Chapter 21: Running, Day 10

We were walking side by side, with Ben in front of us and Richard behind. Ben was leading the way to the Barracks and while I was happy to be here with Miles, I was nervous about going to the Barracks, and not just because they wanted dynamite. It had been thirty years since we lived there, but three years now… it was all very confusing. Would they look the same? Maybe they were rundown and dilapidated because no one was living in them?

"Are you sure this is a shortcut?" Miles asked, brushing aside a stray branch. I stepped through the branch and wiped my brow, brushing aside the stray hairs. My ponytail was falling loose, sending fly-away hairs blowing into my eyes.

"I lived in these houses a long time, Miles. I think I can remember how to get there."

"Well, I lived in these houses thirty years before you did, otherwise known as last week, and I have no idea where the hell we are."

I looked around the trees. Everything looked the same, just like it did over by the beach. I did feel vaguely familiar, and if I was right, we must be close. I had never ventured out beyond our borders, not more than a few feet into the trees. After being warned about the 'Hostiles,' I was terrified to be out by myself. "It kinda looks familiar to me," I said softly, crossing my arms over my chest. I was ignored of course.

"I guess it's a good thing you're following me," Ben said, still leading the way through the trees.

What was I doing? Why was I going through this? I should have stayed in the 1970's.

"Mind if I ask how much explosive you have access to Ben?" Richard asked from behind me. I had almost forgotten he was there, he'd been so quiet.

"More than enough to blow the plane ten times over and keep it from leaving this island."

"It's been a long time, are you sure it's still there?"

"It's C4, Richard," Ben said with a bitter laugh, "I put some thought into hiding it."

"Let me guess, cookie jar?" Miles asked and I rolled my eyes. Oh Miles.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's in my secret room behind the bookcase."

My mind flashed back to three years previous when we were hiding in Ben's house. After Alex was shot, he had gone into the secret room and called the Smoke Monster. Then we all ran for our lives. I shivered at the memory, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

Not watching where I was going, I walked right into Miles, who had stopped in the middle of the path. "Watch where you're going," he said with out even glancing back at me.

"Sorry," I said softly, looking over his shoulder. It was desolate. The Barracks were quiet, more so than I ever remember them being. We used to have children playing, families walking, and people sitting on their porches. Now,picnic tables were overturned, shutters falling off the house and the swing set was rusted. I had pushed students on that swing set and we had a picnic in the yard on the last day of the term. Where were my students now? Did they still remember me? They'd be in their thirties, even forties by now.

"Can you believe we lived here?" I asked Miles, looking around the town centre. "That was my house and that was yours…" I trailed off, feeling nostalgic tears fill my eyes.

"That was thirty years ago, Kay, no need to get so worked up about it," he said over his shoulder and I rolled my eyes. He had no appreciation for what we used to have.

"You said yourself it was last week," I shot back, wiping my eyes with the heel of my hands. Without waiting for his response,I followed Richard and Ben through the town with Miles straggling behind me. I stood next to the fence outside Ben's house, which used to be Horace's, and stared out at the Barracks. My house had a broken window and the porch steps were missing a few boards. Even my porch swing was only hanging from one side, the other chain draped across the floor. "What's wrong?" Ben asked and I turned, finding Miles on the ground.

"Miles?" I walked over a few steps, hoping he was okay.

"Yeah, it's just… I get wonky around dead stuff…" He stood, his hands waving around as he talked.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Miles?"

"I don't think…"

"What…"

"It's Alex," Richard interrupted and I looked from Miles to Ben and back again. Oh God, I thought, my hands flying to my mouth."It's your daughter." Ben walked over, obviously distraught. He stared at the grass beside the fence and I couldn't make out the emotion in his eyes."After you left, I buried her."

I gazed down at the fence, the sound of Alex's death playing through my mind. I didn't see it, I couldn't look out the window, but I heard the gunshot and her cries for help. I shivered despite the humid heat."Thank you, Richard," Ben said before turning away and walking around the fence.

We waited a moment before following, Richard first followed by Miles and me. My hands were still stuffed into my pockets as I stepped into the house and looked around. Pictures were crooked on the walls and everything was covered in at least an inch of dust. I sneezed, inhaling a cloud of dust. Stupid allergies.

Ben had rushed quickly to the bookcase on the wall, pulling it forward. I heard it scraping on the floor and we stepped inside, the room lit with dim, green lighting. He had pushed aside his shirts, revealing a stone tablet with hieroglyphics."What's that?A secreter room?"

"It's where I was told I could summon the monster. That was before I realized it was summoning me," Ben said after kneeling down in front of the stone tablet.

I peeked over Ben's shoulder, watching him tap at something before swinging open a door, revealing a large pile of C4."Well Richard, it's your idea. Are we looking to cripple the plane or blow it to hell?"

Looking over at Richard, I already knew his answer."Blow it to hell."

"Then we better take it all."

Richard unzipped his pack as Ben pulled the C4 from the safe. I was holding my breath, even though I knew the C4 wasn't as unstable as the dynamite. The probability of it going off in this small room was highly unlikely, but still possible. Oh I wanted to be out of here.

The sound of a door closing forced me to turn towards the door. Richard stepped out first, his rifle held tightly, followed closely by Ben. I glanced at Miles, my heart pounding in my chest. "Stay here," he whispered, stepping out into the living room.

I crouched in the corner, my arms wrapped around my knees with my head resting on top. "Don't move! Show me your hands!" I heard yelled from the other room."Who the hell are you?"

"She's with me,"a new voice said, but I couldn't place it.

Fighting temptation, I stayed crouched in my corner, waiting for… something. "Kay, you can come out," Miles said a few minutes later, peeking into the small room.

He crossed the room and held out his hand, pulling me to my feet. "Who's out there?"

"I don't know. Some old British guy and a curly-haired chick. She looks like Tina Fey." I waited for him to drop my hand, but he held tight and I smiled despite the situation.

We walked out of the secret room and into the living room. I scanned the crowd, noting the new occupant. I wonder where the curly-haired chick went?

"What are you doing here, Richard?" The older man asked.

"We're getting explosives to destroy the plane on the other island."

"Now, why would you want to do that?"

I had been wondering the same thing, but kept my mouth shut. Well, after the original fuss with Hurley."None of your damned business," Ben replied, his rifle pointed at the old man.

"I've had that plane rigged with explosives since I got here. As usual, Benjamin, I'm three steps ahead of you." That old man was smug, and I didn't much like him.

"How did you get back here, Charles?"

"Jacob invited me."

I looked over at Miles and then down at our hands, still clasped together. I knew that name, Jacob. He was the leader of the Others; they mentioned him at the Temple.

Ben lowered his rifle, "that's a lie. You've never even seen Jacob."

"I most certainly have. He visited me, not long after your people destroyed my freighter. He convinced me of the error of my ways and told me everything I needed for this exact purpose."

"What purpose?" Ben asked, but the old man, Charles, never responded.

The walkie-talkie chirped and Charles answered, speaking with a woman on the other end. I could only assume it was the woman who was here earlier. "If you don't want to die, we have to hide."

My heart dropped in my chest and I shut my eyes. Once again, we would be running for our lives.

The door swung open and a woman burst into the room. "Charles, let's go," she said, looking out of breath.

"There's no time. Linus has a secret room." Charles crossed the room and stood in front of the bookcase. I turned on the spot, watching him, confused. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm not interested in hiding. He's going to find me sooner or later. I'd rather get it over with," Ben said, still holding the rifle.

"These are all really great plans," Miles said, holding tight to my hand, "but I'm going to go with surviving. If you need us, we'll be running through the jungle. Come on, Kay."

I held tight to Miles' hand and my backpack straps. "Miles, wait." Ben raced over to Charles. "Give me your walkie-talkies."

"Why?"

"Because I asked." There was a pause before Charles and the woman pulled their walkie-talkies out and handed them to Ben. "Thank you. In case I need you," Ben said, handing Miles one handset.

"He's going to kill you, you know that."

I looked up at Charles, knowing my eyes were filled with fear. "Then I guess this is goodbye," Ben said monotonously. Charles disappeared into the secret room, pulling the bookcase closed behind him. "Care to join me outside while I wait for the inevitable?"

We turned to Richard, "I'm going to talk to him. I know this man; all he wants is for me to join him."

"Good luck with that," Miles said, pulling me out the door behind him. "Come on, Kalie. We need to get out of here."

I followed along, struggling to keep up with him. I tripped over vines and rocks and scratched my hands on twigs. "Miles," I called, tripping over an upturned root. "Miles! Can you please slow down?" I stopped, pulled my hand from his and brushed back my hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail. "Please."

A second later, Miles turned and nodded. "Fine, we can stop here." He dropped his pack to the ground and knelt down.

"What now?" I whispered, collapsing onto a large rock.

"What?"

I looked up, meeting Miles' eyes. "Nothing," I said softly. Reaching up, I undid my ponytail and slipped the tie around my wrist. We were running again. All we did was run.

"We'll be fine here," he said, taking a swig from a half-empty water bottle. "We'll just wait until Locke leaves."

"Then what? Then what do we do?"

"We… find a way off. One thing at a time, please?" He was getting annoyed, but…

I took a deep breath. "Miles," I said, steeling myself up for what I needed to say. "I love you. I'm sorry for everything awful I have done to you over the years. I'm sorry for being such an awful girlfriend…"

"Why do you need to do this now?" He asked, sighing loudly. "Can't you wait until we're off this island and on our way to California?"

"What if we don't make it to California? What if we're stuck here, forever? What if we die here?" I bit my lip, feeling the tears well in my eyes.

He sighed again and walked over to where I was sitting. "We are going to get off this island. We are going to make it to California and we will be fine."

"Do you promise?"

He hesitated before nodding. "I promise. I promise to get you off this island alive."

Forcing a smile through my tears, I nodded. "Thank you, even if it's probably a promise you can't keep."

"I love you," he said, tilting my chin up so that I met his eyes.

"I love you, too."

Miles' lips pressed against mine lightly and I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Now what do you say we…"

Loud shots echoed through the near silence of the jungle. "Where those gunshots?"

AN: I am so sorry for the delay! I took my first master's class and was overwhelmed with work. But I'm back now and we're almost to the end. There are about five chapters left, including the flash-sideways. Thanks to: LuliCullen, PaperBooksInk, JacDanvers, the_werewolf_gal, hodhod2011danger, panizagloba, Maiqu and AngelwithDirtyThoughts for reviewing the previous chapter!

Hope you forgive me!