"So."

Hurley had never thought that one syllable could bring out so many emotions in another person. He had just walked over to say hi to his old friend, who he realized had been conspicuously missing the past few days, and suddenly the Brit was crying and shouting and making other incomprehensible noises while sobbing loudly on his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, dude!" Hurley said, patting his friend on the back, "Breathe, man, breathe!"

Obviously breathing was something Charlie hadn't considered vital, because he continued to ramble onto an oblivious Hurley.

"So," Hurley started, attempting to get some leverage in the conversation, "Where've you been?"

Obviously this was something Charlie had already informed Hurley of, because he gave him a nasty look, and said, "I've been in the jungle, mate. Y'know, the place with the trees?"

Hurley paused, "The jungle? You've been in the jungle?"

"Yes," Charlie replied again, "I've been in the sodding jungle. And having a real fine time of it, I was."

For the first time Hurley noticed that his friend was covered in tiny scratch marks, obviously from all the branches and trees in the depths of the jungle. He also looked a bit frantic, not that that was any different for the energetic rock star. "Why were you in the jungle, man? Don't you know it's like…dangerous? With the 'others'?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, "No, Hurley, I had no bloody idea it was dangerous. It's not like the last time I met up with some 'others' I got strung up by my neck from a tree or anything. No, I just fancied a walk, and just decided not to come back."

"For three days?" Hurley asked, noticing even more now that the shorter man looked a little disoriented, "Are you okay, man? Should I go get Jack?"

"No!" Charlie shouted, "Bloody hell, I'm fine!"

Hurley might have believed him, if Charlie had not taken that moment to casually swat away something from in front of his face. "Damn bees." He remarked, swatting both his hands out in front of his face, "Always bothering me…"

Hurley paused again, staring curiously into the other man's face, "Charlie, dude, there aren't any bees."

His friend looked livid, "What the bloody hell are you on about, mate? There are bees everywhere; they won't leave me the sodding hell alone!" The slightly dazed young man took this opportunity to swat away a few more non-existing bees, and mumble, "Bugger!" under his breath.

"Wow, dude…" Hurley said, "Maybe I should get Jack, you seem kind of out of it."

"Out of it?" Charlie asked, his eyes growing large, "Out of it? I'm out of it? Why don't you ask that little sod behind you who's out of it, I reckon he's a bit dodgy looking. Been following us all over!"

Hurley turned with a start, but, noticing nothing but trees behind them, turned back to his friend worriedly. "Charlie, dude, there's no one behind us."

He watched the British rock star fan away a few more bees before replying, "Well no, mate, you prat, he just ran off. Just missed 'em. Probably just came from the store, he had a cart with him." Charlie shrugged nonchalantly, and started humming a tune of some sort.

"The store?" Hurley asked, feeling as though all common sense previously instilled in the conversation had just been lost, "What store?"

"The one over that way, I don't know!" Charlie shouted, throwing his hands above his head and pointing in the general direction of somewhere to the left.

Hurley gently took his friend's shoulder, and began pushing him towards the camp. Obviously something was very wrong with him, judging by the way he was still frantically swatting away invisible bees. "Are you sick, man? Maybe you caught something. You sound pretty delusional."

"No!" Charlie shouted, shrugging off Hurley's guiding hand with a jolt, "You're the one that's sick, mate! They're just not telling you!" He began waving his arms around in frenzy, his eyes wild. "They're all off their sodding rocker, following me all over!" He began scratching at his neck, which was already very red with scratches, "And I've got this rash, you see, because this boar told me to rub it with a leaf, the git, and it made me break out…"

And before Hurley knew it, Charlie was back to shouting, crying, and talking incomprehensibly. "Come on dude, seriously, we've got to go see Jack…you're kind of worrying me, man…"

And before he could give Charlie a push forward, the younger man fell forward with a thump onto the ground, unmoving and silent.

…