Boone followed the dog's panting, every now and then calling, "Slow down, boy! Slow down!" The dog finally stopped in a small clearing, and Boone caught up to him. A smile split his face, his undead eyes lit up. Vincent barked at him and Boone said, "What is it, boy?" before glancing up and seeing exactly what it was.
"Oh my God..." he whispered.
Dripping in the downpour, his clothes hanging and sticking sickly to his body, his head covered by a burlap bag, hung Sawyer, twisting slightly as the downpour moved his limp body back and forth. Boone grabbed the Bowie knife from his belt and went at once to climbing the tree which he was hanging from. Holding the rope with one hand, he set off to cut it. He sawed at it, the thick strands breaking and snapping as he severed every thread. When it had dwindled down to just a few threads, Boone leapt down from the tree and pulled the dripping body. It jerked once, and Boone pulled again. This time, Sawyer came toppling down on top of Boone.
Boone uncovered Sawyer's head and began giving him CPR. The rain poured and Boone kept pressing. If it was in his power to do so he would not let a fellow survivor die – even Sawyer. He began giving the blonde mouth-to-mouth. If only his sister could have seen him! He was sure that she would never stop taunting him about his 'preference' after that.
Boone pounded Sawyer's chest, but Sawyer did not breathe. "Come on, Sawyer," Boone pressed, thumping Sawyer's chest with his fist again. "Come on, Sawyer, breathe! Breathe, Sawyer!" He pounded Sawyer again and again, but Sawyer still did not breathe. "Come on," Boone pleaded, giving him mouth-to-mouth again, "breathe! Please breathe, Sawyer..."
Boone rocked back and sat down, his knees tucked up to his chest. He had come too late. Then again, he knew he could not really blame himself; how was he supposed to know what Ethan was doing every minute? But as he glanced back over at Sawyer, in a way, he felt that the disagreeable man's death was his fault.
He tucked his head down into his arms and began to cry.
"Aren't you already wet enough?"
Boone raised his head slowly, his tears suddenly dry. "What more do you want?" Boone asked viciously. "Haven't you already caused enough damage?"
Ethan looked mildly shocked, in a mocking kind of way. "Me?" he asked. "I'm sorry if what I did upset you. But he was in the way –"
"What!" Boone exploded, "That's why you killed him! I'll kill you!"
He jumped to his feet and leapt at the man, who moved deftly aside, catching the young man's wrists and twisting them, so that Boone cried out in pain. Then, grabbing a measure of rope from his belt, Ethan proceeded to quickly tie Boone – and then tie him to Sawyer.
"Why did you kill Sawyer!" demanded Boone. "Why!"
"He's not dead." Ethan stated as Boone struggled. "Just temporarily silenced." He started off, away from them, and Boone called after him, "Where are you going! Come back here and fight me like a man! Hey!" he called louder, over the roar of the rain, "I'm talking to you! Where are you going!"
Ethan turned to face him, his hair matted in his eyes as the rain had left it. "Where do you think?" he asked, and started again for the woods.