A/N - 'Ello! Just wanted to warn ya'll, there's just a bit of a gory description in this chapter, but it's only about a paragraph.
Chapter 4 – Hurley
When Hurley came home, he waited for something bad to happen. He stayed at his parents' house… as before. They were embarrassingly happy to have him back, his mother especially. She seemed to break down crying and smiling every time she saw him. It was nice, but it got old after a while. Not that he wasn't glad to be rescued… right?
He waited for something horrible, for the curse to continue. He drove himself crazy wondering if it was his fault the plane had crashed, his fault all those creepy things happened, his fault, his fault, his fault. Now it wasn't any different. He was just in a different place doing the same thing.
Hurley gave up one day. It was just too much effort to live with his parents now. It had been about two months after the rescue. He told his parents that he needed his own place.
"Of course, I'll visit you all the time, I just feel like… I need space." He had told them awkwardly, as his mother looked hurt and his father stood arms crossed and stony-faced.
The truth was, he was afraid the curse would take a turn on his family. What was left of his family, anyway. His mind flashed back to his uncle, healthy and fit, all of a sudden collapsing on the road, dead before he hit the ground.
Hurley lived in constant fear. He knew it was time for him to move. Move and try not to get close to anyone. It was a depressing thought, he knew. But he felt like he would be endangering anyone who dared speak to him.
He knew he was paranoid. But so would everyone else be, if it had happened to them.
Hurley stepped into his newly furnished house. It was kind of small, or it could have been much larger in any case. He definitely had money to burn. He looked around unhappily. It was nice, very nice in fact. But he had been here about a month now, and it didn't feel like home at all. It was lonely and void of personality.
It would be nicer if I had a friend or two over every once in while. But he couldn't do that. He was bitter, he knew. But so would anyone else be, if it had happened to them.
He sat down at the table, the table he ate alone at almost every meal. At least he'd lost weight. Not a lot, of course, but it was noticeable. He was sure he'd gain it back over time though. It was just his luck. He leaned his chin on his hand, bored out of his mind.
At least on the island, things were interesting. Sure, they were life-threatening and wierd, but still… interesting. And he wasn't always nagged by his mom as if he had remained eight years old. And you know, boar didn't taste all that bad.
He sighed loudly, and got up. It was time to do something.
As he strolled down the sidewalk, he idly wondered how long it had been since the curse had done something. His brother broke his wrist… but Hurley hadn't even been there. Chances were, it was just a regular accident. What about the French chick?
He thought back, as if he was flipping back pages in a book. He had been wandering the forest one day, fully aware that he was probably going too far. He hadn't really minded, he knew he'd find his way back to the beach eventually. And if he didn't… maybe no one would get mauled by an invisible beast.
That's when he had almost run directly into Danielle.
It had sent his heart racing. He let out a yell, but was calmed to see that it was her, not… Ethan raised from the dead, or something. Then he had noticed that she was covered in blood, and her eyes were unfocused and dazed. He was reminded with a sick twinge in his stomach of a chicken with its head cut off.
"Um… are you… okay?"
Apparently not, because she stumbled to the ground wordlessly.
He remembered panicking, not knowing whether to touch her or not. Hurley had finally decided that carrying her would only make her worse, so he set off as fast as he could to find Jack, trying as hard as he could as he ran to remember landmarks. Besides, he'd probably pass out if he stayed near her another minute. It took almost three hours to bring the doctor back to where he had found Danielle.
She was gone. At first, he wondered if maybe there was a different clearing that he had taken Jack to the wrong place, and her fallen body was somewhere else. But ever-observant Jack grimly pointed out the puddle of dried blood on the forest floor.
Hurley had shuddered, feeling dizzy, and said without much hope, "Maybe she just got up and left."
Jack nodded, but didn't agree, and Hurley knew that his suggestion wasn't the case.
What had happened, nobody knew. Danielle was never seen again. Weird stuff.
And Hurley was blaming himself as usual. But so would anyone else be, if it had happened to them. Weird.
Even weirder that he kind of… missed the island. He missed the soft beach, and the quiet forest, and the warm waves. He kind of liked fishing. He kind of liked this new adventure that he'd never experienced anything like before. He kind of liked pissing Sawyer off. Okay, not kind of. He really liked pissing Sawyer off. He liked Claire and Charlie, the fairy-tale couple with Turnip Head, that adorable little kid. He liked Jack, who knew what he was doing as a doctor and was also a good guy. He liked everyone there, really.
He found himself entering the supermarket. Yep. Comfort yourself with food, you idiot. He reprimanded himself harshly. He walked to the end of the store to the deli. He waited until a man stepped out from behind the back door.
Hurley knew he would sound stupid, but he needed to ask anyway.
"Um. I was wondering. Do you have any boar?"
The deli dude stared at him. "Boar's Head products, you mean? Like, Boar's Head turkey and chicken?"
"No, like, boar. Hairy pig with tusks? Attacks when provoked? Attacks when not provoked? Tastes good even unsalted, or without barbeque sauce? You just have to get used to it, but after a while, it's good, I swear. Of course, it spoils easy, especially when you're on a deserted tropical island and there aren't refrigerators." He knew he was rambling but he couldn't seem to stop.
The deli dude didn't answer, only stared at him some more. Of course he didn't answer. What does someone say to that?
Hurley let out a loud sigh again. "Never mind, dude. Never mind."
He went home in a bad mood, annoyed with himself for acting so stupid, and also feeling a little depressed. In fact, he was feeling more than depressed. He really didn't think getting the mail would make him feel better, buthe was met with a surprise.Sitting inside the mail slot was a magazine, a catalogue, a couple of bills and… a wedding invitation.