, map and allegiances to Greer, "let's just say me information on the treasure was a little patchy".

Greer turned to Louise, "don't worry you won't be waiting much longer" graciously bowing to her as if she was about to be bestowed some long awaited honor. She smiled sarcastically at him, a million and one insults rushing through her mind and not one of them low enough to capture the essence of this man.

Greer just nodded at his crew who forced her to kneel and keep her head down, he smiled at the sight, "you're about to see something you'll never see again Sparrow".

Jack looked down at his nails as if bored by everything around him, "You've no idea of what I've seen in me time mate".

Greer just rolled his eyes and quickly made his way to where Louise knelt. His crew watched in silence as he stood in front of her and took a dagger from the new first mate. Jack was now on the balls of his feet, halfway between running up there and running himself into the ground. In his mind he was just going over again any way to make it past the barrage of pistol welding crew, up to Louise and out of here without a weapon himself. Instead he became transfixed, unable to do anything but watch as Greer placed the dagger on the inside of her right arm and reciting some foreign chant, dragging the dagger along to form a long gash. She hissed as he did so but didn't move. There was no words for how she felt right now, on the edge, knowing she was moments away from the end. Louise had been many things in her life but at the age of 19 was she ready for death? At the very least she could face it knowing she lived life in her own way and that she'd had more adventure in the last 3 weeks here than she had in 19 years at home. There had been bad times including her current situation but still, no pain no gain, even if she was about to face the ultimate pain. The time she'd spent on the pearl, making friends with the crew, seeing parts of the world she'd never thought possible and sailing through the caribbean, she wouldn't trade it for the world. With a smile to the floor she thought it was worth it, if she could choose not to come and be safe she'd still want to come. In that moment she'd made her peace with it, so as Greer began the same dagger process with her other arm, she again hissed at the pain but she felt no sadness. She listened to the words he said as they sounded like a exotic poem and she reminisced about how lucky she was. This feeling of peace and content lasted only a few more minutes though because as he raised her head and placed the dagger to her throat she caught sight of Jack. All at once she was a wash with emotions, some of which she couldn't figure out.

This wasn't Jacks proudest moment, watching a woman being sacrificed and being somewhat helpless to do anything about it.

He was torn between closing his eyes and leaning forward as Greer said the words "Per via crastinus , fio magis hodie" and the pierced her skin.

Like divine intervention it was at this moment that there was the sound of steps from within the passage ways and before anyone knew it Gibbs and the rest of the pearls crew were ambushing the ambushers. Greer distracted by the sudden take over slipped, causing a diagonal cut up across her chin but missing the fatal area of her neck. Louise still felt rather woozy as the blood loss from her arms was taking it's toll and now she could feel blood dripping down her chin and neck. Greer became panicked, he didn't have the quick thinking of Cray and this was obvious from the flimsy orders he issued. Gibbs threw Jack a sword which he caught with expert ease. In a rush of fighting, screaming and the odd gunfire everything had changed, the majority of Greer's crew had fled and those that hadn't were those that had been run through.

Gibbs rushed over to Jack, red in the face and huffing from the fight, "need to tell you something captain".

"Listen mate, ye timing's never been better but I'm going to 'ave to stop ye there", he turned to look up at Louise. She was still kneeling but was desperately holding a hand to her half gashed neck trying to stop the bleeding.

Gibbs followed Jack as he rushed up to her, "but that's what it's about".

He untied the sash from his waist and began wrapping it around her wound, "it's alright luv, everything is gonna to be fine".

Still persistent Gibbs asked, "are ye listening? It's important".

"What it it?" Jack asked with a slight twinge of irritation but overall his voice and expression remained reassuring to Louise.

"Well I'd 'eard of this treasure before see but I just didn't know it was this treasure, and well turns out once the ritual 'as begun there's only one of two ways it can end...", however Gibbs never got a chance to finish telling Jack the possibilities because he was cut off by the thud as Louise's face turned a deathly pale and she fell back on the floor. Jack panicked, Ana ran up to them and assured him she was still breathing but what worried Jack more was the look on her face. Her eyes remained open in a wide fixing stare.

He shook her shoulders hoping to get a response even if it was a slap, "Louise luv please wake up".

Gibbs shook his head almost disbelieving what he had been about to tell Jack, "no it can't be".

Jack leapt up and clamped his hands on Gibbs shoulders, "what is it? What's 'appened to 'er?".

Still his face was shocked, "she's...she..."

--Authors Notes--

Oh aren't I awful? There is a reason I have stopped there trust me, it has dawned on me that the next chapter will be the last and I guess the ending kind of snuck up on me. Anyway I have 3 endings in mind, so I guess one deciding factor is would anybody be interested in continuing to read this as a series? I would probably leave it a few weeks between the end and the next story but if enough interest is stirred then I will start the prep work. Other than that, I want to thank everyone that read the story, reviewed, it's been amazing to have people like my work. I updated the chapter 17 before work and came home to 8 reviews so that was great :) I guess I just want to let everyone who reviewed know that even if I couldn't get back to you personally as I like to do, I still appreciated the review and your support. It's really been fun writing this, I've enjoyed it so much, thanks for reading and I'll stop rambling now before the notes become longer than the chapter ;)