Prompt: I'm Here
Though the man in black spent a good deal of his time tearing through the jungle forests and frightening the others, he could only rampage for so long before tiring of his one pleasure. It had been a successful day; one of the less stable newcomers to the Island had feared the mysterious smoke monster so much that he threw himself off a cliff in an effort to rid himself of the smoke-filled nightmares that tormented him day and night. However, even on the more entertaining days—especially on those days, it seemed—the rage boiled over into a raw craving to just leave the damn prison of an Island or else wring Jacob's neck if he couldn't.
But he could do neither. Still, he desired with everything in him to view a desert or a prairie, see glimpses of the wonders he had only overheard talk of from the outsiders, explore the rest of the Earth and watch another set of stars at night. The urge twisted within Esau until he finally collapsed on the beach to recover himself, overrun by the painful ache. Sitting on the sand, he bowed his head and did everything in his power to not think about anything at all.
When a tear slipped down his cheek, he slapped it away, but another hand caught his before he could notice Jacob's presence and dissolve into smoke.
Releasing Esau's hand, Jacob sat down next to the dark-haired man. "I don't like this any more than you do."
Esau looked up to glare at Jacob. "Don't try to pretend you know how it feels. You can leave this hellhole whenever you want."
"And you can talk and walk among these people, if you choose. You can at least roam the Island. When I'm here, and you know that I rarely leave, I can't even leave my cave most of the time."
"I don't care about any of that. I just want to go." Esau's voice rose with both desperation and anger. "Just let me leave, Jacob."
"You know I can't do that."
"Believe me when I say that if I could, I would do it right now."
The dark-haired man had no more energy left to demand or even beg. Despairing, he lowered his head and concentrated on steadying his ragged breath. With a heavy sigh, Jacob rested one hand on Esau's shoulder in silent reassurance of his presence, the only comfort that he could give.