Beyond Infinity - Sam Drake

Chapter Fifty Three

"Wherever we wanna go, we go..."

- Captain Jack Sparrow

"Alright guys, welcome to the Saint Dismas dormitory. Final resting place of one Henry Avery." Nate spoke with enthusiasm as he halted to scribble in his journal while Ava's eyes darted around, mouth gaped as she pondered the gothic view- Sam by her side.

Chuckling, Sam squeezed Ava's shoulder rather tightly as excitement bounced around in his orbs, "let's find that grave."

The three split up to search for the right grave and while no one was there to accompany Ava, she finally had the time to think to herself. The cold breeze made her skin flare as her eyes skimmed over the headstones. Suddenly losing feeling in her fingers and toes, her heart started to pound heavily against her chest as her lungs tightened.

Headstones. Gloomy weather. Graves. Death.

Sam's "death" wasn't the only thing that shook Ava for ages. Even though Sam's death was hard to come into terms with, it was even harder when-

"Hey guys, check it out-" silently gasping as she jolted in her place, Sam's booming voice grabbed her out of her thoughts. Even though shocked, she was thankful she didn't wander deeper into her brain. "-this one's got a pair of cutlasses."

Making their way to Sam who was standing over a particular grave that he thought it was the one, Nathan placed a comforting hand on Ava's shoulder, slowing down their momentum for a tad.

"Hey- you all right?" For a split second, Ava was confused but Nate continued. "I saw you over there."

Ava aha-d, immediately faking a giggle as she brushed him off. "Oh. That. Well, that was nothing- for a minute I actually thought that my nipples turned into lil' nip-icicles and completely fell off."  Faking a laugh just like Ava did, Nate continued to listen to her lies anyway, "I was afraid that I had to go search for 'em."

Not wanting to force her to say anything, Nate played along. "Nip-cicles." Ava immediately snorted as she slapped his forearm.

"Ha! Good one, Nate."

"Here take a look." Sam pointed at the grave with his head after Nate and Ava simmered down.

"No. This is not the grave we're looking for." Nate immediately said as he winced, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Yeah, he's right." Ava took a closer look, "no skulls and no crossbones."

Taking a look at the parchment that Henry Avery left for them in the Saint Dismass' cross, Ava took a look as she stretched her neck over as she stood on her tip toes.

"So...we're looking for crossed cutlasses, skull and crossbones and...the dates?" Ava asked curiously, mainly speaking her thoughts out for Sam to hear too.

Nodding his head, Nate agreed. "Yeah, the dates 1659 to 1699." Continuing, "we find a tombstone with all three, we'll be back in business."

"Well...let's desecrate some graves." The older brother spoke casually, immediately shuffling on his feet to search for the tombstone.

Splitting up again to find the right tombstone, Sam went off track for a moment as a particular tombstone caught his eyes. "Hey look at this...tempax edas renum." Sam read one of the carvings on a random tombstone that wasn't Henry's.

"Time devours all things." Nate translated out loud.

"Jeez, cheery bunch of old folks we got here."

While Sam and Nate focused their attention on the wrong tombstone, Ava passed by a tombstone that had the crossed cutlasses, skulls and crossbones-

"Wait a minute." Ava whispered to herself as her eyes furrowed, immediately backing up to investigate the tomb further.

"Crossed cutlasses...check." Ava spoke to herself again as her gloved finger trailed over the tombstone, "skulls and crossbones...check...1659 to 1699..."

When realization hit her, Ava's eyes widened as a grin plastered on her lips. Immediately turning around and waving at the boys, Ava's loud voice caught Sam and Nate's attention. "Hey guys! Over here! I think I found it!"

"Yeah...well, the swords are a match." Nate skimmed over, "so is the year."

Ava's smile grew wider as Nate continued- Ava's ego suddenly being fed that she finally found something when back in the years she didn't have a clue what the hell she was looking for.

"Sam, c'mere." Nate immediately called his older brother and in a hurry, Sam jogged towards them.

"What, did you find it?"

"Yep!" Ava immediately answered, a smirk still lingering on her lips.

"Look. Benjamin Bridgeman."

Taking a closer look, Sam chuckled in slight amusement, "that's Avery's alias."

"Something odd about this skull, though." Nate pressed his palm against the skull's head, "it's like it doesn't belong to the stone."

Sam leaned in closer while Ava subconsciously did the same.

"Well yeah, what's odd about is...it's not Avery's sigil."

"Oh yeah...the skull should be facing-" Nate, Sam and Ava's eyes immediately grew wide and began to speak in unison.

"Sideways!"

The moment Nate turned the skull, mechanical shifting noises could be heard as the floor beneath them slightly vibrated.

"What's that?" Sam asked no one in particular.

Laughing in amazement, Nate stood by his brother and Ava, "you ready for this?"

"Now, now!" Ava interjected, Sam and Nate's head turning to look at her. "Since I'm the one who found the tombstone..." Ava turned on her flashlight as it clung on one of the straps in her jacket, "ladies first." Ava smirked like a little girl as she took no chance to wait for them.

As she made her way down the stairwell, Sam grinned to himself at how childish Ava was being. But as his eyes drifted to her direction, suddenly his grin turned into a half smirk, his eyelids slightly fluttering.

Nate caught his brother staring at Ava's behind and couldn't help but groan and slap him on the chest, "dude!"

"What?" Sam played the innocent.

"Come on! Focus!"

Sam left Nate's orbs and focused back on Ava as he smirked again, "oh, I am."

"Come on you two!" Ava called out as she rushed down the end of the staircase. "I thought that you'd be the most excited." Ava pointed at Sam before disappearing into the darkness, eager to explore what Avery had for them.

To tease his brother, Sam smirked at Nate as he tapped his shoulder with his, "oh I'm definitely coming, all right."

Nate's mouth gaped before groaning in disgust, finally catching up on Ava's pace, leaving his brother to cackle alone in the end of the line.