by Jacob Nelson
As the Phantom’s head popped up, Stripes cocked his weapon.
“We meet again, Phantom,” Stripes said as he greeted the Phantom with his pistol aimed at his head.
“Stripes. So good to see you again,” replied the Phantom. “I assume you are here to help me out of this hole?”
“Not quite. In fact, I was looking to join youse down there…seeing as how it looks so comfy and all. But first, we need to get youse out and all chained up, see. Can’t be having youse run off on us, or disappearing or nothing.”
“I see your logic, Stripes,” replied the Phantom. “As you wish.” The Phantom immediately hoisted himself out of the cave and looked around for the girl. Not seeing her, he allowed the seven men to surround him and place chains upon his arms. “So, where is the Black Widow?” he casually asked as they chained him up.
“Don’t youse be fretting about that. She knows how to stay hidden to keep the rings to herself.”
“I see,” said the Phantom. “Very clever.”
“Stripes, Shut up!” spoke Les angrily. “You speak way too much for a man of your intellect.”
“See! She’s not the only clever one.” Stripes responded, grinning, as he had raised Les’ ire.
“Phantom,” Les pleaded with him, “Just hit him. Hit him hard.”
“Oh, I will,” promised the Phantom. “But let me get my rings back first. I’m told it stings more that way.”
“I’ll sting you!” Stripes responded as he brought down his pistol hilt hard against the Phantom’s head.
Shortly the Phantom recovered and found himself tied up. ‘I’ve got to stop antagonizing him,’ he thought to himself, ‘All it’s doing is giving me a headache.’ Then he repented of the thought and laughing aloud thought to himself, ‘Nah. It’s too much fun to stop.’
The laughter didn’t help Stripes’ mood any. Barking out orders, Stripes had the Phantom quickly dragged off down the trail to the edge of one of the many deep drops created by collapsed cave roofs into the dark waters below.
There, while they covered him with weapons drawn, they tied his hands and feet.
As he lay there, breathing a bit laboriously, having endured many hard kicks to the stomach, the Phantom attempted to get information. “So, Stripes, how many are you?” He paused to await the response. When none came, he tried again, “Where are your headquarters? Who is at top? It’s the Black Widow, isn’t it? You are all just her puppets aren’t you?”
Stripes growled in response and delivered another hard kick to the Phantom’s stomach.
By that time Les had meandered over. “Phantom. I am no one’s puppet,” Les countered. “I pull the strings. Not her.”
“Really? It doesn’t look that way,” chided the Phantom.
“Really?!” demanded Les. “Let me explain how things are, Phantom.” Les was more than willing to explain everything. After all, this was the end of the Phantom line.
The next few moments were more of a vocal slurry than just a monologue. Les took credit for everything:
“Heloise may be your cousin… so many times removed, but I am the one who has run the show. Yes, when I met her she went on and on about you, and I’ll admit I never believed it was true. But then a short stint in a Mexican cárcel changed my mind.
“You see, I met Stripes there, and another, now dead, chum named John. Both of them with fancy tattoos on their jaws. When I heard the story of how they got them, I became a believer.
“Well, once I knew you existed, then I knew the part about all your treasure must be true too.
“It was the tales of the wealth that drove me. Most of my life I’ve been searching for gold and by having found a relative to a man or ghost that seemed to possess uncountable amounts of it, I arranged to have the girl stage something to get you to come to us.
“Then a bit of luck came my way. As you probably heard, a few gold coins washed up in Costa Rica. Phantom gold! Well, when I found out about the Phantom gold, I did ‘most everything in my power to get it.
“I found out that the Costa Ricans were looking for a ship to dredge the waters, so I hunted up a nearby ship, killed the owners of the Scavenger, brought on a new crew, and used my influence to convince the Costa Rican government to allow me to find the treasure.
“And find it I did!
“Once it was brought up, I had my newly purchased pirate crew attack the Scavenger and kill off the rest of the Scavenger’s crew, every one, either directly or indirectly.
“I had hoped that by killing off the crew and making the treasure sound cursed that you would come running. But no”, he said accusingly, “Instead you took your sweet time.
“So when my spies said you had flown into town, I made my convincing run from Stripes and Patches. Fake wound and all, and you fell for it: hook, line and sinker.
“Then I had them chain us up and wait for the arrival of Heloise, you know, the Black Widow.
“But then they left and we got rescued. Who would have guessed that that child would help us out. I had another plan, but I was ok to just roll with it.
“The rest of it was just conveniently arranging for my team to go wherever they were needed to spy on you, Phantom.
“First I sent a man to Albuquerque. And it worked! You led us to the Eyrie!
“Then I sent a man to Paris to watch the international flights, but before you arrived we figured out the clue on the painting was the map. And it showed where the real treasure was located. So though you nearly led us to Mona, we figured that out on our own.
“Then finally once on the island, I watched and waited for you, Phantom, to arrive.
“I saw no point in scurrying all over the island when I knew you would show us the way.
“…And now, my heirless ghost… here is to the end of the Phantom line. Perhaps, I may take over… Those stupid pygmy Bandar won’t stop me, and then the true line can begin, following the ‘original’ family business… Piracy! Maybe the rocks will save you the slow painful death of drowning.” He kicked the Phantom hard one last time in the stomach. “Drop him in boys.”
As Les backed away, the others came up, and with one accord tossed him in, letting his huge weight fall toward the pooled water below.
Moments later the body hit, the water splashing high as The Phantom’s trussed up body sank.
The last thing the Phantom heard was Les’ voice echoing down, “Here’s to a new age, Kit. The Phantom is dead! Long live the Phantom!”
The moment the phantom hit the water he allowed his body to sink. Once he was well underwater and in the shadows of the deep, he twisted and worked his body like that of a porpoise until he was able to work his way over and back up to the edge of the cave. Having pulled himself up onto the sharp rocks with his tied hands, he used those same sharp rocks to cut the rope that was binding his wrists.
Quickly he freed his feet and looked for a way to the surface from the cave system.
Meanwhile the pirates had finally made their way down into the well and through the passageway to the entrance of the gold room.
Only the Black Widow had sense enough to stay outside of the chamber, and pulling back Les and Stripes to stay with her, the trio watched as the men scrambled onto the stone staircase toward the murky water below where a pile of gems, gold, silver, pearls, and trinkets of all shapes and sizes of value lay awaiting them a full seventeen feet below them. As they stood there watching the men press forward, the Black Widow sidled next to Les.
The men made their way onto the staircase, and having made it half way down the stone staircase, the stone slab that the first two stepped onto suddenly dropped and slid forward a foot. Two of the men stumbled and fell off the side of the staircase into the water below, one of them crying out in pain as he broke his arm against a sunken rock. The others either jumped forward or rode out the moving slab.
“I see the fun has begun,” she commented.
As they congratulated themselves on having survived the shifting stone slab, the hu
ge stone slab that hung suspended above the door entrance fell. Great chains released as the door slab rolled into place, moving far too quickly to allow any escape.
As the weight of the massive suspended rock fell, it landed upon a rock that one of the pirates had placed there ‘just in case’. With a mighty and sharp CRACK the smaller rock underneath broke asunder sending shards hurtling outward, impaling two and wounding a third. With nothing left to keep the door in place it slammed down sealing the chamber from the inside.
As the door left its place from above it pulled open a smaller slab that it was connected to through chains and pulleys. As the lower slab was released from its hold, sea water shot out over the staircase with a force that swooped off the remaining men and made it impossible to consider climbing again.
Quickly the men made for the island, but just as quickly, they realized their ‘island’ was disappearing beneath the forceful flow of water. The men started yelling… then screaming.
Injured, drenched, and hopeless, the men realized they were trapped. It would only be a matter of hours before they would drown.
Chapter 42
The noise from the movement of the stone slabs mingled with the cries and screams of the men made the hall where the Black Widow, Les and Stripes stood deafening.
As the door slab fell into place the threesome found that a grooved cut into the stone allowed them to watch the inevitable death that would shortly ensue below them. There they stood transfixed, unable to pull away from the horrific view any more than spectators can pull away from gawking at a deadly and gruesome car crash.
Even calloused Stripes seemed shocked by the event. Les turned to pull Heloise into him, and abruptly realized she was gone.
“Stripes! Where’s Heloise?”
Stripes looked around and returning to watch the room fill with water as the men attempted to find some way to survive, simply said, “Probably was too much fer her.”
Les was unconvinced. “I’m going to look for her.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Stripes turned his attention back to the men inside. One man was already floating face down in the swirling water. “Youse better swim youse bastards!” he shouted gleefully.
As the Black Widow, Les and Stripes watched the door slam down, a large hand covered the girl’s face. Though she struggled hard, the Phantom dragged the Black Widow out of sight behind the other two. A short moment later the girl ceased struggling as she passed out. Quickly the Phantom scooped her up into his massive arms and carried her into an adjoining chamber. With deft precision, he searched her clothing and shortly came across what he was after: his two large rings made of indestructible material.
Even as he slipped them on his own hands, Les came calling, looking for the girl.
The Phantom slid into the shadow behind the entrance to the chamber as Les spotted the girl.
Moments later Les’ heavy footfalls approached the door. As he entered the chamber, eyes focused on Heloise, he felt his head crack open and stars exploded into his mind before he collapsed onto the hard stone floor, his jaw permanently tattooed with a death’s head motif. He had several hours of sleep ahead of him.
It was a few moments later when Stripes heard the Black Widow call his name. The frantic call forced him to pull away from his sport of watching his companions succumb to death and regrettably move toward the sound. Immediately cocking his pistol he waved it around as he made his way towards the girl.
When he arrived at the Black Widow’s side he found her stooped over Les’ inert form.
“What the…” he began, but was unable to speak as fear gripped his throat from the bruised and bloodied mark that was left on what once was Les’ fine jaw. “…The Phantom!?”
“I know…” began the Black Widow, “he grabbed me from behind…”
“…and now has his rings back…” stammered Stripes, fingering his gun, as he looked all around him. He all too well remembered the promise that the Phantom had given him.
“I can’t do this anymore, Stripes.”
“I’m with you,” Stripes responded, misinterpreting her remark.
The Black Widow realized what he interpreted and decided to leave it at that. It took them no time at all to come to the decision. Leaving Les behind, Stripes and the Black Widow made their way out of the chambers with Stripes firing random shots into the shadows. Quickly they returned to the surface.
As Stripes moved away from the doorway, the Phantom worked his way around him, using the rocky walls of the antechamber as a means of cover within the shadows. As he neared his victim, the Black Widow called out, and Stripes pulled out his pistol and moved away from the blocked doorway that separated him from the fates of many of his men.
The Phantom knew the man was the desperate type and decided it would be better to take him out at a later moment than when he was half-cocked. The cries of the men trapped inside of the treasure chamber drew his more immediate attention.
From his vantage point the Phantom was unable to see the spillway but the sound of water filling the chamber made apparent the desperate situation the remaining men were in. Quickly he assessed the situation and followed the top of the blocked entranceway upwards with his eyes.
There, above the door and off to one side, he spotted the recessed area where the heavy chains of the door disappeared. Climbing up the rock wall he quickly made his way over to where the chains reappeared, where he found a massive turnstile that controlled the door.
With a mighty heave of his bulging muscles, the Phantom moved the turnstile; the first time in centuries. Cakes of dust and flecks of rust poured off as the heavy wheel turned. The Phantom slowly cranked the door up. No one man alone would ever have had the strength to do so, short of the Phantom himself.
Inch by inch as the door rose the flow of water lessened. Inch by inch, as the door rose the remaining two pirates showed hope in their eyes as survival appeared to become a reality.
Above them all, Stripes and the Black Widow ran for the boat that they had taken from the old captain not too many nights before.
As the door rose, water spilled out and so did the two remaining survivors. Ripping the shirt off of one of the men, the Phantom apologized as he tied them up. However, the men were in fine spirits to be tied up as it meant they were alive.
Pulling the dead from the spilling water, the Phantom dragged them to one side of the chamber and having assured himself they were beyond revival, he left the men and bodies below and hurried to the outside beach area.
When Les awoke he found himself in the boat, snug up against Stripes, the two remaining men that were alive, and the three dead ones. All of the living trussed up like himself. Including the Black Widow, who crouched asleep in the boat, not from a punch like the others but from sheer exhaustion.
His head felt like it was hit with a jack hammer, which wasn’t too far off. Had he been able to see himself in a mirror he would have found a new tattoo on his jaw, similar to the two that now graced Stripes’ jaw. The rolling of the boat over the choppy ocean waves made him feel more than a little queasy. No land was in sight.
“I see you are awake,” stated the Phantom.
“I guess I didn’t kill you after all,” remarked Les angrily.
“Nope,” answered the Phantom. “But don’t feel too disappointed. Stripes has tried before and he failed as well,” the Phantom sarcastically replied.
“So now what?” asked Les, cringing at what he expected the answer to be.
“Once we land in Puerto Rico, you will go away to prison for the rest of your life, as will all the rest of those with you. Seeing as they don’t look on murderers very well there, ‘life imprisonment’ could be quite short but I suspect a pretty agonizing time at that.”
“I see,” said Les, remembering his previous stint in the penitentiary in Mexico. Thinking back on it, his mind and face repulsed the images that surfaced and he made a quick decision. He wasn’t going to go back. Anything was better than that. With his mind made
up, he stared at the Phantom and simply asked, “And you?”
“Although the tattoo on your face will do sufficiently, I will make certain that you remember me Les.”
“And you’ll remember me, Phantom,” replied Les. “For as long as you live.” He paused to see what the Phantom’s reaction to his threat would be. When none came, he innocently asked, “By the way, how do you feel about sharks?”
“What?” began the Phantom as Les launched himself at the Phantom and the controls.
Slamming into the Phantom and the controls, Les’ body crumpled across the steering wheel which suddenly turned the boat. The high speed mixed with the choppy waves and the sudden turn did as Les expected. With a sharp bounce the boat flew up into the air and rolled, spilling its occupants into the dark waters.
Chapter 43
The sudden spill into the water immediately woke the Black Widow. Bodies landed near her, some dead, some mostly alive. Some that were alive, now dead from broken necks and backs. Among them, Stripes.
With her hands and legs trussed she had no means of saving herself. Screaming she slipped under the waves which cut off her scream and changed it into a gurgle instead.
As she twisted and turned in an attempt to surface, she felt something brush up against her. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled upward as something caught her shirt. Before she could close her mouth her head popped back above the surface of the waves.
“Do you know how to swim or float?” the Phantom asked her as she coughed out that which had gotten into her lungs and sought air in place of water.
