Title: The Rules of the Game (5/?)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I actually own anything. All are property of Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells.
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content
Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days."
Summary: Bosco and Faith find themselves in a predicament in which they can use only their instincts to survive.
Distribution: My site Only Time, 55-HQ, and fanfiction.net. Others, just ask and I'll probably say yes.
Category: Story
Subcategories: Action/adventure/thriller/suspense/romance/friendship/drama/angst...does that narrow it down too much? *wink wink*
Feedback: Makes me write faster.
Author's Note: I sort of got this idea from a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But just for the very general plot idea. The rest came out of my own messed up mind. :)
Dedication: For Dem and Bree
The Rules of the Game (Part Five)
"I can't believe we went all that way just to turn around and have to come all the way back," Bosco complained as they walked past where they'd camped the night before.
Faith didn't respond.
"I bet we wasted half the day."
"Bosco, it's probably not even noon yet."
"I bet it's at least two."
"Yeah, well, you know, maybe if you hadn't slept half the morning, we could have gotten an earlier start," she said, her voice holding a slight bit of impatience.
"What? So now this is my fault?"
Faith sighed and massaged her temples gently.
"Headache?" he asked, the annoyance in his voice changing to concern.
"Yeah. I really wish I had a bottle of Advil," she muttered.
"Well, with any luck we'll find the end of this river soon and there'll be a city or a town or something."
"Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Yeah, just as long as we don't run into Yosemite Sam again," Bosco muttered, glancing around.
She couldn't help but grin.
His gaze dropped to the path before them and without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Faith's hand, yanking her backwards, freezing in place.
"Bosco, what?" she asked, frowning as she looked at him. His eyes were wide as he stared in front of them. She followed his line of sight and relaxed when she saw a small red and black and white snake slithering across the path.
"Don't move," he whispered, his face pale.
"He's not gonna hurt you."
"How do you know?"
"Because it's just a harmless little milk snake, Bosco. They're not poisonous."
"Are you sure?"
Faith nodded, pulled her hand away and moved toward the reptile, which quickly slithered into a bush. "See? He's more afraid of you than you are of him."
"Who said anything about being afraid?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You're not afraid of anything." She started walking again.
"I'm not afraid of snakes," Bosco insisted as he caught up with her. "I just don't like them."
"Okay."
"I'm not."
"All right."
"I am not afraid of snakes!"
"Jeez, Boz. Would you chill out? I said okay."
"It's the way you said it."
She rolled her eyes again, but didn't respond this time as she continued walking, occasionally looking around for any signs of danger.
"I wonder what everyone thinks happened to us," Bosco said a few minutes later.
She shrugged. "Who knows? I'm trying not to think about it."
His brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because I'm worried that Em and Charlie are going to think I abandoned them," Faith admitted, her voice quiet.
He touched her shoulder. "They wouldn't believe that in a million years."
"They're kids, Boz."
"They know how much you love them. They know you would never do something like that."
"You think so?" she asked hopefully.
He stopped walking, placed both hands on her shoulders and gazed at her. "I know so."
Faith gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Bosco," she said sincerely, feeling a little better.
He smiled back. "You're welcome."
Davis was walking out of the precinct, his eyes focused on the ground, lost in thoughts of his missing friends when he heard a voice calling him from across the street.
"Hey!"
He turned and saw Alex Taylor crossing the road, walking toward him. He swallowed hard. Things had been tense between them for awhile now. He knew he'd mess things up between them and while he regretted it, he wasn't sure he could fix the damage. "Hey."
"You off work?"
"Nah, just on break," he told her.
Alex nodded, studied him. "How are you?"
"Well, I'm not the one missing, so I guess I'm good." He closed his eyes, exhaled slowly. "Sorry."
"Don't be. Two of your co-workers are missing. You have the right to be upset," she said gently.
He nodded, looked back at her. "The precinct has been overrun by a bunch of federal agents."
"Having they found anything?"
He shook his head. "No, nothing." He rubbed the back of his neck. "They've been missing for three days."
Alex touched his arm. "Have you slept at all?"
"Not much," Davis admitted tiredly. "I just feel like I need to be out there looking, you know?"
She met his gaze, her eyes sad. "Yeah, I do," she said softly.
There was a moment of silence.
"I should... go back in there," he said finally, hesitating.
She nodded and he turned away. "Hey, Ty."
"Yeah?"
"You want to get a drink after the shift? Maybe talk some more?"
Davis looked at her for a moment, a faint smile on his lips. "I'd like that."
"How is your arm?"
Faith glanced over at Bosco and shrugged. "A little sore, but the bleeding has stopped. I'll live."
He grimaced.
"Boz, it's fine. It's just a flesh wound," she reminded him.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not much."
"You're sure?"
She sighed. "Bosco, I've had two kids. This--" she said, pointing to her arm. "-- is no big deal."
"Okay, I just --"
At that moment, there was a loud shriek and someone jumped out of the bushes at them, wielding a large stick. Before either of them had a chance to react, the man clubbed Bosco hard on the back.
Without hesitation, Faith tackled the guy, sending him sprawling face first into the dirt. She yanked his arms behind his back and held him down with no problem. "Bosco, are you all right?" she asked worriedly, watching as he sat up, his hand going around to rub his shoulder.
Bosco grimaced. "Yeah, I think so." He stood up and moved over to her, his eyes narrowing as he glared down at the man who had attacked them.
"Who are you?" Faith demanded, angry.
The guy didn't respond.
"She asked you a question, asswipe. Answer her!"
"Who are you?" she asked again, not letting go of his arms.
"You caught me. Go ahead. Kill me," he responded.
Bosco and Faith looked at each other in confusion.
"Go on! Do it!" There was a hint of hysteria in the man's voice.
"Why would we kill you? What did you do?" Bosco asked, folding his arms across his chest.
He laughed, an almost maniacal sound."I didn't do anything! You're the murderers! Stop playing games and just kill me!"
A deep frown appeared on Faith's face, and she let go of his arms and stood up.
The guy remained laying down on the ground. "Kill me!" he screamed.
"Take it easy. No one is killing anyone," she told him, looking at Bosco, worried.
He looked up, confusion on his face. "Who are you?"
Bosco glanced at Faith, then down at the man. "We're New York City police officers. Who the hell are you?"
The guy stared at Bosco, giving him a chance to study him for the first time. The guy was dirty. The Army fatigues he wore were stained and torn. His black hair hadn't been combed in a long time and he had a long, uneven and scraggly beard.
"Sir, what's your name?" Faith asked, her voice soothing and quiet.
"Danny," he answered finally, looking back and forth between them. "You guys are really cops?"
She nodded. "Yes, we are."
"I'm sorry for hitting you. I thought you were one of them," he told Bosco.
"One of who?"
"The predators."
"The predators?" Faith repeated, confused, looking at Bosco, who just shrugged.
"Yeah, predators." He glanced at her, then at Bosco, then back to her. "You know, the hunters."
Bosco frowned.
Danny saw the blank look on Faith's face, then at the nearly identical expression on Bosco's. "You don't know about the game?" He finally stood up.
Bosco sighed, starting to feel impatient. "What game? What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, eyeing the younger man wearily.
"Then if you're not hunters, you're prey, like me," he mumbled, more to himself than them.
Faith saw the annoyance in her partner's eyes and took a small step toward Danny. "I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about, Danny."
He laughed, that same maniacal sound and she shivered involuntarily, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen anyone besides them..." He smiled at her.
She gave him a small smile back, but it was forced.
His smile widened and he took a step toward her, reaching out to touch her face. She immediately took a step back.
"Hey! Don't touch her," Bosco said, alarmed as he reached out and grabbed the back of the guy's shirt, yanking him backwards. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Sorry..." he told Faith, gazing at her. "You look like her..."
Bosco didn't let him go, glaring at him. "Start talking before I get really pissed off," he commanded.
"Boz," Faith said quietly, moving to his side. She looked at the younger man. "What did you mean about a game? And us being prey?"
"I can't believe you don't know. Haven't you run into them yet?" he asked in disbelief.
Bosco clenched his jaw. "I swear to God if this lunatic doesn't start making some sense..." he muttered to Faith.
She ignored him, her gaze focused on Danny. "Are you talking about the man with a shotgun?"
"He's one of them."
Bosco and Faith stared at him. "One of them?" Bosco repeated.
Danny nodded, another near hysterical laugh escaping his lips. "There are at least five."
Faith felt a ball of anxiety form in her stomach. "Are you telling us that we're... being hunted?"
Danny nodded.
"Jesus," Bosco muttered, looking at Faith, whose face had gone pale.
"How long have you been here?" she asked.
"Two weeks, three... I don't know. Shannon and I kept track for the first few days, but then..." His voice trailed off, a wild looked in his eyes. "Then I lost track." He laughed again, a high pitched sound. "Doesn't matter really."
"Shannon?" Bosco repeated.
Danny looked back at him, then at Faith, his eyes haunted. "She was my girlfriend."
Faith felt her blood run cold. "What happened to her?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
He looked down. "We were caught by a man on horseback..." He swallowed hard. "Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us..." He met her eyes again. "He's sadistic. He made me... made me watch. I couldn't... stop him. The things he did to her..."
Bosco suddenly felt sick. He looked at Faith again
"I'm sorry about your girlfriend," she said quietly.
"I got away! And I won't let him catch me again!"
Bosco finally let go of the back of Danny's shirt. He moved a step closer to his partner and glanced around the woods.
Faith met his eyes momentarily, then looked back at Danny. "We're going to find a way out of here. Stay with us and we'll do everything we can to protect you."
"Do you have a gun?" he asked, laughing again.
"No," Bosco admitted.
"Then you can't even protect yourselves, let alone me. Besides that, even if you make it out of the woods, what are you going to do? Swim all the way back to New York City?"
"What do you mean?" Faith asked, uneasily.
"What? Did you think you could piss off Chevchinko and he would just drop you in the middle of a forest for you to find your way out again? Don't you get it? This is the game he created. You're not going to win."
"You know Chevchinko?" Bosco asked, surprised.
"I used to work for him. When I found out the kind of stuff he was into, I quit. Shannon and I tried to hide, but his men found us and brought us here." He shook his head. "You're stuck here for good, just like me. There's no way off this island. Not alive anyway."
Danny started to back away from them.
"Where are you going?" Faith asked.
"We can't stay together. It'll make it too easy for them to catch us if we're all in the same place. The two of you should split up, too." He turned and started to go into the woods further. Then he paused and turned around. "Good luck."
Without another word, the younger man disappeared from view.
Faith and Bosco turned and exchanged a look.
"I'll be right back."
Bosco jerked his head up to look at Faith as she rose to her feet. "Where are you going?"
"Bathroom." She started to walk away.
He caught her hand, and she turned to look down at him. "Don't, uh... don't go too far, okay?"
She gave his hand a squeeze. "I won't."
Bosco watched as she disappeared into the woods. He sat perfectly still, every muscle in his body tense as he listened to the silence.
//"Most of them will just kill you, but the guy who found us... he's sadistic. He made me... made me watch. I couldn't stop him... the things he did to her..."// Danny's voice echoed in his mind and he shuddered.
He kept his eyes focused on the tree line where Faith had gone, wishing she'd hurry up. He didn't like the idea of her being alone, even for a couple of minutes. Under normal circumstances, Bosco knew she could take care of herself, could protect herself against the bad guys of the world.
But these were not normal circumstances.
And he wasn't sure he'd be able to live with himself if anything bad happened to Faith. Bile rose up in his throat and he clenched his hands involuntarily at the thought.
//Come on, Faith, hurry up.//
As though she had heard his thoughts, she emerged from the tree line a moment later.
He relaxed slightly -- but only slightly when she was sitting on the ground beside him again.
Both of them were silent for a long time.
"We should get some sleep," Faith suggested, her voice tired.
Bosco glanced at her sideways and nodded his agreement. "It's probably not a good idea to build a fire tonight," he said uneasily, watching her shiver in the cool night air.
"Yeah. We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves," she agreed.
He shrugged out of his long sleeve shirt, even though only one of the sleeves was left. He handed it to her. "Put that on. I'll take first watch again."
She hesitated, holding the shirt in her hand. "Bosco, are you sure? Aren't you cold?"
"Nah. I'm good."
She slid her arms into the shirt, wincing slightly from her wound. She laid down on the ground, facing toward him. Her eyes drifted shut.
Bosco sat still, with his knees pulled to his chest as he listened for unusual noises. His gaze flickered down to Faith. She was still shivering. He hesitated, swallowed hard. Then reached out and touched her shoulder gently.
Faith opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"You're freezing," he said, worried.
She gave him a small smile. "I'll be okay."
He hesitated again. "Maybe, uh...maybe we should move closer. You know for...uh, body heat."
Her heart skipped a beat, her mind flashing back to the day before when they were standing face-to-face in the river. She swallowed hard, unable to keep herself from shivering. "Okay," she said finally.
Bosco shifted and laid down beside her, facing her. He motioned for her to move closer.
She did so until mere inches separated them. Butterflies danced in her stomach as he draped his arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. The butterflies settled and she relaxed. "You gonna be able to stay awake like this?"
"Yeah. I don't really think I could sleep right now even if I wanted to. I'm too on edge," he told her, his voice quiet. He scooted closer to her, closing up the small distance between them. He slid his other arm under her neck. Then to her surprise, he kissed her forehead. "Hey, Faith?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I got us into this mess."
She frowned. "Bosco, it's not your fault."
"Yes, it is. I'm the one who went in to arrest Chevchinko without backup."
"Yeah, well, I'm the one who wanted to go to the factory in the first place, remember?"
"You wanted to call for back-up."
"Listen to me," Faith said, her voice gentle, but firm. "This is not the time to be blaming ourselves, all right? What happened, happened. We're here. The only ones responsible for that are Chevchinko and his men. Not you, and not me, okay?"
He swallowed hard. "Okay."
"You have to believe we're going to make it out of this."
"What about what Danny said? About even if we make it out of the woods, how are we going to make it off this island?"
"I don't know," Faith admitted. "But we'll think of something. Let's take it one problem at a time."
He almost smiled and he kissed her forehead again, unable to stop himself. "Get some sleep," he said quietly, gently rubbing her back.
"I'll try. Night, Boz."
"Night, Faith." He found himself feeling a bit calmer. Somehow she could always reassure him that everything was going to be all right. He gazed at her in the darkness and watched as she fell asleep.
It took him a few moments to realize she had stop shivering.
A small smile touched his lips as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then returned his hand to rest on her back. For some reason, despite their predicament, it felt right being this close to her. It felt... peaceful.
He watched her for a few more moments, relaxing more as he listened to the sound of her steady breathing. Then his own eyes drifted shut, and he too, fell asleep.
Go to Part 6
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