Lyrics of 'Your Song' by Elton John are used in this chapter.

Chapter 28: The Journey

SOMEWHERE IN SAN FRANCISCO (Later in the evening.)

When they left the field, Simon, Tom, and Renee, hitched a ride into San Francisco. There they were going to catch a plane to New York or Florida. From there they would 'borrow' their own plane to get to Founder's Island. Their plans were delayed when the boys saw that Renee health and strength deteriorating rapidly. So, with Tom's fake ID they rented a hotel room for the night. They were hoping that they could figure out a way to increase Renee's strength quickly and least long enough to get to the island.

The Hotel Inn they rented was a single room with a bathroom; it was all they could afford on their budget. Simon sat on the windowsill having a smoke, while Renee slept in the only bed in the room. As Simon sat at the window he watched as the blue sky turned orange. Out of everything that was happening to them, he had managed to take the time to marvel at the beauty that nature provided at this moment.

Tom was out getting a few essentials needed for their survival on the journey. Knowing that they are on the 'lamb', so to speak, Tom felt it would be safer to do his shopping near night.

Simon could feel his body getting weaker. He started to calculate in his mind on how long he would be able to last until inevitable happens. "72 hours!" Came out as his conclusion. This was starting to frighten him. He started to realize that they might not be able to survive long enough to reach the Island, even if they left first thing in the morning. He wondered if Tom and Renee had figured out on how long they had left too. All of this seemed so surreal, almost like it can't be true. Lastly his thoughts drifted to his family. He wondered how they were doing. No doubt they are probably worried. Someday he could be reunited with them again, but first he must stick it out with his friends and help them get to the island.

Simon finished his last drag of the cigarette and started to kill it in the astray beside him. It was then that he heard Renee moan. Simon got up from the windowsill to walk over and sat on the edge of the bed beside Renee.

"Renee? Are you alright?" He asked while stroking her beautiful red hair.

Renee coughed a couple of times then opened her eyes to meet Simon's. "Hey, handsome. Where's my love?" She said as she attempted a smile.

"Out to get a few things. Are you feeling better?" He asked hopefully.

Renee winced in pain, then tried to put on a brave face. "I'll be fine. I just need some rest."

Simon again started to stroke her hair tenderly as she again closed her eyes and relaxed herself with his touch. "I like that!" She purred, and then opened eyes and looked up at Simon. "Will you sing me a song? For old time, sake."

With a brave face, Simon began to sing one of her favorite songs from her childhood. 'Your Song' from Elton John.

It's a little bit funny this feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide

I don't have much money but boy if I did

I'd buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show

I know it's not much but it's the best I can do

My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple but now that it's done

I hope you don't mind

I hope you don't mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross

But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song

It's for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting but these things I do

You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue

Anyway the thing is what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

While, Simon sang, he calculated on how long Renee had to live, and it came up less then what he and Tom had. Especially, with the other drugs she was taking. The emotion could be heard in the tone of his words he sang.

Renee could tell that Simon was worried about her will being. She too, in her busy mind, had calculated their existence. It frightened her, and she was sure it frightened the boys too. The pain again continued to interrupt her moment of contentment.

Simon realized that Renee was in pain and stopped singing. He reaches over to the table beside the bed and grabbed the bottle of water and handed it to Renee. Renee took a few swallows of the contents from the bottle.

She handed the bottle back to Simon and lied back into her pillow. Simon stayed by her side until she fell asleep. He then got up and took a bottle of Whisky that also sat on the table and walked over to the couch at the other end of the room. After he sat down, Simon swilled back a couple of sips from the bottle then grabbed a note pad and a pen that he had sitting on a TV tray beside the couch. He started to write down notes and calculations on a cure for them. About a few minutes later, he slowly fell asleep; mainly to avoid the physical pain he was feeling.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Minutes later, Tom came in and noticed that both Simon and Renee were both sleeping. He put down the bags he was caring and walked over to the couch where Simon was sleeping. Tom had to smile at his younger friend. It wouldn't be the first time he caught Simon sleeping with his glasses on. He then noticed a note pad lying on his stomach and a pen in his had lapped over it. For a brief moment Tom frowned, he became concerned on what Simon was writing. Slowly, Tom took Simon's glasses off his face and put them on TV tray beside the couch and carefully grabbed the notebook and pen. Quickly he glanced over the notes and smiled. He admired his friend's enthusiasm, 'already starting for a cure, are we, my friend?' Tom thought to himself. He then frowned knowing all too well that they don't have much time before they would eventually meet their maker.

After Tom put the book and pen beside Simon's glasses, he then grabbed a blanket from the other end of the couch and carefully placed it over Simon's body. He stood and watched the sleeping Simon and remembered when they were kids on the Island and when they were not supervised by any of the Founders or their 'zombies' the fun the five of them would have. No matter how bad things got, they would never leave each other's side. Even when Mary and the others took the chipmunks to the 'secret field' to train them in special fighting skills, they would all have a great time.

He realized that he missed the time he had with Simon, Brian, and Brenda and of course his love, Renee on that lousy Island. Being with them made him feel like he'd actually belonged to a family. Tom had never really had a relationship with his dad and after his mom died he had become even more distant from him. Sure the first night of his return he'd actually had a conversation with his dad. But as soon as his dad noticed the changes Tom gone through the relationship had gone sour. It tore him up knowing that his new family was falling apart even more. Everyone he knew and loved was either dead or dying.

He let out a deep sigh and picked up one of the bottles he just bought as he walked over to the bed where Renee slept. As he sat on his side of the bed, Renee rolled over and looked up at him.

"So, there you are!" She smiled.

"How are you doing?" Tom asked with concern in his voice.

"As well as can be accepted."

"You should get some rest! Maybe you will be strong enough and we can leave tomorrow? With luck we can be on the Island before it's to late!" He paused for a bit then added. "Apparently, Simon has already started on the cure!" Tom said trying to boost his love's confidence.

Renee smiled at the fact their friend is not so easy to give up. "Simon is a real friend! I'm glad he's still with us!"

"Me too!" Tom said as he opened the bottle of Scotch that he had just bought and started drinking from it.

Renee sat up and took the bottle as soon as Tom swallowed a mouth full of Scotch and took a couple of sips her self. She then gave the bottle back and reached in the drawer from the table by her side of the bed. Renee searched with her hand for a bit and found what she was looking for. She pulled out a syringe, a spoon, an elastic band and a plastic pouch of heroin.

Tom face frowned; he didn't like the idea that she took that stuff to numb the pain. It was bad enough that she discovered marijuana, but this stuff wouldn't do her any good. She needed the cure, not a way to end her life sooner. He closed his eyes and placed the bottle down.

"I don't like you taking that stuff! It's too dangerous!"

"But it works! Sometimes better then marijuana!" She lit a lighter under the spoon and melted the white powder until it became liquid. "I am just in so much pain, Tom. I can't live without this now." Tears began to swell in her eyes.

Tom reopened his eyes and looked at his love. "You have to be strong. Please, I don't know what I would do without you. You're my universe orbiting through time. Without you, time will cease to exist for me. My soul will die, and so will my strength to go on."

After Renee sucks the fluid into the needle end of the syringe she looks up at Tom and tries to put on a brave face. "I love you, so much."

"And I you now and forever," Tom replied with a tear running down his cheek and his hand stroking her face.

"I promise I'll cut back on this stuff. I just need a little to get me through the rest of the night." She picked up the elastic strap and rapped it around her upper arm.

Tom turned away from Renee as she injected the stuff in her vain. He pulled out a joint from his jacket pocket and lit it up, figuring that there was no need to try and hide his own suffering.