Chapter 4

"What are you talking about? He just ran off into the jungle!" Sawyer found himself screaming uncontrollably. He was beginning to lose his temper and Jin constantly shouting "Michael" was not helping.

"I told you, when I woke up I saw him running off," Libby explained again. "He was too far by the time I stood up to go after him."

"Why would he go off into the jungle by himself?" Valerie asked her arms crossed. "Doesn't he know what's out there?"

"Have you been listening to anything we've been telling you?" Sawyer yelled back waving his arms like a wild man. "Mike's kid was taken by the 'Others' and after spotting them yesterday he decided to follow them and he ain't coming back without his son!"

"Well, we won't be seeing him again," Valerie replied shaking her head. "He's as good as dead." She knew the "Others" would most likely torture Michael to the point where he wished he was already dead.

"Why you little," Sawyer took three forceful steps towards Valerie. His fists were clenched and all he wanted was to hit her. Valerie took a step back and the Nigerian and Ana Lucia stepped in front of her. Jin grabbed Sawyer's shoulder and tried to hold him back. But though Sawyer was a con man his mother raised him right and he would never strike a woman. "You have no idea the pain Mike went through on that raft when his kid was taken. Don't you ever talk about Mike that way again."

Sawyer finally backed off and immediately began rubbing his wound. The excitement had made it burn more than before and to hide the pain from the others he looked away and walked back to the tree he slept against.

Valerie could not believe how her statement had affected him. For a second she thought he was actually going to hit her, but then something in him made him stop. She thanked God for that. There were so many times when she tried to keep her mouth shut. It got her into trouble so often. However, in times like this, it was difficult.

Twenty minutes later they were back on the trail. The Nigerian had decided to move to shore again. Only this time they remained a little closer to the jungle. It was Sawyer, now, who brought up the rear. He kept a good distance from everyone. So many thoughts were parading through his mind that if someone said anything to him, they would all come shouting out at once.

Valerie was walking next to Jin who occasionally looked at her and shook his head. She could only imagine that he too was mad at her for what she said about Michael. Every few minutes she would glance over her shoulder to make sure Sawyer was still with them. And every time she did he would glare directly at her.

After about an hour and a half of walking, the Nigerian stopped them all for a short break. Valerie took this opportunity to step back and apologize to Sawyer. She stood facing the ocean, the gentle breeze blowing her hair back. Sawyer was so far behind them it took about ten minutes for him to reach her. While he slowly walked by Valerie looked down and said, "I'm sorry."

Sawyer had slowed down, but didn't stop. He clearly heard her, but pretended that he didn't. He was not in any mood for an apology. His entire life he was never one to forgive that easily. And he blamed it all on one person. The man who had taken from him his mother and his innocence. From that day he was never the same. He became a cold hearted and cruel man. He had no friends, no family, and no tolerance for anything.

His fellow survivors had learned to stay away from him. Only Kate was able to read between the lines. The two of them had so much in common he never believed he would find someone like that. Yes, he thought she was hot and if he had met her prior to the crash she would have just been another women on his list of one night stands, but he had formed a relationship with her he had never made with anyone else. That all changed, though, when he met Valerie.

There was something about her he could not figure out. Every time she looked at him he saw secrets behind those eyes of hers and he wasn't surprised. Nearly everyone on this island has come in contact with one another or has somehow been linked to their lives in a very weird way. Sawyer was never one to believe in fate; he heard Locke talk about it many times before, but this crash was somehow changing his perspective. He just couldn't figure out how Valerie fit into all this.

Valerie felt defeated and hurt when Sawyer walked by her without even an acknowledgment. She knew she really had hit a soft spot. Looking back out into the ocean she wondered how she was going to make it right.

Valerie had located the hotel in which her father was staying. The hotel had not yet learned of his death and she told them she was a co-worker, coming for a meeting. She was shocked when the receptionist believed her and gave her the number of the room.

Room 815 was on the 8th floor. Valerie was thankful this hotel still used old key locks. Using her hair pin she unlocked the door and walked inside. She had to find something here. Quickly and quietly she began searching the room. She looked through all the drawers, the bathroom, bed, even the closest, but found nothing useful in her investigation.

Sitting down on the bed she whispered, "Come on dad, give me something."

Then like her father had just answered her prayers she noticed a piece of paper wedged underneath the television stand. Curious, Valerie walked over and slowly started to pull it, being very careful not to rip any part. After about five minutes of pulling she had the entire paper in her hand, only to realize that it wasn't a paper, but a picture.

The picture was of a man with a plump belly and stern face. He was dressed in an ugly brown suit. Valerie had never seen him before, but she could only imagine that her father had. Because written on the back in her father's large handwriting was the name "Hibbs". Below the name was a group of numbers. In front of them was a dollar sign and somehow it all came to her at once.

Her father supposedly borrowed money from this Hibbs and he never got the chance to pay him back. Hibbs most likely hired a hit man to murder her father to send a message for all others to pay him back. That was it. Valerie now had some proof that her father was murdered.

Folding the picture she slipped it in her pocket and left the room. She needed to find this Hibbs to seek her revenge. While walking through the lobby, Valerie couldn't seem to get the sum of money out of her head. It was a strange amount, something she had never seen before. Her father owned this Hibbs $4,815,162,342.

Sorry for the short chapter. I thought that was a good place to stop. Chapter5 will be a bit longer. Thanks for all the reviews so far and I hope to get some more. It's your comments that keep me writing. Thanks again.