Well this chapter is pretty long, because I wanted to fit Jack's story into one chapter, hence the longness! Thanks guys for all the reviews, much appreciated:)
Oh and just a quick warning, this story is kinda farfetched, but it could happen... i think...
24. The Calm before a Storm
Jack stood at the beach, looking desperately at the cold, grey stairs leading to it. Karen still wasn't there, he didn't even know if she would come at all. He could see everyone around him watching nervously, as if they felt the same way. Ann and Popuri hugged him; they told him how sorry they were. He then heard Ann mutter something and looked hopefully in the direction she was pointing. Suddenly there was a flash of gold, he could see Karen's hair shining in the light. She looked beautiful, but she always looked beautiful to him. She sighed contentedly as she reached him, just in time. She hugged him tightly and kissed him.
"Don't worry about anything, okay? It's all in the past... and when you come back...well. We'll start again from there, good luck. I'll miss you, and I love you." Karen said slightly out of breath. Jack grinned broadly and gave Karen one last kiss goodbye.
"Goodbye Karen, I love you too." He said and handed her the bunch of beautiful forget-me-nots that he had been clutching, he winked and then stepped onto the boat. The boat began to sail off as he stared back at her, becoming a tiny dot in the distance, stood on the golden sand. He watched her wave sadly and then stared forward, this was what he had to do.
"Sad about losing your little lady?" An old man asked. Jack stared at him with wide eyes, he nodded quickly.
"Yeah, but my dad's ill, so I've gotta. I'd better be there, just in case..." Jack told him, shuddering at the possibility that his dad might die.
"Oh I'm sure it'll be fine sonny, then you'll be back with your girlfriend." The old man told him, as though he had knowledge of this. Jack smiled politely and then walked away slowly, the old man had a strange look about him. He was short and skinny but smelt strangely, like a mixture of smoke and rum. Jack stared out over the crystal blue sea, with the wind blowing and ruffling his hair. He breathed in the salt air, reminded of when he was first heading to mineral town. He remembered feeling nervous, but also ready to complete anything his Grandfather wanted, he had to make him proud wherever he was.
The journey was long and boring and Jack spent the entire time worrying, but when he arrived he was greeted by the familiar face of his loving mother. His Mom smiled and pulled him into a tight hug, showering him with kisses.
"Hey mom. I've missed you too." Jack chuckled hugging his mom back.
"I've just missed you so much sweetie, tell me all about everything, I want to hear it all from the top. Don't miss out a detail! Do you have a girlfriend? Have the people been nice? Have you made lots of new friends?" Mrs. Hunter began, asking all the questions that came into her head. Jack smiled and answered each one in detail, spending most of the journey describing Karen and the depth of his feeling towards her. After they stepped out of the jaguar and walked towards the hospital, Jack's feeling of foreboding came back. They arrived in the hospital and he breathed in its trademark medical smell. He gazed at the perfectly white walls, musing that it looked too clean by far, too spotless. They walked up to a short, blonde woman at the desk who was chewing gum and talking on the phone to her friend.
"Yeah so I was all like no way, and she was like, yeah totally and she said..." She finally noticed they had walked in and gave them a look to say "what" without actually having to say it.
"Erm yes, we're here to see Mr. Hunter, is he in the operating room or are we okay to visit him?" Mrs. Hunter asked. The girl scowled and blew a large bubble with her gum.
"Kay Cindy, I'm gonna have to call you back... no way? No way! Sorry I've gotta go, call ya in a minute, luv ya!" The girl said quickly. She hung up her mobile and flicked through her files.
"Yeah, you can visit him, but just don't be too long... or loud. It's room 23." She said boredly, twirling her blonde hair absent-mindedly. They walked towards the room while Jack remembered every time he had been in the hospital.
Well the first time was obviously when he was born, but he didn't remember that. But of course he'd been told stories, of how his mother was allergic to some of the hospital food and swelled up to the size of a small whale and so his dad had thought they were having twins. Not a very interesting story, and yet it had been repeated at least fifty times to him. Then there was the time he had broken his leg playing in soccer match, some guy had tripped him and his leg had twisted in an awkward position. But he had been treated like a hero when he went back to school, most people didn't even know how he'd broken his leg and many rumours went around. He even heard one that he had been attacked by a shark and just barely got away with his leg still attached. But as everything in his school, it was quickly forgotten. But he still had the signatures on his cast to remind him of that glorious time.
The next time they had visited the hospital was when his grandpa had been dying, they had gone to say goodbye. It was a sad memory and it filled Jack with fear and anxiety, what if he had travelled there just to say goodbye to his father. They walked into the room and saw the small man spread across the bed, he looked so weak, but peaceful. Jack smiled and sat down on the chair next to him, checking to make sure he was breathing. Satisfied, he relaxed and gazed peacefully at his mom.
"He looks bad mom, but he'll be okay." He told her, more to reassure himself than her.
"I know dear." She agreed, her voice was croaky and quiet, he hadn't noticed how tired she looked when he had first greeted her, but now it showed on her like a bright orange scarf.
"Do the doctors know what's wrong?" He asked, he looked at all the machines linked up to his dad, were they the only things keeping him from death?
"Yes dear, of course they do. It's a heart problem called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy... I think." She said softly, having trouble pronouncing the words that meant next to nothing to her.
"Which is...?" He asked her, she might as well be speaking French for what he could understand.
"I'm not sure dear, but it's bad. They'll need to keep him here to operate and they've said there's nothing we can do..." She informed him, her voice cracking and her eyes shining with tears she was struggling to hold back. He could tell it was breaking her heart that she could do nothing. For as far as Jack could remember, if there was a problem his mom would fix it. Being told there was nothing she could do was the worst thing for her, she ceased to be useful.
"Yes there is," Jack said quickly, he had to think of something. "We can be by the phone, we can keep visiting and we can keep our spirits up, okay mom? It'll all be okay." Mrs. Hunter nodded and hugged her son quickly, absorbing the comfort of him. He breathed in her familiar mom scent, first there was the sweet perfume trying to hide the true scent, but then came the sweet mom scent like lilacs and freshness, the essence of clean and comforting.
"I know it will Honey." She said after a while.
They stayed at the hospital for god knows how long, just watching the man who had always been there for them. He'd never ceased to be there, whether it was football games, birthdays, school events or in Jack's mom's case anniversaries. Jack had never really thought about how lucky he was, to have a dad. He couldn't even imagine what it was like for Rick and Popuri, their dad never being there, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
After they left the hospital they headed back to the mansion. It was familiar and wonderful, almost the same in every way, except now it seemed empty. Without his dad's deep booming laugh or tennis rackets to fall over it was merely a shadow of what it had been. A cold empty shell and not the home he had grown up in. His mother decided to make cookies and unpack his cases for him; it gave her something to do to take her mind off things.
"Sweetie, how are you feeling now? Are ya tired, do you want to nap?" She asked kindly. He shook his head, she still couldn't grasp that he was not five years old anymore and was used to a maximum of six hours sleep on a usual night.
"Are ya sure, you've had a long journey, you should rest." She said, once again he shook his head. She continued to fuss over him for the rest of the evening, insisting he showered and ate a decent sized meal. Finally the night came and he settled down into his large four poster bed. The dove soft duvet engulfed him as he settled down beneath it, closing his eyes tightly and willing his worries to disappear.
Bright and early they got a call from the hospital, an emergency operation had had to be carried out the previous night and it was quite risky because they were dealing with the heart. But they managed to sort out the problem and assured them that Mr. Hunter would be fine, he just needed his rest. They hurried over and found Mr. Hunter sleeping peacefully, a small red scar stretching across his bare chest. His breathing was steady and the machines were beeping gently. They stayed watching, just watching his breathing. They were barely able to speak from relief so they sat mainly in silence.
"Hey mom, would you like something: tea or coffee? Or maybe some lunch?" Jack asked checking his watch. His mother yawned and smiled gently.
"Yes dear that'd be lovely, some tea please and if it's not too much trouble something from the canteen, thanks." She told him. Jack hurried off to the canteen and found her a cup of tea and a nice sandwich. He picked himself up a sandwich and then headed to one of the vending machines for a coke. A pretty, brunette nurse hovered over to him with a big smile on her face.
"I'm guessing you're not a patient." She said jokingly and he smiled gently and nodded. "So what are ya here for?"
"My dad had some heart condition that I couldn't pronounce... but I think he's all better so I won't have to." He told her with a relieved smile.
"That's good. Are you from around here or from out of town?" She asked. He noticed how perfectly straight and white her teeth were. She looked like a model, with a perfect figure and a pretty little face.
"Originally from here but now I live on a tiny little island that no one's heard of." He told her while slotting his money into the machine and pressing a button for coke.
"Aww, the cute ones are never from around here." She whined, making a mock pout and he chuckled softly. Had he been paying more attention he might have realized she was flirting, but his mind was buzzing.
"Hey, can I maybe take you out for a dinner, on me, I'd like to know how your dad is." She said, her dazzling smile wiping his mind of any previous memories.
"Er, yeah sure." He said, not paying much attention. The machine seemed to have eaten his money as he gave it a quick hit.
"Good. See you then." She said batting her eyelashes. "I'll meet you here at six, don't be late, kay?"
"Sure thing." He said as she walked away. He gave the machine a big hit and grinned as a coke fell to the bottom. He picked it out and headed back to his dad's room. Halfway there a startling revelation hit him, a girl had asked him on a date and he'd agreed. He mentally slapped himself and sighed, he'd just have to explain to her later.
In the room he found his dad awake and talking slowly to his mom. She was grinning stupidly and he was smiling softly too.
"Hey dad, you're awake. Knew you'd make it, you're as stubborn as a mule." Jack joked, offering him his coke.
"Yep, not willing to pack it in yet. I'll pass on the coke though, the good doctor says I'm as weak as a kitten." He said chuckling. Jack shrugged and gulped down the coke while his mom nibbled at her sandwich and sipped her tea. After retelling the events of his year for his dad's benefit Jack explained about his accidental date. His parents advised him to tell the girl quick that he had a girlfriend and had no intention of anything serious. But Jack protested that she must have already realized that he'd be going back home and nothing serious was going to happen.
When he arrived at the meeting spot he found her looking even more beautiful than before wearing a low cut red dress. She grinned at him with red lips and beckoned for him to follow.
"Jeez, you could have got changed." She joked. He chucked and ruffled his unkempt hair.
"Sorry, but I kinda wasn't thinking when I agreed to this date, see I have a girlfriend back home." He said, thinking about Karen. Her beautiful smile, the way her green eyes glinted, the way her hair flowed in the wind, the angry look she'd give him if she knew he was on a date... he decided to end that thought, an angry Karen could be scary.
"Yeah so... I have two boyfriends... why can't two people just have a little fun?" She asked advancing slowly on him. He backed off, keeping a good distance between them.
"Because I happen to love my girlfriend." He offered, wincing as his back hit the wall. She smiled, each of her brilliant white teeth enthralling him, begging him not to fight her.
"So, what she doesn't know won't hurt her... just one night." She said seductively. She was like a snake offering him the forbidden apple, and he so wanted to take it. Before he even finished his thought process he felt her lips crash down upon his, sucking the air from his lungs. He slid away and hid his desire to run.
"You seem like a nice girl and all... well actually a bit of a slut..." He paused while she shrugged. "But I love my girlfriend... and yeah."
"You're no fun." She pouted, her blue eyes sparkling. She flicked back her silky chestnut hair, shot him a quick smile and walked away with dignity. Jack heaved a deep sigh of relief and headed back out of the building.
A few weeks later and Jack's dad was still in hospital, still waking up at certain points. But during others he was sleeping so deeply, it was as though he was dead. The doctors had told him that his father was recovering, that this was all part of the process of his heart getting better. But just to be sure they had decided to perform one more operation, just fix one of the clots lying deep within his father's vein. So Jack and his mother were sitting in the waiting room.
"He'll be okay sweetie, after this they say he'll only need a month or so of recovery. It'll be fine." Mrs. Hunter reassured him. He nodded slowly, running a shaking hand through his tousled brunette hair.
"Yeah," He said with a weak smile. He knew she was probably right but he was just too worried to be calm. Suddenly a short nurse walked out of the room with a small smile on her face.
"The operation is over, he needs his rest now. I advise you get some sleep. Come back later and he should be awake." She said softly. Mother and son smiled at each other and agreed to head home for a few hours to get some rest. After all, things usually seemed brighter in the morning.
First thing in the morning they headed back to the hospital, neither had been able to sleep after panicking all night over their sick family member. The sickly silence of the hospital almost got to Jack during the waiting, waiting to be allowed into his father's room. But they weren't allowed to disturb him until he was awake, so Jack continued to pace back and forth through the isles between the itchy seats.
"Dear, you're making me giddy with all the pacing. Why don't you find something to occupy yourself... here take my credit card and call Karen on the pay phone." She offered kindly. Jack opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. He was nervous about calling her after neglecting to do so for so long. He should have called her every day but he had known that if he had he might have lost all his resolve to stay. He headed over to the payphone and pulled the number for the inn out of his memory.
For many nights when he had first arrived he had pulled the number out of his pocket and read it, preparing to dial the number. But he never had the courage to pick up the phone and dial, and only managed to memorise the phone number. He finally typed in the number and slipped the credit card into the machine. He then held the speaker to his ear and waited, his heart beating heavily as the phone rang. Ann answered, sounding her usual chirpy self.
"Hello? Who is it?" She asked happily. Jack smiled; it was good to hear his friend's voice again.
"Hey it's Jack." He told her. He heard her gasp and squeak a little, obviously filled with the excitement of telling her friend. He heard her take a deep breath and calm herself.
"Are you aware it's the New Year's festival, you are so lucky I was here mister. But I'll go find Karen for you... but if she's all the way up Mother's hill, I swear you won't want to come back." She joked, but there was a bit of threat in her tone. Jack waited for what seemed like hours when Ann picked up the phone.
"Here she is, damn you Jack she was up Mother's hill." Ann groaned after catching her breath. He heard her hand the phone to someone else and felt his heart rate pick up.
"Hello?" She asked nervously. He felt a feeling of euphoria pour through his veins, it was her, his one and only love. The same angelically sweet voice, the same rhythmic breathing... "Talk Jack," He told himself quickly.
"Hi Karen, I've missed you." Jack said quickly. He could almost hear her relaxing, he wondered if she felt the same joy from hearing his voice again.
"I've missed you too." Karen said. He heard her voice crack a little, he hoped hearing from him again didn't upset her. But how could talking to him hurt her?
"I'm so sorry I haven't called, I've been so busy, watching over dad and helping him through his operation. It was some sort of heart problem, but he's getting better. I can come back soon, I just want to stay until he's recovered, is that okay? But if you tell me you want me to come back now I will." Jack explained quickly, trying to get all the words out and pouring them out in a big mess. He heard her breathe in sharply.
"No Jack, staying a few more weeks won't hurt; I want you to see him recover. The longer I wait the better it will be when you come back." Karen said bravely. That was her, so selfless, so courageous, thinking of him before herself. She was so amazing, the best girlfriend a guy could have.
"Really?" Jack questioned, even over the phone he could tell what she really wanted, but if she could be brave so could he.
"Yes." She told him. He took a deep breath, he had to be sure that she was okay with it.
"Really?" Jack checked again, this time more forcefully, willing her to be honest.
"YES!" She said in a don't-argue-with-me voice. Jack laughed, she sounded cute when she was frustrated.
"Karen..." He said slowly.
"Yes Jack?" Karen asked. He heard voiced coming from behind him, he reluctantly switched his focus to the small nurse.
"Mr. Hunter, your father is waking up, please come quickly." The nurse said and quickly Jack mumbled "I'm coming" and sighed. They weren't going to get a long conversation after all.
"I'll be back in a few weeks, maybe a month. I've got to go now, sorry we couldn't talk for longer. I love you, goodbye." He said quickly, reluctant to hang up. He swallowed hard, he couldn't let her tell him she loved him, it would hurt too much. He followed the nurse into his dad's room and felt his heart leap. His dad was sitting up, smiling and talking to his mother.
"Dad, you're all better now!" Jack said happily, running to give his dad a hug. Suddenly it was like he was five again, running into his dad's arms after his first day of school. The fear that he'd lost him was gone, and he was safe in his arms.
"Yeah son, they just tinkered with my ticker and now I'm better." His dad said with a smile. Jack chuckled and looked at the scar on his dad's chest. It was barely even noticeable, just a small reminder of what he's almost lost.
"Well you know life's never gonna be the same right dad, no more fatty food, no more McDonalds." Jack said, raising his eyebrows in warning.
"Oh how will I survive?" His dad replied sarcastically.
"Well now, the doctors say we can take you home in a week and then you get to recover at home." Mrs. Hunter said interrupting the chatter. They smiled, only a week left being in the depressing hospital. They talked for a while until the nurse shooed them out and then they headed home for the first decent nights sleep in a while.
After a week Jack's dad came home as promised and they spent some time together, mainly relaxing and waiting for him to heal. But before long Jack knew it was time to go back home, to his real home. He organised a boat and asked his parents to call Karen after he left and tell her he was coming home. He didn't want to do it himself, it would be much more of a surprise if he didn't. So he arrived at the dock early in the morning and, after being showered with kisses by his mother and clapped on the back by his father, climbed on the ship.
The boat set off quickly, the weather seemed calm and the sea spray was refreshing on his face. In the distance were some dark clouds, but even they couldn't ruin his happiness. In a few hours he would be seeing his wonderful Karen. As they neared the clouds the see became rough and the dark waves threatened to engulf the ship. It was no longer safe on the deck and everyone was ushered inside. Jack was too entranced by the cloud to hear the call and remained on deck.
"Hey, you've gotta get out of the storm." A man about his age told Jack. Jack studied him, he looked strong and his black windswept hair was brushed across his startling green eyes.
"Right, where do we go?" He asked quickly, realising that he should have left much earlier.
"Well they've locked the main cabins, I guess they didn't check that everyone was in. We can hide up in the upper cabin, it was used for a lookout post but I think everyone else is in the main part of the ship." The man said. Jack nodded and followed him quickly, climbing up a ladder to reach it. Once they were safely inside they pulled on some lifejackets they found and hid beneath a table.
"So I guess we've got a long wait until the storm passes, I'm Max by the way." Max said with a smile.
"Jack." He told him, offering his hand to shake.
"So where do you come from anyway?" Max asked, cringing a little as the lightening crashed. The storm had become worse and they could feel the boat being tossed around by the waves.
"Mineral town, a small island that practically no one's heard of, I'm going back to my girlfriend there." Jack said smiling, no storm could damped his spirit.
"Yeah I've heard of it. I'm the next island after that, South sea island, you've probably not heard of that." Max said smiling. Suddenly the boat began to shudder and they felt it descend a few feet.
"What was that?" Max asked his eyes wide with curiosity and fear.
"I don't know, but it didn't sound good." Jack responded. Suddenly the door crashed open and water began to pour in, an endless spout of clear, salty water.
"IT'S SINKING!" Max yelled, as the water poured in forcing them to swim out of the cabin. They swam out and found an abandoned life boat and dived in it. Breathing heavily they sat in the boat, shivering with cold from the harsh conditions. They watched as the boat sunk beneath the sea, bubbles forming from beneath it. Jack gulped.
"This is possibly the worst day of my life." Max whispered, his voice hoarse. Jack nodded, the understatement of the year.
"Should we check for survivors?" Jack asked, looking helplessly at the dark water.
"How exactly, everyone else is beneath the ocean... they're all..." He murmured, a short look of understanding passed between them, they were alone.
Jack had no idea for how long they floated across the relentless sea, beneath the dark clouds that smothered the helpless sky. It could have been hours or maybe even days. The sky didn't even seem to change colour, it was always a misty unforgiving grey. He slept a little, unable to keep his tired eyes open, the cold had weakened him and although he tried not to sleep for fear of death he could not resist it. To his relief, when he opened his eyes he found that the boat had stopped bouncing precariously on the rough waves, instead it was still. He forced himself to sit up and looked over the side of the damaged life boat. He looked over to Max, who was still sleeping... well Jack hoped he was just sleeping.
"Max wake up." He said sharply, roughly shaking his companion. Max groaned and Jack heaved a sigh of relief.
"Are we alive, or is this hell?" Max complained, opening his strange green eyes. Those eyes that reminded Jack so much of hers...
"Well there are no flames and no devils with sharp pointy sticks... so I'm guessing alive." Jack breathed, looking across the large stretch of beach they found themselves on.
"Great. Best day ever. This is gonna be like lord of the flies isn't it?" Max asked with a groan.
"Nah, there's just two of us." Jack reassured him, gulping at the memory of what happened in the book.
"Fine, but I have dibs on last to be killed." Max said raising his dark eyebrows sarcastically. Jack nodded grimly and heaved himself onto the boat. His feet were soaked and he grimaced at the squelching sound they made when his boots hit the ground.
"Let's see if anyone actually lives on this island, I don't want to end up like Robinson Crusoe." Jack said with a grimace.
"Yeah, let's see if we can find ourselves a Friday." Max joked. Jack appreciated his attempts at making the situation almost humorous, but they were trapped on an island with no means of communications, things couldn't look much worse.
They walked along the almost endless stretch of beach until they found themselves in some kind of forest. The trees were large and very green and the floor was covered with olive vegetation despite the lack of light. The dry forest smell filled Jack's nostrils as they searched, the thorns of various plants clinging to his skin, causing him to gasp in pain. Finally they found a strange clearing in the woods, and spotted to their relief, huts.
"Oh thank god, huts mean people!" Jack gasped with relief.
"Yeah that or we happened upon planets of the apes." Max said sarcastically. Jack dashed towards the huts, wondering if they would have a phone, when suddenly he felt a hand grip his arm. He spun round to see Max gripping his arm tightly.
"What?" Jack demanded. Max took a deep breath, surveying the woods around them.
"Are you sure this is safe? I mean we might not be welcome... and they may be cannibals." He said, fear evident in his luminous green eyes.
"Cannibals?" Jack asked incredulously. "Max, this isn't some horror film."
"Yeah but it hasn't exactly been a tale of happy bunnies and cute cuddly creatures. We should be cautious." He warned. Jack sighed, he was right, some caution was needed.
"Fine, but we have to go and see them anyway, if not we'll be stuck here for god knows how long." He said. Max nodded and gestured for him to continue walking. They approached the primitive brown huts and took a deep breath. The door opened and a grinning man answered.
"Hello. Who are you?" He asked, to Jack's relief in English. Jack smiled back, not sure whether it was more courteous to bow or shake his hand.
"Erm, hi, my name is Jack and this is Max. We were ship wrecked on this... your island and we were wondering where we are? And if possible if we could use your phone." He told him politely.
"Ah, you'd be surprised how often that happens... we don't have a phone. But we call this Mandrin island. Where we are in relation to places you might know, we have no idea." The man said. He looked rather primitive, garbed in animal skins, but his hair was combed neatly and he seemed clean. Jack gulped.
"Do you know how we could get back home?" He asked desperately. The man smiled weakly and beckoned for them to follow. He took them to a large hut, which was filled with lots of dishevelled looking people.
"This is the house we made for those like you, the lost. We allow you to stay here and give you food in return for your aid in working on our lands. This will be your new home." The man told him. Jack gulped, he had to be kidding.
The first night was rough, sleeping on the cold hard floor with the sounds of others snoring around them. In the one hut there were about thirty people, all cramped together. All of them spoke different languages, but the majority spoke English and most were already learning. In the morning they were forced to work, growing crops in the small gardens within the forest and collecting berries. They would also build more huts and were contributing to building a giant tower, as the people of the village instructed. They were slaves to the people, in return for food, bedding and protection from the many wild animals they were warned would come.
"That sounds terrible." Karen interrupted after being transfixed with the story for over an hour. Everyone else nodded in agreement and sat intrigued, waiting for the story to continue.
"Well other than the backbreaking work the people were quite friendly. Besides the story does get better." Jack told them with a warm smile.
"That's good 'cos up till there it's been kinda gloomy." Popuri said with a pout. Jack agreed whole heartedly as he took a breath to continue his tale.
After months of work for little payment Jack finally went to see the village elder. He had pressed for a meeting with him since the beginning, to find a way to return him and the others home safely. He couldn't live there forever, working like that. The first person to be stranded on the island had already gone crazy, to a point that he couldn't work like the others. He just sat in a corner mumbling to himself, absorbing comfort from being alone.
Jack walked into the elders hut nervously and gave him a quick bow. The man was small, and had wrinkles on every spot on his face. His wise eyes surveyed Jack carefully, as though already measuring his character.
"You are the boy they have all been talking about." The old man wheezed, his breaths were shallow and hard.
"Yeah, I guess so." He offered. The man let out a small chuckle, followed by a deep hacking cough. Jack knew he had to impress this guy but he so desperately wanted to say "you'd better help me old man."
"You have come to beg for help to return home, am I right?" The elder asked, not smiling. Once again Jack wanted to come back with a retort like "yeah well it doesn't take Einstein to figure that out." Or "no I just wanted to visit you for a spot of tea, lovely weather we're having."
"Yes I came to ask for help, not just for me but for all of us. We've been working for you for I don't even know how long. The days evade me, but you have given us little in return. I've had a lot of time to think about this, and I want to request time and materials for me and the "lost ones" to build a ship." Jack said determinedly.
"Why should we help you?" The elder questioned. It was not said in a cruel way, more with a lack of comprehension.
"Because we've been helping you and we all want to get home. We have families and loved ones back at home that we want to see, we can't stay to die here." Jack said passionately, he had to convince this man.
"Hmm, you seem like a man filled with the good spirit of nature, but if we give you time to build we will get behind on our building. This I cannot allow, we need to make use of the labour while it is still here." The elder said casually. Jack felt like breaking down into tears, this had been his last chance to escape and the elder still wanted them to work.
"But..." Jack began, ready to try one more time to argue the case. But the elder lifted a hand to silence him, he then pointed to the door. Tears brimmed down Jack's cheeks, the first time he'd cried in a while, a total emotional break down. The elder watched and felt his own soul burn with pain, this was not what the spirits of the forest wanted.
"Stop child. You will continue to work the same hours, however we will provide you the materials to build your ship. You will work during your own time." The elder told him. Jack smiled weakly, it would take everything he had in him, but he would do it.
"Thank you." He said gratefully before heading out of the small hut. He walked towards his own hut and found the rest of the stranded people waiting for him with bated breath.
"Well..." Max asked as Jack walked into the room. His voice was silent and pleading and his heart sunk at Jack's disheartened face.
"We will continue to work the old hours..." He began. He watched everyone groan, their last hope destroyed. "However we will be given the materials to build our boat, we just have to work in our own time." He grinned and everyone cheered.
"We'll build at night... all night if we have to. But we will earn our freedom!" Jack said, his voice rising in determination. Everyone cheered, throwing their fists into the air in joy. Even those who barely understood any English cheered. Suddenly there was silence and only the murmuring of the first lost man could be heard, the man they called crazy Joe.
"They will kill us, the darkness will absorb us and they will eat us from the inside, until the light can't reach..." He pointed at his heart. "The light will be destroyed." He then calmed himself and continued to sob into his arms. Jack gulped, praying that no one else ended up like Joe.
So they worked, worked until their bodies were so broken that they couldn't move anymore. Each barely got four hours sleep a night, they took the building in shifts. Some slept for the first four hours they got a night and some worked for the second. They worked until they could work no more, every day a battle to stay alive. The materials were provided as promised, wood for the actual building of the ship, animal skins for the sail and tools to build. Finally the boat began to take shape, after two years of being on the godforsaken island, the boat was almost made. It was a proud night when the sail was finally strung up on the mast, many of the lost people were crying filled with joy and pain at the same time.
"This is the day that we have earned our freedom, tonight we rest and tomorrow we set sail. Some men will guard the ship, who knows if these people will try to stop us leaving, but tomorrow we set sail for home." He paused while everyone cheered, somehow he had managed to become leader in the two years of living there.
"We may not know where the hell we are, but we will sail until we find an inhabited island, then we can find our homes by our own means. But we will be safe, and we will get the hell out of here!" He shouted, and everyone cheered again. Jack grinned, finally they were going home.
Bright and early in the morning they rolled the ship into the sea and everyone boarded. It was a relatively small ship to hold all the people it had to, but it was big enough. They hoisted the sail and soon they were speeding across the sea, waving goodbye to the island and the people who stood at the beach waving goodbye. The island that time had forgotten, even more out of the modern loop than mineral town. Jack smiled, his dirty face finding it hard to do so. Soon he would be home with Karen... but what if? What if she had moved on, married someone else. He mentally slapped himself, somehow he knew, she was married already. If she had, would all his work to see her again be in vain? She had been the one thing keeping him sane those years, when some days he had wanted to lay down and die. Did she know that he was still alive? No, how could she, no one knew he was still alive. He fought with his doubts, which only disappeared when he spotted land in front of them.
It turned out that they had landed on South sea island, Max's home island. It was larger than mineral town and was far more modern, it was more like a city than a town. Everyone greeted them with shock and happiness, providing them with places to stay and get cleaned up. Jack only stayed for about a week, after saying goodbye to all the people who had quickly become his friends, he took a boat to mineral town. It was a short enough journey, only about an hour or so, and throughout the whole thing Jack panicked about seeing Karen again. He was dead to her, dead and gone. He sighed and leaned against the rails of the ship, no matter what he'd still love her and she'd always be his Karen.
Finally he arrived on the shores of mineral town and headed purposely to the place he knew she would be. Somehow he knew she'd married the man he'd loathed. He knew it and headed straight there, but he didn't know that he'd be greeted with a sight that shocked him to his very core. A sight that sent a chill down his spine and froze the blood in his veins. A sight that made his entire ordeal seem like a trip to Disneyland, there was Karen with blood pouring down her, standing in front of a long stretch of rope. Jack stared at her, filled with pain, shock, panic, horror and love. He had found her once again, and she was still his, no matter what.
