A/N: Sorry for the long long long wait. I had the worst disease ever, Writers Block. Okay, so here's the plan, I don't know how much more I can continue this story, B/c the well is almost depleted. And I can't believe they are pushing back the Lost season till October! I can't wait that long. This is unfair!

(Yes. It's so unfair. Unusual and cruel punishment. (roll eyes) –WF-) And from Nov-Dec/Jan there's another show taking Lost's time slot. I can't believe they would do this to the viewers! I won't get through this withdrawal. (It's going to be perfectly dreadfully. The whining and moaning is going to be intolerable. I'll bring some cheese to go with all the wining.-WF-)Yeah yeah Writing Fairy you don't know what its like to be a true fan of Lost! (Yes, well, maybe I shouldn't start now then. Then we'd all just end up sitting around bawling our eyes out. Someone needs to retain their common sense, Savvy?) Fine then how bout I tell u Christmas is cancelled! Then will u understand the torture we are going through? ( Christmas? We're did you get 'Christmas' from Lost? They're incomparable. (haughty voice) the spirit of Christmas won't ever die so long as there is one person still believing.) Exactly the same with Lost it will nvr be cancelled as long as 1 fan truly believes. Zing! (Ri-ight. Keep on thinking that…) Fineish, but everyone here knows what I'm talking bout. Ur outnumbered Fairy.

Chapter 10

Charlie walked over to Jack who was attending Desmond, "Hey Jack," He said nonchalantly.

"What is it Charlie?" Jack asked knowing that the man had something on his mind.

"Well, Locke seems to be missing." Charlie told him, "It's just nobody has seen him in camp."

"Why is Locke gone?" Jack asked, not taking in the seriousness of the situation at first, he paused, glanced back at Charlie, his eyes widening, "Wait, John's missing?" he questioned, finally grasping the concept of someone going MIA.

"Yeah," Charlie looked at him strangely like have you gotten enough sleep lately?

Jack stood up immediately to search the beach himself, thinking Charlie may have made a mistake. After all, Locke may have gone to hunt or something.

Jack paused before leaving the tent long enough to ask, "How long has he been gone?" That might help him find out whether he should be worrying or not, at least.

"Uh, no one's seen him all morning."

"And this is unusual how?" Jack asked exasperatedly, pressing a hand to his forehead. Locke was an unusually quiet old man. He didn't exactly hang out joking with the other survivors. He was surprised people even cared.

"Jack," Charlie stopped him, "Have you noticed the guy, ever since he came back from the hatch, he's not been the same. Locke's been moping around the camp feeling sorry for himself."

"He disappeared after Boone died," Jack reminded.

"Okay, if you wanna ignore this be my guest, but half the camp thinks he's gone out to kill himself. He did blow up the hatch."

"Alright. Get Kate and Sayid. Tell them to meet me over here." Jack ordered in an exasperated manner, "But I need to keep an eye on Desmond."

Charlie hurried off to fetch the others and Jack thought to himself about how his father acted right before he left to Australia and ended up in the Sydney morgue. It was possible that Locke was blaming himself for what had happened, but going off into the jungle? Was he really that desperate?

Charlie soon returned with the others and they gathered in front of Jack talking and planning on what to do. So far there was plan A: going into the jungle to try to track Locke and plan B: Waiting until the man returned because he probably was taking a piss or something. This was proposed by Sawyer as he overheard their conversation.

"Locke knows how to take care of himself." Sayid told them.

"But he could have been taken by the Others." Kate said.

"I am not going all the way back there again." Sawyer said immediately, then added in his usual sarcastic voice, "Hell, I don't care what they do to him. Maybe this'll keep Zeke off our asses."

"Unfortunately not all of us can reason as well as you." Kate told him coldly, revulsion clear in the razor sharp gaze she was shooting at him, "But like it or not, we are responsible for everyone here. You can't tell me this hasn't affected you at all. We've all been living together for months and all you can think about is yourself." Kate lectured, a sort of finality in her voice that caused Sawyer to open his mouth to retort, but Jack cut him off adding, "She's right, we are a community, and we do look out for one another."

"Okay, so we should start looking right away. Two groups would be the best course of action. We need two trackers then." Sayid started to set up a plan looking around at the group. Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Charlie, and Kate were standing around him listening intently.

"I can lead one." Kate said.

"Alright, I'll take the other." Sayid spoke.

"I have to stay with Desmond." Jack chimed in.

It ended up being Charlie and Sayid in one group and Kate and Sawyer in the other.

"Oh goody, goody gumdrops." Sawyer said as he looked at Kate like she was going to order him around.

"We'll head west, you can take the east side and we'll meet up at the hatch." Kate offered to Sayid.

"You're the boss." Was all Sawyer said.

The two groups dispersed and headed opposite directions down the beach. They slowly sank into the scenery of the sand and forest, keeping a keen eye for the mysterious disappearing John Locke.

"Why do they get the beach and we get the forest?" Charlie grumbled in a thick British accent. Sayid didn't answer. Charlie wasn't really looking for an answer anyway. They trudged on, passing through mostly the outskirts of the forest. They'd do the perimeter then move deeper.

Sayid looked closely at the ground as they entered the forest. He searched for footprints, broken underbrush, anything that could link Locke to coming through there.

"Do you see anything?" Charlie asked in an impatient, childlike voice.

"No." Sayid replied steadily, "This part of the forest looks untouched."

They continued farther into the jungle by now ithad become a familiar site to them. Whether that was good or bad, it was hard to tell. If they could find the island once they got rescued, it would make a great resort, Charlie imagined. He was knocked from his reverie though by the snapping of a twig and looked around. He might as well put a little effort into finding the old chap. Everything looked normal, or at least what was considered 'normal' on the island. They trudged onward, searching among the trees and lush undergrowth and dense bushes for any sign that anyone or anything had passed through.

Finally, Sayid stopped abruptly and listened carefully. In between trying not to bump into him and his imaginary thriving hotel, Charlie stood behind him, trying to figure out what he was hearing. It was annoying waiting for the ex-soldier to tell him what was happening.

At first he only thought he imagined it, the swishing, clicking sound in the distance, like maracas shaking in the wind. But as he homed in on the sound in an attempt to find out the direction of it, Sayid caught a flash of dark shadow gliding through the forest.

"We should leave." He said quietly to Charlie.

"Huh?"

"Now." Sayid backed up slowly and Charlie got the gist of what he was talking about when a loud bang shook the forest and a tree was ripped out of the ground. They both sped around and ran through the trees pell-mell, barely restraining the urge to scream all hell and bloody murder.

Sayid was in the lead, quickly skirting around large trunks and fallen trees, moving away from the clattering mechanical sounds. Charlie flew off in another direction, maybe not his brightest bloody idea, his lungs heaving heavily as he stumbled through bushes. He glanced back behind him, trying to see where Sayid had gotten to or if the monster was following him. His feet were running on air as he tumbled through the underbrush, falling downhill before he knew it. He felt like a skier who had wiped out and had no choice but to brace for the lurching falls down the slope. Vaguely, he noticed he was hitting hard trees and rocks, his neck bending in an odd direction as he hit something else.

At last, Charlie fell into a shallow pool of water and lay there unmoving. Oh, bloody hell, was his last tangible thought.

A/N: K gotta do this fast b4 Writing Fairy gets back. I'll try 2 upd8 soon. I no its tuff w8ng. Please forgive me if theres a big delay.