Chapter 6
"She's gone." Sawyer said between clenched teeth, standing in front of Jack in his fire-lit cave.
"What do you mean, she's gone, Sawyer? When Sayid and I left, she was perfectly there." Jack said angrily, putting his head in his hands.
"He is right Jack. I heard the commotion in his tent, he was shouting at her. And fearing for her safety, I went to go get her. When I reached the outside of the tent, I heard Sawyer curse, and then she bolted out of the tent and ran into me. We fell, and her hands and legs were unbound. She kicked me, and ran." Sayid added.
"Who's gone, dudes?" Hurley asked, rubbing his eyes, obviously having just woken up.
"Itraya." Jack and Sayid answered together.
"Who?"
"The girl that was tied to the tree today. She escaped." Sayid explained loudly, casting a look at Sawyer, who glared.
"Hey, can you guys keep it down in here? All these damn caves are connected, and everything echoes, my boy is trying to sleep." Said a sleep mussed Michael. Then, seeing the looks on everyone's faces asked, 'What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, we've just got our own little version of an escaped convict on the loose, that's all." Sawyer commented dryly.
"Sawyer, dude, nobody needs the sarcasm right now. We've all just woke up anyway, even if you've been awake. So why is this such a big deal? She was only our prisoner for like what? A couple hours?" Hurley continued, yawning.
"What's all the bloody commotion, there's a pregnant women who needs her rest trying to sleep in the next cave, and everything bloody echoes!" Charlie shouted, heedless of his own warning, and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Oh, and I bet she needs YOU in there to what, deliver the baby?" Sawyer spat.
"Stuff it, you great prat." Charlie snapped at Sawyer.
And Sawyer in response answered, while throwing his hands up, "Well sorree, Chah-lie." Imitating Claire's way of saying Charlie's name.
"Shut up, you stuu—pid git!" Charlie shouted, and moved towards Sawyer angrily. But Hurley grabbed him by the arm, and managed to contain him.
"Gawd! Why don't ALL of you just shut up!" Shannon bellowed, a surprising loud bellow, considering her size. "You all just Frick'n woke me up, and if someone doesn't tell me why, I'm going to make sure the rest of these people are all woken up too!"
By this time, Jack was just about fed up. "Well, then before we attract any more members to our little powwow, lets take this all outside. But keep close together, and nobody stray without telling someone where you're going!"
Outside, in the sultry tropical heat, with the flashlight beams collecting mosquitoes like flies to honey, people soon began to complain... Shannon mostly.
Until Sawyer laid into her, every other word out of his mouth his cruel nickname for her, 'sticks', whence Shannon got so flustered, she blurted out "Shut up, Sawyer! Just Shut up! Or I'll have Boone shut you up for you!"
That's when Sayid noticed that Boone was not even with them. He turned to Shannon questioning, "Where is your brother, any way, Shannon?" Not that Sayid missed the presence of the biggest thorn in his side at the moment, but still...
She stopped shouting at Sawyer instantly, and turned to scan the faces around. "I don't know. He was sleeping only a few feet away from me...He should have woken up when I did..."
"And where's bloody Locke? Right when we could use the bloke, he decides to be a heavy sleeper." Charlie added testily.
"Where IS Locke?" Echoed Jack, looking around to see if anyone had an answer. Michael shrugged, Shannon scowled her opinion, and Sawyer laughed.
"And why are YOU laughing, Sawyer?" Asked Sayid.
"Because those two idiots obviously took off into the jungle, that's why. You don't have to be a HEART surgeon to figure that out. They've been disappearing for hours on end in the daylight, and they obviously decided that they needed to work a little overtime...On what ever the hell they're working on, that is." He said, throwing up his hands.
"So, Locke and Boone are out in the Jungle, with some crazy lady who stole Sawyer's knife, a bunch of rabid polar bears, and some freaking monster...at NIGHT?" Hurley said incredulously.
"That looks about the SIZE of it, doesn't it? Big guy?" Sawyer said, throwing a meaningful look at Hurley, who flushed brilliantly, and turned away. Charlie verbally jumped on Sawyer for the insult.
"What is the BLOODY matter with you?" He started, then continued, pointing a finger in the air as if saying eureka!
"Oh wait, I remember, some bloody incapacitated, half starved, and TIED prisoner, got the better of you, stole a bloody knife right out of your OWN pocket, managed to free herself, dodge you completely and take off into the jungle!"
"Hold up there Has-been, Hurley's a BIG guy, I'm pretty sure he can defend himself, isn't that right?" Sawyer retorted, glaring at the larger man. Hurley shrugged nervously and held his tongue, Sawyer laughed.
Then Kate appeared out of the shadows. "Shut up, Sawyer, and leave off with the insults, you sound like a wailing two year old, you know that?" She told him, glaring, and smiling at Hurley.
"Kate, where have you been?" Jack questioned, moving forward, and putting both his hands on her shoulders. Kate almost flinched, but managed not to.
"Trying to trail that Loon, but she was too quick for me." Kate said, looking like she was resisting the urge to push Jack's hands off of her shoulders.
"What were you thinking? She's dangerous! She got the better of Sayid, a TRAINED soldier, and YOU went gallivanting off after her into the jungle?" Jack said, voice rising.
Kate stepped back, letting Jack's arms drop loosely off her shoulders. "Don't tell me what to do, Jack." She whispered angrily.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'm not telling you what to do..." He started, "I'm telling you what NOT to do."
"It's the same thing, Jack, now do you want to hear the rest of what I have to say? Or do you NOT want me to do that either?" She said sarcastically, folding her arms, and staring him down. Jack only nodded.
"Well, when I was running, I ran into someone else. It was Boone, who was actually at that moment in time, following Locke. I asked him why, but he wouldn't tell me that, all he said was that they'd be back in the morning, and not to worry. I tried to tell him to keep on guard, because the prisoner escaped, but he took off too fast." Kate said in a huff.
"So they DON'T know about Itraya?" Jack said, glancing at Sayid.
"Who?" Kate asked, gaze snapping to Sayid in question.
"The prisoner, the damn escapee who stabbed me in the back literally, stole from me, and took of into the jungle. That's what she told us her damn name was anyway." Interjected Sawyer rudely.
'Yeah, they don't. I tried to tell them, but Boone wouldn't listen. I doubt we have anything to worry about anyways, he's with Locke right? The only one of us to have faced the monster and lived... If Boone's safe with anyone, it's with Locke." Kate finished quietly.
But Shannon caught the nervous energy, and fear in her tone, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up...to know that this scared even someone as fearless seeming as Kate...
Scared HER even more...
OOO