3: TAKING THE PLUNGE
Jack squinted as the light from the outdoors threatened to blind him. He shielded his eyes with his free hand, while the other kept a firm grip on Kate's. Everyone on the plane gasped when the door finally opened. As Sawyer waited at the entrance, he received the full blast of the sunlight, and camera flashes. There was so much noise from the plane and the reporters, Sawyer couldn't hear himself think. His mind numbed at the shock of being on the mainland and seeing civilisation. His body tensed. When Jack gave him a gentle prod in the back, he realised that he was supposed to go down, into the mob.
"Here we go." He stepped onto the mobile staircase, and immediately the volume of shouts doubled. With an encouraging look from the Doc and Freckles, he headed down the steps, followed by his fellow castaways.
The reporters instantly swarmed. Sawyer couldn't see an exit from the staircase. Reporters were thrusting…microphones, were they… into his face. Cameras were taking his picture and video cameras were rolling, with shouting reporters, each trying to get his attention. There was a shout from near Sawyer. He swerved around and saw Locke shouting,
"Give us some space! We just got off an island!" While the reporters quickly tried to gather their bearings, Sawyer saw a window of opportunity, and legged it towards the terminal. Many other survivors followed; however, soon the reporters were back in action and caught many of them.
"I thought Sawyer would like the attention. Well, these people never cease to amaze me." Kate thought to herself, as she and Jack made an effort to push through the reporters.
"Make way!" Charlie shouted, as he heaved through the reporters trying to clear a path for Claire and Aaron.
"It's been a while since I had to do this!" Charlie concentrated. This had always been difficult. Last time he had had to push through a crowd, it had been Driveshaft's third gig, and he was searching for Liam. The crowd were not easy. However, this time, he had a baby to get safely through. There was one who wouldn't leave him alone, and Charlie had to resist the urge to punch him in the face. Eventually, he made his way through, with Claire and Aaron safe. Now they had to face the terminal.
"Ready to go again?" Charlie asked, bemused. Claire nodded, slightly frightfully, and they began part two of the perilous journey through the airport.
Closely following Charlie and Claire was Hurley, who was finding it a lot easier to get through because of his size. He pushed anyone who got in his way to the side, and continued onward. When he got through, he was very triumphant and jogged to catch up with Charlie, Claire and Aaron.
Shannon and Sayid kept very close behind Hurley, as he had created a clear path through the reporters. Sayid kept a protective arm around Shannon, and looked on the situation as he had done during his days as a soldier.
Sun and Jin followed Shannon and Sayid. Jin had his arm around Sun as if it were a shield, like Sayid had done for Shannon. Whenever anyone came close to them, he shouted at them in Korean, and they backed away. Sun glanced at everyone nervously, and hurried through the mob, making sure to stay close to Jin.
Young Walt was very overwhelmed by everything. Just a day or so ago, (he can't tell) he was playing with Vincent on a deserted island. His dad was building a raft while he 'borrowed' parts of it to use as sticks for Vincent to chase. Occasionally, he would sneak off to see Mr. Locke, and he would teach him how to throw knives and many other skills useful to hunters. Now, however, he was standing in the middle of a mob of reporters, with his dad's arm shielding him from cameras. Vincent's barks couldn't be heard over the noise.
When it was getting too extreme, Michael picked Walt up, grabbed Vincent's lead, and ran, head-first, into the thick of the crowd. He managed to successfully get the three of them through, grinned to himself, and headed into the second maze.
John Locke was amazed by the ruckus that their landing had caused. He took a deep breath and followed Michael, Walt and Vincent. It was harder than it looked, you saw a gap, headed for it, and then it was filled by another reporter or cameraman. Locke made a path for Rose and the neurotic Lance, because he seriously doubted that either of them would be able to get through the mob safely. Both of them were shaking when they were finally approaching the terminal, and Lance was complaining ten to the dozen. Locke was tempted to push him back into the mob to shut him up, but he wouldn't wish that punishment on his worst enemy.
As the survivors exited, the reporters were disappointed that no one had said anything.