Chapter 4
Charlie pulled himself up and stood panting at the top of the cliff. Ana was far below, struggling slowly up the incline. She may have blackmailed him into showing her the gun stash, but he didn't have to make it easy for her. He grinned and pulled out a bottle of water, dropping his bag on the ground. He took a few swigs from the bottle and let his eyes rove across the scenery. Nice view. Sunlight sparkling on the turquoise sea in the distance, the wild green of the jungle canopy, Ana looking even more miserable than usual.
He screwed the cap back on the bottle and dropped it into the open bag beside him. Ana was getting closer to the top now. Charlie took a step nearer the edge and looked down. He'd never taken the time to stop and look before, and was surprised by how high it really was. Must be a couple hundred meters, at least. Not straight down, but steep enough that if you fell you wouldn't be able to stop, and the momentum would carry you faster and faster until you hit the rocks at the bottom. Suddenly Ana seemed to be in quite a precarious position clinging to the harsh slope, and Charlie hated to think what would happen if she missed a step or lost her balance. It would not be pretty. And Charlie would have to carry her body back to camp, and say, "Sorry, Jack, she fell. It was a terrible accident. No, I have no idea what she was doing up there," and everyone would pretend to be heartbroken that she was dead. The thought made Charlie smile a little.
Suddenly Ana's foot slipped and she slid down several feet. "Whoa, careful there!" shouted Charlie.
"I'm fine," snapped Ana. "Don't talk to me."
"So sorry for being concerned," Charlie snarled back.
"Shut up!"
Oh yeah, she'd be greatly mourned all right. Everyone would gather in the little cemetery and stand around in pained silence. If you can't say something nice...
What would Charlie say if Ana fell? He'd have to explain how he happened to be at the scene. I was taking a walk. I was following her to see what she was up to. I was looking for bananas. Whatever. The one thing he wouldn't say was the truth: I was taking her to the guns because she saw me attack Sun. He wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. If Ana took a tumble his secret would be safe.
Charlie raised his arms and stretched. Why was Ana taking so long? For someone who trained like a marine she was a sodding bad climber. And now she wasn't climbing at all; she had stopped cold. What was she doing? Only a few meters to go and she was just leaning there, flat against the rock like she was trying to sink into it. Hurry up.
I'd be safe, Charlie thought again. Ana was the only person besides Sawyer who knew about Sun. Sawyer wouldn't tell anyone because he would have to admit that although Charlie carried it out, Sawyer was behind it. Little as Sawyer cared what the others thought of him, he wouldn't want this to come out. But Ana, she had no reason to keep Charlie's secret, and she would be able to hold it over him forever, making demands, manipulating him. He'd never get out from under it. He was at her mercy.
But if she slipped again, all his problems would be solved. How odd. He'd be able to keep his secrets and his place in camp, he could earn back the respect of the other survivors, never worrying that someone might betray him. Strange, it made him feel almost hopeful. Not that he would ever wish her dead, not really. But in a way it would be... a relief.
Ana was climbing again. Finally. She'd be to the top soon.
He would never do it of course, but he could make her slip. It would be unbelievably easy. All he had to do was give her a kick, knock her off balance. Not even a kick, just a shove. A nudge. Such a small thing, and this would all be over. Forever. So much for so little.
What was he thinking? He could never do something like that. Could he? When Sawyer told him about the long con and Charlie's part in it, he was horrified. What Sawyer was proposing he do to Sun was unthinkable. And yet, in the end, it had been far easier than he ever could have guessed. He had gotten a rush out of it, getting back at Locke, getting away with something, and even from the act itself. Stalking and striking. The hunt.
If he'd learned anything from the con, it was that nothing was unthinkable. He could do whatever he had to do. And he had to protect himself.
His pulse, which had long since slowed after the exertion of the climb, began to race. His breath came faster and his body tensed, ready to act. Was he really going to do this? She was almost to the top, almost in range. He stared down at her, taking in the movement of her arm muscles as she pulled herself up, the way her dark hair stuck to her forehead as she made a futile attempt to blow it out of her eyes. Just a little closer. It's easier than you think.
Now.
Ana looked up, started to say something, but as soon as she saw Charlie's face she stopped, motionless, her eyes wide.
She knew. He was sure of it.
She was scared. Charlie saw her hand shaking as she grabbed for a handhold. She looked up at him again. Not paying attention to what she was doing, she braced her foot against a loose rock. It gave. Her foot slipped and then her hands, and she slid down, falling backward. She rolled over and over and disappeared from Charlie's view.
"Ana!" yelled Charlie, stunned. He swung himself over the edge and started to climb down after her.
