Title: The Lost Boys

Author: Hermione Eveningfall

Fandom: Lord of the Flies/Gilligan's Island crossover

Rating: PG (mainly for medical detail and occasional language)

Summary: What if Ralph and the other boys were never rescued from the island as happened at the end of the book? What if a dangerous accident caused the boys to reunite, tossing them headfirst into yet another unexpected adventure?

Chapter 1

"Kill the beast! Slit it's throat! Smash her in!"

Ralph felt as though he'd been running forever. His lungs burned from the billowing smoke, and his eyes watered--but he couldn't let that stop him. He tripped over rocks that stuck up from the ground, scraping his knee. When the voices didn't seem so close, he took refuse from behind one of the bushes, peering down at his wound, which bled freely. Cursing under his breath, he touched the wound with his thumb, attempting to use pressure to stop the blood from flowing.

How had it come to this? he thought, as he listened to the crackling of burning underbrush. He only wanted the best for the others, and how did they thank him for it?

Ralph wished he had something to drink, scolding himself for not stopping to take a mouthful at a stream he'd passed in a panic merely ten minutes before. Of course, timing was everything...he could't risk stopping for very long, or they would surely find him.

Once the he managed to ease the bleeding and catch his breath, Ralph pushed himself up, limping a little, and picked his way through the foilage. He was one of the few who wore the remains of a tattered shirt on his back, refusing to take it off. He didn't want to associate himself with them...these now faceless savages who killed two of his best friends, leaving him alone and terrified. The deaths of Simon and Piggy brought Ralph to the realization that he'd lost; lost badly to a game he so desparately tried to learn to play. When he saw the painted bodies of Samneric, the twins who sided with him until Roger smashed Piggy's skull with a boulder, he felt the world collapsing from under him.

He found a clearing with a nest of palm trees, and shielded his eyes from the glare of the late evening haze. Even in the pending darkness, the heat was thick, and the fabric stuck uncomfortably to his skin. Judging from the movement of the clouds, he knew it would rain later that night, which would help put out the ever growing fire. Until that time, Ralph decided the only chance he had for survival of this day, was to climb one of the palm trees and use that for shelter until the hunters decided to give up.

The height was dizzying, but Ralph climbed tons of trees at home and school, so was used to it. He gripped the broken bark with his fingernails, gritting his teeth as he found footing on whatever spot he could catch onto. His muscles screamed in protest as he hoisted himself up higher and higher, and he could hear the sound of the chant in the distance, hoping they wouldn't come too close too soon. He managed to make it to a comfortable branch, a cluster of coconuts blocking him from view, and he watched as the tribe made their way through the dense forest. Jack was unmistakable, with his face so tan it was almost black, mixed with red and white paint. His light red hair stuck out from underneath leaf-created cap, curling wildly about his face. He was the largest of the group, his spear raised as he searched every nook and cranny of the island.

Ralph couldn't believe just a few days before, he'd been a respectable leader of a choir group, determined to make their small civiliation on the island run as smoothly as their classes at school. He'd been disappointed at the choice of chief, but used his choir to form a group of hunters and fire watchers. It wasn't until the arrival of the hideous beast, that he began to crumble, feeling Ralph wasn't a worthwhile leader.

"He's just giving orders, expecting people to obey for nothing! He's like Piggy, he says things like Piggy! He's a coward...on top, when Roger and me went on he went back..."

Ralph swallowed as he watched them stop for a moment, gathering in a circle to come up with a new plan of action. He had to admit, the idea of hiding in a palm tree was pretty clever on his part. Never would they think to look up here...he grinned, folding his arms across his chest, using his legs to steady himself on the branch. Temptation to throw one of the heavy coconuts onto his intruders came into his mind, but he couldn't risk revealing himself.

Instead, he tried to listen in on their conversation, his ears pricking. It was difficult to distinguist human voices from the loud sound of the fire snapping twigs and branches from tress a couple hundred feet away.

"I think we should go back...going to be getting dark soon..."

"He's still out there...we'll never sleep if..."

"But I'm tired, chief, and thirsty..."

"Besides, if we start back now, we'll still have daylight to go by."

"Going to rain..."

Ralph grinned with pleasure at the fear in their voices, knowing Simon was right after all...there was no beast. At least, no physical beast...it was all in their minds. The unknown bothered them the most; there were definitely parts of the island they hadn't covered in their searches, darker, thicker parts.

Below on the ground, Jack glanced at his tribe, barely able to recognize their facial features in the dimming light.

"Is everybody in agreement?" he asked, not needing to see Roger's expression to know he didn't. He knew his second in command would want to keep going as long as he did, as long as the beast's lifeless body ended up in their grasp.

There was a collective murmer of voices in response, and Jack glanced towards the sky. The smoke was very thick now, and there was a good chance the ferocity of the fire would give the beast nowhere to go except the beach for safety.

"All right, then," he replied. "We'll start heading back for the Castle Rock, but we'll have to start back out again as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning."

Roger let out a small noise of irritation, lowering his spear, and Jack gave him a half smile.

"You won't do us any good dropping from exhaustion," he said, for his could tell when his friend was ready for bed. He'd known Roger for years at school, taking the younger boy under his wing when he first arrived. Ever since he convinced Roger to join the boy's choir, they became inseperable.

"Fine," Roger growled. "but just letting you know, I could keep going, chief."

Jack nodded. "I know, but it's not safe to be out here alone in the dark. We have to travel in a pack...that way it's less likely the beast will attack us unexpectedly."

Morris stepped forward, raising his hand, and Jack glanced at him. "We'll have to keep some of us posted outside as look outs again, right?" he asked, and Jack turned to the twins, who stood quietly in the back of the group, very close to each other. They didn't say much, for their guilt at having left Ralph in such a position by himself still filled their heads.

"Yes...the twins'll do that. Come on, you lot...let's start for the beach before..."

A crash of thunder rumbled in the distance, and Jack ordered them at once to move out of the jungle, leaving it in an eerie silence.

Ralph continued to sit watching them disappear through the mass of bushes and underbrush, shivering as a cool breeze ruffled his thick hair. With a storm approaching, he couldn't be high up in a tree...he had to search for a cave of sorts to use for shelter, and also to possibly sleep in if the conditions were suitable. When he was certain they were far enough away, he climbed back down, tiptoeing in the opposite direction. He managed to find a cave about a mile from the clearing, thankful because the cave was connected to a fountain, with fresh water bubbling over rocks and underground plants.

He drank greedily from the pond, splashing the cool water over his face, and watched as a flash of lightening struck through the sky. He made it into the mouth of the cave just as the heavens opened up, revealing ghusts of blinding rain. Blinking a little, Ralph backed into the darkness of his new quarters, letting out a yell of surprise when a bat flew past his ear. He covered his head with his arms, still shaking a little, and curled against the rough wall, wishing desparately to be under his stiff dormitory sheets again. It took a good while before he was able to relax enough to fall asleep, and even when he did, his mind was plagued with nightmares.

Please let us get out of this, he thought, listening as the wind howled viciously. I dunno what I did to deserve any of this, but I sure as ever regret it.

Jack brought the tribe back to the caves of Castle Rock, his body aching from the long hike. They were soaked by the time they crowded inside, fighting over any inch of space they could find for sleep. Roger sat down beside him, not releasing his spear until Jack removed his fingers from it by force. "Dunno how much sleep we're going to get with that...thing lurking about," Roger grumbled as he lay down at last, staring up at the darkend ceiling. He could see the sillouhettes of Samneric as they stood at the entrance, keeping an eye on any suspicious activity from outside.

Jack chose not to answer the comment, and attempted to block the noise of the other boy's snoring away or whispering to each other. "G'night, then," he grunted, turning over on his side, and drifted into a restless doze.