A/N: Trigger warning for graphic description of gore and violence!
An overwhelming sense of dread grew in the air as the group were forced to stumble through the jungle, bags covering their heads, unable to see what was happening around them. Kali could hear waves from nearby and realised they were still taking them to the docks. She tried to slow her pace, but a harsh shove to her back, had her feet moving again. The ropes that had tied her hands together were cutting into her wrists, far tighter than they needed to be. Kali was breathing heavily when she heard mumbling from beside her, followed by an irritated sigh from close by.
"What?" A voice muttered, as Kali's hood was torn off.
A man loomed over her, middle-aged with a straggly beard, as Kali tried to place where she had seen him. On the boat. He was one of the men who had taken Walt. The mumbling started up again, as Kali turned to see it was her brother who was trying to speak from under the bag covering his head.
"This better be good" A younger woman complained, ripping the hood of Ken's head.
"I said, what's the point of the hoods? I already know where we are" Ken rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I just don't want to look at your face" The woman retorted, irritation clear in her voice.
"Ooo, the kitten has some claws" Ken goaded, as the woman's jaw clenched, suddenly raising her gun in the air, attempting to hit Ken.
Her eyes widened as he caught the barrel of the gun with his hand, and in one quick motion, ripped it from her hands. If there was one thing Kali's brother wasn't, it was slow.
"Little bit of advice, sweetheart. You want to use a gun as a weapon, tends to help if you're willing to pull the trigger" Ken scoffed, turning the gun on her, as the rest of the group came to a halt.
"Now, Ken. Don't do something you'd regret…I'd hate to have to kill your little sister right in front of you" The bearded man warned, as Kali felt a gun pressed to the back of her head.
"Relax, Tom. I was just messing around. No harm done" Ken dismissed, as he went to hand the gun back to the woman.
Just as she reached out to take it, Ken dropped the weapon to the floor, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The woman grit her teeth as she was forced to kneel down to pick up the gun, much to Ken's delight.
"C'mon, we're on a tight schedule. We'll keep the hoods off, but no dawdling" Tom announced, as he gestured them forward, as the hoods were removed from the rest of the group.
"I'd salute, sir, but my hands appeared to be tied up" Ken mocked, ushering to how his hands were tied with rope behind his back.
"Just keep walking, Ken" Tom rolled his eyes.
Kali was relieved as Sawyer came into view a few metres ahead of her, watching as his shoulders slumped in relief when his eyes connected with hers. Jack and Kate were walking next to each other a little further at the front, their hands tied too. Over a dozen people surrounded them, most with guns, and a couple with knives. They were outnumbered, even with Kali's brother possibly on their side.
"You alright?" Ken asked Kali, as the woman shoved him forward.
"Never better" Kali mumbled, keeping her eyes forward.
"…So, you and Boone, huh?" Kali couldn't help but say a few moments later.
"What can I say? I have a thing for dicks" Ken grinned, as a snort left Kali's lips at the double innuendo.
Her eyes widened as they arrived at the docks soon after, feeling the sea air pushing her hair back. She spotted a narrow jetty not far in front of them, as an idea formed in her head.
"You still a good swimmer?" Kali asked, as Ken tilted his head towards her, realising where her mind was going.
"Plan C?" Ken suggested, as Kali frowned.
"What's Plan B?" She questioned, in a hushed voice.
"I use Boone as a human shield" Ken murmured.
"I like the sound of that" Kali scoffed, her face falling a moment later.
"What did you mean? About lying to me? Billy always said that I didn't understand you, that I didn't have the full story—" Kali began, but Ken cut her off.
"Not here, Kal" Ken replied, his voice firm.
"You just expect me to trust you after everything you've done?" Kali complained.
"Hell no. I don't even trust myself" Ken pointed out.
"Deep, Ken. That's real deep" Kali rolled her eyes, as a sad smile grew on Ken's lips.
"...You know the truth, Kal. You've always known, you've just buried it—" Ken began, but was quickly cut off by an irritated voice.
"Enough talking. Move it" The woman from before insisted, grabbing Kali's arm and pulling her away from her brother.
Ken's eyes assessed their surroundings as they were brought onto the jetty, finding a familiar face lagging behind the group. The man in question averted his eyes to the ground as soon as he saw Ken looking, his shoulders growing tense.
"What's your preference, Boone?" Ken called out, getting no reply.
"I'm thinking a knife, right? Since your so good at backstabbing," Ken goaded.
"What?" Boone's voice questioned, a little shakily.
"I'm just thinking about how I'm gonna' kill you. Hey, what about drowning? I've heard that's fun—" Ken continued, as he was cut off by Tom.
"No one's drowning anyone" Tom insisted, grabbing Ken's arm, roughly.
"Have a think about what I said, Boone. I'd love to pick your brains later" Ken called out, as Boone audibly gulped, hoping he didn't mean literally.
Boone bit his lip as he watched the crowd descend into chaos all around him. Word had spread around the camp about the murders, as everyone seemed to believe the story that he, Ken and Otis had told. The latter knew that he was dead if he told the truth.
"You said we had nothing to worry about! And now two of our people are dead!" Danny yelled, pointing his finger at Ben.
"We still don't have all the facts" Ben retorted.
"Surely you're not defending these animals, Ben?" Ken mock gasped.
"We still have no evidence that the people from the plane did this" Ben insisted, hearing scoffs coming from the crowd.
"We saw them. Otis did too...I've told you people from the plane are...unpredictable" Boone spoke up, as Otis nodded.
"I knew this would happen! I told you!" Danny exclaimed.
"Danny, calm down. We need to think about this rationally. Come up with a plan" Juliet suggested, as Ken took a step forward.
"I think I might be able to help there" Ken announced, as all eyes were drawn to him.
"Why am I not surprised?" Ben muttered, with a tight smile.
"We don't know what these people are planning. What weapons they have. We need a way into their camp…a mole" Ken explained.
"Are you volunteering?" Ben questioned.
"I think we both know that wouldn't work, Ben. Besides, we need someone dependable. Smart. Someone who can think on his feet" Ken went on.
"It's too dangerous" Ben shook his head, as Ken frowned.
"But weren't you just saying that we have nothing to fear from these people? Don't you want to prove your theory right? Because, personally, I can't think of a better candidate than you" Ken stated.
"…It could work, Ben" Danny agreed.
Ben simply stared at Ken for a few seconds, audibly gritting his teeth, before he forced a smile onto his face, and began to nod.
"It's a good idea. You really are always one step ahead, aren't you, Ken?" Ben goaded, making the younger smirk.
A frown grew on Boone's face as he saw the way that Ben's eyes flickered to him, something behind them making a shiver go down his spine. Ben tilted his head towards his house, so subtly that no one else would notice, but Boone could tell what he wanted. He had a feeling he should hear what the older man had to say.
Boone was brought back to the present time, as he watched as his former friends were shoved to the floor when they reached the end of the jetty. Sawyer tried to resist, earning a hard kick to the ribs from the man who had been shadowing him. Kali swore at the Other, an angry expression on her face, as protective as ever. Out of his peripheral vision, Boone saw a small boat approaching and quickly recognised a face at the rear of the vessel. Ben. It was time.
Kali tensed as she watched their former prisoner step onto the jetty, in dirty clothes and barefoot. He looked down at the group that were on their knees, offering Jack a quick hello, seeming far too pleased with himself.
"I've got to say, Ben…that's not a good look on you" Ken jeered, as Ben clicked his teeth together.
"Keep talking and I'll gag you" Ben warned, as Ken all but snorted.
"Ooo, kinky" Ken smirked, as Ben pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket, making his intentions clear.
"I can have Boone gag you if you'd prefer. He's been very compliant to my orders" Ben exclaimed, watching as the smirk fell from Ken's face.
"…What did he offer you?" Ken inquired, turning his attention to Boone, whose head snapped up.
"Shannon" Boone replied, coming to stand beside Ben.
"Wow, and I thought I was the crazy one. She's dead, you dumb fuck" Ken scoffed, seeming unnerved for once.
"Your reward" Ben exclaimed, gesturing to the boat he had arrived on.
Kali looked towards the vessel, her eyes widening when she saw Michael poking his head out of the cabin. Her jaw dropped open when she saw Walt clutching at his father's waist and felt a strange sense of relief. She hadn't been sure if Walt was still alive. She was glad he was. He was only a kid; he didn't deserve half the shit that had already happened to him.
"What?" Boone frowned, confused.
"You get to leave the island with Michael and Walt—" Ben began, but Boone quickly cut him off.
"That wasn't the deal! You…you said you could bring Shannon back!" Boone insisted, angrily.
"I said there was a way to bring her back" Ben corrected.
"Well?!" Boone exclaimed.
"I spoke with Jacob. He declined. That's the best I can do" Ben told him, as Boone's hands balled into fists.
"Bullshit! There must be another way!" Boone cried, now looming over the older man.
"Jacob doesn't go back on his decisions" Ben muttered.
"Then I'll find someone else. I'm not leaving this island without her" Boone retorted.
"Then you'll never leave" Ben scoffed, dismissively.
"Fine with me" Boone spat out, as he went to shove past a surprised Ben, storming back towards the island.
"Have fun chasing your ghost, Boone! I'm sure I'll see you soon!" Ken called after him, anger laced into his words.
"Right, let's take care of business, shall we?" Ben exclaimed, gesturing towards Hurley, as the woman from earlier pushed him to his feet.
Kali's eyes darted to Sawyer's, nervous as to why Hurley was being picked out. She opened her mouth to let out a shout as she saw the woman pull out a knife, but the words died on her lips as the woman cut through Hurley's bindings.
"Hugo, you can go back to your camp" The woman informed him, as Hurley turned to her in shock.
"Go back. Your job is to tell your people that they can never come here" The woman went on.
"And to tell them what you know now about Kali" Ben explained, ushering over to her, earning a glare in response.
"But what about my friends?" Hurley questioned, not wanting to leave the others.
"Your friends are coming home with us…well, some of them are" Ben stated, his eyes flickering over to Ken, who didn't flinch under his gaze.
"Go" The woman insisted, as Hurley looked unsurely at Jack, who nodded to him.
Hurley kept his gaze down as he slowly walked away, the guilt clearly starting to eat away at him already. Kali was happy they were letting him go but couldn't help but wonder why. What made Hurley expendable to them?
The engine of the boat started up a few seconds later, as the group watched Michael and Walt sail away. Michael had the audacity to hold their gaze as he went, as Kali made a promise to herself. If she ever saw Michael again, she was going to make sure he paid for everything he had done. A tense silence washed over the group once Michael's vessel was out of view, as everyone looked to Ben.
"It's time" Ben announced, as Kali and Sawyer were suddenly hauled to their feet.
Kali flinched as she felt the ropes tied around her wrist cut away, the blade cutting one of her fingers. She quickly brought her hands in front of her, rubbing at her sore wrists, as her eyes darted to her brother's. She could see how he was silently loosening the rope around his wrists bit by bit and hoped that he had some sort of plan. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Ben approached her, only stopping a few inches from her face
"Do you believe in God?" Ben questioned, making Kali frown.
"What?" She replied, feeling her heartbeat quicken.
"Maybe not God, but a higher power at least?" Ben went on, as Kali's eyes flickered to Sawyer again, unsure of how to answer.
"Do you?" Kali retorted.
"Yes. I believe things happen for a reason. I have seen…miracles. I have faith. So, I ask again…do you believe in a higher power?" Ben insisted.
"…No. I don't" Kali answered, honestly.
"I suggest you start believing, Kali. Otherwise, what happens next will be very difficult for you" Ben continued, as Kali kept quiet, not sure how to respond.
"I tried to tell you before. I tried to warn you. You were never supposed to come to this island" Ben told her.
"I…I don't understand" Kali frowned, as she felt dread wash over her again.
Something deep inside her was begging her to run. To do something. Anything. But she stayed frozen to the spot, afraid of what would come next.
"You're not meant to be" Ben stated, with a sad smile.
Suddenly, Ben's hand shot out, cutting through the air in one swift motion. Kali stumbled backwards, as she felt a sharp pain in her neck, the sort of pain that tore the breath from your lungs. She felt something dripping down her neck, as her eyes snapped to Ben, seeing the knife he now held in his hand, which was stained with blood. Her blood, she realised. A choked gasp left her lips as she realised Ben had cut her neck, panic starting to course through her veins. Kali's hand quickly flew to her neck, as she felt blood spurting from the wound he had made there, dripping through her fingers.
"Kal!" Her brother's voice rang through the air, as she felt her knees buckle from under her.
Strong arms were suddenly wrapped around her, helping to lower her to the ground, as she desperately tried to stem the flow of blood with her hand. Sawyer's eyes darted from her face down to her neck, which had become completely obscured with blood, as it bubbled from the cut that ran along the left side of her neck. Sawyer knew enough about the human body to know Ben must have cut the carotid artery...and he knew what that meant for Kali.
"No, no, no…" Sawyer shook his head, as he placed his hand above Kali's, whose hand had started to slip.
In just a few seconds, a pool of blood had gathered beneath Kali, soaking her hair and shirt, staining them the same red colour. She opened her mouth to try to speak, but instead, blood bubbled over her lips, cutting her off.
"Do something! Help her!" Sawyer cried, turning to the others, his voice full of panic.
He felt a hand grab onto his shirt, as he looked down to Kali, her eyes full of fear. A choked gasp left her lips, as she tightened her hold on his shirt, trying desperately to catch her breath. But she couldn't. She felt like she was drowning.
"It's okay. You're gonna' be okay. Just stay with me" Sawyer exclaimed, as she let out a whimper.
Panic took over Kali, as she felt black dots starting to coat her vision, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. A horrible choked cry left her lips, as a tear dripped down her cheek, mixing with the blood that coated her face.
"Please, Kali. Don't…stay with me" Sawyer begged, his own eyes filling with tears, as he felt the grip she had on his shirt lessen.
She tried to speak again, but the blood choked her, meaning only a gurgling sound left her lips. She mouthed a word, as a tremor ripped through her body.
James.
Spasms starting to take over her body, as the blood spurting from her neck began to lessen. Kali's vision blurred, as she let out another whimper, trying to hold on.
"It's gonna be okay. I've got you, blue eyes. I've got you" Sawyer told her, reaching out to stroke her cheek lightly with his thumb.
A sharp gasp left her lips, as her eyes connected with Sawyer's, before she suddenly went completely still. The blood continued to gush out of her neck for a few seconds before even that started to slow down.
"Kali? Kali!" Sawyer insisted, shaking her shoulder, but she didn't stir.
Kali's hand that had been clutching her neck had dropped to the floor, the thudding sound it made breaking through the silence. Her blood only dripped down from her neck now, as Sawyer realised what that meant.
"No…no! Wake up! Kali!" Sawyer cried, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to his chest.
Kate let out a soft cry, as she dropped her head to her knees, feeling her whole body shake. Kali was gone. Jack, who was beside her, stayed still as a statue, his eyes drawn forward. Blood coated his cheek, having been sprayed on him when Ben cut Kali's throat. Bile rose in the back of his throat as he watched the pool of blood that lay under Kali slowly seep towards him.
"You can't leave me. You can't leave me" Sawyer sobbed, repeating the words over and over, as tears rolled down his cheeks.
A scream had Sawyer flinching, as he turned to Kali's brother, who he realised was the one crying out. A scream wasn't the right word for the sound leaving Ken's mouth. It was the sort of thing you'd expect to hear from a wounded animal. The younger man fell against the jetty as if the sound had taken all the strength from him. The Others had the decency to look away, as even Ben seemed uncomfortable as Ken continued to cry. Sawyer held Kali close to him, stroking her blood soaked hair slowly as Ken pushed himself to his feet. Ben nodded to the man who had been holding him to let him go, feeling a rare pang of sympathy. Ken fell to his knees in front of Sawyer, the ropes he had been trying to get out of, now coming away from his wrists. He clutched at his sister's shoulder, grimacing at the blood that now coated his palm.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" Ken stuttered, as he reached out to close her eyes, his hands shaking.
"You should know, this wasn't personal—" Ben's voice was cut off a second later, as Ken twisted around and lunged at him before anyone could stop him.
"You did this!" Ken yelled, as he threw Ben to the ground, climbing on top of him.
Tom tried to come to Ben's aid, grabbing onto Ken's shoulder, but he was easily thrown away. Taking Ben's head in his hands, Ken started to smash his skull against the wooden planks of the jetty, his eyes wild. Ben's arms flailed in the air as he tried to push the younger man off him, but a hard knock to the head had his vision blurring.
"You did this…not me. Not me" Ken cried, as he felt arms trying to grab at his shoulders, his waist, anywhere they could.
A sharp gasp echoed through the air, as the hands suddenly disappeared. Ken's eyes darted around, his hands still fisted in Ben's hair, when they connected with familiar blue eyes.
Kali. She was...alive?
Ken was too stunned to move, as he watched Sawyer slowly lift Kali into a sitting position, his eyes never leaving hers. She flinched under Sawyer's touch, her eyes darting around in a panic as if she had awoken from a nightmare. A small amount of blood still dripped down her neck, but it was nothing like it had been only a minute prior. In fact, even from the distance Ken was at, he could see how the wound had somehow already begun to heal.
"How—" Ken began, but was cut off by an excited cry from underneath him.
"It's true...it's all true" Ben mumbled, as he too stared at the now very alive Kali.
A choking fit quickly ripped through Kali's body as she turned onto he side, vomiting up blood, while Sawyer tried to hold her hair back. For the first time, Jack looked up, a look of disbelief on his face as he shook his head. It wasn't possible.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Sawyer exclaimed, glaring at Ben who had begun to laugh.
"I told you, Kali wasn't meant to come to this island, which means...she can't die on this island" Ben exclaimed, as he roughly shoved Ken away from him, who was still in a state of shock.
"You...you killed me..." Kali stuttered, her voice still thick with blood.
"I showed you the truth" Ben retorted, as Ken's hands balled into fists.
"You bastard—" Ken was cut off, as he swung his arm out to strike Ben, but arms grabbed him and hauled him upright before his fist found it's target.
"Thank you, Tom. Better late than never, I suppose" Ben muttered, as he placed his hand to the back of his head, finding his blood coated his fingertips.
"You said you were gonna' test a theory. You never said anyone was gonna' get hurt—" Tom complained, but was soon cut off by Ben.
"She's fine. No harm done" Ben insisted, as Sawyer's eyes snapped up to his.
Kali subconsciously reached up to touch the wound on her neck, grimacing as she felt blood still dripping from the cut. Everytime she swallowed it felt like she had razor blades in her throat.
"No harm done?! What the fuck is wrong with you people?" Sawyer yelled.
"What...what do you mean...I can't die on this...island?" Kali choked out her words, holding her neck tightly.
"There are rules. Call it destiny, fate...whatever you like, but when you got on that plane instead of your brother, you changed the plan that was made for the both of you. That's a very dangerous thing to do. You're now dealing with the consequences" Ben explained, as Kali looked at him in confusion.
"And how the hell would you know all this?" Sawyer retorted.
"I have a direct line to that higher power I was telling you about" Ben informed them.
"So, you're saying I...I can't die?" Kali questioned, confused.
"On the island. No matter how, be it by accident, murder, suicide...the island will keep bringing you back until the order is re-balanced. Like a bad penny. Haven't you wondered why you didn't die falling off that cliff?" Ben continued.
Kali's forehead wrinkled as she realised he was right. From the height of the fall she should have died, or at least been paralysed. Instead, after only a week she was back on her feet, with only bruises to show for the accident. She thought of how she should have drowned on the raft...she had been under the water for too long. How many times should she have died on the island already?
"And off the island?" Kali asked.
"The only reason the island will keep bringing you back is because it can't have you dying here. But off the island...you've already used all of your nine lives, Kali" Ben warned, as Kali felt a shiver go down her spine.
"The hell are you saying?" Sawyer frowned.
"If you ever leave this island, even for a second...you'll die. No take back's, no second chances" Ben explained, as Sawyer's arms tightened around her.
Kali felt panic course through as she realised what that meant. Her eyes flickered over to her brother's, who had the same look of devastation on his face.
She could never leave the island.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had this idea back in 2019 for this story I think, so it's been a long time coming. I'm not that happy with how this chapter turned out, as it's really hard to describe such a scene, but hopefully it'll still be a good read. More will be explained later down the line with Kali's seemingly not being able to die' and let's just say, it's not all good. Please leave a review:)
Kz4: And even more happened in this chapter, haha! I think Boone definitely has a one-track mind at the moment and that's getting his Shannon back, nothing else seems to matter. And poor Kali, she really is going through a lot, isn't she? Thanks for reviewing:)
johnsonsweett: We'll have to wait and see if Jack can redeem himself, especially after what he's seen Kali go through in this chapter. I love to throw a plot twist in now and again, haha. Did you say any of this coming? At least I didn't hurt Sawyer or Kali permanently...but there's definitely more pain to come for them. Desmond and Kali's journey will be an interesting one, so stay tuned! Thank you so much, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story:)
DrLexieSloan: Haha, I got you with the Ken/Boone storyline, huh? Don't say I didn't warn you about needing tissues in this chapter! I've been really enjoying writing Ken as you really never know what he's going to do next, makes it a lot more interesting. Thank you for the review:)
scripturient3201: And the wtf is going on continues into this chapter, haha. Yeah, Boone in this story is certainly going off the deep end. We won't be seeing him for a while, but he's still got a big part to play in this story! Thanks for reviewing:)
Giio Brasileira: Did you make it to the end of this chapter? Haha. Jack will be feeling a lot of guilt, especially after the events in this chapter. I think there were even more twists and turns in this update than the last one! Aw, thank you! Enjoy the new chapter:)