A/N: I'm back! First things first, I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing. I love you all! I know that this story is starting to get depressing, but rest assured! Happier chapters to come, I promise.
Chapter 11- Time to Succumb
Lucy heard the boulder before she saw it.
Standing near the edge of the cliff, there was the sound of shifting of rocks. It could only mean one thing. Roger at set it free.
She could only watch as it tumbled down and down, hitting Piggy in one mighty blow. He fell into the ocean several feet below. The sight of his broken body, twitching hopelessly before it became lost forever... It made her stomach feel queasy. She resisted the urge to retch in front of everyone. Hadn't she been humiliated enough?
Well, not as much as Piggy. Lucy lowered her head guiltily. She was nothing but horrible to him, and now he was dead. Just like Simon.
In the silence that fell upon the entire island, her eyes trailed to the remains of the conch. It was nothing now.
She looked up in time to see Jack hurl his spear at Ralph. Her mouth emitted a noise somewhere between a yelp and a gasp as the rest of the tribe followed in the same course.
"Run, you big dolt," she whispered, and as though he heard her, Ralph hightailed it into the forest. Lucy let out a sigh of relief. At least one of them escaped.
"Back to the fort!" Jack commanded. Everyone obeyed except her. She started for the chief, but someone had grabbed her arm.
Her eyes narrowed. "Let me go, Maurice."
Maurice returned her glare with one of his own. "When Jack Merridew says 'back to the fort', you get." And he proceeded to drag her along.
"Oh, and if Jack Merridew said to slit your own throat, would you then?" Lucy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
He tightened his grip. "Learn your place, Lu."
"Where'd you hear that overused piece of rubbish? Your father?" She taunted.
That's right, Lucy. Dig your own grave, she thought to herself. The death of Piggy had given her a new source of anger. Another reason to be unreasonable, so to speak. Maybe this was her own way of making it up to him.
He stopped dead in his tracks. "If you weren't a girl, I'd-"
Thankfully, Jack interrupted their little powwow. She was actually glad to see him.
"Get the pig ready for the feast," he said to him. Maurice nodded wordlessly and obeyed, but not before sending her a contemptuous look. Lucy stuck up her chin. How she hated him. How she hated everyone.
Jack turned to her and said, "Don't be like Samneric. Don't be like Ralph." He gestured down at where Roger was beating at the twins with no mercy. Their cries and shouts echoed loudly with every resounding whack. Lucy froze as she watched the scene, frustrated at her own helplessness.
Good God, she was going to be sick.
Lucy refused to eat, not that anyone cared for that matter. To them, she was just a dumb girl who didn't give the chief what he wanted.
And as he gave his speech, she stared at them all with disdain. Fear was a thing of the past now. Dumb girl, ha! Lucy Everard was smarter than each and every boy on this island. Maybe even Jack, who was exercising his stupidity at that very moment as he told them of his plans to get rid of Ralph.
Samneric were sitting a little while away from the group, sniffing to themselves in the corner. Roger had done a number on them, that's for sure.
She inched her way closer to them, careful not to alert anyone. They started at her arrival.
"Shh!" She pressed a finger to her lips desperately. "Listen, you have to go now, while they're preoccupied. Understand? Find Ralph and hide. I don't know where, but you'll find a place."
"Lucy-" One of them began, but she cut him off.
She shook her head abruptly. "There's no time. Leave now!" she hissed. "I'll distract them."
"But Lucy!" The other one pointed a shaky finger behind her.
She spun around. Sure enough, they had caught everybody's attention. She cursed under her breath.
Jack stood up. "You two," he ordered to the twins. "Guard the rock. Tell Bill and Robert they can come back now." He watched them scamper away, satisfied, before turning his attention back to Lucy. "Come here."
Reluctantly, she complied. Smiling smugly, he wrapped a secure arm around her waist, almost as though he was afraid she would run away at any given moment.
"As I was saying," Jack continued. "We're to smoke him out. And if you spot him, remember the signal. Roger's going to sharpen a stick at both ends, so when we've got him-"
"Which you won't, at the way you're going at it," said Lucy nonchalantly, examining her fingernails as if the whole situation meant nothing to her.
He frowned. "What do you mean by that?" He asked through gritted teeth.
"You're going to set the whole place on fire to get him out of hiding, correct?" She quipped.
"Yes."
That caused her to laugh mockingly. "Of course you are."
His eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"
Lucy shrugged. "Nothing, I was just wondering..." She sat down on the nearest log, crossing her legs daintily. "How exactly do you intend to put the fire out once you do get him? Hmm?"
Her snarky comment had caused the crowd to mutter amongst themselves. So the girl had a brain, after all! Even Jack contemplated it in his head, before throwing his hands down in frustration. "Damn it, Lucy," he said finally. "Why do you have to be right?"
She was just about to congratulate herself on a job well done when Maurice piped up.
"How do you know she's not tricking us? That little whore is probably trying to protect her pathetic grandfather, Ralph!"
Affronted, she took a step towards him, eyes blazing. "Watch it, Maurice."
He held her icy gaze. "You know I'm right. About Ralph. 'Bout you."
Her vision blurred for just a moment before blinking rapidly and starting on the boy. "He's not..I'm not- And if you say that ever again, I swear I'll kill you." She seethed viciously.
Maurice looked ready to pounce when Roger stepped in front of him and said to Lucy, "Don't make threats when everyone knows they're empty."
She stood her ground and crossed her arms in front of her chest haughtily. "Don't be one to assume," she shot back.
"What is wrong you, Lu?" Jack yanked her back. "You lot, all of you- sit down!" Clearly he was losing patience with them. Especially Lucy, who couldn't blame him. From sweet and willing to snappish and perverse, Piggy's death had certainly changed her. For the first time, she found herself thanking him.
The group automatically obeyed, all plopping down at the place where they stood. All except Lucy, that is.
"Sit down," Jack growled, and when she made no effort to do so, he hit her on the head with the dull end of his spear. She yelped, dropping to her knees. Blood slowly trickled down her hair. "Since you're so smart," he continued, squatting down to her level, "Tell us what to do."
Dizzy and fazed from his harsh blow, she found it hard to answer. "I..I don't know, please!" she sputtered out as soon as he raised his spear again. "Just don't use the fire. Don't split up. Corner him- I don't know!"
Smirking in spite of himself, Jack stepped back, satisfied. "Alright then. We'll do that. We'll corner Ralph and once we do, I'll cut off his head." His eyes shined with a happiness she couldn't explain. Lucy paled, terrified.
"Y-you're going to kill him?"
He shrugged. "Of course. What did you think we were going to do? Invite him to tea?" The sniggers received from his tribe empowered him as he stood up. "Tie her," he instructed the crowd. "Wouldn't anyone getting in the way of our surprise."
Before she could react, the savages nearly tackled her to the ground, first binding her hands behind her back then her entire body to a nearby tree. She bit and tore during her struggle, becoming just as much of an animal as the rest.
When Jack came, a tattered cloth at hand, Lucy asked him in an austere whisper. "Why must you do this?"
In the same tone, he replied. "The beast has done a lot of things for me. I'm just returning the favor." And he placed the cloth between her lips, tying it behind her head. She held her breath as he touched her face, willing it all to be nothing but a nightmare.
Lucy Everard, she thought to herself. What have you done?
The moment everyone left for the hunt, Lucy got to work on the bindings. It wasn't that hard. None of the boys were in the navy. She was quite confident in thinking that not one of them could tell a square knot from a sheepshank. Though she may not appear the type, but she knew how to tie all sorts of knots. In fact, sailing had been in the family for centuries.
But that's beside the point. Lucy had only one focus now, and that was to get home and get to get Ralph to safety, the latter being her priority. For one thing, she had no idea where Jack had hidden the golden watch. By the time she found it, it would already be too late. Ralph would have been killed and she would have...
Good God!
If Ralph died today, then her father wouldn't have existed. If Ralph died, Lucy would have never been born.
The gravity of the situation was heavy upon her shoulders as she finally wrenched herself free from the makeshift ropes. Tearing the gag away from her face, she crumpled it into a tight little ball, throwing it behind her as she ran to the thicket Samneric were told he'd be hiding. There was no one in sight.
"Shit," she swore under her breath. What would her mother think about her unladylike cursing?
Instinct told her to go straight. Maybe they had run there.
Her muscles ached terribly, but she pushed herself to go forward. She couldn't give up. Not now.
Lucy looked around desperately. Where were they?
"Don't Jack!"
She whipped around, hearing his voice. Ralph's voice.
They had him cornered on the beach, that accursed chant pulsating in her ears. Louder and louder. Her eyes widened in horror. Jack was raising his knife, Ralph sprawled out on his knees, arms raised in attempt to block to inevitable blow. His sickening laughter, the hoots and hollers. They were both going to die, she knew it. Just like Simon and Piggy.
"No," she muttered to herself. Twice she stood by and let young boys be murdered. Twice she was to scared to speak up and actually do anything. Well not anymore, she decided. Not this time.
Her vehement scream could be heard above everyone as she launched herself between the boys, knocking the dagger out of Jack's hands in the process.
"No," Lucy repeated, breathing heavily. "You can't kill him. He's my grandfather. If he goes, I go too." Tears were threatening to pool down her face as she whispered. "You can't kill us, Jack."
He returned her anguished look with nothing but a scowl. He growled. "Give me one reason to keep you alive."
Lucy was at a loss for words, that is, before remembering what he was. Channeling the spirit of all those seductresses she'd seen in movies and so wished to be like, she sauntered closer to him before pressing her lips to his enticingly. Running her hands slowly down his sunburned chest, she insinuated in a convincingly flirtatious manner, her voice low and evocative.
"I'll give you that and more."
Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he smiled, eying her greedily, waving everyone else away impatiently. "Go back to Castle Rock," he ordered. "No one touches Ralph, understand?"
Roger was livid. "But chief-"
"I said now."
Grumbling at the sudden change of events, the tribe made their way back to the new campsite, looking over their shoulders every few seconds. Ralph was the last to go. He stared at her emotionlessly as he passed, muttering quickly in his leave. "I hope you know what you're doing."
Lucy didn't answer. She never realized it until now.
But how hard could it be? She asked herself. He was just a boy, after all.
A/N: And so the worst is over. The only question is... What will happen next?
Dun dun dunn...
