Chapter
53 - Burning Bush
An empty, dark expanse of sky hovered over the jungle, powdered with stars that looked like faded sparks. As if the moon had exploded leaving behind a trail of lighted dust. And then the sparks dimmed in the thick cloud rising from the earth below them.
There was but one glow illuminating this stark night. It was not from the sky looming overhead, neither was it from the darkened moon. It was an immense ball of flame rolling in and out of itself and then flicking fiery fingers up into the smoke filled air that outshone the natural light.
She had slipped forwards until the heat in her face was too strong. She blinked back the fumes of hot air, while fixing her eyes on him, surprising herself with the sound of her own voice. " Who is she? "
He stood facing her, lips parted but without an answer.
" Sayid? " She barely recognized her own whisper.
Then there was a sound. One that broke their gaze and wrenched their heads towards the fire. He dazedly drew his flashlight between them and aimed it into the ground. The white beam rested into a small circle over a figure settling into the brush. Curious green eyes flicked back and forth in the light.
Sarah's mouth popped open. She stared for a moment and then returned her attention to Sayid. She knew then that she was not the only one who saw the fluffy silver and white cat casually gazing up at them as if it was supposed to be there.
This was not the matted thing that Mikhail called Nadia. This was a well-kept feline, adorned with a collar around it's neck and a tinkling trinket dangling loosely from the buckle. It sat there on it's haunches and ingenuously tilted it's head while the farmhouse fire raged behind it.
Sarah drew a breath. The flashlight went out.
Sayid abruptly turned his face away and adjusted his rifle over his shoulder, taking sure steps retreating into the jungle.
" Well … I … wait. " She stammered closely behind. " Sayid … Wait. "
He should have turned and answered. It's what she expected. But instead, he kept moving as if he had not heard her pleading with him from behind, until he had met with the rest of the group.
He led them out, all the while Sarah following along quietly, occasionally drifting off in thought. She wished she knew what he was thinking. Had she said too much? Pushed too hard?
She helped gather wood, stealing glances at him and then sometimes catching sight of John. She shook her head considering there was a time that she was unaware any of them existed. It seemed so long ago.
She sat with them around the campfire, listening to the silence until one by one, they rested on the hard ground. Sarah could not rest though. She sat still, fiddling with a bottle of water. Sayid rose, and found a place between a pair of trees. He stood there, with his back to them, peering out into the night.
Mikhail hadn't spoken either. He was leaning back, straight-faced. He'd refused any food and water offered. Perhaps it was his form of revolt, although the gesture was merely a common courtesy and none of them really cared much if he ate or drank anything.
Now he was eying Sarah, as she gazed through the flames to where Sayid stood, while he, in turn, was unaware that she had fixed her own eye on him as he stared out into the nothingness.
Mikhail startled her, but she didn't twitch even a finger. "What do you think Ben will do? Hmm? "
She turned her head with a small scowl. " Sorry? "
" To you … and your friends. "
Mikhail smirked and then kept reeling her in. "You don't think he will sit down to cake and ice cream do you? I have known Ben for many years. Long enough to know that you are fooling yourself if you believe you are going anywhere but back where you were … unless Ben is through with you … and if he is … well then … "
Her glance flickered for a moment, along with a nervous swallow.
" And your friend … Jack is it? He is too invested now. He will never leave - you will see. It is a hopeless cause … You may as well face your fate. "
She swallowed again. He was right. Every time she tried to escape, fate threw her right back to where she started. When she struggled, she felt even more like a prisoner. This had been her life. This was all she knew for sixteen years … or more. They already had Jack. There were more of them than the survivors.
Did she really believe they could just go in and break Jack out and be free of Ben and the others?
She raised her eyes, staring at him and then pressed her lips together. His one eye was set steadily on her, while his mouth concealed a satisfied smirk. He was baiting her. Playing to her fears, to her insecurities. The one thing she wanted more than anything was to be free, and he was dooming her to be caged. Yes, it was Mikhail sitting there, but it was Benjamin's voice, his words.
She squared herself and then drew a breath, settling her eyes into his one. "I wonder. Do you ever speak your own mind or do you just say what Ben tells you to? "
She should have left it there, but she continued. "Is it a rewarding relationship? You being Ben's puppet and all … ? Ben telling you what to do, what to think … what to say … "
Sayid flipped around at the sound of a raised voice. " Sarah. "
" What do you think Ben will do to you ? Hmm … ? "
" Sarah, that's enough. "
She leaned in, with a hard stare. "When he finds out you led us to him? When he finds out the communication station is gone? When he finds out you couldn't handle your own job ? "
In a few long strides, Sayid was across the camp and between them, towering over Mikhail. He grabbed him by the arm, yanking him up and then shoved him forwards.
" Don't talk to her. " He snapped. " Don't even look at her. "
Sarah watched him drag Mikhail over to the other side and shove him down again. He may as well have threatened to gag him. Then he turned, shook his head and made his way back around.
" What were you thinking? " He demanded in a low voice.
She nodded. " I guess …" - sigh - " I guess I just … "
She closed her eyes. It had been hours since they left the farmhouse to it's burning and the silver and white cat along with it. He hadn't spoken to her since then. Not directly. Flicking a glance up, she finally just shrugged. " I dunno. "
"What are you doing? " He questioned when she rose and went for her pack.
She dropped it on the ground, close to the fire, patted it and then lowered herself down. " I'm gonna try to get some sleep. "
It wasn't really the truth. Not exactly. She knew that no matter how long she held her eyes shut, she wasn't going to sleep much at all. Yet, she rolled onto her side, tucked her hands under her head and listened to the fire crackling, thinking of when her head rested in his lap and she drifted off to the in and out rhythm of his breath. When she opened her eyes again, it was daylight.
Upon rising, she was surprised to find a checkered flannel shirt sliding off of her shoulders. She folded it and then reached for a bottle of water.
" Here. " Sayid said. " This will be a little colder. "
She raised her head, and found him standing there, holding out a bottle filled with fresh stream water. She nodded a thank you and then handed him his shirt. " You didn't really have to do that. "
Their eyes locked together for a moment and then broke when John approached. " I think we need to talk about what we're doin from here before we start walkin. "
Sayid agreed, and then for what seemed like the next hour, she sat through another round of verbal boxing between the two of them. It was the same argument but different words. Sayid spread out the map and pointed out the electrical wiring that indicated where the others might be. John questioned the validity of the map and Sayid once again took a jab at John's use of a stick as a compass. John countered by pointing out that the stick led them to the communication station to which Sayid reminded him that John also blew up that same station. " Well, if you'd warned me that the basement was rigged with C-4 I might have been a little more careful! "
Sayid stared at him. Kate eyed Mikhail and then suggested he tell them if they were going the right way. Then the conversation turned. Both John and Danielle chided about why they were keeping Mikhail alive and Sayid mocked by asking if he should shoot him like a dog.
Kate finally ended it by declaring the maps were right because Sayid said they were and that's the way they were going.
Sarah glanced between Sayid and John and then followed Kate's lead past them and out beyond the brush.
The next trek was just as quiet as the last. There was one stop for fresh water and a bit of food, and then they were walking again. Sarah spent a good chunk of time observing Danielle, fascinated with how she would follow the group from a distance, climbing small hills and around trees, but rarely falling in line like the rest of them. She seemed to prefer being alone.
It really was a trait that Sarah could admire, and perhaps aspire to one day. Being self-sufficient and needing no one to help her stand on her own two feet. She hadn't realized yet, that she was already capable.
They were passing a curve when Kate broke the silence. She decided to prod Mikhail for more information, asking him how he came to the island. Though she was well intentioned, Mikhail used the opportunity to play more games with them, claiming that they were not capable of understanding his answers because they were flawed. They were angry, frightened and weak.
He would have carried on spinning his yarns had Danielle not brought their attention to something just over the ridge. It was a large clearing marked by lush, green grass, bordered by trees in the distance, and lines of tall wooden pylons lodged into the ground fingering the sky.
When Kate approached, Sayid caught her by the elbow and yanked her back, then questioned Mikhail about the purpose of the pylons. When Mikhail failed to answer him directly, he deducted that this was a security perimeter. If anyone passed through it, the sensors on the side would trigger a deadly response.
Mikhail smiled.
While they bantered over whether or not the security system could be breached by going around it, Sarah caught a glimpse of John and turned her head. He was sliding his pack from his shoulders. Hiding a smirk, he clenched a handful of Mikhails shirt from the back and forcefully shoved him through the pylons.
It was as if an invisible force held him upright and between them. There was a sound, almost indescribable, that vibrated all around. A thunderous sonic hum. Mikhail shook convulsively in what seemed to be mid air, while the others watched with horrified faces.
Sarah's hands flew to her mouth and she let out a shreik when after several minutes of foaming from his mouth and streaks of bright red pouring from his ears, he was swiftly thrown backwards and collapsed. Another throw of convulsions ripped through him, and then he was disturbingly still.
Sarah flipped around with her hands clamped over her mouth. She knew the feeling in her gut, and she could do nothing to stop it. She stumbled a few feet forwards, sensing the hot ball crawling through her chest.
Soon, she was bracing herself against the trunk of a banana tree, hurling out the scarce contents of her stomach. She flinched at the shadow of a figure. It was Danielle who stood next to her. She pushed a square cloth in her hand and then held out some water. "Rinsing will get rid of the taste. "
She swished some water in her mouth, promptly spitting it out and then swiped the clothe over her sweaty face. The commotion behind her, was too disruptive to ignore, however.
While Sarah was busy vomiting, Kate and Sayid were lashing out at John for throwing Mikhail into the fence. She stepped up a few feet, planted her heals in the ground and then rested a hand on her hip. "John's right. "
" They don't make bargains and they don't trade and they'll say they don't kill their own, but they will if that's what it takes. But most of all, they like games. And they like turning people against each other. So right now, we're doing just what they want us to. "
She was relieved when Sayid finally relented, nearly breathing into Johns face. " Fine … we'll talk about this later. "
It wasn't that Sarah hadn't marked the look in John's eyes when he threw Mikhail into the fence. And it wasn't that she hadn't wondered about his strange reasoning. He insisted that he couldn't have known Mikhail would die. Yet, they were discussing that very issue when John made the decision to take such an action. She couldn't help but wonder … after all, he had seemed more antsy to kill him than Danielle had ever voiced. But yet, she could not help but allow him some consideration.
Nonetheless, the next few minutes stirred even more conflict when they'd determined how they were getting on the other side of the barrior. Kate insisted they would go over it and asked for the axe, which was stashed away in Johns pack.
The expression on his face matched the tone of his voice that said he really didn't want anyone digging into his pack. His protests were worthless. Sayid had already grabbed it and then Sarah noted the queer expressions on both he and Kate as he retrieved a small rectangular block, rust colored and bound by two strips of metal.
Her mind raced back to the farmhouse and then to the basement. The dark-skinned woman had pointed out the same blocks lined up across the wall above their heads. The blocks, she said, were C-4 explosives. The ones she threatened to detonate and blow all of them to hell with.
Sayid flicked a suspicious and rather heavy stare up at John. " I thought you didn't know there was any C-4. "
Locke shifted his weight and answered with a blank stare. " Well I stand corrected. "
He said he took it because you never know when a little C-4 might come in handy. Sayid clenched his jaw. "You'll have to do better than that. "
The men took turns hacking away chunks of wood from a suitable tree. It seemed appropriate, considering the brewing agression. As long as they were chopping lumber, the less time they spent at each others throats. The animosity had not quelled, but it was becoming more burdensome than the gear on their backs.
Sarah was crouching low a few yards from the perimeter staring at the corpse. It was enough that she struggled with the chills that went through her when she thought of facing Ben again. The fear that he might actually be capable of destroying everything she cared for or believed in. Did he truly have that much power? He was one man, but he was encircled with people who twitched when he said twitch.
Yes, the fears had been sneaking up on her from nightfall to dawn. And yet, she found herself disturbed more by the ineffectual quarreling of the past few days. How could one man accomplish so much without even being present?
He'd managed to begin dividing them before they'd ever reached him.
Heavy hearted, she dropped her head, raised it again and then stood. She almost always knew when someone was watching her. It was a feeling she would never find words for. Thus, when she turned and lifted her eyes, she was surprised to find herself gazing back at Sayid, who was standing, feet apart, along the tree-line, one arm propped into a cupped hand, while the other hand rested idly over his mouth.
Her face flushed at the flicker of a thought that he had been standing there for any length of time looking at her the way he was now.
She took a few steps forwards, and then she was closer without remembering ever walking. Holding a steady gaze, they both stood there for several moments and then he dropped his hand revealing much softer features than she had seen in such a long time. " Are you alright ? "
She smiled weakly, but the moment was quickly gone. Kate and John were calling their names. Though only Sayid and John took the tree down, everyone was needed to haul it across the field and near the borders of the perimeter. They lugged it past the tree-line and then set it up over one of the pylons by securing it atop a pair of crossed trunks.
Sarah was so distracted by the bloodied corpse on the ground on the other side, that she barely noticed Kate mount the trunk. She raised her eyes and caught site of her scaling upwards, hugging the tree with her body and scooting up inches at a time until she was over the pylon. She rolled over under the trunk and then dropped to the ground.
Sarah swallowed. Had she ever climbed a tree before? She couldn't remember. But John and Sayid were nudging her to go next, and the knot in her stomach churned again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N - I want to thank everyone for hanging around between these last two chapters. Those who are my readers/reviewers understand the delay. This chapter was very difficult to work with because I tried very hard to follow along the storyline but yet make it my own story in and of itself. There wasn't much empty space to fill and it will be that way for other chapters in the future - I'm sure. Thank you to Glynnis, KateisLost, Insanquinato Light, BloodMoonRising, xgreengirlx, and LoveBuggy for their thoughtful reviews and also everyone who has me on alert and hasn't reviewed yet. It's so nice to be read and to know you're enjoying what you're reading :)
