Charlie awoke in a cold sweat. His hands were chained above his head to the wall. He was in a sitting position. There was a searing plain shooting up and down his chest. It all started to come back to him. Ethan, Jack, Jacob, him being stabbed? How could he be alive if he had been stabbed? He looked down to see a large red stain on his shirt and through a the cloth put on his chest by Jack. Just breathing was highly painful for him.
"Jack," he moaned.
"Jack" he said a little louder.
There was a muffled noise coming from Charlie's right. He knew what it was. It was Jack in the room beside him.
"Charlie," Jack yelled.
"Charlie are you okay."
"Depends on what you mean by okay," Charlie panted short of breathe.
"All right Charlie, just breath and you'll be fine," Jack said panicking.
Charlie's blood loss was great and Jack knew that. Jack wished more then anything that he could be at least in the same room as Charlie was.
Charlie was beginning to feel light headed. "O shit Jack, I'm gonna die here," Charlie said.
"No, Charlie your gonna be fine, just hang in there," Jack replied.
Charlie could barely hear Jack's words. All her heard was a ringing in his ears. His eyes were beginning to darken. He was breathing heavily. He felt like he was going to throw up and the ringing grew louder in his ears. He could here a mumble of words being spoken to him but he couldn't make them out. He moaned a little, them passed out.
"Charlie, Charlie man can you hear me. O shit Charlie answer me," Jack yelled.
Jacks yells went unanswered. He was hoping that Charlie had only passed out.
"It's all my fault," he said to himself. "I should have been faster and we would have made it back to the beach."
"Don't blame yourself", a voice said,
Jack whipped around to see Claire about five feet from him. She was barely visible in the dark.
"Have you been here the whole time," Jack asked.
"I only just woke up," she explained.
Jack sighed. He was wondering what their next step would be. He was brought out of his dazed thoughts by a wailing sound. Claire was crying.
"Claire what's wrong," Jack asked gently.
"What's wrong, Jack are you blind? We have just been kidnapped, our children are starving to death in the middle of the jungle, Charlie is probably dead in the next room and," Claire stopped. She burst out into more hysterical tears.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this. Everything was fine up until now," Claire cried.
Jack didn't know what to say. He wanted to comfort Claire but hell what would he say. Everything will be okay? Jesus he couldn't even convince himself that everything would be okay. He looked up at the thick chains holding him to the wall. All he wanted was to break through them but that would be impossible. He knew that counting to five wasn't going to work this time. All his hope had been lost, leaving him to feel helpless.
"When I was little and I was scared," Claire began to speak.
Jack turned to listen to her.
"My dad would always sing to me 'Catch a Falling Star'. God after he sang it to me I felt like there was nothing to be afraid of. The sad thing is I can barely remember the words," Claire said.
"Yeah well I guess four years out of civilization will do that to you," Jack answered.
"Four years," Claire said, sounding distant.
"Yep, four years," Jack said silently.
Claire became silent. She was exhausted. All she wanted was to go back home. Not home to the beach, home in Sydney. She missed her mothers short, bobbing blonde hair and her fathers clean and slick brown hair. She missed her younger sister, Andrea. Claire tired to think. When she left Australia she was 23. Now she was 27. By now that must have made Andrea 22.
"What did you leave behind Jack," Claire asked.
"What," Jack asked?
"What family did you leave behind," Claire said.
"Just my mom,' Jack sighed. "I was flying back to the U.S. for my dad's funeral."
"I'm so sorry Jack," Claire said.
"Yeah well I guess I was just having a bad week," Jack said.
"A really bad week," Claire corrected him.
"Yeah," Jack chuckled.
Just then they heard the door slam. A light came on, nearly blinding Claire and Jack. They looked up to see Ethan.
"Thetas the end of your lovey dovey talk," He said, grabbing Claire by the hair.
Claire let out a yelp in pain. He undid her chains and knocked her to her knees.
"Take it easy man," Jack yelled.
"Shut up," Ethan said binding Claire's hands.
"Where are you taking me," Claire asked.
"I'll take you where I want to take you," Ethan said slapping her across the face.
Her nose began to bleed pouring down over her lip.
"Say bye Claire," Ethan said.
"What," Claire gasped.
"You didn't actually think I was going to let you live, did you," Ethan asked, pulling Claire to her feet by her hair.
Claire began to scream but Ethan gagged her.
"Bye, Jackie," Ethan said grabbing Claire's hands and waving them to Jack.
"Ethan, let her go, take me," Jack yelled.
"No, I like to be rid of the weakest first," Ethan said.
Ethan led Claire out of the room. Jack was screaming at Ethan while he left.
"Don't you hurt her you bastard. Let her go. Claire follow the sun when it is setting, it will lead you to the beach," Jack yelled.
Tears were streaming down Claire's face and Ethan slammed the door behind him. "Make one move and I will slit your throat," Ethan said putting the knife in Claire's face. Claire looked at it wide eyed. "Got it", Ethan asked.
Claire nodded, and then was pushed out into the vast jungle.