Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-six

My table slowly filled with metal steins. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but I was worried about the doctor. He should not have been gone for quite so long. I waved the barmaid over.

"Another? I've never seen a lady drink so much," she laughed heartily.

"No, I believe I am done, but I do need you to tell me something."

"What is that, lassie?" Her thick Scottish accent was very evident.

"Where would a surgeon go to get supplies?" I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips. They felt a bit tingly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Where would a surgeon go in town if he needed to get supplies?"

"I s'pose the apothecary shop."

"Where would that be?"

"The other side o' town, on Barber Street."

"Thank you." I stood and headed for the door.

My head felt foggy. Perhaps I had one too many ales while waiting. I stumbled to the door, holding onto the side and trying to steady myself. The world seemed to be swirling into a blurry pool. I took a few steps into the street before falling to my knees. Two men stepped out of the shadows, one of them the man with the rotting smile. I looked at them in confusion. Who were they?

"'ello, Poppet." They stooped down next to me.

"Wh-who?" was all I managed to get out.

"John Jacks sent us."

"How?"

"He knows a lot. He also knew that rotten son of his would need a surgeon. Too bad his doctor won't make it back tonight."

The men's faces blurred together as I fell forward, losing consciousness.

***

I awoke sometime later in a small room with a horrible throbbing in my head. I could not be sure if it was from the quantity of alcohol I had consumed or if it was whatever the strange man had put in my ale. My shoulders and wrists ached. The more I pulled at them, the worse the pain got.

"Hello?" I called out hoarsely. My throat burned, and my lips were dry. The room was barren and drafty.

Nobody replied. I squinted into the dusty darkness looking for someone.

"Is anyone there?" I struggled with the bonds on my wrists.

It did not take long for me to realize that they were not going to loosen or fall off. I sat quietly and thought. There had to be some way I could get out of the predicament I found myself in. I had to be the smart, brave one. I had to be the one to survive so that I could save Jane and Flynn. People were actually counting on me for once in my life. So I sat and thought. My mind fought to remember. The answer had to be somewhere inside.

I yelled and threw myself backward, knocking off balance. The chair I was tied to toppled to the floor. I yelled out in pain that shot through my shoulders and down my back. Any sort of movement brought instant tears to my eyes. I lay there a few moments waiting for the pain to subside. As I lay there I wondered where the men who took me were.

What kind of kidnappers were these?

I took a deep breath and started rocking the chair back and forth until I was on my side. I stopped for a moment as the pain flared up again. Tears streamed down my face. I had no time to wait though. Using what strength I had, I pushed up on my shoulder to a standing position. I swayed a bit but maintained my footing.

"All right, Anne. It is up to you." I closed my eyes and let my legs go out from underneath me. My butt hit the seat hard and the wobbly wood collapsed.

The rope that was tied to the worn wood came undone now that it was not tied to anything. Shrugging my shoulders a few times, it felt so good to be free. I reached my hands out in front of me and felt around for the wall. Once my hands reached the dirty walls, I ran them up and down until a door appeared. Opening the door, light flooded the room. I still had no idea where I was. The stairs creaked with each step. The sound echoed through the apparently empty house. On the next floor I looked down the hallway but heard nothing. There was fading yellow paper on the walls and scarcely any furniture out. It looked as though nobody had lived in the house in many years. I opened the first door I came to and saw that it was empty. As were the rest of the rooms.

"Odd." I headed to the steps that lead down to the main floor.

At the bottom, I looked into the large parlor and gasped in horror. There were two bodies lying in the middle of the floor. I took a few tentative steps toward the bloodied men and knelt down beside them. It was the same two men who had taken me the night before.

"What is going on around here?" I asked myself since the only other people in the house were dead.

I looked around the room and found my sword lying on the floor. I picked it up and tied the sheath back around my waist. I continued exploring the boarded-up house for any sign that anyone else had been there, or if they had in fact been the reason that Andrew was missing. There was nothing but dust and dirt throughout the rest of the house. I bit my lip while standing near the slain men.

Who did this? Why were they killed while I was left just tied up in the attic?

I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. I had no idea what to think. I did not know how it was possible that John Jacks had found us, or why he would leave me alive while killing his own men.

Sunlight splashed my face as I walked out the front door. I blinked a few times, and my mouth hung open when I saw what was in front of me.