A/N: It's Friday, and with it comes another update! :D Please enjoy and REVIEW!

Thanks to f29dwnaddict and Jenny for reviewing chapter 2! Don't forget to review this one as well! ;-)

When Hope is Gone

Chapter Three

"So, you found out our little secret, sí?" Ignacio hissed in Nathan's ear. The boy struggled to free himself from Hernando's iron grasp, struggled to yell, struggled to move. But it was no use. The men were just too much stronger than him.

"This isn't good." Hernando shook his head sadly. "We really did want to help you kids. But with you knowing this, there's no way we can take you home."

"No?" Ignacio asked, looking confused.

"Of course not! They will tell the police of our illegal buisness!"

"So we let him go?" Ignacio guestured to Nathan."I guess so. If they're all stuck on the island, there's no way they can tell about us. Or is there?"

"If rescue come, then we in trouble," Ignacio muttered.

"You're right!" Hernando agreed. "We can't let any of them know about this. So that means, we can't let him go. But we can't take him with us, either, because I really do not want to be pinned for kidnapping."

"So what we do?" Ignacio wondered aloud.

"We leave him here. We leave them all here. But we make sure the others will never find him."

Daley was getting worried. She paced camp, wringing her hands. She felt someone touch her shoulder, and only relaxed when she saw it was Jackson. "You okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"I don't know!" Daley exploded. "Nathan went off alone to help those two guys, and he hasn't come back yet."

"Ignacio and Hernando? You know, something doesn't seem right about those two," Jackson pointed out.

Daley smiled. "Thank you!"

Suddenly, she heard a yell from deep within the woods. "Nathan!" she cried. She started to race off into the trees, but Jackson held her back.

"Hold on," he said shortly. "It may be dangerous."

They heard a howl of rage, a scream of fury that came from Ignacio, and a cry of anguish. All was silent.

The two waited until nothing could be heard but sobbing from the jungle, and started in. Before they got too far, however, Ignacio and Hernando came running up, terrified and out of breath. Ignacio had blood streaked across his face, and Hernando was clutching something in his right hand, which was trembling.

"What happened?" Jackson asked. The others, who had heard this as well, clustered around the group.

"Where's Nathan?" Taylor wanted to know.

"I'm sorry," Hernando croaked. "We tried to stop it."

"Stop what?" Daley demanded, a knot forming in her stomach.

"It happened so fast…"

"What?"

"A wild boar," Ignacio explained.

"What?" Eric stuttered.

"Yes," Hernando agreed. "It came at us—we were with Nathan—and before we could stop it, the boar rammed it's tusks against the defenseless boy, and plunged its tusk into his heart."

A/N: What did you think? Please review and let me know, and, as always, I'll update in a week! Have a great week! :D

~Emachinescat ^..^