Chapter 14: The Island of the Damned
After hours drifting through the endless sea, shadowing the cursed silhouette of the Black Pearl, it finally came to a halt near an island that looked like it had been carved straight from death's own hand.
No birds.
No sound.
No life.
Just jagged rocks, dead trees, and a sky so gray it looked like the world itself had stopped breathing.
Jake, Elias, and Raina docked silently on the far side of the island, their footsteps muffled by the soft ash-like sand. In the distance, through cracks between the stones, they watched Captain Hector Barbossa march forward, flanked by his undead crew. Elizabeth and Will were with him—bound and pushed forward deeper into the heart of the island.
Jake narrowed his eyes.
"Aye…" he murmured under his breath. "I knew it."
Raina stepped beside him, her voice low. "What is this place?"
Jake gave her that signature, crooked smile—half mystery, half menace.
"Long ago, before Hector and the others stabbed me in the back, we came here. This island held a chest—a big one, filled with Aztec gold, cursed coins, treasure beyond measure."
He chuckled bitterly.
"Hector took his fill. I took nothing. Thought it was too easy—too strange. He and the crew ignored the warnings, the legends carved into the stones. Took the treasure anyway."
Jake paused, staring into the thickening jungle.
"And not long after… well, you know the tale. They mutinied. Left me on a different island with one bullet and a lot of anger."
He glanced at Elias.
"Then years later, I started hearing the stories. Whispers in taverns. Sailors who met undead men—men who couldn't die, couldn't feel, couldn't live."
Elias muttered, "The Dead Man's Chest…"
Jake nodded grimly. "That cursed gold made them immortal—but it ripped away their souls. And the only way to break the curse?"
He looked at Raina and Elias.
"They've got to return every single coin… every piece… and give blood for what they stole."
A heavy silence settled around them.
Then—
"Ohhh… shit."
Jake and Raina turned toward Elias, who was digging into his coat pocket.
"What?" Jake snapped.
Elias pulled out a single gold coin, glinting dully in the fading light.
He grinned awkwardly.
"So… funny story. Couple months ago before i meet you I, uh… borrowed this from Will's stash. Just borrowed you know. Didn't think much of it. It looked cool."
He flipped it into the air and caught it.
"But ever since then… I haven't been able to taste food. Or enjoy a drink. Or feel the sun. Honestly, I thought it was just puberty or something."
Jake stared at him, deadpan. "Puberty?"
Elias shrugged. "I don't know. I steal things, not study science."
Raina smacked his arm. "You idiot, you've cursed yourself!"
Elias held up the coin between two fingers. "Well, now I know."
Jake let out a groan and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You've just tied your soul to Barbossa's curse, kid."
Elias slipped the coin back into his pocket, eyes gleaming. "Then I guess we really need to break it now."
Jake smirked. "You've officially become part of the story."
Raina drew her sword. "Then let's make sure it ends our way."
From deeper in the jungle, the faint sound of drums echoed—slow, steady, like a heartbeat beneath the earth.
Jake's smile faded.
"They're awakening the curse."
And with that, the three pirates vanished into the shadows, following the undead into the island of the damned.
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