October 23 2032
Sawyer woke from a deep, dreamless sleep to the light weight of Kate, resting her head on his chest, her long hair tickling his arms and stomach. He shifted slightly so he could get a better look at her in the dawn sunlight. She was bare from the waist up, the sheets tangled up in her legs, her face open and innocent. So different from the mask she wore when she was awake.
He moved his hand to her back, marvelling at how small it was, and how he could span the width of it with just one hand. She moved slightly and he pulled away, not wanting to wake her, but it was too late. She moved over on to her back and put her hands up to her face, rubbing her eyes.
When she moved them away she looked at him, visibly trying to bring him into focus, and then a shy smile passed over her face.
'Morning,' Sawyer drawled, his dimples flashing.
'Hey,' she said softly, bringing the sheet up to cover herself up.
Sawyer laughed inwardly, amused by her bashfulness, and reached down to kiss her before any awkwardness could take hold. She responded, and he could feel her body melting into him, her initial hesitance dissolving.
She pulled away smiling, before settling back down on his chest contentedly. He moved his hand up to her head, losing his fingers in her hair. He watched as she moved her slender arm and took his wrist in her hands, looking at the ragged cuts and bruises that his chains had caused.
'Were you scared?' she asked, running her fingers softly over the wounds.
Sawyer had never been so scared. The suffocating oppression of the cell, the choking darkness, the agony in his arms, the fear that he would be left to die there, the fear that she would come for him, and that Ben would take her, and he'd be helpless to stop it.
He didn't reply.
'I'd have been terrified,' she said.
'You could handle it, Freckles,' he said quietly, shaking away the thoughts.
She moved her hand away from his arm and traced a line down to his stomach.
'What happened here?' she asked, rubbing her thumb absently against a thin, dark red scar on his side.
'Got that when I first arrived in this hell-hole,' he replied, curling her hair round his fingers and watching as it sprang back into place when he let it go. 'You should see the other guy,' he joked humourlessly.
'And here?' she asked, moving her hand up to a circular scar on his shoulder.
'Caught a bullet… trying to do the right thing for a change.'
Kate looked at him puzzled, but he made her confusion vanish with a smile.
'And what about you?' he said, flipping her gently over on to her back. 'Let's see your scars.'
'I don't have any,' she laughed.
'Course you don't,' Sawyer said, moving his lips to her neck and trailing a path of kisses up to her ear. 'Too good for that, ain't you Freckles?'
She arched into him impulsively before pushing herself back to the bed and using her arms to keep him at bay.
'Sawyer?' Kate whispered.
He pulled back to look at her, waiting for her to speak.
'What time are we leaving?'
Sawyer sighed heavily and dropped back on the bed, laying beside her.
She was stubborn, he knew they'd be no stopping her once the decision was made. This was the same woman who broke into the Tower single-handedly.
'You sure you want to do this?' he asked after a long time.
'I have to go back Sawyer. If you don't want to…'
'What? You think I'm gonna let you go back there alone?'
She didn't reply, propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him, her eyes earnest.
'Freckles, Ben has been looking for you for years,' he said. 'He knows we're alive. He's probably tearing the slums apart right now looking for us.'
'That's even more reason to go back,' she said, her voice laced with anxiety. 'If anything happens to those people because of this, it's on me.'
'Who gives a damn about those people? What have they got to do with you?'
'Why are you so scared of Ben?' she snapped.
'I ain't scared of him,' he shot back, confused at the sudden switch in conversation.
'He has something over you, I know it,' she said, looking at him suspiciously.
'He aint got nothing Freckles. He saved my ass once. I've repaid him a thousand times over.'
He stared darkly at the ceiling, wishing he'd never brought up the man's name. If he ever saw him again, he'd kill him for what he had done. He wouldn't hesitate.
'I'd say he owes me one,' he said, his voice low.
They both fell silent. He looked down at her small frame, silently awed by the feel of her in his arms, how perfectly she fit against his body, and felt a twinge of guilt for arguing with her.
'I'm no good, you know that, don't you Freckles?' he said, almost tentatively.
She didn't reply and he bit his lip, wondering if he should continue. He felt like he owed it to her.
'Remember that first night in the bar? Ten minutes before I met you I killed a man. And he wasn't the first. Not by a long shot.'
'What did he do?' she asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.
'He didn't do nothing,' Sawyer sighed. 'Just lived on the wrong side of the damn wall.'
'We have to go back Sawyer,' she said, her voice full of quiet conviction.
He turned to her as she lifted her head to look at him and their eyes met, the current of understanding between them stronger than ever. Sawyer nodded, and she smiled at him, reaching up for a kiss.
Suddenly, a roaring cacophony of sound broke the quiet peace of the forest outside. Sawyer and Kate looked at each other, wide-eyed. Sawyer pulled himself up and grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. He grabbed Kate's clothes from where they had been thrown on the chair and the top of a lamp, and passed them to her, before going to the door, his bare feet padding softly against the oak floor.
He turned around, waiting for Kate to get dressed, before he opened the door a fraction. He squinted and saw two battered pick up trucks, surrounded by six huge men, heavy artillery on their backs. They were far across on the other side of the clearing and Sawyer watched as Kyle approached, his steps timid and his head bowed respectfully. In a flash, the leader of the group marched towards him, grabbed him by the collar and threw him violently against the side of the truck.
Sawyer quickly shut the door and turned to Kate.
'We've got trouble, Freckles.'
She ran over to the door and Sawyer moved slightly so she could see for herself. She shut the door and looked up at him, and he could see the thousand possibilities for action ticking over in her mind.
'Where are the guns?' she asked, the question not half finished when Sawyer reached under the bed and pulled out her backpack where he'd stashed them. He ripped open the bag and pulled the silencer gun out, tossing it to Kate before he pulled out his own pistol.
'How do you want to do this?' he asked, gesturing his gun towards the door.
'We could try to slip out the back,' she said.
'No good Freckles, they'll see us.'
'We don't know who they are or what they want.'
'You wanna risk it?'
Suddenly a loud, frantic banging came at the door.
'Looks like we don't have a choice,' Kate said, eyes wide. They both raised their guns, aiming them at the door, when it burst open with a crash.
Desmond flew into the room, slamming the door desperately behind him.
'They're here…' he said, his voice trembling. 'I told you not to come here, brother,' he said, turning to Sawyer, his eyes brimming with panic.
In a flash Sawyer lowered his gun and marched over to Desmond, grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall.
'Who are they? What do they want?' he snarled, pinning him in place by the neck.
'They own this,' Desmond said, rasping for breath, his hands flailing round the room. 'They own everyone in this forest.'
Sawyer let Desmond go and turned to Kate.
'What do you mean, own them?' Kate asked, stepping forward beside Sawyer, her voice even.
'We don't have time for this,' Desmond said, looking at them as if they were both mad, his voice rising. 'You have to get out of here.'
Sawyer turned to Kate and she looked back, both of them coming to the same decision immediately.
'The window,' Kate said.
Sawyer moved towards it.
'Doesn't open,' he said, quickly surveying the pane that was built into the cabin. 'We'd have to break it.'
'I'll go outside,' Desmond said. 'Distract them.'
His last words were lost, as once again the door flew open, this time kicked through with a deafening crack, as it was ripped off the top hinge.
Sawyer jumped back towards Kate, moving in front of her and raising his gun.
Suddenly a man appeared at the window, his own gun drawn and pointed straight at Kate, a look of calm lethality on his cragged, scarred face. Sawyer's heart skipped a beat as another man walked slowly through the door, his huge, imposing figure filling the frame. He walked in, observing Kate and Sawyer's raised guns coolly.
His eyes were cold, and soulless, his harsh features a mess of scars and tattoos. In his belt was a huge, hand-crafted machete, the edge of the blade stained with blood.
'Who are you?' he said, his voice a booming staccato.
'Who the hell are you?' Sawyer spat back sarcastically, refusing to show any weakness, despite their situation. He looked at Kate out of the corner of his eye. Her aim was steady, and her face was set firm and dangerous, but he could see she still hadn't recovered fully and it filled him with dread.
'If you do not tell me who you are, my friend will shoot your friend in the head.' the man said calmly, eyes darting to the man who still stood by the window, waiting for the signal.
A rush of hot violence washed through Sawyer and he stepped forward.
'You're friend touches her,' he said viciously. 'You'll all wish you'd never been born.'
Suddenly the scarred man whipped around to face Desmond.
'You,' he boomed. 'Get out.'
Desmond looked from the man to Sawyer and back again, rooted to the spot.
'Now.'
Desmond looked to Sawyer one last time and Sawyer nodded, silently telling him to go, wishing he could take Kate with him. When Desmond had gone, the man turned back to Sawyer again, and Sawyer could feel the violence that bubbled beneath the surface of the man's calm exterior, and it made his heart race in his stomach for Kate.
Kate spoke, her voice conciliatory.
'Look,' she said to the man, in an attempt to calm the situation. 'We were just about to leave.'
'You are not going anywhere,' he said, his words clipped. 'You do not belong here…'
He turned to the man at the window and gave him a signal, and Sawyer moved in front of Kate, but the man just lowered his gun and moved away disappearing from view.
The large man in the room stayed and eyed them both. '… and I am going to find out exactly who you are.'
He spun around and left the room leaving Kate and Sawyer alone. They heard him shout to one of his men to guard their door, while his loud, crunching footsteps faded away.
Sawyer and Kate turned to each other, both of them realising with horror that they were trapped, again, with no way out.