Living Legends

17) It's A Deal

Jack was running out of time.  It was obvious Clyde thought Jack had the map, or at least knew of its whereabouts.  That morning Clyde had even suggested Jack purposely destroyed the map and memorized it.  Jack had laughed out loud, which had earned him a punch and blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him.  As he was doubled over, chest heaving, eyes staring at the bleak wooden floor, another one of his incidents hit him.  He was suddenly bombarded with light and images.  Words flitted across his vision.  Nothing was decipherable, however.  It all vanished within a second.

            Jack groaned and let himself slump to the floor.  Why couldn’t he remember? He felt pulled to the strange words and images that came with each flash of light.  He needed to visualize them once more.  He needed to get a good, long look.

            “I’m getting tired of this, Nau,”Clyde said, using his favorite nickname for Jack.  “My patience is running thin.”

            “Then kill me.”

            “You know I can’t do that—not unless you show me the map.”

            “You already have my answer.”

            “It’s the wrong answer!”

            Jack shrugged.  Clyde grabbed the youth’s head kneed him in the stomach.  Jack felt like his entire torso had been crushed.  He lay in fetal position on the floor, cradling his stomach and moaning.  Clyde’s men snickered and drew closer to watch the show.

            “We can do this all day, or you can spare yourself the pain and spare me precious time.  Where is the map?”

            Jack squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the pain.  As he lay moaning, the answer suddenly came to him.  “If I tell you,” he wheezed, “you have to promise me something.”

            Clyde raised his eyebrows.  Jack had never tried this tactic with him—not once.  But maybe it wasn’t just a tactic…maybe it was the truth.  “I don’t have to promise you anything,” Clyde snarled.

            “Suit yourself.”

            Clyde roared and gave the poor youth another round of blows.  “Tell me!” he demanded.  “Tell me where it is!”

            Jack didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer, which enraged Clyde even more.  Finally, with his fists bloodied and Jack left almost for dead on the cold floor, Clyde collected himself.  “Well,” he said, struggling to contain his anger, “what do I have to do to get this map? Huh?”

            “You can’t touch Hayley.”  Jack spoke between bloody teeth, every syllable painful to speak.  “If you so much as lay a finger on her, your precious map is lost to me.”

            “So you do have it.”

            “In my mind, yes.”

            Clyde smiled evilly.  “So be it,” he said.

            Jack rolled onto his side and spit a mixture of blood and saliva onto the floor.  “One more thing,” he rasped.  “My memory of the map comes in bits and pieces, so I need something to trigger it.  I need to set foot on an island.”

            Clyde narrowed his eyes.  “Even if we do venture onto an island, there’s no chance of you escaping.”

            “I’m not using this to escape.”  Jack was bluffing, but not to possibly get away from Clyde.  He just wanted to talk to Hayley.  If Clyde could agree to sparing Hayley and to visiting a deserted island, Jack would be able to convince him to allow a bit of privacy.

            “It’s a deal,” Clyde said suddenly.

            It was obvious how much Clyde’s enthrallment with the treasure was getting to him, so Jack fished for more.  “And to make sure you don’t hurt Hayley, you need to bring her with me on the island.”

            Clyde pursed his lips, contemplating the new twist in the deal.  A leery smile stretched across his face.  “My word’s not good enough for you?”

            “I’ll never trust you.”

            The words were spoken with such venom that Clyde took a step back.  His dark eyes met Jack’s blue orbs.  Neither looked away.  “Fine,” Clyde spat.  “We’ll do it your way.  But one trick on your part, and the girl’s dead.”

            “So be it.”  Jack peered up at Clyde through a newly-forming black eye.  “What are we waiting for?”