Chapter 1
Sawyer awoke to the feel of their boat hitting something solid. "We must have reached land" he thought groggily. It was not easy to breathe with that hood over his head, and having a gag in the mouth plus hands and feet bound weren't comfortable either. Soon he felt a pair of hands hoisting him roughly to his feet, dragging him unceremoniously to walk across some plank before his feet felt soft earth under them.
He heard the sound of dragging feet behind him and deduced that Kate and Jack were being treated the same way. He hoped they were alright. After a while, his feet touched something concrete and he guessed they have entered some sort of building.
"Son-of-a-bitch" Sawyer managed to utter beneath the gag as he was pushed onto the hard floor. A foot immediately kicked him in his stomach, causing him to fall onto his side and wince in pain.
"Leave him alone". Henry Gale's voice came through. And as the hood over his head was removed, Sawyer saw that they were in a small room, furnished only with a table at a corner. A group of the 'Others' who were with them in the boat stood around the room.
"Bring the stuff in" ordered Henry. Sawyer managed to push himself up to a kneeling position. He looked around and saw Kate and Jack kneeling nearby, looking equally puzzled.
"You must be wondering why we brought you here. Well, you will soon know the answer", said Henry. Two men and a woman came into the room, each holding on to a syringe. One of them knelt next to Sawyer and jabbed a needle into his arm.
"Arrgh.." Sawyer growled beneath his gag and used his head to push the man hard, causing him to topple onto the ground. The man jumped onto his feet immediately and kicked Sawyer in his head near his left temple, causing him to fall onto his side again. The needle in his arm broke with one end still sticking into his flesh.
"Mmmff, mmmff" Kate was struggling to get up onto her feet, concern clearly in her eyes. Sawyer could feel a trickle of blood flowing down his face from where the man kicked him.
"You've better co-operate with us, Mr Ford, no point getting yourself all worked up" Henry said calmly. He motioned to the other 2 persons holding the syringes. The woman pierced a needle into Kate's arm and withdrew a syringe of blood. The man did likewise for Jack.
"Now, Mr Ford, your turn." Said Henry. A man came in with a new syringe. Henry knelt next to Sawyer, who was still lying on the ground. He pulled out the broken needle and inserted the new one in, drawing blood into the syringe.
"We will let you know the test results tomorrow. Good night." Henry turned to go, with the others following behind him.