Chapter Eleven
Sawyer stumbled, barely catching his balance. He leaned against a tree and stared into the darkness before him.
"Kate!" He shouted, waving a torch around to banish shadows of the night.
"Sawyer, wait!" Jack shouted as he came up to him.
Sawyer glared at the doctor, wanting to move on. Kate could be in trouble or worse and the doctor wanted to take a break?
"What?" He asked, breathing heavily.
"You have to stop. You're not going to last much longer with that wound."
Sawyer rolled his eyes. The doctor had been going on about his wound since they started their little trip. It hadn't stated bothering him until ten minutes ago. He was tiring, but he wasn't going to stop. Not until he found Kate.
"You can stay here and play Boy Scouts. I'm going to find Kate."
"You won't make it, Sawyer," Jack continued. "I need to check the wound."
"You can check it when we find Kate."
He pushed himself from the tree he had been leaning against. He took two steps when someone grabbed his arm. He spun and glared at Sayid.
"Let Jack look at the wound."
Sawyer growled and wrenched his arm from the Iraqi's hand. Pain tore through him and he gasped.
"Sit him down!" Jack shouted.
He sat up against a tree and Jack knelt in front of him. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he closed his eyes against the pain. He felt his shirt being unbuttoned and imagined Kate doing the task instead. It eased the pain, but aroused him. He moved his legs to a more comfortable position and forced the image from his mind.
"It's not bleeding," Jack said. "but anymore of this and it will."
Sawyer glared at Jack as the doctor handed him some pills. The expression on Jack's face angered him. He could almost hear the words before the doctor spoke them.
"I'm not going back, Doc," he growled.
"I didn't think you would," Jack said, standing. "But you need to rest before you kill yourself."
Sawyer downed the pills and contemplated what Jack said. He didn't want to rest fearing what might be happening with Kate. Was she lost? Did the Others have her? He had to get her back. That was all that mattered.
"I'm going to get her back," he said as he pushed himself to his feet.
He took several deep breaths to steady himself then staggered forward. He kept his thoughts on getting Kate, seeing her again, safe and sound. He wasn't going to let her go once he found her.
I'll get her back then tell her I love her, he thought as he trudged through the jungle.
"Kate!" Sawyer shouted, wishing she would answer him. If the Others had her, he was going to make them pay for taking her. He wasn't going to let them get away with this again.
He tripped over a root and cursed, catching his balance by stumbling into a tree. He growled and kicked at the tree.
"Maybe we should stop for the night," Sayid suggested, his torch lighting his face in the darkness. "We would be able to see better."
Sawyer glared at him and shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "They have her and doing who the hell knows what with her. I'm not going to let her stay there another day."
"You can barely stand, Sawyer," the Iraqi said.
"Then I'll crawl," he growled and stalked off deeper into the jungle.
"He's going to kill himself," Jack said, but Sawyer ignored him. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, calling Kate's name.
--
Sawyer was hoarse from calling Kate's name. He stood in the middle of a clearing and slowly turned in a circle. Jack and Sayid were beside him, doing the same.
"Which way?" Jack asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Doc," Sawyer answered as he peered into the darkness.
He didn't like this one bit. He half expected "one of them" to burst into the clearing and take them captive. Course, he planned on shooting a couple of them before being taken hostage.
"This way," Sayid said and headed back into the jungle.
"Is that your best guess, Sayid?" Sawyer asked as he followed the Iraqi.
"It is better than standing around, doing nothing."
"Good point," he grumbled and trudged through the vegetation.
Sawyer winced as a branch swung by and hit him in the chest. He snarled and broke the branch off the tree and flung it away.
"Do you take everything out on the trees, Sawyer?" Jack asked.
He glared at the doctor. "I can take it out on you if you'd rather, Doc."
Jack smiled and shook his head. Sawyer narrowed his eyes then turned and nearly ran into Sayid, who had stopped.
"Thanks for the warning, Mohammad."
Sayid stepped to one side and Sawyer saw another clearing spread out before them. The only difference this time was it wasn't empty. Five people stood in the clearing, staring back at them.
"We have company," Sayid said as Jack came up beside them.
"Come out and join us," a familiar voice came from the darkness.
Torches were lit all around the clearing and Sawyer narrowed his eyes as they stepped into the field. The familiar voice now belonged to a familiar face.
"Welcome, James," Zeke said, a smile lighting his face.
Sawyer drew his gun and aimed it at the bearded man. He cocked the gun even as guns were aimed at him.
"Hand her over, Grizzly Adams. I know you have her."
"If you want her back, follow us," the bearded man said calmly. "She hasn't been hurt."
"I don't believe you," Sawyer growled.
"That's your problem, but she hasn't been harmed. You can follow us and find out."
Sawyer cursed under his breath, knowing they had him. He wanted Kate back, but in getting her back, he would probably be captured along with her. Still, he could find a way to escape. It just ate at him that these people had the upper hand. Not to mention more guns pointed at him.
"Fine," Sawyer said as he lowered his weapon. "Lead the way."
Zeke smiled as the others lowered their guns. They dispersed, leaving the bearded man alone with Sawyer, Jack and Sayid.
"I see you've brought some friends. The more, the merrier. This way."
Sawyer followed Zeke, already a plan forming in his mind on how to get Kate away from these people and back to him.
