"Bernard? Rose?" cried Missy stumbling around the tree towards their camp.
Both looked up simultaneously with surprised expressions upon their faces.
Missy stopped several feet away from them, comprehension dawning upon her of what had happened the last time she had seen them.
(Flashback-2004)
Missy ran through the trees her heart pounding inside her chest, hearing the screams from the beach becoming louder and louder.
Missy gasped for breath as she skidded to a halt shielding herself behind a small tree on the outer perimeter of the beach.
Flames roared orange, licking the black sky.
Missy could just make out the awful sight of several bodies lying upon the sand with burning arrows all around them.
She ducked as two arrows flew meters away from her.
Missy heard more screams to the left of her and ran towards the noise, her eyes searching the bodies that lay on the ground as she past, hoping, and praying that he wasn't one of them.
Running in between the trees she saw a small group of people up ahead, a voice shouting from them "MEET AT THE CREEK!"
Missy's heart leapt, he was still alive, up ahead.
She ran towards the group but was cut off by several more arrows flying past her shoulder and landing in front of her.
She looked up and saw Sawyer staring back at her.
She could see him through the flames, his eyes burning in an orange glow.
He saw her and a look of hatred passed over his face.
"Please," Missy mouthed behind the ever-mounting, wall of flames, but she knew that look. The look he had given her.
Her eyes welling up with tears, she saw the rest of his group head off in the opposite direction, not noticing Missy.
Sawyer paused at stared at Missy for several more second before too, turning his back and heading off with the others.
The flames in front reached for Missy, who recoiled.
She could hear voices behind her.
Panicking she turned and moved off to her right at a run, avoiding those behind her, knowing that she was never headed for the creek.
Rose and Bernard both walked forwards and embraced her. Missy knew that it felt so good to see them, captured in this homely embrace.
"It's so good to see you, we're so glad you're OK," said Rose pulling away and gazing at Missy.
Missy beamed.
Behind her she heard the undergrowth rustle, and saw Rose and Bernard's faces change expression.
Missy glanced around, before either Richard or the couple could say a word Missy spoke.
"Rose, Bernard, this is Richard. Richard Alpert."
Missy, Rose and Bernard spent over an hour recollecting their events since the attack upon the beach, whilst Richard listened.
At first, Rose and Bernard had been apprehensive about Richard, but after Missy told her tale, the couple had relaxed to his presence.
Missy was also surprised to see another familiar face in the form of Vincent the dog who had come bounding up, jumped upon Richard and had proceeded to lick his face.
Around an hour and a half since their arrival at Rose and Bernard's, Missy and Richard had risen and began to say their goodbyes.
"I will come see you again, soon," promised Missy hugging Rose for the last time. While Richard lingered on the perimeter.
"You had better," Rose replied, "and you can bring that handsome man back with you again if you must," she said smiling and winking.
Missy smiled and waved goodbye as her and Richard walked off through the trees.
Richard turned to Missy who smiled broadly, but he did not return it.
They walked in silence for a while, making their way now through the dense forest where the trees were large and the undergrowth compacted.
"Is there something wrong?" asked Missy after about thirty minutes of walking in silence.
Richard remained quiet not making eye contact with her.
Missy was confused, Richard had been fine before leaving Rose and Bernard's camp.
What was different now, was it something she had done?
Richard was walking several feet ahead of her, his head bowed, but walking steady.
Missy was just about to open her mouth to repeat her question, when she heard a noise behind her.
Quiet at first, then louder and louder.
Whispers in the trees.
She whipped around but there was no-one there.
Believing she had just imagined it she turned back around to face Richard, but Richard had gone.