"…and then you have to melt loads of butter all over it, oh god I'd kill for a crumpet. And tea, proper English tea, really strong, you cant beat a cuppa, that's definitely the first thing Ill do once we get off this dump.."
Kate sighed, letting Charlie's rapturous fantasizing tune out as her attention drifted. For the fifty millionth time that night she pulled her sticky vest away from her skin in a vain attempt to get some non-existent breeze against her clammy skin. The air was stifling, she was in an impatient mood, the whole island seemed to be crawling, buzzing with human beings, and Kate wanted nothing more than to be alone. Cool and alone. Focusing back in on Charlie's monologue, she caught still more food talk; the man was clearly going to gain about 30 pounds the minute they set foot off the island. Not we, they, Kate reminded herself with a pang. As much as she was about to throttle Charlie right now, it unnerved her to admit that she had become very used to other people's company recently. Despite the fact that they were on a large deserted island it was incredibly hard to go for long without bumping into people; people who invariably wanted something from her; fetch more water, fetch Jack, start a fire, help me cook, am I doing this right, can I eat this fruit? She was beginning to know why Jack was often frustrated; for some reason that was utterly perplexing to her, people seemed to turn to Kate for advice or help. Not for anything major, it wasn't like she could hunt like Locke, fix people like Jack or grow medicine from what looked to everyone else like weeds, like Sun. But Kate seemed to give off a capable sort of vibe, that suggested she would know what to do better than most people in any given situation. Kate supposed it was her own fault for getting involved in island events from the start, but it was beginning to unnerve her; it was exasperating but also perversely satisfying. For as long as she could remember before getting on the plane, no one had needed Kate Austin, and she had not needed anyone or anything but her own wits to survive. Now she was worried that if she got off the island (no, When. When she got off the island, Kate corrected herself, stubbornly forcing herself to have optimism) she would find it too hard to be alone again. But then Kate's patience snapped as she heard the word "crumpets" again from Charlie; enough company for now. She yawned loudly and pointedly, then cutting in,
"Hey Charlie, sorry but I'm exhausted, do you mind if I get some rest?"
Charlie looked at little surprised and put out to be cut off so shortly, but he was too good-natured to get offended very easily; one of the reasons why Kate got along with him so well despite the annoying tendency to jabber for hours.
"Uh, sure, okay, guess its getting late. Well, I best be off then".
He got to his feet, waving her goodnight. Kate smiled warmly up at him, exasperation forgotten.
"Night Charlie".
As his footsteps scrunched away across the sand, no doubt headed in Claire's direction, Kate lay down on top of her bedroll and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.
After what she guessed to be about an hour, Kate sat up, growling with frustration, wanting to scream. She was so sticky she felt like human flypaper, not a whisper of a breeze disturbed the muggy, humid air, and she could think of nothing but the beach she had discovered yesterday. She had come across it whilst looking for fruit, the patches near to the beach and the caves being all but bare now. Heading far into the jungle in a direction she hadn't explored before, she had let curiosity get the better of her and wandered for a few hours. It hadn't occurred to her to worry, as it was still morning and she had a good sense of direction. When the trees had thinned out and she had found herself staring out onto a beautiful little cove, she had forgotten all about food. Unlike the wide open sweep of coastline where the camp was, with its rough currents and monotonous view, this secluded corner was a hidden paradise. Sloping down sharply from the tree-line, the rocky curve created a sheltered inlet, where the water was calm and deep blue. Kate had been unable to resist, and stripped off and dived straight in. Now, stifled by heat and humidity, Kate longed for the cooling touch of water on her skin. Whilst Locke had told them all not to swim in the ocean at night, due to the strong current and maybe sharks (though no-one had seen any yet) Kate couldn't imagine any dangers from her secret little cove.
Looking around her, she saw only one fire still burning, and that a way away; everyone else must be asleep. She was decided. Quietly and slowly she stuffed her towel and spare panties into her rucksack. She cursed her luck again at being practically the only person who had flown without swimwear in their luggage. She knew Shannon had a spare bikini; Kate was sure she had seen her in at least 3 different ones, and Shannon would probably have at least lent her one if she asked. But somehow Kate hadn't asked; it was just one more thing to mark her apart, to remind her that whilst lots of the other passengers had boarded the plane as holiday makers, she had got on handcuffed to a US marshal with only a handful of clothes. Kate pushed these thoughts away from her, and, retrieving her knife from its hiding place, thrust it into the waist of her pants, just for luck, she told herself. She glanced around at the other shelters before she stood up. Sawyer's was noticeable even in the dark for being far more elaborate and better constructed than the others. Kate stared a moment, making sure there was no sign of movement, before getting to her feet and making a beeline for the trees. As she reached the tree-line, and peered into the intense darkness, she felt a momentary qualm; was it really such a good idea to take off into the jungle on her own like this? But then her confidence in her ability reasserted; it was simple enough to get to the cove, she was surprised no-one else had found it. And she was armed, what could go wrong? Pressing her pocket to check the torch was there, she slipped into the trees.
Kate had planned to switch on the torch as soon as she was away from the camp, but once she realised her eyes had adjusted well to the dark she decided to save batteries. It wasn't a dark night, and there was just enough light even in the jungle to see the path. She ploughed ahead confidently, knowing it would be at least another half hour before she needed to leave the well used path. Ten minutes later Kate froze in her tracks. Something about the crunch-snap she had just heard behind her was different, she knew instinctively, from the countless night-time jungle noises she had heard so far. It came again. Silently Kate slipped off the path and moulded herself behind a tree. Sliding the torch from her pocket and her knife from her waist, she waited, nerves taut, as the sound came closer, ready to spring on her opponent, or else throw herself up the tree if it was a boar or something. But Kate was pretty sure it was being too quiet for a boar. By the time the sound was within 20 foot of her she was sure it was human; she could hear the breathing. And no-one on an innocent mission would be sneaking about like that.
Very carefully Kate peered round her tree, her heart hammering against her chest, her mouth suddenly bone-dry. She was no longer too hot. She felt a thrill of fear as she spied her stalker, a dense dark outline against the trees, but she could make out no features. She was sure it was a man, and he was very close. Ducking her head back, willing her panic down, she measured his progress by the sound of his feet as he crept onwards. When she was sure he was just level with her tree, not a moment before, Kate suddenly threw herself onto her attacker, ramming her shoulder into his chest with the full force for her weight and adrenaline. Her stalker gave a shocked yell, and crashed to the ground, Kate on top of him. Before he could recover, Kate whipped up her knife, lightening fast, and pressed it to his throat none too gently, then taking advantage of his shock, with her other hand trained the flashlight directly into his face and flicked the switch.