A Simple Affliction
A/N: The inspiration for Ralph's injury came from the 1963 film of Lord of the Flies. During production, the boy playing Ralph (James Aubrey) fell ten feet off the cliff by the fire set and fractured his ankle.
Strangely, in the later 1990 version, the boy playing Ralph (Balthazar Getty) broke BOTH his wrists. It seems the part may be cursed…O.O
Summary: What caused Jack Merridew to fall into ruin? What if something happened which changed the events on the island?
Disclaimer: Lord of the Flies belongs to William Golding. Don't sue, you'll only get a half empty jar of old fashioned jelly babies.
Warnings: Nothing really. Due to demand, I've decided to make this light slash. Nothing beyond a bit of kissing, really.
Rating: PG13 American, 12 English.
The story is told from the points of view of many of the characters, so it may be a little confusing at times. Apologies!
Chapter 5
Jack had never actually properly hit anyone. A few angry knocks, maybe, sometimes in self defense, sometimes not. But never with completely malicious intentions.
And certainly never to kill.
He had wanted to hurt Piggy, for the tiniest fraction of a moment. Wanted to kill him, rid him from this hellhole of a world. Wished with all his heart for the fat freak to stumble and fall, like a ton of bricks, down, down, and to grin sadistically when he heard the melodious squelch of flesh on rock.
It was quite different, sickeningly so, when Ralph fell instead. And Jack finally knew what real fear felt like.
He vaguely heard himself call the fallen boy's name, and found himself rigidly frozen to the spot, unable to move. Ralph's honey brown eyes, wide with shock, fear and perhaps a little hurt, were imprinted upon the forefront of his mind's eye.
"I…I didn't mean…"
The crowd had rushed forward, staring over the edge of the cliff, but Jack couldn't bring his legs to move. Instead, he swung abruptly around, molten fear filling the pit of his stomach like lead. He swallowed, his thundering heartbeats choking him.
Just ahead, Jack could see Simon hastily swing himself over the edge of the nearest way down he could see. The cliff was not sheer, nor was it even that high; only about ten feet. But it was enough. Just enough.
Jack glanced back at the onlookers; at Piggy, for once shocked into silence, still seated on his fat behind, clutching his glasses. A few scattered littluns were huddled together, crying quietly, as though mourning. Jack felt his stomach give a nasty jolt.
He raised his head, and met the intense gaze of Roger; who was leaning lazily against a nearby rock. The other boy's face was almost completely impassive, besides a slight furrow to his brow.
"Simon? Is he…?"
Maurice, of course. Maurice was one of the few besides Ralph, Piggy and Jack who had the courage to speak his mind. He was only about a year younger than them, and one of the eldest of the biguns.
There was a tense silence, then Simon's strained voice called up from down at the bottom of the cliff.
"He's breathing, I think."
At these words, it seemed the spell was broken; and Jack spun about, hurrying over to where Simon had climbed down. He kept his eyes determinedly focused upon the rocky crevices which littered the path down the cliff, refusing to look towards the inevitable until absolutely necessary.
He could feel their gazes upon him now, burning into the back of his head like the midday rays. He swallowed thickly as his feet hit the bottom of the cliff, and stood still, before he turned sharply around.
Simon had knelt beside the fallen boy, and Jack could only see a shock of fair hair, crimson liquid solemnly pooling beneath it.
He felt the sudden urge to retch, but hurried forwards nonetheless, slowing as he drew closer. Ralph was pale. Far too pale, even with darkened skin bronzed by the sun. Jack stood behind Simon, who was gently lifting Ralph's head with the air of one handling a corpse.
"I don't think his skull's fractured. Just a bit bruised. Skin's broken."
Simon murmured, more to himself than to Jack. Jack frowned as he eyed the fallen boy's body up and down, feeling suddenly cold despite the heat of the sun. Ralph looked almost like he could be sleeping; fair hair resting lightly on flushed cheeks and long, bleached lashes casting deep shadows.
Jack swallowed; why, he wasn't sure.
"He might have concussion."
Simon lifted Ralph's head up into his lap, the better to look at the apparent gash hidden in his hair. Jack felt a stab of an emotion quite unlike guilt, or anger. Before he could define it, he dismissed it with grim severity. It raised too many questions. Questions he didn't have the answers to.
Suddenly, Jack gasped.
"Is…his foot meant to be twisted like that?"
Simon's head snapped up, and he glanced down at where Jack was hunched over Ralph's left foot. Gingerly, Jack reached out to touch the blemished flesh. Ralph's foot was twisted at a slightly odd angle, a raised swell in his shin beginning to bruise terribly.
Jack touched the bruised area, then drew back as Ralph made a strangled choking noise, and his dark eyes flew open, seeming impossibly wide for his pale face.
"Hold him!"
Simon grabbed his arm and pulled him down to where he was sitting, and abruptly placed Ralph head on Jack's lap instead. Jack felt heat rush to his face, his arms limp and useless by his side, as Simon scrambled over to inspect the injury.
Ralph whimpered as Simon began to probe the bruise, clenching his eyes tightly shut in a grimace of agony. Jack glanced at Simon, who briefly met his gaze, and indicated for Jack to hold Ralph down.
Jack swallowed.
The sound Ralph made as a horrible snapping sound broke the languid silence was inhuman. Jack gritted his teeth as he gripped the writhing boy's shoulders, feeling Ralph's sharp shoulder blades dig into his fingers. Ralph tossed his head from side to side, a single angry, pain filled tear slipping down from eyes clenched tightly.
"Got it."
Simon sat back, several shades paler, and Jack waited for him to explain himself. Ralph slumped down against the ground the moment Simon moved away, trembling weakly.
"What did you do?"
Jack asked, voice coming out sharper than he had intended.
"It had snapped right out of place. Had to put it back as soon as possible, or he wouldn't walk again."
There was a silence.
"Idiot. You shouldn't have done that."
Jack murmured to Ralph, and Simon flinched almost imperceptibly.
Jack gave him a severe look, looking back down to Ralph, who was staring up at him confusion. He stiffened, as Ralph seemed to study him, frowning, and Jack didn't move as the fallen boy slowly raised a hand to touch the red paint around Jack's eyes.
Jack was frozen with shock as soft fingers slowly, meticulously wiped the paint away, smearing the mask to make way for freckled skin. Once both eyes were clear of paint, Ralph allowed his hand to drop, wincing as it collided with the hard stone. He then narrowed his own honey brown eyes, roving over Jack's face once more.
"…Jack."
He muttered, almost too quietly to hear, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped into Jack's lap, unconscious. It wasn't a question, merely a statement. As though he had expected someone else.
For a long moment, they simply sat, he and Simon, as the hordes of boys cautiously made their way down the cliff and gathered around, avoiding Jack's gaze. Muttering soon began, and Jack vaguely listened, eyes affixed on Ralph's face, which looked almost peaceful now.
"Is he alright?"
"He's…he's not dead, is he?"
"Jack pushed him. Why, Maurice? Jack's Ralph's friend…"
"SHUT UP!"
Jack roared at the offending littluns, which squeaked like a petrified piglet and hid behind Maurice's shirt. Jack scowled around at the faces, all shades of pink, and abruptly began to bark out orders.
"Everybody, back to camp. Maurice, gather the littluns together by the platform. You…Robert, is it? Get some clean water from the river. Roger, I'll need some fruit."
While the hustle and bustle grew around them, Jack beckoned to Simon, who crawled forwards to hear what Jack was saying over the chaos.
"Simon. Is he all that bad? Besides the leg?"
He tried to keep his voice casual, but even he could he the uncertainty in his tone. Simon shook his head slowly, biting his lip until it turned white, glancing up and down Ralph's beaten form. For some reason, Jack's grip tightened on Ralph's shoulder.
"No…I…don't think so. Besides a bit of bruising, nothing else is really bad. Besides a smack to the head."
Jack glanced up, to see a small huddle of littluns right beside them, staring at Ralph with a sort of revered, horrific awe. Jack scowled at them, and they huddled closer together.
"What're you looking at? Get to the platform! And the rest of you! NOW!"
Jack carefully slid his knees out from under Ralph's head, keep a hand supporting his fair hair. Ralph stirred slightly, but otherwise did not move. The chattering died away as the boys hurried to the platform, filtering slowly into the darkness of the trees.
"Shouldn't we build…a stretcher?"
Simon asked timidly, wary of Jack's testy mood. Jack frowned, glancing about for sticks, or a large sheet of something. Finding nothing, he eyed the bruised injury once more and barely repressed a shiver.
"No time for that."
He muttered, very gently sliding one arm under Ralph's knees and the other around the small of his back. He grunted as he hefted the limp body up, wincing as Ralph's head lolled against his neck, his fair hair tickling his collarbone.
He tried to ignore Ralph's uneven, shallow breathing against the exposed skin of his neck as he began to walk at a brisk pace, Simon hurrying to keep up. A sudden, loud exclamation made his breath hitch and he slowly turned around, mindful not jostle his burden.
"Just see what you done now, Merridew! Just see what you done!"
Piggy's words hit home, as the fat boy stumbled over perilous undergrowth and almost fell. Jack's convulsively tightened his hold on Ralph, glaring over the top of the boy's head coldly.
"I can see perfectly well, Fatty."
He eyed Piggy's glasses, perched precariously on the tip of his nose, one lens now shattered and sharded.
"Unlike you."
A/N: So, good? Bad? Too much fluff, not ENOUGH? Review and let me know what y'all think!