Sharpsnout: thanks for the review! i'm glad you liked it :-) ew finals. yucky lol

note: okay, yeah, this chapter doesn't surpass more than 500 words, but i feel bad for not posting more often, and this is as much as i can get out tonight, cause of finals and projects and stuff. another chapter will be up tomorrow. i'm really sorry for the shortness of this one! the next one will be longer, i pinkie swear :-)

They half-collapse, stunned. They were here? They came back? Why? When?

More gunshots pierce the air as they try to piece together different random parts of the situation. Could they get killed? Could their whole civilization be wiped out by this attack?

Or did they just come for captives? Imagine the possibilities. They don't want to. But you can, if you want.

"How long have they been here?" Ari asks.

"Not long. Maybe five minutes," Claire answers.

"Who's fighting them?"

"Basically, everyone who has a gun, or anyone who was able to get one from Sawyer."

Aaron begins to cry from all the havoc going on around them, and Claire tries desperately to soothe him, praying that his wails wouldn't be heard over the gunfire.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay," she coos. "It's going to be all right. Mommy's here. Mommy's here."

"Do you think we could get some guns?" Jake asks in a low voice.

"Are you crazy? You want to go out there?" Ari asks.

Jake nods, picturing himself blowing the brains out of one of them, their blood staining the sand, just as his mother's did. He wants revenge. And he'll get it alone if he has to.

"I'm going," he says, standing up. "If you're coming…"

Mike looks hesitantly at Ari. Ari shifts his jaw in thought. He shakes his head slowly and shrugs. "We've been through this much," he muses.

Mike bites his lower lip. "Okay," he says, standing up. "But where do we get the…um…the guns?"

He's uncomfortable with the situation. Jake can tell. He's seen too much already. It's like he's been through a war and lived to tell about it, just like a grandpa would.

"They must be in Sawyer's tent," Ari mutters.

"Which would be…where?"

"Eh. Somewhere. It's big, isn't it, Jake?"

Jake nods, trying to mentally prepare himself for what he's about to do. After a few minutes, he's not sure if he can do it anymore. Shooting a guy down in cold blood. Could he really make himself do it?

They did it to your mom. Your mom is dead because of them.

But could he do it to them?

Of course. All you do is make sure it's loaded, aim, and pull the trigger. Bam, bam, bam.

What if he misses?

Shoot again. Get your revenge.

What if he gets shot?

Then you get shot trying to avenge your mom's murder. You'll get shot a hero.

What if he dies?

Then you'll see your mom again.

He hates the voices in his head.