Thanks for the reviews people. I love ya!
Oh, and yeah, it is my college graduation and yes, I am freaking out. I'm not looking forward to the real world.
Chapter Fourteen: A Present State of Mind"It's getting dark."
" No, really? You think so?"
"I'm just saying is all. It's getting dark. Everyone always told us never to go out after dark into the woods."
"Yeah well, they also told us not to go missing for an entire day."
Jake shrugged and looked around, "I don't like being out here in the dark."
"Will you quit being such a baby? We're almost there."
" You don't know where we are."
Hunter rolled his eyes and continued walking, "I swear, when I get back to the beach I'm going to kill your brother."
"What does Josh have to do with this?"
"He's the one that left me with you!"
"He didn't leave. There was that bright light and then we woke up and everyone else was gone."
"Yeah well, I'm sure he had something to do with it. Or maybe it was your other brother. I always knew that guys was a little off."
Jake squared his shoulders, "Hey, don't say things like that about Adam."
Hunter shrugged, "Why not? They're true."
"They're not true! You're just a…"
"Just a what? Huh? You gonna fight me?"
Jake stared directly into the older boys eyes for a split second. Then he averted his gaze and stared at the ground. "No."
"I didn't think so."
Suddenly Hunter swung his head around, peering into the darkness of the trees. He held his breath. He had heard something… There… There it was again.
Someone was watching them.
He held his finger to his lips and motioned for Jake to stay quiet. The younger boys looked at him in confusion. Then a distinct rustling sound could be heard in the bushes. Jake's eyes widened.
The two boys watched in trepidation as someone emerged through the leaves. Jake gulped when they came face to face with the stranger.
Hunter looked the old man up and down. He was completely bald, his head covered with scratches and scars. There was one distinct scar running perpendicular across his eye. He was hunched over and watched them with narrow eyes.
Hunter thought he knew everyone on the island. He had grown up with a core group of about twenty other people. He had never actually "met" anyone new."
The stranger spoke first, "Well, you do look like your parents don't you?"
Hunter made a face, "Who are you?" Jake just continued to stare at him with an open mouth.
The stranger laughed and held out his hand, "I guess we've never been introduced, "The name's Locke."
Jake's eyes got even wider and he finally made a noise, "Wow! We though you were dead!"
Locke smiled and nodded, " Well son, I guess I was. At least to your parents." He turned back to Hunter, "Nice reflexes. I thought I was being quiet. It takes a real hunter to hear a noise that soft."
Jake giggled, "That's funny. Because his name is Hunter."
Hunter rolled his eyes and motioned for the younger boy to be quiet. He stared at Locke.
" We can't trust you."
Locke nodded, "I assume that's what your parents would have told you. And you don't have to trust me." He smiled widely, "But I know the way home."
"Cool. Hunter, he can show us how to get back to the beach."
"Shut up, will you?" Hunter hissed under his breath and gave Jake a look.
"Okay then… but I have to tell you, your parents are worried sick about you."
Hunter looked at him, "You talked to our parents?"
Locke nodded, "Last night. They're probably all out looking for you right now."
Jake looked up at Hunter, " Come on. If he can show us how to get back home, why not follow him?"
Hunter clenched his jaw and heaved a sigh, "Fine then. But we're walking behind you."
Locke nodded and began making his way through the trees. Hunter and Jake followed and Hunter had to work to keep Jake from running up and trying to start a conversation with Locke.
They followed him for several miles until they began to hear voices.
" They've got to be around here somewhere. Adam! Josh! Jake!"
Jake's eyes lit up, "Dad!"
"Jake?"
Jake ran forward until he saw his father. Charlie let out a yell and enveloped his son in a hug. Michael was right on his heels with a smile on his face. The moment he saw the boys he turned around and started calling everyone's name to tell them the news. On his knees, Charlie held on to his son as tightly as possible and Jake giggled.
"Where have you guys been?"
Jake shrugged, "I dunno."
Charlie looked at him questioning and then looked at Hunter. He looked around, passing over Locke for the moment.
"Where is everyone else?"
Jake and Hunter both shrugged, "We don't know."
Concern again creased Charlie's brow and he pulled Jake in for another hug. Suddenly Kate frantically rushed through the trees with Jack and Sayid behind her. She saw Hunter and heaved a sigh of relief. She grabbed the boy and planted a kiss on his forehead.
Hunter grimaced and tried to pull away, "Mom! You're embarrassing me."
Kate pulled away and held him at arms length. She narrowed her eyes, "I'm going to kill you."
"Look, this time I swear, it wasn't my fault."
"Somehow, that's doubtful."
"Where is Nadia?"
Everyone turned around and looked at Sayid. Kate turned back to her son questioningly. Hunter shrugged, "We don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Weren't you all together?"
"We were… We don't know what happened."
Kate shook her head, "You don't know where your brother is?"
Hunter shrugged, "The last time I saw him he was fighting with Adam."
Kate looked over at Charlie who held his son around the shoulder with one arm. The other hand rubbed over his face. He shook his head. She looked up at Jack who looked equally worried and Sayid who suddenly looked old and tired.
Sayid took a breath and motioned for them to head back to camp, "Alright boys. I want you to tell us everything.
Night. Back at the camp.
Kate emerged from the hut biting her lip. She walked toward the group gathered around the fire.
"Hunter's asleep." She sat down next to Jack in the sand and looked at the faces around the circle. Charlie nodded.
"Yeah, I finally got Jake to go to sleep. He kept trying to tell me about the light."
Shannon laughed bitterly, "Well, isn't that great for you guys. The comfort of knowing that your child is safe in bed."
Sayid wrapped his arm around his wife as she stared angrily into the fire. Kate's head fell to her chest.
"We still have kids out there too. This isn't over for us either."
Jack jumped in before Shannon could answer, "Look. This isn't over for any of us. Not while any of the kids are still missing. And that's what we've got to focus on right now. We've got to find a way to get the kids back here."
Hurley nodded emphatically, "I'm with you man. But dude, what's with this light they keep talking about?"
Kate shook her head, "It doesn't make any sense. The whole story. The light. The voices…"
Sayid shrugged, " I know a couple of us can testify to the fact that it is not the first time the whispers have been heard." He looked pointedly at Jack who nodded.
"He's right."
"But it still doesn't make sense. What about the light? What about the other kids? Did they just disappear?"
"You're still asking the wrong questions."
Everyone spun around and stared at Locke as he stood at the edge of the group. He looked back at them pointedly.
Sayid shot to his feet and began to walk angrily toward the other man but Jack stopped him. He held a hand against his chest and looked at him sympathetically, "Why don't we try and listen to him?"
Sayid just scowled and Jack turned back to look at Locke.
"Alright. Then what questions should we be asking? We're listening. Now talk."
Locke looked around the group to make sure that he had their full attention. Then he nodded.
"Boone and I found something."
Shannon glared at him, "What?"
"We found something. Twenty years ago. Back when Ethan kidnapped Claire. We found something."
"And what did you find?"
" A hatch."
Everyone stared at him with blank expressions. Sayid spoke up first, "A hatch? Leading to where exactly?"
Locke shrugged, " That's what we wanted to know. So, for the next couple weeks we went back and attempted to dig it up. Try and open it. Of course, it didn't work. And then Boone died… so I left it for a little while."
Jack looked at him questioningly, "Where exactly is this hatch? We've combed this part of the island pretty well. No one has ever seen anything."
Locke shook his head, "You don't look in the right places. Maybe you weren't supposed to find it."
Shannon let out an exasperated sigh, " I can't believe we're listening to him. He's crazy. He doesn't make any sense."
"What does this have to do with the children Locke?"
" I haven't been back to the hatch since Boone died. But I went last night after I left the camp. I noticed something that I missed before. On the side of the hatch. There are numbers inscribed in the side."
Hurley looked up at him with an odd look on his face, "Numbers?"
Locke pulled out a piece of paper, "I wrote them down." He squinted at the piece of paper, "Oh yes, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.
Hurley's face went white and he tried to speak but Shannon interrupted him, " 4, 8, 15, 16… Those were the numbers on the hatch?"
Locke nodded and Shannon's swallowed, her breath beginning to catch in her throat.
Everyone was quiet until Hurley began speaking in a quiet voice, " I used those numbers… I… I did this."
Everyone looked at him strangely until Shannon spoke up.
"You used those numbers?" He nodded. Shannon bit her lip and looked up at Sayid, "So did I."
Hurley stared at her in shock and Locke watched the group with a quiet smile.
"What do you mean you used the numbers? How could you…?"
"I used them too."
Everyone swung around to look at Kate. She had tears in her eyes as she stared into the fire. "I've used those numbers before."
Jack looked around in confusion and held up his hands, "Okay, anybody else used those numbers?"
Everyone looked around at each other. Charlie cleared his throat, "What if we haven't used them? What if they just… mean something to us?"
Jack looked at him strangely, "Okay… that too. Anybody else?"
Michael's hand went slowly into the air along with several other people gathered around the fire.
The entire group was quiet as they stared around at each other. Over the years they had come to realize the small connections they held to each other. But this… this was too… weird.
Suddenly Sayid's eyed widened, "Wait a minute. Those were the numbers on Danielle's map. I have seen those numbers before."
Hurley nodded, " She heard those numbers on a transmission. That's how she ended up on the island."
Everyone stared at him and he shrugged, "I know. I know. I should have told you earlier. I didn't think… I mean I thought… I thought this was my fault."
"This wasn't your fault. This wasn't anybody's fault." Locke looked around the stunned group, "Now, listen to me. You've all sat around here trying to make do for twenty years. It's time for you to start looking for some answers. Figure out why you're here. How you got here. Starting tomorrow. I'll take you to the hatch. We'll figure out where your children are and you can finally start living your lives."
He took one last look at them, then turned and walked away leaving them to stare at each other in silence.
Okay, kinda short update. Next one should be longer. And eventually more questions will be answered. I promise.So please read and review!
