Disclaimer: I do not own the movies or the characters. I am making no money off of this story.
Chapter Three:
The Worst is Yet to Come
The two Gypsies fell to the ground, skidding to a stop just feet from Jack and Elizabeth. Deep red circles formed on their chests almost immediately and they both heaved for their final breaths of air. The old woman hobbled over to the fallen men, cradling their lifeless bodies and crying. Elizabeth stood staring down at her, not sure what she should do next. Jack on the other hand, had drawn his pistol and was scanning the area for the shooter.
Off in the distance, near the tree line, a man approached them. A musket was slung over his shoulders with an air of nonchalance. Jack kept his gun trained on the figure until he could see his face clearly. Once he saw the man's face he quickly stuck the gun haphazardly in his belt and rushed forward.
"Gibbs! Where have you been?" he inquired in an incredulous tone as he continued walking, arms waving up and down as if trying to balance. Elizabeth watched him go; it appeared as if he had been drinking, but then again, it always seemed that way.
"Sorry I'm late cap'n. I was held up," he apologized.
Elizabeth moved over to the pair, leaving the Gypsy woman at her door. She stared at the pair of pirates for a moment. They had both aged well, although Gibbs seemed to be moving more slowly than when she had last seen him and his hair had turned mostly gray. He and Jack had both put on some weight, signifying that they had done pretty well for themselves the past seven years. Gibbs still reminded her of an elderly uncle while Jack reminded her of…well…Jack. But now was not the time to dwell on fond memories and catch up. Two people were dead on her front lawn.
"Jack? What the Devil is going on here?" she asked, frustrated.
"Why, Miss Swan. How good it is to see ye again," Gibbs commented formally.
"It's Mrs. Turner now, Mr. Gibbs. Has been for seven years," she corrected more harshly than she had intended.
"Me apologies, Mrs. Turner. Old habits die hard, ye know?"
Jack tried to stem Elizabeth's anger by giving her a sheepish smile. "Not to worry, luv. This was all planned out."
"Planned out?" she repeated, sounding exasperated and more angry than before. "You mean you knew Mr. Gibbs would show up, guns blazing?"
"Course I knew!" he exclaimed proudly, thinking he had avoided disaster. "He was just a little late, is all."
The slap she had been restraining herself from unleashing let loose across Jack's face, full force. She spun to deliver another blow to Gibbs, but he successfully ducked.
"What was that for?" Jack questioned, touching the red mark on his left cheek.
"How dare you bring trouble to my doorstep?" she accused. "How dare you fire weapons in front of my home? My son could have been out here!" She was every bit the angry mother at the moment.
"I wouldn't have shot yer son, just like I didn't shoot that old woman. It don't sit right, shootin' down women and children," Gibbs offered.
At that moment, Thomas appeared in the doorway. He looked down at the grisly scene in front of him, eyes wide in shock and horror. "Mum? What happened? I heard gunshots."
Elizabeth ran over to her son and gathered him in her arms, stroking his hair more in an effort to clam herself than him. "It's fine darling. Nothing you need to worry about."
"Fools!" the old woman cried, standing up from her place next to the bodies of the two fallen men. Her weathered face was streaked with tears, but her eyes were full of anger now. "You cannot imagine the seriousness of what you have done, or the consequences that will follow. Killing a Gypsy is a grave mistake on your part. And you killed two!" she added, pointing at Gibbs, who had come to stand behind Elizabeth and Thomas; Jack stood beside him.
"They were going to kill my friends, Madame. As I see it, that's called self-defense," Gibbs explained, not affected by the woman's words.
The old woman spat out a curse. "Bah! It does not matter. What's done is done. You will all suffer the consequences of your actions. But especially you," she claimed, pointing directly at Elizabeth.
"I won't let you hurt my mother," Thomas stated, taking a step toward the woman and raising his fist in anger. Elizabeth shushed him gently and tightened her hold on him. Her son was brave, but he was too young to follow through with his hastily spoken vows.
"Why me?" she asked. "I did nothing to you or your men!"
"No…you did not," the woman agreed sadly. "But there is great evil surrounding you and your home. Your suffering will come from another, darker, source. An evil that I can hardly fathom is awaiting you. I can sense it. You shall suffer greatly for a crime you didn't commit."
She whistled for her horse and a moment later it ran out from the woods where it had fled to and came over to her obediently. The stallion with the jeweled bridle followed close behind. The Gypsy woman mounted her steed and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Elizabeth called out before the woman could gallop away. "Tell me the source of this evil. Please!" She was desperate for any kind of information or insight that could explain everything that had been happening recently; the odd feelings, the horrible nightmares…
The woman peered down at her, blue-gold orbs boring into her. Then something in her hard eyes softened. "What I tell you is said only because I too lost a son to fate, and you will be no different," she said, her tone serious and slightly haughty. "Perhaps my words will help you defeat your destiny…although I doubt it."
She readjusted herself in her saddle, to better look down at Elizabeth, giving the younger woman an unspoken command to respect and heed her words. "Do not take what I say lightly, but also know that I am no great seer. Revenge will be brought to your doorstep, for a deed long forgotten by most, but not by all."
The continuous nightmare Elizabeth had been having flashed into her mind. Could this be what the woman was talking about? The Gypsy must have seen something in her eyes.
"I think you know what I speak of," she stated. Elizabeth nodded briskly but said nothing. "I see no way to right this wrong, but perhaps you will find one. If you do not, death will come swiftly upon the air."
As if waiting for this dramatic cue, a blast of cold wind swirled around the gathered people. Elizabeth rubbed her arms to shake off the chill, but it remained even after the wind died down. The old woman looked around her, then up to the sky in alarm. She picked up the bridle and turned to Elizabeth.
"That is all I can tell you. I suggest you not stay here long. If you do, your destiny will see itself through for sure. I myself have lingered too long already. Here," she said, removing four gold coins from a satchel on her saddle and dropping them at Elizabeth's feet. "See that my son and grandson are buried properly, and maybe your companion's punishment will be lessened," she stated, indicating Gibbs.
Abruptly she turned on her horse and fled, without saying another word. Elizabeth bent down to pick up the coins; Jack's face greeted her between her legs. He had already popped one of the coins into his mouth and was biting down on it.
"Spit that out at once!" she demanded, moving to stand in front of him.
He obeyed, saying, "Just seein' if they was real. It was," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Elizabeth let out a low growl as she took Thomas by the hand, leading him into the house. After a moment of indecision, Jack and Gibbs followed, shutting the door behind them.
The sun was just reaching its peak, casting shadows around the house and among the trees. At the edge of the tree line, a dark figure moved deeper into the forest to avoid the sunlight, content to hide for now. It had finally found what it had been searching for.
It had taken him twenty-three years to reach this point. Twenty-three years of carrying out his vow of vengeance. Now that he was close to seeing his parent's brutal murders avenged, he had to remind himself to be patient. It would be easy to just barge into the little cottage and slaughter every one of them, but that plan lacked finesse, or suffering. No, killing them quickly wouldn't bring him the closure that he longed for. Governor Swan's descendents would pay the final price for his crimes.
The two men who had followed the woman and her son into the house would also die if they didn't leave soon. But he had no problem adding a few more nameless faces to his growing body count. They certainly wouldn't be the first innocents he had killed. Besides, no one was ever completely innocent, and from the appearances of the two men, they probably should have been taken care of long ago.
He had everything planned out. Now all he had to do was wait and decide who should be first: the woman, or her son? With one last look at the cottage, he disappeared into the darkness.
Author's Note: So there's a little peek at the danger that is to come. There will be more action in upcoming chapters. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading!