Chapter Four

Loosing Touch With Reality?

The crickets' chirping began to grate on Roxton's nerves as he paced back and forth across the small area that was designated as the kitchen.  His patience extinct, he snapped, "God damn the bloody racket!"  He kicked at the nearest item, which happened to be a chair, and sent it whizzing across the floor.

Malone, who was just coming over, hopped over the sliding chair as it went by.  He glanced back at it, then over at the hunter with concern.  "Roxton, your temper isn't going to help her.  In fact, it may upset her more."

Roxton heaved, about to retort when he heard the sound of Marguerite's door creaking open and Veronica stepped out.  "How is she?" Roxton demanded.

Veronica stole a look at Malone.  "She's calm now, but still insistent about what she saw."

"But there was no one there," Roxton emphasized.  He ran his hand roughly through his hair.  "She's terrified of something; I'll give you that.  But I was right there with her in the elevator and there wasn't a person in sight."  He lowered his voice as to not disturb Marguerite.  "She must have hallucinated it.  Maybe she's not fully recovered from her "illness".  Maybe the bump on her head jostled her…"

"I didn't hallucinate anything," Marguerite snapped form the doorway of her bedroom.  Her face was puffy and her skin still pale, but her eyes burned with indignant lucidity.  "I didn't imagine anything.  I didn't have a vision.  I didn't have a delusion.  I saw it!  It was there and I'm not crazy!"

During her spectacle, Challenger had returned from his lab.  He shook his head slightly at her outburst and said, "We don't think you're crazy, Marguerite.  This plateau is full of mysteries both grand and mischievous.  Your illness just happens to…"

"Don't patronize me!  I'm not ill," she screamed desperately.  "Something isn't right here.  I can feel it!  I even saw a stranger – an evil presence – to confirm that something is wrong.  Why won't any of you believe me?"  She glared at their silent response with bitter disdain.  "Fine," she hissed.  "Don't believe me.  Think I hallucinated it, but when hell breaks loose don't expect my help!"  She stormed into her room, slamming the door shut and screamed with mounting frustration.

Why wouldn't any of them take her seriously? 

When Roxton had carried her into the elevator, she was paralyzed with fear.  Reaching the top, she had seen a smirking man cloaked in black with his face half torn off.  She had shrieked, jerking violently in Roxton's arms.  "Kill him," she'd screamed.  "Kill him!" 

Yet, Roxton had stared at her oddly.  "There's no one here, Marguerite.  Whom do you want me to kill?"

It had taken ten minutes for her to calm herself enough to tell the three other explorers what she had experienced, but no one had believed her and it was maddening.  Feeling the strain, she'd allowed Veronica to escort her into her room where she explained her story once more to the jungle girl.

Still sticking to her claims, she worried that the others were beginning to worry about her sanity.  And as much as she hated it, she was beginning to worry about her sanity, too.

End Chapter Four

I know, I know…it is really short.  I'm in the mist of writing two stories (my other one is a Jurassic Park fic) and I'm working as fast as I can.  Yet, thank you so much for the reviews that I've gotten.  I honestly appreciate it.  It makes my day.