Chapter 7
Sayid awoke the next morning to screams. Shannon's screams. He flew out of bed quickly, pulling on a shirt, and leaving it half buttoned, and sprinted out into the daylight. What he saw shocked him beyond belief.
Shannon was collapsed in the sand clutching her brother's body to her chest. Sobbing in great heaves that shook her tiny frame. She was covered in his blood. And by the looks of it, he'd been dead for hours now.
The rest of the survivors were soon gathered in a clustering band around her, whispering and some even shedding tears, at the sight of Boone's broken, bloody corpse.
Sayid's first thoughts were of the monster, or one of the bears. Perhaps it had followed the scent of a wounded boar, and found the young American instead.
But then, scanning the faces for Jack, or Kate, or Locke, he found them missing. He took off walking fast, back in the direction on the caves, and he found them.
Jack and Kate were standing in front of Locke who held, a bound, and bloody Itraya to his chest with one arm, his other hand on the hilt of one of his many knives. She was silent, as always, but covered in dried blood, his once white tank top, now no more than a red second skin. And her short hair stiff and shiny, plastered to her forehead in different places. Sayid swallowed hard.
Kate noticed him first, and her eyes met his, they were blood shot from crying, and over bright even now. Jack looked solemn, and angry. Boone was the second one to be killed on the island, and where one death had been enough, two was just the final straw.
"Make her talk, Sayid." Jack told him. And Sayid's eyes snapped back to Itraya, who was staring out into space, not looking at, or seeing anyone.
"Jack, if you are suggesting that I FORCE her to talk, I won't. I made that mistake once already on this island, and hurt an innocent man. I won't resurrect any more demons from my past, just to hurt this woman, I won't."
"But she's not innocent." Locke commented, eyes stern.
"How? How do you know that it was not one of the bears? Or the monster? How do you know it was her?" Sayid questioned loudly.
"I found her holding his body, Sayid. She's covered in his blood! If you need more than that, just take a closer look at Boone's corpse!. No animal did that to him. Those are marks made by a knife." Locke answered calmly.
"Well, if you already know it was her, then why do we need her to tell us? Why must I make her talk?" Sayid questioned, getting angrier by the minute. He was ashamed at himself for torturing Sawyer, a man.
And he cringed at the prospect of torturing the strong willed wisp of a woman in front of him. Her screams, he was sure, would do nothing but remind him of the ones he's been forced to extract from Nadia, those long years ago. One of the horrific events in his past that birthed the nightmares that had haunted his sleep for seven years now.
"We need to know where she came from, Sayid. We need to know what made her do this. And I'm sure Shannon would like to know WHY she has to bury her...her brother on this god-forsaken island!" Jack exclaimed, words thick with unshed tears.
And looking around at Kate's stricken face, Locke's stern one, and Jack's begging eyes, the echo of Shannon's screams still ringing in his ears, Sayid could do nothing but agree...
OOO