A/N Surprise, surprise. I'm determined to finish this story. I really am.

Plus, I've added bonus scenes to chapter 11, 12 and 13 so you might want to look back.

CHAPTER 14

The first familiar place Samantha reached was the pit Nathan had been kept in what seemed ages ago. Her breath hitched as a resounding crack of a neck being snapped echoed in her memory causing goose bumps to prickle her skin. The further she was the worse she felt about the whole idea of coming back. What would she say to the survivors? New lies to cover the old ones? Would she even have the chance to say anything before Ana would try to kill her?

With doubts following her like vultures after their prey, she quickened her pace and soon enough saw the opening to the concrete bunker survivors used as shelter. Something wasn't quite right and when she finally found out what, blood drifted from her face.

Silence. The same kind of silence she experienced with Eli. Either the bunker was empty or she could no longer hear her friends. Not even Ana who used to be the loudest.

"It's impossible", she muttered opening the door as if in trance. She expected to see the survivors looking at her with the same strangely foreign eyes Eli had but there was nobody there. Neither in the corridor nor in the main room. It looked like the occupants had left in an organized rush taking with them what was necessary but leaving in a mess what didn't seem worth carrying. She took a deep breath of relief. The fact that the survivors had left at that moment seemed like a better option then that they changed into strangers. A better option for you. But what about them? her mother's voice said in her head. The emptiness of the bunker made her consider the worst case scenario that at first didn't even enter her head. What if I was too late, she thought and immediately run outside looking for any clues that would help her figure out her next move. Everything indicated that nobody had followed her, but with Eli's strange behaviour she couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

"Focus, please. Think of a good plan. You have to save them", she told herself while looking around the entrance to the bunker. "They probably abandoned this place because of me. But where would they go?"

There were many options, many scenarios and the only thing she could do is focus on the most logical ones.

"Okay. They wouldn't come back to the previous camp because I know where it is. To run from me they had to pick a new place. Somewhere safe. But they aren't familiar with the island. Up the hills? No, not a good shelter. Bunker was perfect," she uttered to nobody in particular, choosing to talk to herself out loud to clear her thoughts. There was absolutely no specific location she could think Ana would pick. An idea formed in her head.

"Perhaps, not a location but what about a direction?"

She knew where the beach was and where the small village Richard and Eli were in was. Ana didn't know about the village but already figured out the general direction, which was one of the reasons Goodwin had felt the pressure to silence her. The only rational direction Ana could have taken was to go south either by entering further into the jungle or down the shore line. The first option appeared strategically better with various trees and depressions used for cover. Sea shore was an open space, too visible.

"Jungle it is," she decided and without wasting more time headed in to the south of the bunker.

~oo0oo~

You're losing it, Ana thought to herself clenching her jaw. Too many mistakes. She was torn between munching over the things she could have done better or focusing on the road ahead. With careful steps, never swiftly enough, she led the small group in the direction of the shore. Her back was to the new guys who claimed to have survived the same plane crash and she hated it. It was against everything she was taught and everything she learnt in the last couple of days but she couldn't trust them with guidance as well.

"I'm fine." the blonde smartass growled angrily, probably at the Chinese guy mumbling something to him. She wasn't really interested in the back story. Fuck, she wasn't interested in anything that didn't include shooting in the face anybody that could pose a threat, and the blonde guy was definitely a threat.

"Shhhh - shut up," she barked having enough of the noise. The only way they could survive this is tiptoeing and praying that the savages from the jungle wouldn't mind.

"What? They can't talk at all?" the Afro-American sounded offended and Ana found herself feeling like a pre-school teacher scolding obnoxious kids during a field trip.

"If he talks he's going to get us all killed," she explained through clenched teeth. It was ridiculous that she had to remind them of such plain obvious things.

"By what? Them? I thought they lived a day back that way?" the man wouldn't let go, pestering Ana for answers she didn't have the time or wish to give.

"How about you shut your mouth and get your buddy over here moving?" she replied furious with the whole situation. The guy only grew even more persistent.

"What happened to you people? You want us to take you back with us? Fine. But you want me to keep quiet then you need to tell me why I have to."

Sweet Jesus, somebody better hold me down, she thought and looked at Eko and Cindy. Both of them averted her silent plead for help. It seemed she didn't have a choice but to share a bit of the story so the three of the new arrivals would finally cooperate.

"They came the first night that we got here. They took three of us. Nothing happened for two weeks, and then they came back. They took nine more. It this is not enough to convince you that this is serious listen to this – they infiltrated us. Disguised as survivors. One of them was a goddamn teenage girl with baby blue eyes," Ana made a short pause for effect, staring the Afro-American guy down. He stared back but it was evident that her words affected him.

"They're smart, and they're animals," she continued. "And they could be anywhere at any time. Now we're moving through the jungle - their jungle - just so you can save your little hick friend over here, "she nodded in the blonde's direction.

"And if you think that one gun and one bullet is going to stop them - think again. So shut your mouth and keep moving."

She turned around to continue their march but the man spoke again.

"They took my son."

She almost laughed at that. The whole situation was ridiculous after all. He lost his son and had the cheek to grouch about it non stop while she's lost 12 people, including two kids. Did she even mention that she had to kill a man? With her bare arms. Was she supposed to pat this guy on the shoulder because he lost one person dear to him? Sorry to break it to you but we're not in Kansas anymore, she thought sneeringly.

"They took a lot of things."

~oo0oo~

Samantha massaged her aching feet, hissing in pain at the sensation. Taking off her worn-out shoes didn't bring the desired effect of relief. Quite the opposite. Her feet were now swollen and she cringed at the thought of forcing them back into shoes.

"Dammit," she cursed under her breath when a strong cramp in her right leg brought tears to her eyes. By the time the pain subsided, she was on the verge of bursting into full flown sobs. She had no idea where she was going with only faint memory of the way towards the sea where Libby found a place to catch fish. Without supplies, proper clothing and most importantly without her friends next to her it was hard to be her old optimistic self.

The image of Ana crying in Eko's arms flashed before Sam's eyes.

"Where are you now, Ana? Please, wait for me," she whispered in small voice.

As if on cue, she heard a distant voice. It was extremely faint, whitish, percolated through the thickness of the jungle but it was there. She couldn't quite decipher the words but was almost sure she knew who was talking.

"Cindy? Cindy!" she screamed at the top oh her lungs and sprang to her feet cursorily putting her shoes on. "Cindy! I'm here!"

Focus. Locate her, she thought and closedher eyes. Where was the voice coming from? Was it from the beach? How far away? She heard the woman again, this time her voice was even weaker but she managed to grab the string.
"Gotcha!" she cried triumphantly. Cindy was striding perpendicular to the way Samantha chose. So the survivors decided to walk along the shore line but then decided to cross the jungle after all. It was her chance to meet them there. But why did they change direction? And why did she only hear Cindy's voice. She shook her head disregarding the doubts, and ran after Cindy's thinning string. She made all the bets on the sprint ignoring the dark clouds spreading over the sky.

~oo0oo~

The nagging feeling that something was missing struck Ana with double force. Although she could hardly catch her breath after climbing the hill, she forced herself to focus. The blonde, Sawyer, was still unconscious carried on the stretcher. He slowed them down but she could do nothing about it. Eko helped Libby and Bernard make to the top of the hill. He surely had lot of stamina. But where was…

"Cindy. Cindy? Where's Cindy?" Ana yelled looking round in panic. First drops of rain drummed against her hot skin.

"She was just here." Bernard said. His pupils dilated, hairs erect.

"I'm going after her," Ana said firmly but Eko grabbed her arm. "No, we stay together - we split up, we give them what they want."

Adrenaline was already pumping furiously in her veins and Eko chose the wrong moment to play the stoic.

"This is all your fault," she accused him. Panic gradually made place for anger. "We never should have gone through the jungle. You risked our lives to save him and he's already dead. This one's on you."

Her words were suppose to be hurtful. She desperately wanted to shake Eko, to make him finally snap, to feel the way she felt. Too many lives slipped through her fingers. And now Cindy was gone even though she put her faith in Ana. She promised to keep them safe. She promised them. I'm nothing but a selfish, worthless piece of shit, she thought and wrenched out of Eko's grasp moving to find Cindy.

"Cindy! Cindy!" she screamed with Libby and Bernard. Incomprehensive voices enveloped them like an invisible net. Whispers that carried a threat. It seemed as if they were suddenly surrounded by small crowd lurking in the damp darkness.

"What the hell is that?" One of the men carrying the stretcher asked expecting Ana to make him feel less terrified. She drew her gun frantically looking round for the enemy and the rest of the survivors knew that she lost any traces of control over the situation.

"Run!" Ana screamed and started in a random direction. A glimpse of something pink appeared to her left. Instincts took control over her rational thinking. The barrel of the gun was pointed in the direction and Ana pulled the trigger just as being tackled to the ground. Her head collided with the ground almost knocking her unconscious.

~oo0oo~

The pain in Samantha's lungs exploded like thousand fireworks. Perhaps it was because of the cold air tearing into her throat as she run; or maybe because of her chest colliding with Ana's back. Something rung in her ears in strong, painful waves; drowning out all the other noises. Her fingers sunk in something thick and sticky. The association with blood fleetingly passed her thoughts only to be replaced with a rational explanation. It's mud. You're on the ground with Ana and it's raining, she thought and opened her eyes despite the pouring rain. Moving her head up she saw a young blonde woman standing perfectly still among the trees.

"Shannon!" A voice cut through the ringing. Someone called from behind the blonde woman and she turned around but Samantha couldn't see the owner of this voice.

"Walt!" the woman cried in response and started to run into the jungle, away from everybody else.

"WALT!" a new male voice screamed and Sam felt a rush of wind as this person passed her and ran after the woman. But there were running in the wrong way. It was a trap.

"Don't go there!" Sam scrambled to her knees calling after them and tried to stand up but a hand grabbed her leg in vicious grip making her shriek in sudden pain.

Ana held to Samantha's leg like her life depended on it. "Oh no you won't," she hissed pulling the girl down right into a growing puddle and straddling her.

The mechanic-like screech tore the humid air of the jungle making all the survivors freeze in terror. The noise was so loud that is seemed like two trucks crashed right next to the survivors. Metal grinding into metal with unimaginable force splitting it into two massive chunks. Bernard and Libby fell to their knees anticipating a blow, while the rest looked around.

Samantha clasped her ears, her scream drowning in the metallic noise. Her vocal cords strained to the point of physical pain. Veins in her forehead bulging with the force of her shrill. All of this to make the sound in her head stop. It felt like thousand metal nails being hammered straight into her brain. She experienced pain before but the explosion in her head couldn't be compared to any of it. A weight of somebody else held her down while she wriggled and twisted in the mud like an eel. She sensed the cold darkness approaching and she anticipated it with relief. It all would be over. Finally, her body tensed for the last spasm and she went completely limp under the pinning force.

~~~~~~~~~~BONUS SCENE~~~~~~~~~~

With careful steps, never swiftly enough, she led the small group in the direction of the shore. Her back was to the new guys who claimed to have survived the same plane crash and she hated it. It was against everything she was taught and everything she learnt in the last couple of days but she couldn't trust them with guidance as well.

Libby quickened her pace to keep up with Ana.

„I think we can all agree that something needs to be done about it," Libby whispered anxiously.

"WALT!" the black guy screamed for the hundredth time.

"He'll get us all killed!" she added after no response from Ana.

"WAAALT!"

"Maybe we should ask him to stop," she continued casting looks at the man shouting.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!"

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Ana yelled in response and bitch slapped the guy with enough force to leave a handprint along with fingerprints clearly visible.

"You were saying?" she turned to Libby, finally acknowledging her.

"Nope."