Crimson

Disclaimer: Don't own Lost. As far as you know...
Summary: Kate meets the monster in the jungle, and only just survives – but now she's injured, alone, and Cerberus is very, very, mad.
Rating: I'll put it as Teen, because I don't think there'll be anything really explicit... though it could get dark. You've been warned.

A/N – thanks for all the reviews! Please, keep them coming! They make me feel good and thus more likely to update.

4-8-15-JuliaThorne-16-23-42 – Sorry, but yes, I am a Skater. Though that doesn't really affect the story. But yeah, I can put in some good Jate moments. : -

Chapter six

You didn't need to be a tracker to follow Kate's trail. Jack, Sawyer and Sayid were running through the jungle. It was fully dark, but they hadn't taken the time to light torches. There was less blood now, and Jack wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either whatever wound she had was closing, or she was running out of blood.

Suddenly, Jack tripped over a tree root and landed face first in the dirt. By the time Sayid was reaching a hand out, he was already on his feet. He was about to start running, when Sayid said, "Stop." Jack looked back, alarmed, wondering whether he'd seen something.

"We need light," the Iraqi said, and Jack scowled, but knew he was right. He started gathering dry bits of wood to turn into torches. Sawyer wasn't moving.

"We don't have time," he argued.

"It will not do Kate any good to injure ourselves or lose the trail," Sayid replied.

"Maybe it's a head wound," Jack muttered to himself. Sawyer looked up sharply. "I mean, head wounds bleed a lot..."

"How much blood is there, Jack?" Sawyer asked.

"Too much," the doctor replied.

"Right. You two organise torches. I'm going ahead," Sawyer said, already heading along the trail.

"Sawyer, no! We shouldn't split..." Jack trailed off as Sawyer ignored him. His eyes met Sayid's.

"If he gets lost, we're leaving him out there."

"Agreed."

But Sawyer had learnt a few tricks of tracking in his time on the island. He needed to keep the blood on either side of him. In the night, it showed up as a shiny spot of darkness amongst the black leaves.

He almost wished he'd waited for Jack and Sayid. But Kate was his girlfriend, wasn't she? He turned a corner – and froze. For a few seconds, he couldn't move. She looked dead. There was a smell in the air, one that he couldn't quite place.

Then he ran over. He didn't touch. He didn't know what to do. This was why Jack should be here, he thought bitterly. Could he move her? What if she had a broken neck? Or was it broken spine you couldn't move them... he didn't know.

Then, very gradually, he realised she was breathing. Tiny, quick inhalations that pushed her back up and then let it fall slowly down again. Sawyer couldn't take it anymore. He gently turned her, so that he could see her face.

And was astonished by the blood. It covered possibly every inch of her. Her head, chest, arms, legs, were all shiny, covered in fresh and old blood. He was even more disturbed by her arms – they felt slick. Rubbery.

"Kate?" he whispered. A flicker. "Kate, please, Kate can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes. It was the most beautiful motion he'd ever seen. He realised he was trembling. "Hey, Freckles, I'm here."

"Sawyer," she said, her voice weak and cracked. Her eyes began to close again. Then, they snapped open again with an energy he could only describe as ferociousness.

"Water," she whispered. He nodded, feeling stupid once again. Sayid had the water.

"Just a moment, Freckles. There'll be water," he promised. The look in her eyes was one of the worst things he ever had to see. It was close to betrayal, and even closer to hatred. He gently lifted her up, so that he was cradling her body, and felt how clammy her skin was.

"Jack!" he yelled. How long did it take to light a pair of damn torches? Sure, they hadn't had much good fuel, but still... "JACK!" he yelled again, as loud as he could.

"Don't... yell!" Kate whispered hoarsely. He looked down. "Quiet... or it'll come back."

"What'll come back?" he asked, knowing she referred to whatever had attacked her.

"Cerberus," she said with difficulty. He laid a hand on her chest – underneath, he could feel her breath struggling into and out of her lungs.

"Water," she asked pathetically. He swallowed nervously.

"Yes, Freckles. Water's coming. Jack has the water, he'll be here in a sec..."

But Jack wasn't there. Which led Sawyer to ask – where the hell was he?