Chapter 31- Open Your Eyes

Sawyer blanched. "Kate and Hope are gone?"

"My baby! My baby!" Claire wailed, sobbing into Charlie's chest.

Sayid's heart broke for Claire, Charlie and Sawyer. He knew what it was like to loose someone you loved.

"The others must have taken them." Sawyer said in a hoarse voice. "No one else would have done that."

"How could the others have taken them? We killed Ethan." Jack replied.

"Of course there were more besides Ethan, Jack! How could you be so stupid?" Shannon shrieked. She was on her last nerve and about ready to collapse from emotional exhaustion.

Jack touched her lightly on the shoulder. "Calm down, Shannon. We don't need to have another asthma attack, not now."

"Oh my God." Sawyer looked desperately at Sayid. "What are we going to do?"

Alex watched helplessly as Crow braided a length of vine into a strong rope. Snip was restraining a crying Hope and the third jungle man, who the others called Trek, watched over an unconscious Kate.

Trek, who seemed to be their leader, turned on Crow. "When are you going to have that rope done? At this rate you're going, she'll wake up before you finish!"

"Sorry, Trek." Crow replied apologetically. "I'm almost through."

The men creeped Alex out. She knew they were humans, but everything about them was so…so animal-like. They walked with slightly hunched shoulders and they were so skinny she could see their ribs sticking out. Even their voices sounded like some sort of animal. When they spoke it was hard to make out what they were saying, and their voices were more like grunts.

"Done!" Crow said triumphantly a few minutes later.

"Finally!" grumbled Snip. "This brat is as wiggly as a worm!" he gestured at Hope.

"Oh shut-up, you whiner!" Trek barked. "Crow, prepare the noose quickly, I think she might be waking up."

Alex knelt next to Kate. She reached out to touch her, but then remembered she couldn't.

Instead she leaned over to whisper in the brunette's ear.

"Kate, wake up! Please, Hope needs you. Sawyer needs you. You have to be strong for all of us. Now wake up!"

Kate's eyelashes fluttered and she mumbled something.

"That's it! Wake up!"

Trek had noticed Kate's stirring.

"Hurry up, you fool!" he hissed dangerously at Crow. "Help me string her up."

The two men lifted Kate and slipped the noose around her neck.

"No!" Alex said in a horrified whisper as the others threw the rope around a branch.

"KATE, WAKE UP!" she screamed, absolutely terrified for the woman's life.

At that moment, Kate surged awake.

Back at the beach, Alex did the same.

AN: Muhaha! Bow to the master of the cliffhangers!

lol! Later in the story I'll explain how Kate and Alex woke up at the same moment. Chapter 32 will be coming soon, I'll probably post it on Monday or Tuesday...if you're lucky!