Crimson
Disclaimer: Hail to the creators of Lost! I'm narcissistic enough to worship myself, but in this scenario, it's just not true.
Summary: After an encounter with Cerberus leaves Kate injured and alone, she makes a deal with something she really shouldn't...
Rating: I'll put it as Teen, because I don't think there'll be anything really explicit... it is now getting darker, and (many) character deaths are guaranteed.
A/N – By the way, I have no idea what the directions are in terms of location on the island on the show. This confusion may have been created by different episodes showing the sun rising on opposite sides of the beach. Thanks for your reviews, guys, it makes writing that much more enticing. I'm struggling to write through a wall of writer's block at the moment, which is hard. A few more reviews, and who knows? It could disappear for a while. Hint-hint, nudge-nudge.
Chapter twenty-six
Kate veered northwest. She didn't know where she was headed exactly. She was basically following the routes of all her old hikes, but veering off before she got there each time. She had gone south until she reached the cable running through the jungle, but before she could accidentally encounter Rousseau, she swung west. The next day, she angled north at the same time, unconsciously heading for the barracks. The sonar fence would stop her meeting people.
For now, she didn't feel lonely. She avoided thinking about how that would change. Instead, she did what she usually did while hiking – watched the scenery. There were some truly beautiful landscapes hidden in the jungle, and she could stumble onto one at any time. For now, she'd move around, looking, running, whatever it was she was actually doing.
She was waiting. Waiting for something to happen, something that would determine her next course of action.
Jack limped off the beach. The swelling had faded, but his chest was still an ugly shade of yellow from the bruises. He was going after Rousseau, and by the time anyone realised he was missing he'd be too far for them to go after him. Maybe it was reckless. But a part of him didn't care. Two men were dead, and unless he could stop this now, many more would die.
And it would be a while for anyone to notice that he wasn't there. They were all busy having their Easter celebration, gorging themselves on Dharma brand junk food and mentally debating who they would chat up tonight.
It was growing dark, but Jack knew that he could move all night. He was sore and a little unfit, but he had been resting for a week, and he was desperate to get moving. His energy was back. So were all the problems he had to deal with.
He figured the beach would be safe. Desmond had a cool head, so long as he didn't get drunk, and Hurley was good for people's moral. And if they needed a doctor, there would still be Juliet, of course.
Juliet moved as quietly as possible through the jungle. She'd slipped away from the group while they were partying. She had no idea which direction would go, but she guessed it would be away from people. South, then, or west. She decided to go south first, an impulsive decision.
She had gleaned as much information as she could from Jack about Kate's 'possession', and figured she was prepared. Keep at a distance. Don't act threatening in any way. Don't pry into the mystery, because that always seemed to set her off.
Juliet wasn't entirely sure why she was going. She just needed to escape the daily life of the camp, which was slowly eating away at her reserves. The general opinion was always slightly pessimistic. They would never get off the island. Rescue would never come. The world had stopped existing in their absence and there was no longer anything to wait for.
She was also curious. And while she and Kate weren't friends, whenever they weren't in direct competition they managed to get along. Kate had eventually decided to let bygones be as such, and Juliet hadn't mentioned their rocky introduction since. So, maybe there was something she could do.
Juliet's not worried about leaving the camp without telling anyone. She hopes not to be gone long, after all. And Jack is a lot better now – if anything goes wrong, he'll be able to handle it. She wonders if he'll be mad at her when he finds out where she went – she sighs, guessing the answer.
She sees an embankment, and instead of going around, slides down. It's almost like going down a snowdrift on a sled – except her shoes are now dirty. Smiling to herself, she keeps walking. Surely they'd notice her gone by now. She'd moved steadily south all night, and rested for only a few hours this morning.
She was thinking about stopping and resting again, maybe eating something, when she heard a slight click. Her subconscious leaping into action, she spun around – to find the muzzle of a gun pointing into her face.
From the look on the other woman's face, she guessed that the safety was off.