In the End
Chapter Twenty-Five
Author's Note: A WARNING once again of major character deaths from this point on! This chapter is rated a potential R for scary/disturbing images. Be aware!
Disclaimer: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" was written by Jim Croce. If you guys don't remember, that was the song that Boone said his dad always used to sing before he died. "Yellow" is by Coldplay. By the way, I'm a Coldplay fan and have nothing against Rent.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Dust to Dust
"That was the last wire," Sayid announced, entering the main room from the hatch from the adjacent room, the one with the larger computer.
"You fixed it?" Boone said with the awe of a child. "Does it work?"
"The man said he fixed it," Locke answered for Sayid with a half-smile.
They all had a reason to be happy. All their work had finally paid off, and after days of being buried under keys and wires, they were certain that whatever was wrong with the computer now, wasn't wrong now. Shortly after the message and following static popped up, the screen smashed to black, and nothing they tried changed it.
"Let's do this then," Boone said. Behind him, Callum nodded in agreement.
One final plug in sent the computer screen into a soft blue glow, and tiny dots began forming into a picture, and Boone could feel the anxiety sweeping through him. Colors began developing into lines, and Boone was sure that these lines would soon turn into lakes or trees. He was wrong.
The lines faded into a bright red color, chased around the screen by a bold white, identical line. A red and white maze formed on the screen, with a small black dot that floated in between the spaces. The four of them watched, too shocked to be angry. Sayid's jaw was set firm, and Boone had a feeling that he knew what was going on. Suddenly the picture changed, and a snake flew up at the screen, with a tounge that was stuck out at them, as if teasing them. Sayid immediately unplugged the computer, furious. For a moment, they just stood in silence.
"What the hell was that?" Boone finally said, jabbing a finger towards the screen.
"A virus," Sayid replied coldly, "a computer virus."
"Doesn't someone have to download those?" Locke asked, puzzled.
"Yes."
"Then that means.." Boone began.
"Someone on this island knows computers," Sayid finished for him, and began pacing they floor, "and they know them well. And someone has one."
"On the island?" Locke asked, sounding totally consumed by this information.
"I would assume so," Sayid added, and then side, bringing a hand to his head, "then again, we may never know, it's just a screen."
Silence followed Sayid's comment, because they all knew this was true. If possible, it made the situation worse, and made Boone feel slightly jealous. This could just be some kid playing a trick. A cruel trick.
"Can you fix it?" Locke asked. He sounded nervous, which made Boone feel even worse. Locke never got nervous, he always knew exactly what was happening.
"Maybe," Sayid said.
He stopped pacing to study the computer intently, as if he could fix it with his stare.
"Then I'll be back soon," Locke announced, throwing his bag over his shoulder.
Boone, Sayid, and Callum(who had been quiet throughout the whole situation) turned to him in surprise.
"People need to eat," Locke explained, "and the boar won't hunt itself."
"You'll be back though, right?" Boone called after him as Locke headed for the exit.
Locke smiled, partially amused at how worried Boone sounded.
"Soon enough," Locke replied, and disappeared into the dark shadows of the adjacent room.
Once Locke was gone, Boone turned to Locke. He suddenly was realizing that he hadn't eaten since yesterday.
"I think I'm going to go with him," Boone decided, staring after where Locke had disappeared, "will you be okay here?"
"I'll be fine," Sayid said confidently.
Boone nodded, and picked his bag off the ground. He almost forgot it was there. Moving in what felt like slow motion, Boone exited the hatch and stepped onto the jungle floor. A wave of dizziness came over him as the sun shown directly on his face, and he caught himself before falling backwards into the hole.
Taking in a deep breath, Boone looked around. Everything's fine, he told him. He let the breath out, and stared down an unfamiliar path. Locke would be fine by himself, and he'd be able to find fruit. Right now, Boone realized that he really just wanted to be by himself. Making up his mind Boone got himself together, and took off down the path that would take him north of the hatch.
The path seemed oddly nicer than the others, perfectly lined with trees that swayed with a soothing breeze. Sun peeked through forest-green leaves that stuck out of branches, leading the way down the path. A soft whispering began, swifting from tree to tree, moving along with the breeze. Boone stopped, listening closely. The whispering soon became recognizable, but instead of a familiar quote or conversation, the whispering was a tune of a son.
Taking off running, Boone followed the whispers closely as he could, cutting paths and corners, not taking note of the direction he was going in. A clearing was coming to view, and of anything, Boone was sure that the whisperers would stop there. They wouldn't be in the open. He slowed his run as he neared the clearing, and the whisperers only got louder. Soon his eyes adjusted to the open land, and it took Boone a moment to realize what he was seeing.
In the clearing was a girl, wearing a long dress. She was very pale, but it was still obvious her hair was beautiful, waving into curls below her shoulders and down to her back. He couldn't tell from the paleness of her skin, which blended in with the color of her clothes, but Boone thought that her hair was blonde. The little girl, no older than eight, was walking around the outskirts of the clearing, taking each step slowly as she laid flowers carefully onto the ground. As she watched the flowers fall, she continued to whistle, and in his mind, Boone could hear the lyrics playing along:
Uptown got its hustlers
The bowery got its bums
Forty Second Street got Big Jim Walker
He a pool shootin' son of a gun
The catchy tune sounded so foreign as it was whistled slowly, as if the little girl wasn't sure of how the tune went and didn't want to mess it up. It was then that Boone realized the girl was planning this whole scene very carefully, as if it was really supposed to mean something important. Swallowing hard, Boone prepared himself for the worst as he forced himself to look down to where she was laying the flowers, but even if his mind, the worst wasn't anywhere near as bad as what was there.
Bodies were everywhere. Boone was surprised he hadn't noticed the smell before. Decaying, caked in dried blood, the bodies lay baking in the sunlight, piled one on top of the other, stacked in almost column like structures, as if they had been placed there. Some were only skeletons, while some didn't look more than a day dead. But they all had similar looks. All were torn, from clothes to skin, bloody and sickly looking. Boone felt like he was going to throw up. He looked back up to the girl, breathing hard to make certain that he didn't stop breathing. The girl just kept whistling, not even awknoledging that someone else is there.
"Who are you?" Boone called to her.
She looked up at the command, and Boone almost fell backwards. How had he not recognized her? It was her, his ghost. The ghost of Locke's little girl that he murdered in the car crash. The ghost he hadn't seen in weeks. She stared at him for a long moment, and a shiver escaped down Boone's spine. It felt like she was apart of him now, and he could've sworn he was hearing her talk through him through the song. Yelling at him, insulting him, doing everything but forgive him. You'd think she would by now. After nearly eight years of haunting him, Boone thought that they could've at least have some term of agreement, like no haunting after nightfall. Or during school hours. Or at work.
The ghost finally looked back down, and continued with this song, humming it this time in a happy tone, very childlike. Of course, she was still a child. She would always be. Boone took one last look at the bodies, already trying to make himself forget the scene. He turned then, tearing down the path back to the hatch. He never even bothered to look back to see if the girl was still there.
(space)
"Hey, what time is it?" Rebecca asked Sawyer, looking up at him.
She looked and talked as if though she were drugged, and the thought of drugging her had definitely crossed Sawyer's mind more than once. Once Rebecca had awoken, she had decided that she didn't want to sleep anymore, and that if she had to remain laying on the ground, Sawyer should at least be required to talk to her.
"I don't know," Sawyer replied for the dozenth time that day, speaking through gritted teeth to keep himself from lashing out at her.
Rebecca's head rolled to the side so that she was watching some of the other beach residence head towards the ocean, not to go in it, but just to sit and stare at the shore. No one ever went in it. It was ironic, really. Most of these people had been dreaming all of their lives of living at the beach, and now that they could, no one was taking advantage of it. They were afraid.
"You hungry?" Sawyer asked her.
"No," Rebecca replied quietly, snapping out of her daze and turning back to Sawyer.
Thinking of their situation only made Rebecca feel more depressed. As she watched Sawyer struggle to clip one of her tops onto the line, Rebecca smiled sadly, thinking of how grateful she was to have him. For the greater period of time on the island, Rebecca had been alone, with no one to talk to, no one to confined in. But now, now she had found someone just as alone as herself, with a story just as sad as hers- maybe even sadder- and with an attention span of a politician. Sawyer would sit there and listen to her babble on for hours, and even though she knew he was probably off in his own world, he was still there.
"You going to the caves today?" Rebecca asked him, half-hoping he'd say no.
"Already did," Sawyer replied, "they send their love."
Rebecca smiled at that. She knew he was probably being sarcastic, but it was a nice thought. Growing up, she never really had anyone there to care about her.
"Finally," Sawyer said, stepping back to examine his work after successfully hanging the clothes on the lines, "I know you want to look nice but did you have to shop in the damn lingerie department? Those things are as slick as silk!"
"I figured you'd like it that way," Rebecca said playfully, a mischievous smile prying at her lips.
Sawyer grinned, reading her mind.
Both of their smiles eventually fading, and Sawyer settled into the sand next to her, and picked up a magazine.
"Well," Sawyer said, opening it, "let's see what's going on with Brad today." He flipped open to a page with Brad Pitt on the front, kneeling down shirtless in the sand with sunglasses sitting on his head, wearing a wide smile. She personally had never been a big finally.
Rebecca rolled her eyes, and turned back to where she had been staring before, letting Sawyer's voice reading the article stay close in her mind as she carefully drifted away. Her eyes threatened to close, and not wanting to fall asleep on him, Rebecca fought to keep them open. Sawyer wasn't the only reason she didn't want to fall asleep, though. Even though he had been telling her over and over again that she'd be okay, Rebecca feared that if she fell asleep, she'd never wake up again. She couldn't do that to herself, or Sawyer. For the first time on the island, she wanted to be guaranteed another day.
To keep herself preoccupied, Rebecca tried to classify one of the flowers she could see clearly from their camp. It was red, with tiny dots on its petals. The image of the flower flickered a few times as her eyes tried to force themselves shut. She gave in for a moment, snapping them down tightly, and reopened them slowly. This time, the image was different. This time, something sat in the sand in front of her, and it took Rebecca a moment to accept it for what it was, because that would be impossible. In the sand before her was Sawyer's letter, then one he threw out days ago. But there it sat, wrinkled free, waiting to be picked up. So Rebecca reached out for it. Grabbing at it with a hand, Rebecca was surprised to bring back nothing but air.
"You okay?" Sawyer asked, sounding like he was further away than he really was.
Rebecca stared at the ground beside her, now bare. The letter was gone.
"Yeah," Rebecca forced herself to reply. She shivered, feeling a cold chill rush through her like blood to a head.
As Sawyer continued to read, she kept her eyes glued to the spot where the letter had been sitting just moments before, trying to convince herself it wasn't crazy. Maybe was just pushed down the beach. It was a windy day, it could happen. She was just turning to look when footsteps sounded on the ground, rushing to their tent.
"What?" She heard Sawyer asked briskly.
"Shannon's missing!" Sun said, her voice in a panic.
"Is Sayid around?" Sawyer asked urgently, glancing around the beach in hopes of seeing him.
"No!" Sun said, the word escaping her with a gasp as she tried to catch her breath. "Boone isn't either!"
"Slow down," Sawyer instructed, placing a calming hand on Sun's shoulder. Sun flinched slightly at the touch that seemed so foreign to her now, but quickly shook the feeling away. "What happened?"
Rebecca struggled to listen as Sun hurried through her story, and before she knew it, others were approaching their tent, standing tall in shadows around her. She felt crowded but didn't complain as Sawyer called for Jack, who was at the beach in seconds.
"She wasn't at the caves," Kate was saying, "I didn't see her in the jungle."
"She wouldn't of gone far," Jack added in for support, standing next to Kate as if the two were master and commander, "I'll go look for her. Anyone who's available needs to try and find Sayid and Boone, but be careful."
"I'll go with you," Kate offered before Jack could turn away.
"No," Jack protested, "she couldn't of gone far."
"If something happens to you-" Kate interjected with worry.
"I'll be fine," Jack said, looking at Kate with full confidence, but with concern for her worry, "I won't be going far."
Kate shook her head.
"I'm coming with you," Kate said in a finalizing way.
Jack sighed, knowing he had no choice.
"Okay," he agreed, and turned back to the group.
"What about me?" Alex's voice spoke up out of the crowd.
Her hands were on her hips, and she already looked frustrated, as if she knew Jack would protest her coming along.
"You're fine," Jack told her calmly, "stay here."
"I want to help," Alex said, "I can help more than any of you."
Jack took a step towards her. He regretted not wanting her to go, because Jack knew she was right, but he didn't want her to get hurt.
"Stay here," Jack repeated. The two of them met eyes. "If you knew anything, you would've said something by now."
Alex swallowed, and looked down. Jack studied her for a moment, and began thinking that maybe she did know something, but she wasn't going to come out and say it in front of everyone.
"Okay," Jack sighed, "tell your mom."
"I can't find her," Alex said.
Jack looked around, wondering what he should do.
"Then come on," Jack said. He turned to Sawyer. "If Danielle shows up-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sawyer said bitterly.
The group headed out immediately, not planning to go as far as they would end up searching.
(space)
"What are you doing out here?"
Danielle turned swiftly, her rifle slapping hard against her back.
"Thinking," Danielle replied harshly.
Locke studied her for a moment.
"With a gun?" He inquired.
Danielle stared into his eyes, possessing not a trace of nerves. It was one of her finer traits.
"I like the jungle," Danielle confessed.
Locke smiled. Amazing how similar they were.
"So do I," he said. He looked around, noting the clouds that were seeping through the sun. For a few moments it had been sunny, erasing the dry, errie morning sky from earlier. But now the day was dreary again, and rain was threatening to pour. "I was just starting a hunt. Care to join me?"
Danielle glanced back towards the beach end of the island, where she knew Alex would probably be waiting for her. After all, she did owe her well over a hundred dollars. Then again, it would be raining soon, so playing cards probably wouldn't be in the agenda.
"Sure," Danielle agreed, turning back to Locke.
Locke's smile widened, almost eerily, and waved towards the jungle, letting Danielle follow him out.
(space)
"Not that far out, huh?" Kate said to Jack in a teasing way.
She smiled, because she knew it was a good thing that she was with him. It was always a good thing when she was with him.
"Do you feel that?" Jack asked, ignoring her gloating.
Kate eyed him.
"What?" She said, looking at him partially in confusion, partially in concern.
"I don't know," Jack said, throwing his hands up and turning around once while still walking. "Just something." He glanced back towards Alex, who had been unusually quiet throughout the search.
She was walking with her head hung low, staring at her feet as she went on. Alex looked sick, like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was. It was a reassuring feeling on the island, but at the moment, it just seemed so much slower.
Above them, the sky began growing darker, and Jack glanced up in worry. The clouds look furious, swirling around in lines of cotton. A breeze blew the trees slowly to the left, then gradually to the right, leaving behind a low whistling.
"Kind of errie weather, huh?" Jack complimented. "Looks like death."
Alex stopped suddenly behind them, and seriously looked like she was about to be sick. Jack didn't notice until she had run off that something was wrong, and could only watch as Alex fled back towards camp, running as if the devil were chasing her.
"Was it something I said?" Jack wondered outloud, puzzled.
Kate rolled her eyes, and brought a hand to her face to hide a fighting smile. Jack turned back towards her, and she knew what he wanted to do.
"Go ahead," Kate said with a smile.
Taking off into the jungle, Jack tried to ignored the thunderclouds that crackled above him, and pushing aside worries of leaving Kate behind. He was reaching closer and closer to the beach, and Jack was beginning to wonder if he had imagined Alex even coming with them.
"Alex?" He called into the jungle. "Alex?"
Silence seemed to lead him down a solitary path, taking him to a suddenly much greener area of jungle.
"Alex?" Jack called again, more worried now.
And then he found her. She was standing in the middle of the path, looking lost in thought, too deep for Jack to understand.
"Alex," Jack said with a sigh of relief, walking to her cautiously.
Alex didn't reply, not even a 'go away'. She looked completely sucked into her own world, and somehow, Jack knew there was no bringing her out. How had he not seen that something was wrong?
"Alex," Jack said tentivly, "you need to come back with me and Kate."
She remained silent, staring at the ground as if she were trying to absorb it all in. Absorb everything in. A low rumble sounded from nearby, but not from the roaring clouds above. Jack looked around, worried, hoping to find that Kate had followed him into the jungle.
"Go," Alex whispered, her voice shaking and hoarse.
"What?" Jack said, shaking his head. "No, Alex, come back with me."
"I can't," Alex's voice was a barely a whisper now.
Alex smartly kept her stare to the ground hard to prevent tears from falling, but Jack knew they were threatening to come. Another rumble sent shivers down Jack's spine, and he knew they had to leave.
"Let's go!" Jack said in a voice more rougher than any tone he had ever used with Alex before.
"Go back!" Alex shouted over a crackle of thunder.
A third rumble came from the jungle, and dust began flying around them as the wind picked up speed. Kate was still out there, he thought, out there alone.
"Alex, I swear to God-"
The rumble turned into a roar, supported by a thunder clap. Jack fought the wind to rush towards Alex, grabbing onto her shoulders when he reached her. He was furious, and he didn't quite know why. He realized he was shaking her now, his fingernails digging into her bare shoulders beside the spagettistring straps of her tank top.
"Why didn't you see this coming!" Jack shouted over the wind.
He was angry. Truthfully angry. Kate was out there, he was here, the monster was here, and it felt like the world was coming to an end. It felt like death.
Suddenly they were ripped apart as the ground between them tore in two, and Jack felt himself fly backwards into a cloud of dust. He sat up coughing, rubbing the back of his head in pain, only seconds after the fall. He felt fine.
"Alex?" He asked to himself. Jack looked around. The jungle was quiet now, eerily quiet. To go with the atmosphere, deathly quiet. He was alone. There was no one there to tell him everything was okay. It was as if the world stopped. "Alex?"
Getting to his feet, Jack squinted to see through the dust that was slowly drifting from the scene.
"Alex?" Jack called again. He could feel his throat closing in, foreshadowing the evil that was to come. "Alex!"
"Jack!"
His heart began to race against his chest. The call came from somewhere distant, a hollow sounding cry for help. Nevertheless, Jack hurried towards it. Only a few feet away Jack fell to the ground at a hole engraved into the ground. The earth below it was black, and it smelled foul. It smelled like blood.
"Alex!" He called down into the hole desperately.
A hand appeared on the surface, and Jack let out a laugh of relief. He took it with a strong grip, and tried to pull Alex up. Muffled cries of pain followed, and sobs soon replaced it. Alex didn't budge.
"Hold on Alex," Jack yelled to her, "I'm going to get you out of there. I'm going to save you."
Alex's hand twisted in pain, her hand threatening to wrench out of his. He held on tighter with both hands, the skin on them turning a deep red. Tugging hardly, Jack let out a curse as pain flew up his back at the strain. Something was holding her down, something strong. Once again, the jungle rumbled. Alex's sobs grew louder.
"You're okay," Jack said to her in the calmest voice he could muster. He planted his feet into the ground, and gritted his teeth as he prepared to try and pull her up again. "What can you see?"
"Um.." inside the ground, Alex looked around, biting her tongue to try and hold back the pain. Everything was dark. She could hardly see the world that was above her, and had to strain to hear Jack's voice. Below her chains churned, and an agonizing pain shot up her leg, numbing it unwilling. "Blood. It looks like there's blood on the side. Like..like..Orc blood."
"What?" Jack said back in the jungle, face contorted in confusion and pain. His hands felt ready to fall off, but still he forced himself to give Alex one final tug upwards, and the ground immediately rumbled in protest.
"Jack!" Alex screamed in fear.
"Alex..hold on-"
But it was too late. The ground shook madly, ripping the two apart once more, and screams of help were the only thing left as the attack came to a final end. The monster had won.
Jack stared hopelessly at the hole, ignoring the smell that came from it, or the dust flying up in his face. The ashes. Clinging to the ground, Jack tried to keep himself from falling forward, yet at the same time he wanted to launch himself into the shadow of death. And not because he still wondered if there was really a light.
He realized too late that he had grown attached to something that wasn't his. Alex was a daughter. She had a mother and family who loved her, and it wasn't in his position to step in as guardian. Alex had suffered through more pain and trauma than anyone ever should, and he had never really heard her complain. She was strong, brave, so different from most young patients he had before. Patient. Such a careless word. It was hard to believe that's how Alex had started out, as a mere patient, who needed attention, help, someone to worry about them, someone to tell them it was okay. Then again, to Kate, Jack was just a patient.
And that's when he began yelling. Screaming. Calling Alex's name over and over again in denial and fury. Digging his fist hard in the ground to keep them from flying, tearing what good earth was left with his knuckles. Her name began to echo through the woods, bouncing off trees and life, life that would always be there. Unlike Alex. And still, he felt mad at her. How had she not seen this coming? Or had she?
"Jack?"
He heard his name being called softly, just as a whisper, in worry, concern. But he ignored it. Hot tears streamed down his face, staining the scars carved into his already wrinkled skin. He was growing older faster. Over the hill and yet he still felt like he should be on the slope. With every ounce of trouble came a new chance, but also another day, another week, another year. Alex would never experience that. She grew old young, living life in long days of anguish.
Behind him Kate was approach Jack carefully. She stumbled with every few steps, and rubbing her wrist in pain. It was an exact replica of their first meeting, only then, Jack had kept the pain in. Now he was practically thrashing, and Kate knew she had to put aside her experience for him, and grabbed at his arm. Jack jerked away the first few attempts, screaming Alex's name into either a whole lot of nothing, or a whole lot of something. Literally.
At last she grabbed a hold of his wrist, which was caked in dirt and tinted a brick red. She jerked him around, pulling Jack onto his feet, and into a hug. And she held him. Jack was sobbing, harder than she had ever seen him sob before. He was finally letting go, losing himself to pain, loss, and failure.
"It's okay," she whispered to him, even though she knew it wasn't.
She realized then that she was crying as well, and Kate muttered the words over and over again into Jack's shoulder, holding him tightly in fear of losing him completely. Tears leaked from Jack's eyes onto Kate's shoulder, but she ignored the sudden shivers from an unknown sensation. Suddenly she had to break away. It was as if she knew someone was watching, someone who shouldn't be. Jack sniffled, trying to cease his tears, and wiped at his face with a hand.
"We should probably head back," Jack said quietly, his voice hoarse. He let out a cough, and Kate grabbed his arm. Jack looked at it, but neither said anything.
"No," Kate said finally. She looked around the jungle, which seemed more unwelcome than before. Now she could feel it. It. The it that was pain. The it that was death. She was finally understand what it was. "Let's stay out here for awhile.
"No," Jack said, shaking his head in protest, "no.."
He began repeating the word, shaking his head without really being aware if he was doing so. He didn't want to be out here. He wanted to be far away from this place, from this evil.
"It'll be good for you," Kate said softly, reaching up and brushing a hand against Jack's face, wiping away a tear. Jack was finally able to cease his crying, and met Kate's eyes. The bags below his eyes were now rimmed red, and Kate's own eyes were still clogged with tears that she swallowed back, determining not to let loose. She needed to be strong. Strong for Jack.
"Okay," Jack finally agreed, nodding.
(space)
"Why are we in a tree again?" Jack asked Kate as he hoisted himself to the last branch, dozens of feet above the ground. He grabbed Kate's hand, and pulled her up.
Kate eased into a spot on a sturdy branch, as if that spot were made for her.
"Because," she said as Jack carefully balanced himself into a sitting position, "trees are above the ground."
Jack forced himself to glance down below him, and through millions of shimmering leaves he caught a glimpse of the ground. It had earned his position on Jack's most hated list, though he knew it was a silly thing to hold a grudge against. The ground. Who hated the ground?
"That's for sure," Jack muttered to himself.
For the next moment, they sat in silence. The sky above was beginning to fade into a teal blue color, as if it had been waiting for this very moment to change.
"Shannon's dead," Kate whispered. Jack looked at her in surprise and disbelief. "I found her body. It wasn't ripped up..it was just..it was just there."
Kate was looking to the ground with not a trace of fear in her eyes, but a different kind of sorrow. Guilt.
"It's not your fault," Jack said quietly, wishing he had thought to make room for Kate beside himself. Now he wasn't sure if he could even risk reaching out to her. So he did anyway. Kate looked down at his hand, but neither said anything.
"I'm sorry," she said at last, "about Alex." Jack looked away quickly, not wanting to have to face the situation, the reminder of it, again. "I know you loved her as a daughter."
"I shouldn't of," Jack said quietly, shaking his head. Unsure of what to say, Kate didn't reply. "Can we just..change the subject?"
"Sure," Kate said, just as willing for the subject change as he.
They both knew they had to face this, but just not now. So they just sat there, letting the world revolve around them. Miles away someone was coming home from work, greeting their kids, setting fast food on the counter as their dog yapped at their feet. The television would be turned on and the news would be watched. Or maybe it would be a game show. A stress reliever. Jack had always thought that's why they showed the classics around six. The perfect way for someone to get their mind off of things. The things people related to in comedies were the things they looked back and laughed at.
"Sing something," Kate said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.
Jack looked up to her in surprise.
"What?" He asked, though he had heard her clearly.
"I've never heard you sing before," Kate said. She stopped, thinking about it. "Really sing."
"Yes you have," Jack argued.
"No," Kate said in the finalizing tone all women seemed to possess, "I haven't."
She narrowed her eyes, daring Jack to protest. Jack sighed.
"Come on, Kate," Jack whined. He really didn't feel up to karaoke at the moment.
"Come on, Jack," Kate echoed, "for me."
Her eyes twinkled, because Kate had a secret. She knew singing would get Jack's mind off of things, even if it was only for thirty minutes.
"Fine," Jack agreed reluctantly. Kate smiled. "What do you want me to sing?"
Kate shrugged.
"Anything?"
Jack sighed, and scanned the jungle for any inspiration. The sky, whose behavior had been poking at the back of his mind all day, stuck out to him, reminding him that soon, night would come. Night would come, and everything would be the same. Nature had no uniqueness at night. Jack took a deep breath, and made a mental reminder to torture Kate with his own request later. He realized she was watching him, and finally gave in.
"Look at the stars," Jack began to sing, staring off into space so that he wouldn't have to face Kate, "look how they shine for you-" Kate began to smile a little, and Jack was able to ease into the song. "And all the things you do. Yeah they were all yellow.."
"Aw," Kate said teasingly, "you're a Coldplay fan."
"Yeah?" Jack shot back. "Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Mine just happens to be good music."
Kate snorted.
"Sure."
"Come on," Jack said. He was actually being to smile a little. It was sad, but it wasn't fake. He actually felt guilty, at feeling like this in such a dramatic time. But Kate tended to have that affect on him. "Let's hear you."
"What?" Kate said, eyes bulging in surprise.
"Sing," Jack said, "it's only fair."
Jack's eyes were twinkling now, and part of Kate agreed just because she was afraid that after today, she'd never see that in them again.
"Okay," she finally said, "I confess. When I was in high school, I was in Rent."
"Oh God," Jack said, closing his eyes as if it were a painful thing, "not the whole, no day but to day, measure life in love crap."
"It is not crap!" Kate cried defensively. "And I was good too! I could've done broadway if I wanted to."
"But other career options were just too tempting, huh?" Jack teased.
They exchanged knowing half-smiles until Kate finally sighed.
"Okay," she said at last, "here we go.."
She open her mouth to let out the first note, but something else came out instead. A roar from the jungle. This time, a much louder one. But then Jack realized, it wasn't from the jungle. It was from the sky.
A plane was flying over, zigzagging in an ungraceful choreography. It was crashing.
"Oh my God," Jack muttered to himself, already scampering down the tree, Kate following close behind him.
They ran into the jungle, the sound of the engine leading them far away from where they were before, into an unfamiliar area of wood. The crashing engine ceased to a steady whining, like a freight train that was stuck on the tracks. When they found it, it was in the clearing, or what used to be a clearing. The plane crashed into a mass of trees, which stuck out in unearthly positions through the windows. Screams filled the air, along with cries of help. But Jack and Kate just stood there, too in shock to react.
"Help us!" Someone screamed, a man, whose body had plowed through the window at the impact, legs stuck crushed against a fallen seat.
Jack couldn't even think. He had known the plane was coming, but the experience was just too surreal. What was he supposed to do? Who was he supposed to help first? A roar answered his crisis, this time, really from the jungle. It was all too familiar, and all Jack wanted to do was run. But he stood there, remaining stationary by Kate, who stood beside him in a frozen shock. In front of them the engine was sputtering, and the passenger's cries grew louder, more frantic. Then suddenly, they grew even louder, and the roar came again, sounding like a never ending thunderbolt; an explosion that wouldn't stop rocking the ground.
Even though the earth beneath them shook, Jack and Kate were somehow able to maintain their balance, Kate holding onto Jack's arm for support. Still people screamed, and still all they could do was stand there. And then the tug came. The ground was ripped beneath them, causing the plane to thrash back and forth until it was pulled up and then back down by some force than neither Jack nor Kate could see. With one final tug, the plane was thrown up and elsewhere, until screams rang so loud seemed to cause it to disappear completely. Now all that was left in front of Jack and Kate was torn earth, split in half by an ugly cut. Just like that, the plane was gone. And still they stood.
Author's Note: Okay, before you all kill me, everything happens for a reason! Alex's death was needed to cause the angst that will lead to the ending climax, and be the motive for every descion Jack makes from here on out. As for Shannon, her death was needed for Sayid and Boone. As for that last bit, if any of you are confused as to what happened, please let me know. It would've been so much easier if you guys could see it on screen. Basically, Jack and Kate saw the plane crash and then saw it being eaten. This was actually the first chapter I ever planned for this fic, way back on the Fourth of July, inspired by War of the Worlds. I do hope that you guys still stick with me. Neither Alex nor Shannon will be forgotten, and their will definitely be closer with Alex's death. Thanks for the reviews! You guys still rock!
Coming up next, on "In the End":
The castaways must work together to find out what happened to Jack and Kate, whose grieving process is cut off by a state of shock. To make maters worst, no one knows what happened to their missing loved ones(Alex and Shannon).
Thanks again!
Until next time..
October Sky
