The two alive remained unconcious. As the camp was frantically moving about, Jack approached the Hobbits and Charlie.
"Oh no..." he moaned, as he turned over the two Hobbits. As confused as Jack was as to why two short men were lying on top of Charlie, he was sobbing nonetheless. No one deserved to have their lives taken in such a brutal way.
Charlie coughed.
"Charlie!" Jack exclaimed, and tried to give him a hug, but couldn't due to the Hobbits.
"I had the most horrible dream..." Charlie replied, almost not paying attention to the sounds and screams around him. "I dreamt that I saw these two small people... and they... they knew something... something dreadful... oh, I'm so dizzy..."
"I'm not so... sure you were dreaming, Charlie..." Jack whispered, and he motioned his head towards the two Hobbits lying on him.
Charlie jumped back, almost kicking the Hobbits off. "Oh no... I remember now..."
"What?"
"Jack... we're not safe here!"
"Tell me something I don't know." Jack joked.
Charlie smirked. "I know... but these... small men... they were trying to warn me... of something... but..." He was near tears. "That shot went off... and... that one died!"
"Aren't they both dead?" Jack asked, concerned and uneasy.
"No, they can't be... only one shot was fired..."
"Brilliant."
"What's so brilliant? One of them died!"
"But we still have a source... we're this much closer to finding Claire, Charlie. Do you understand?"
Charlie nodded.
"Now listen... any information we can gain through this man, we will. We will find Claire Charlie, don't you worry."
Charlie nodded again. "But..."
"But what?"
"They're always watching..." Charlie whispered. "That's what they told me... before it happened."
"Charlie, maybe you can... try to wake up the man. Break the news to him about his friend, and we'll take it from there. I have to take care of everyone else... they're not too pleased at the sound of the gunshot." Jack replied. "We'll talk." He got up slowly, and then ran to Kate, who seemed the most distraught.
Charlie felt horrible. These two beings had seemed so much like brothers... quarreling but then again working as a team. He did not want to be the one to tell him his companion had passed away. Hand shaking, he took hold of the Hobbit's shoulder and shook him roughly.
The Hobbit opened his eyes. "Sir..." Charlie started, voice cracking.
His eyes widened. "Pip!? WHERE'S PIP??"
Charlie lowered his head. Just hearing the worry in the poor Hobbit's voice was enough for him to break down. But, as he did not know how he was able to, he uttered the words, "Your friend... passed... from the shot."
"Passed? No... can't be... not Pippin... no..." denied Merry.
A tear started streaming down Charlie's cheek. "I'm... so sorry, Sir..." He nodded to Pippin's body.
The expression on Merry's face was too difficult for Charlie, or even for anyone to bear. It seemed as if the morning had grown darker just by his bawling. "NOOOO!!!!" he cried. "NOOOOOO!!!!!" He eyed the stream of blood on Pippin's white dress shirt, and sobbed even more, burying his face into his hands.
Jack, hearing the scream, rushed over to Charlie and Merry. "Things don't appear to be going very well," he whispered to Charlie.
"No... not at all..." Charlie retorted quietly.
"What's your name, Sir?" Jack asked Merry.
There was no answer from Merry.
"Sir?"
Still no answer.
"Jack... please... can you not see the pain he's going through?" Charlie snapped, voice cracking.
"I've learned how to face pain with an apathetic expression, Charlie. Now if you can't tell from the surroundings, we need to get out of this camp and move back to the beach."
"No." sniffled Merry.
"What?"
"You can't go back to the beach... it's far worse." Merry warned. "They can see even better there... everything you're doing, everything..."
"Jack!" called Kate. "Hurley's not... looking... too good..."
Jack groaned. "I'll be right there!" Jack rushed back over to Hurley and helped him.
Merry's eyes were bloodshot red. "Charlie..." he said quietly. "Just shoot me... take my life, so I can join him... so we won't be separated again, like we were so many years ago..."
Charlie shook his head. "No... Sir..."
"Merry!" he interrupted. "My name is Merry..."
"Okay... Merry... listen..." Charlie lowered his voice to a whisper. "Show me the place where you can tell me what you were going to tell me... now more than ever... we need to know the danger we're in."
Merry stared blankly at Charlie. After a long while, he nodded. "Agreed. But it must only be you."
"What?"
"Only you. I will show only you. And you mustn't tell anyone."
"But..."
"No! Not anyone!" Merry slowly brought himself to his feet. He grabbed Charlie by the arm, and began running with him through the mass of the forest.
And so it began: The ultimate quest of truth.