Title: Chaos amongst them.

Rating: T for now but that may change as they story progresses.

Summary: The survivors of flight 29 DWN have survived storms, sicknesses, injuries and each other. But when tempers run high, and the stress of it all becomes too much for the survivors to handle they begin falling apart one by one. Will they be able to band together before disaster strikes or will they be too late to save one of their own?

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the show, or any of the songs and artist that I choose to use. This is just for fun.

A/N: I have at least one more chapter planned maybe two. So the story is coming to an end but I promise I will do everything I can to keep it entertaining for you. Thanks for reading, and reviewing. Let me know what you think.


Chapter Nine: Returning Home.

Jackson, Nathan, Eric, and Lex all forced their selves up the hill fighting through the debris from the storm. It was a lot harder to walk through then the day before especially with the entire hill being muddy. Jackson held onto Lex's hand tightly to keep him from tripping and falling. None of them said much to each other, everyone was either mad at each other or too lost in their own thoughts to talk. Lex on the other hand hated the silence; it left to much room for his mind to wonder back and forth between all the possibilities. His legs hurt more then he ever thought possible and his legs were covered in scratches from having to walk through thorn bushes. He had to walk slower and slower but he refused to stop. Daley wouldn't have stopped if he was out there and he wasn't going to stop and rest until he found everyone and they were all safe.

Jackson stopped and looked ahead of them. It looked like it was worse than what they'd been walking through for the last thirty minutes. He sighed and looked down at Lex, there was no way he could walk through it. Nathan and Eric both stopped and stared at him trying to figure out why he had stopped. Eric scoffed and rolled his eyes as he shook his head but didn't say anything to him. He knew if they got into a fight at the top of the hill he would end up being the one tumbling down it.

"Let's take a break…" Jackson said finally looking at the others as he took his back pack off his back.

Nathan and Eric both nodded and took their back packs off and sat them down on the ground. Jackson waited a moment before taking his back pack off and laying it on the ground as well. He knelt down and got one of the bottles of water out and handed it to Lex. He gave him a slight smile before standing up and walking over to a fallen tree and sat down on it. Nathan sat down beside him then Eric beside Nathan. Lex took a long drink of the water then handed the bottle back to Jackson. He tried to get up on the tree but he was too short to jump up. Jackson smiled and handed the bottle to Nathan before getting off the tree and picking Lex up. He sat him down beside Nathan then sat down beside him.

"Thanks." Lex said looking over at him. "Do you think Melissa will find Daley and Taylor?" Lex asked no one in particular.

"If she don't we will." Nathan said putting his hand on his back and giving him a slight smile.

"What if we can't?" Lex said looking down at the ground.

"We won't give up." Eric said jumping down off the tree.

He picked up his back pack and slipped it on his back. Nathan and Jackson both narrowed their eyes. He was the first person to always give up on everything especially when it came to actually having to work. They both jumped down and watched Eric head up the hill. Jackson shook his head and helped Lex down then they all picked up their back packs and followed him up. Nathan and Jackson both held on to Lex's hand to be sure that he didn't fall. They walked for ten minutes before Eric suddenly stopped almost causing Jackson, Nathan, and Lex to walk into him. Nathan sighed and looked at him.

"What is it Eric?" Nathan said somewhat annoyed.

"That!" Eric said pointing up the hill.

Everyone looked where Eric was pointing but no one seen what he was talking about at first until it moved. It was a pair of legs sticking out from behind a large tree. No one could tell who it was but all of them had the worst racing through their minds. Lex jerked his hands away from Nathan and Jackson and ran as fast as he could up the hill. He tripped and fell on his hands and knees but he quickly got up and continued running. Nathan and Jackson ran after him then finally Eric got enough courage up to follow them.

"Day!" Lex screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Lex wait!" Jackson yelled.

"We don't know who it is yet!" Nathan yelled almost tripping over a root.

"Who else would it be?" Eric mumbled under his breath.

Tears streamed down Lex's face the more he thought about his sister laying behind the tree hurt beyond what they could help. He turned quickly and suddenly stopped when he got to the tree. He had a brief moment of relief followed fear and dread. It wasn't his sister but it was still someone he knew and loved. Jackson and Nathan both stopped behind him and leaned forward putting their hands on their knees gasping for air. Then Eric ran up behind them stopping just a couple inches short of running into them. Jackson and Nathan both saw who is was and quickly stood up. Jackson quickly stepped around Lex and knelt down beside Melissa. He put two if his fingers on her neck and felt for a pulse.

"Is she alright?" Lex blurted out.

"She's alive…" Jackson said looking back at the others.

Jackson sighed and looked back at Melissa. She didn't seem to be too hurt, a few bump and bruises and possibly a broken wrist but other that that she seemed completely fine…at least on the outside. There was no way to tell if she had any internal injuries, and even if there was they didn't have any doctors who could go in and fix it. They were on their own. Jackson put his hand on her shoulder and leaned down near her.

"Melissa…Melissa wake up…" He said softly in her ear. "Mel…"

A slight moan escaped Melissa's lips and her eyes slowly began to open. Jackson sighed in relief and sat up. The others sighed in relief as well when they seen Melissa coming to. Melissa groaned and reached up putting her hand on the side of her head. Her other hand was a little swollen and bruised. It hurt to move it so she left it laying against her chest. Her other hand had a few cuts on it but it didn't hurt as bad as her wrist. She began pushing her self up with her elbow. Jackson put his hand on her shoulder and helped her sit up. She leaned against the tree and looked around at everyone. She couldn't remember much at first, everything just seemed to be blended together and it was hard for her to sort through them. She thought about it for a moment trying to think of everything that happened. After a few moments she slowly began to sort through the mush.

Jackson looked her in her eyes trying to see if she could focus. "Are you alright?"

Melissa slowly nodded. "Yeah I think so…I think I broke my wrist though…" She said leaning her head against the tree.

"I think you did too." Jackson said looking down at her wrist.

Melissa's mouth dropped when she remembered why she had fallen in the first place. She couldn't believe she forgot about Daley and Taylor even if it was for only a minute or so. Jackson, Eric, Nathan, and Lex all stared at her wondering what was going through her mind.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked finally.

"Daley and Taylor…They're up there." Melissa said pointing up the hill with her good hand. "Taylor is hurt really bad…Daley couldn't even get her to wake up. You guys have to go help them…" Melissa said looking at each of their faces one by one.

"You need help too…" Jackson said looking over at Eric and Nathan.

Nathan was obviously the strongest one of the two and if what Melissa said was even half true they would need all the strength they had. He hesitated to suggest that Eric take Melissa back to camp while him and Nathan go get Daley and Taylor but they didn't have time to argue over who was going to go. They didn't have time to get into a fight either. He sighed and stood up trying to think of a way to get Eric to help Melissa back to camp.

"Me and Nathan are the strongest so were going to have to be the ones to go help Taylor and Daley, Eric can you help Melissa back to camp while we go help them?" Jackson said expecting Eric to flip out again.

Eric nodded. "Sure…"

Jackson lowered his eyes brows for a moment before shaking his head. They didn't have time to worry about psychology right now. He sighed and looked down at Lex. He had already seen enough to last him a life time he wasn't going to let him see anything else if he could help it. He knelt down in front of him Lex already knew what was going to happen. It happened every time something went terribly wrong. He was sent to his room or just away. Jackson gave him a slight smile and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Lex, I need you to go with Eric and Melissa…"

"No! She's my sister I'm going with you guys!" Lex demanded.

"I know you're worried about her but if you get hurt we won't be able to help Daley or Taylor…please buddy, I promise me and Nathan will take care of her."

Lex looked down at the ground and slowly nodded. He didn't want to go but he didn't have much of a choice if her argued it just meant the more time they spent not helping Daley and Taylor. Jackson gave him a reassuring smile and stood up. He walked over to Melissa and knelt down beside her.

"Put your arm around my neck…"

Melissa nodded and put her arm around Jackson's neck. Jackson put his arm around her waist and helped her up. He waited for a couple of seconds for her to gain her balance before he looked over at Eric. Without Jackson saying anything Eric walked over to her. Jackson slowly moved away from her but kept a hold of her arm to be sure she didn't fall. Eric put his arm around her waist and Melissa put her arm around his neck.

"Don't let Lex out of your sight." Jackson said backing up beside Nathan.

Eric nodded and began to slowly help Melissa down the hill. She was limping a little but it was mainly because of the bruises that covered her legs made her muscles ache. After watching them for a few moments Nathan and Jackson both turned and began running up the hill toward where Melissa pointed. They were both scared to see what they looked like even if neither of them were willing to show it. They tripped over roots and rocks every now and then but they were able to catch their balance before they hit the ground. Jackson's leg hurt more then he could stand but he pushed the pain out of his mind and concentrated on why they were running. It helped a bit but he still felt like his leg was going to give out of him with every step.

It seemed like they were never going to get to them. The hill got steeper and steeper and the forest got thicker and thicker. There was still no sign of Daley and Taylor; they weren't even sure what they should be looking for. Melissa only told them they were up here somewhere. They both stopped gasping for air and looked around. Neither of them could see any sign of the girls or anyone for that matter. It seemed to be getting a little thinner as they went up but not by much and not enough for them to see any further then ten feet into the forest in front of them. There was no way they would be able to get Daley and Taylor through this. After a few moments they continued to jog through the forest trying their best to keep from loosing their breath as fast.

Jackson suddenly stopped and grabbed Nathan's arm making him stop as well. Before Nathan could ask Jackson pointed at something at the top of the hill. It looked like a sheet of plastic or something. Nathan narrowed his eyes and took a couple steps towards it.

"What is that?" Nathan asked looking back at Jackson.

Jackson shrugged and walked towards it. "What ever it is, it's human made."

They both jogged towards it and within a minute they were there. Jackson and Nathan both ran over to the side of it and looked through the gap between the leaves that Melissa had pulled down earlier. Both their eyes widened when the seen Taylor lying on the ground and Daley sitting on her knees beside her holding her hand. Jackson and Nathan both finished ripping down the rest of the leaves and sticks. Daley looked up at them and smiled bigger than she had the whole time she'd been on the island. Jackson and Nathan both winced at the sight of Taylor's back and it just got worse the more they looked her over.

"What happened to her?" Jackson asked looking up at Daley.

"I don't know…I woke up this morning and she was like this, I can't get her to wake up." Daley said looking down at her worriedly. "We have to get her back to camp…"

"Can you walk?" Jackson said looking at Daley.

Daley nodded. "Yeah I'm fine…but she wont be unless we get her back to camp" Daley said looking at both boys.

"Me and Nathan will take turns carrying her down the hill you just make sure we don't trip." Jackson said looking down at Taylor.

Nathan and Daley both nodded in agreement. "It's going to take both of us to pick her up." Nathan said as he stood up and got on the other side of Taylor beside Daley.

Jackson put his arms under her back and knees. Nathan put her arm around his neck to make it a little easier to carry her before he put his arms on top of Jackson's. They both slowly picked her up and once they were out from under the shelter they stood straight up. Once Jackson had Taylor, Daley got out from under the shelter carrying what was left of the bottle of water and the empty bottle. She grabbed Jackson's hoody and he back pack then began walking down the hill.

"Come on guys we have to hurry…" Daley said looking back at them.

Nathan and Jackson both followed her. Nathan stayed back with Jackson to make sure he didn't trip with Taylor while Daley walked ahead of them cleaning a path the best and as fast as she could. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking. It wasn't that she was cold she was just worried and nervous. Taylor was out here because of her and even after everything she said to her and how hurt she was Taylor still pulled her inside the shelter. It had to be her, no one else was around.


Eric helped Melissa over to one of the logs beside the fire and helped her sit down. Melissa smiled gratefully up at him but didn't say anything. She had been through too much in the last few days to talk. All she wanted to do was crawl inside a hole and hide from the world but even if that was possible she still needed to be there for the others. They were the only reason she hadn't given up hope completely. Eric sat down beside her and sighed and looked around the fire pit.

"I'll be right back!" Lex said rushing off towards his garden.

Eric narrowed his eyes. "Does he really think now is the perfect time to go off and water his garden?" Eric said looking over at Melissa.

Melissa laughed and shrugged. Eric always made her laugh even in the most horrible and unbearable times. After a few minutes Lex returned with a stick, some braided vines and some cloth that obviously came from someone's t-shirt. Eric and Melissa both narrowed their eyes at him out of confusion. After a moment Lex noticed it and sat down on his knees in front of them.

"I had planed on making a signal fire on the beach, big enough for us to keep burning all the time and with a trench around it so the ocean wouldn't put it out, I had a couple extra shirts that I was going to make torches out of so that if we did see rescue we could light them and wave them around so they would know we needed help…." He explained

"Alright Lex that all sounds great, it really does." Eric said trying to help him believe that he wasn't just trying to cut him off. "But we don't have all day so get to the point please?"

"Oh right!" Lex said looking up at Melissa. "Well all this stuff could also be used to stable you wrist so that it can heal back correctly that way they won't have to re-break it when we get rescued and so that it doesn't hurt as much."

Melissa and Eric both gave him a slight smile. "That's great Lex, will it work?" Melissa asked looking at everything.

"Yeah, as long as we keep it tied tight and as long as you don't use at all for the next couple of weeks I don't see why it wouldn't." He took a piece of cloth and poured water on it. "Clean your arm wrist and hand off with that. Once we put it on we can't take it off so it has time to heal properly."

Melissa nodded and began cleaning off her arm. Lex laid another larger cloth out of his leg then picked up the stick and held it up to Melissa arm to be sure it would be long enough but not so long it would go past her elbow and stab her. He smiled contently and nodded to his self. He couldn't stop thinking about Daley but at least helping Melissa helped his mind from racing around forming deranged images in his head. The stick was about a centimeter thick and straight so it would provide proper support and it wouldn't break under pressure. She wrapped some of the cloth around the stick so it wouldn't be too uncomfortable then he folded the top of the cloth and the bottom of it down to the size of the stick. Once he was finished he picked it up and laid it on Melissa's lap. She laid arm on it with her wrist resting against the stick. She winced a little and tensed up a bit but she relaxed a few moments later.

She put her fingers over the top of the cloth. Lex grabbed the camp knife and held the clot up so he wouldn't stab anyone and cut a hole for her thumb. Once he was done he carefully and tightly wrapped her arm with the cloth then tied some thin vines he had braided around her the bottom and the top around her fingers where the cushion was from where he folded the cloth around the stick. He tied on in between the two to be sure it was stay then took a step back.

"Perfect." Lex said looking down at her arm.

"This is great Lex, Thanks." Melissa took he watch out of her pocket with her good arm and looked at the time. "It's been a half hour we should prepare for the others to get here."

Everyone nodded and stood up trying to do something productive but no one but Melissa knew how bad it was so no one else really knew what to prepare for. They all made their selves useful and that was the best they could do considering the circumstances.