Ethan
Black Rock
Sawyer, Locke, Charlie

Ethan's sickly, sweet smile instantly dropped to a scowl as Sawyer rose to his feet. He was about to retaliate when a cold gun, matching Sawyers attitude was pointed at him, forcing him to take a staggering step backwards. Paralysed by astonishment by Sawyers rash logic, Ethan was forced to take another step back, his mind coming to terms with what this man was doing.

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying to force back a slither of fear that rested uncomfortably in his chest.

Sawyer's words hardly penetrated Ethan's ears, as he looked around the cramped space in attempt to find a weapon of defence, or some kind of exit for him to run out of before the Southerner took some ear off Ethan's head.

As Sawyer continued pointing the gun, he gestured for Ethan to move to the entrance of the Black Rock. Finding that the hick was playing into his hand, he gladly obliged and took calm step backwards, smiling and saying;

"Whatever you say, Captain." In a sly, cool voice.

Locke
Black Rock
Sawyer, Ethan, Charlie

Locke watched with almost amusement as Ethan's face turned from a smile to a look of fear. But was it fear? No, he thought to himself. It was a look of fast thinking, there didn't seem to be a look of fear, or a hint of being scared on Ethan Rom's face, he only seemed to look like a child that had just been caught stealing sweets.

"Is this really the way?" Locke questioned softly, unsure if Sawyer had heard him or not. Hearing his voice helped him focus on Charlie's situation, and he gave a simple nod to him; "I'll do whatever we have to, to get Charlie out of this place."

Walking behind Sawyer as he forced Ethan to the mouth of the ship, Locke bent down to the younger man, whose chest was barely moving, and ruffled his hair, smiling down.

"Charlie? I hope you can hear me, it's John. Now, we're going to take you back to the beach. But we need to make pit stops, we're a long way off from the caves and neither of us can make it back in one go."

He took Charlie's arm, and wrapped it around his own neck, and began to raise, halfway, taking Charlie's legs and wrapping it around his shoulder blades. The weight on Locke's already exhausted body, make him grunt, but this only forced him to stand up straight, while straining to whisper to Charlie;

"I'm going to fix this Charlie. I'm going to fix this."

Sawyer
Black Rock
Ethan, Locke (Charlie)

The sound of Ethan's voice ringing through the ship bothered the Southerner to no end. No longer were the words hidden within a counterfeit bittersweet tone, his last remark uncovered the true nature of the vicious stranger; the voice altering to a cunning edge.

Ignoring Locke's query he kept a close eye on Rom. The tip of his gun following every small movement the man made.

"You better not try anything", he warned as he theatrically removed the safety of the gun. "My bullets are faster than your legs and I never miss. Ever. The nice holes in your jungle buddy are the solid proof to that."

Hearing the hunter's grunts Sawyer didn't need to turn around to imagine what was going on behind his back.

"Don't try to be a hero John. We got super Doc for that", he mocked; without taking his eyes of Ethan.

"If you gimme a sec here I'll give ya a hand. You just got poisoned for crying out loud! We won't tell anyone you got help, will we?" His last question was directed towards Rom. Not that he needed an opinion from the other man, on contrary. He was merely making sure the man understood that no matter what other circumstances occupied the Southerner, he wouldn't forget about his presence.

Slowly taking steps backwards, gaze still focussed on Ethan, he placed himself next to the hunter.

"Good thing I got two hands", he joked. "One for the gun...", his grip on the cold metal tightened while saying that, "...and one to carry Sport over here."

A broad, slightly arrogant, grin spread over his face. "I am an all around guy, ain't I?"

Ethan
Black Rock
Sawyer, Locke, Charlie

He shrugged his shoulders, and looked Sawyer in the eye, a sly smile spreading across his wetted lips.

"Oh I'm going nowhere, trust me on that one." He said.

He looked behind Sawyer, at the hunter loading the passed out sap onto his back, and sneered, this time taking a more acidic tone to him;

"Why Granddad, I'm impressed."

Now that Ethan had recovered from Sawyer's stupidity of pulling out a gun, he could improvise his way into safety before a bullet wound soaked his only pair of trousers.

"Want me to stop backing away in fear? Or am I ok here?"

Locke
Black Rock
Charlie, Sawyer, Ethan

"No Sawyer, I'm fine." Locke said through gritted teeth, ignoring Ethan's sarcasm, and the scorching pain in his shoulder blades.

He couldn't let anybody help him with Charlie, regardless of what shape the two men were in. This was his duty to help the young man. After all, they had entered the jungle together, and they would exit it with each other, regardless of whether Ethan had to be killed or not.

"I owe this to Charlie, so if it's alright with you, I'd like to carry this chap back to camp."

He tested out his strength by taking a couple of steps forward, and gave a nod to Sawyer, his way of telling him he could make the journey.

"Keep both of your talented hands on the gun, and keep him shut." He added, giving a strained smile at Sawyer in appreciation.

"Ready for a bit of a hike, Charlie? I want you to keep talking to me, you hear me, boy? You keep talking to me, so I know you're still with me. Got it, Son?" He whispered to Charlie, hoisting Charlie further up onto his shoulder blades.

"Ok, Charlie?"

Sawyer
Black Rock
Ethan, Locke (Charlie)

"Trust you?", Sawyer's snarky reply was. "Funny guy."

At the same time he heard Locke's explanation, the reason for his determination to carry the small British man by himself. Of course a smirk from Ethan wasn't far away. It was almost as if the guy was trying to top Sawyer's sarcasm.

Another reason he hated this man with all his guts. Not because of the competition, the unexpected challenge from the stranger he actually enjoyed. But no, because there were so many characteristics he discovered in this guy that looked so much like his own; too much perhaps. It gave the Southerner an unwanted look inside his own actions and how the outside world must look at him.

Following Ethan's gaze, he allowed himself to shoot a quick glance over his shoulder as well and he had to agree with Rom, he was impressed with the hunter's strength.

"Whatever you say doc", he vaguely replied to Locke; his eyes once again turning towards Rom who was slowly but steady sneaking away from him.

Charlie
Black Rock
Locke (Sawyer, Ethan)

The former rockgod was balancing on the edge of unconsciousness. Swaying back and forth between the gaping black hole in his mind and the painful reality where he felt like he was floating above the steady ground. Locke's soothing words slowly pulled him back to the latter. The pitch black escape falling further out of reach with every word entering Charlie's ear; eventually bringing him back to consciousness.

His eyelids felt so incredibly heavy, the effort to open them was almost not worth it. If only he could stay in the dazed state, not really awake, not really feeling. But people were yelling, words were being thrown back and forth, a heated argument or fight even and they awoke him.

When finally he managed to peek through his eyelashes, the blurry view exposed looked surreal. As if he was still dreaming. It took the British man a full minute to realize the greyish image he was staring at was the ground; he really was floating. His head started to spin, the unnatural position he had opposite the floor made the ex-junkie dizzy till the point of extreme nauseas.

Moaning he covered his eyes with one unsteady hand. Hoping that ignoring the sight would stop making him feel like he was about to throw up every second. Hoping that forcing the bright light away would bring him back to sleep.

Even while trying to push reality away Charlie could hear a voice telling him to keep talking.

"Just make it stop", he almost inaudible mumbled in response. "Make it bloody stop."

Ethan
Black Rock
Sawyer, Locke, Charlie

His body slowed to a halt as Sawyer returned his attention to him, his arms dropping to his sides, limp and lifeless – the difficulty of the situation dawning on him. If Locke could just keep Sawyers attention, he'd have a chance to take some kind of action, rather than just standing and staring at the gun pointed directly at his face. But you couldn't con a conman, and Ethan knew this, so once he stopped shuffling towards the exit, he stuck his hands in the air.

"I think I'm getting claustrophobic, and Locke and Charlie here need to get out, so… We should let them pass?"

He leaned against the ships wooden walls, and gestured to Locke, "After you, John."

Locke
Black Rock
Charlie, Sawyer, Ethan

"Alright Charlie." Locke soothed, working Charlie further up his shoulders making him more secure than before. "We'll get you out of here, when we get into the jungle, maybe we could find some aloe, or something. We'll see." He added, turning his head so he could just see Charlie, and smiled softly.

"After you, John."

Looking at Sawyer, and giving a sharp nod, he began to march past Ethan, muttering in his direction;

"It's Mr. Locke."

Bringing the injured Charlie outside, he took deep breaths of fresh air, and instructed likewise.

"Breathe in that air, Charlie. You've been in that ship for too long, that's why you're not feeling so good, you just need to breathe." He made a moan of false, exaggerated happiness, and took another deep breath. "Ah, that's good oxygen right there, Charlie. You feel it? Is it helping?"

Sawyer
Black Rock
Ethan (Locke, Charlie)

"Well now", was all Sawyer said when he saw Ethan taking control of the situation. His suggestion happened to be the very same one being on the tip of the Southerner's tongue, so no need to cut the man's words off. Yet.

The man heard a vague mumbling coming from the direction of the British man, which could only mean he had miraculously regained consciousness. And though Sawyer was no doctor, hell he didn't even know how to provide first aid; he did realize that some fresh air could do the younger man some good.

"Very well", he continued when Locke had past him. "You go after Mister Locke", using the point of the gun once more to show Ethan the direction he wanted him to go to.

"And remember; this entire mess has really screwed up my lazy day. And on top of it all I missed my beauty sleep. I'll take any reason, any, to shoot you where it hurts most and let this day be not a total waste."

Charlie
Black Rock
Locke (Sawyer, Ethan)

The hunter's soothing words made Charlie drowsy again. But before falling back in a dreamless sleep Locke shook him around a little, preventing the ex-junkie from returning to that motionless state.

He had no energy left to protest when they started moving. With every careful step John Locke took a cutting pain shot through the former rockgod's head.

As they emerged from the old and dim slave ship a wave of sun light fell over the British man. Overwhelming until the point it was all he could see. The bright white blur bringing sparks to his sight, the vegetation becoming neon green rays mingling with the stinging sun light. The jungle spun around and the dizziness returned.

"O bloody hell", Charlie moaned, desperately trying to keep the nauseating light out of his hurting eyes.

Replying to the hunter's query: "I think I am gonna throw up..."