Fire and Ice

Chapter 12

Darkness Falls

"The more I know about this sodding island, the more I want to get off it!" Charlie uninvited sits down across from Connor. Connor glances up, from an tattered Sports Illustrated Magazine.

"The rain, stopping like that is that normal?" Connor sighs, glances at his watch. The sunlight is fading.

"It's normal!" He replies. "You seen any sign of Lana?" He asks. Charlie grins. "Don't give that I've been caught behind the bike shed look, Charlie!" Connor warns jokingly.

Charlie grins. "Hi Lana!" Before getting up, and annoying somebody else.

Connor feels the presence of somebody beside him. He looks beside him. A dishevelled rain soaked Lana, stares at him. Her blue eyes look, well, tired. She looks a mess. Connor without saying anything hands her his towel. Lana grabs it, and starts to wipe away the water.

"You weren't out in that were you?"

Lana pauses deep in thought for a moment, then she speaks. "I couldn't find Eve!" She yawns.

"Hey, don't worry, she probably getting some ice cream back at the bunker with Rose and Bernard." Connor strokes Lana's hair. "We'll get ready and make our own way there before nightfall" Unusually he notices that she doesn't flinch away. Moments later, Lana is leaning against Connor's shoulder sleeping.

"You've got the knack!" Claire smiles as she walks past. "You think you can get Aaron to sleep?" Connor returns the warm smile. "Little guy, giving you grief?"

Claire shakes her head, watching an awake Aaron cradled in her arms. "More like restless, been so before, during, and after the storm, aren't you!" She rocks Aaron, who gruns unhappily.

"Claire if you can't get him to sleep within two hours, you give him to me." Connor looks at a sleeping Lana. "I definitely have the knack!"

A shout is heard from the edge of the camp. Connor, and Claire trade glances. "I'm going to hold you to that Connor!" Claire smiles mischievously.

"I win, you give me some peanut butter!"

Claire is about to reply.

The shouts get louder, Sun. Jin, and her were on the rota for the button pushing tonight at the bunker. They left, as soon as the rain stopped. Connor makes out what she shouting and gets up quickly, and runs over to her. Sun stops a few paces from Connor.

Sun catches her breath. She looks up at Connor. Her face betrays what she has seen, horror. "Something has happened!" She pauses; Connor guesses almost immediately, who it is about. "Eve".

Moments later Connor, Sun, and Sayid immediately run off into the jungle.

Jack looks at Kate in desperation for answers. An explanation isn't forthcoming. Kate is muttering, whispering something but it is inaudible, she is cold, wet, huddled up, and shaking. Locke, and Eko covers Eve's body is in a blanket, the white blanket quickly becomes stained with blood, a normally emotionless Jin turns away. He catches a glimpse of Sawyer's face, their eyes meet, and both look for an answer. A detached Ana-Lucia, watches from a distance. She crosses herself, before turning. All heads turn, apart from Kate's, in the direction of Connor, Sayid, and Sun. Connor stops, when he sees the blood-stained blanket. He takes a few steps forward. "What happened, what the hell has happened?" He surges forward, Sayid restrains him, Jin moves forward to help. "Connor please do not let this be the your last memory of Eve…"Sayid whispers, before releasing him, Connor slowly walks forward. He looks at everyone, Jack, Eko, Locke, Jin, Ana-Lucia, Sawyer, awkward stares are traded, and Connor then looks finally at Kate. Kate is staring at Eve's covered body. The silence from Connor feels like an eternity. He walks a further step forward. What did you do Kate?

"Kate what happened?"

Kate jerks her face up into Connor's view. Connor takes a step back, in horror. The scratches and cuts across her face, hands, and upper body are clearly seen. Her blood stained top, and jeans. Connor breathes deeply. He stumbles back. Sayid, and Locke move to help him. Connor silently and angrily waves them away.

Connor stands in plain view of everybody. Numb with shock. Locke lays a hand gently on his right hand shoulder. Eko, does the same on his left. Both walk him further away from Eve, from Kate.

Jin says something in Korean, Sayid looks at Sun. "My husband, will help you carry Eve." Eko pauses, and nods. "You better get the stretcher." He morosely says walking past Sayid, Sayid follows him. "Where are you going?" Sayid asks.

"To pray!" Eko replies sharply.

"For Eve?" Sun asks. Eko abruptly stops before turning around. "I know Eve, she is safe with the Lord, our Saviour now!"

"Who then?"

Eko's eyes go wide in anger. He then points sharply over to Kate.

"For her soul!"

Jack looks at the ground around Eve. He sees items scattered about, like in a struggle. A wad of money, wearing a set of plastic gloves he examines it, Australian dollars. He walks further around, two ID cards. Katharine Ryan, Katharine Austen, Annie Shepherd, he sighs, remembering Kate's earlier attempt to get on Michael's raft, the burned passport, oh Kate no. He looks over at Anna-Lucia, she beckons him over. He walks over, and looks where she is looking. Ana-Lucia points at an object.

A bloodstained knife is lying on the ground. Ana-Lucia gets up, and walks away. Breathing deeply, she leans against the tree staring at Kate, who hasn't moved at all in the past hour. She starts to say something, but thinks better off it.

Nothing else here for me to see. Sawyer decides to walk away from this grim scene. You're on your own Freckles. He watches Kate for a moment. He turns, and walks away, almost bumping into Sayid. He flinches, caught in Sayid's gaze.

"How long were you in the jungle before Kate found you?" Sayid hisses.

"Two, three hours. You got something to say?" Sawyer whispers back, inches from Sayid's face.

"That's a long time in the jungle – pity nobody saw you!"

Sawyer grins. "Well, Al-Jazerra that's where I hate to disappoint you. Two hours ago, I was at the bunker checking for Eve. Hurley, Bernard, and Rose saw me." He tone becomes sarcastic. "Why don't you ask them?"

"I will!" Sayid replies venomously. "A word of advice, stay away from the camp for the moment!"

Sawyer trades one more look, before walking away. "I can feel those daggers just going into my back Abdullah!"

"Kate – tell me what happened?" Jack crouches down in front of her. She is shivering. Eyes stare out, they are devoid of any sign of life. She's in shock; we're not going to get anything out of her. Jack reaches out to her, he touches her blood-stained hands. "Kate let me help you!"

There is recognition on Kate's face, she looks at Jack. She starts to speak.

"R, remember when we crashed I patched you!" She speaks rapidly. "Y, you told me, that when you were operating on a patient, that you almost lost?"

Jack thinks back to that fateful day. "How you were scared?"

Jack nods.

"I let my fear overcome me!" Kate whispers clearly. Kate withdraws into herself. Jack slowly gets up. A cold feeling grips his thoughts. A realisation that Kate has done something terrible and unthinkable has happened.

Jack, she's killed Eve.

Jack, she's murdered an seven year old girl.

To be continued…