Fire and Ice
Chapter 13
Darkness Falls part 2
"Connor what's happened?" Charlie watches Connor slowly walk past him. The same look is on Locke's face. Claire, and Libby follow Locke and Connor, a crowd of other survivors follow them. Charlie watches from a distance.
Locke angrily turns round, startling Claire, and Libby. "Libby, Claire come with me, the rest of you, its getting dark, if I can have a volunteer or two to watch the perimeter tonight, Connor and me are quite tired!"
His cold authorative tone, causes a few grumbles, but the crowd disperses. All except Charlie. He watches the small group walk over to the edge of the camp. "Thank you Charlie, for volunteering." He mimics Locke's voice. "Even though nobody here, especially me, trusts you." Charlie watches the intense conversation that is taking place. He folds his arms. Connor is very intense. Claire turns away, hand over her mouth, she looks like she is in shock. Locke, and Libby look like they're trying to comfort Connor. What's happened?
"Eve dead how?" Lana exclaims. She momentarily loses her balance, Locke gently catches one arm, as she gets up. Connor watches her in silence. Libby goes to comfort her. Lana sits down, her head in her hands. Libby sits down next to her. "Connor – how?" She forces the words out of clenched teeth, eyes wide with anger. Tears welling up in her eyes.
Connor looks at Locke. The silent reply is not good. Connor breathes deeply, then replies.
"I will kill Kate myself." Lana storms across the beach, quickly followed by Connor, Locke, and Libby giving chase. Lana stops and turns to the group. Her eyes are tear stained. She looks at Connor, then Locke. "Eve was just a child, just a child!" She screams. Connor, and Locke just watch, powerless to say or do anything. Both are brushed aside by Libby, who goes to comfort Lana. "I'll watch over her tonight."
Lana lies awake, staring up at the night sky. The embers of a nearby fire fill the sky with momentarily stars. Libby lies asleep across from her. Clinical Psychologist, she sneers. How many years at university did you spend getting that qualification!
She turns away from the fire. This is going too well, in a few days time Kate will be lynched. Now I just need to find the rest of the diamonds, and get off this island. She closes her eyes, and falls asleep.
"You need some sleep!" Locke says watching Connor. Connor sits on the beach, watching the waves gently rolling onto the beach.
"I'll sleep later thanks."
A gentle pat on the shoulder. "You know where to find me." Connor hears Locke walking away. There are other footsteps, somebody smaller and lighter than Locke, Connor guesses.
He's right. Charlie sits down next to him.
"You're supposed to be on guard duty!"
"Look like you could do with some company!" Charlie replies. Connor sighs, he's right.
"I heard, about Eve." Connor looks at Charlie. "Is it true about Kate?"
Connor nods. "It's true!"
"Why would she do such a thing." Charlie draws breath. "Killing a child like that!"
"Charlie, I wish I knew!" Connor stares into the night. I do know.
"It's completely out of character for Kate." No its not!
Connor sarcastically smiles. "Every body is completely out of character on this island!"
"Not Kate, I mean I know she's done some things in her past, but killing a bloody kid!" Connor reluctantly groans. "She's not an angel with broken wings Charlie!"
There is an awkward silence. "Okay Charlie, there's a lot you don't know about me, my history, my background." Connor stands up. Charlie watches him. "Walk with me, and I'll tell you."
Locke casually sits down by the dying embers of another fire. He is joined by another figure who silently sits across from him. White skinned, and hollow looking, it is Lana. He doesn't say a thing.
Lana watches him for a moment.
"What is going to happen to Kate, Locke?" She whispers.
"I don't know Lana." Locke pauses. "There is going to be a lot of difficult questions asked in the next coming days."
"We should bury Eve." Lana shivers. "By the jungle, next to the spot on the beach that she liked to go to with Connor and me."
Locke glances a warm smile.
"Have Eko conduct the service." Lana wipes away the tears. "Hymns, prayers, I only know Lithuanian ones."
"I'm sure we'll all help out in that." Locke sheaths a knife. Lana watches him.
"Kate should be put on trial."
Locke listens, Lana's tone is dark. "Found guilty, then suffer." Lana yawns. She looks at Locke in his eyes. "You or Connor, should carry it out. I don't trust Jack." Locke feels a cold sensation creep up his spine.
Kate stares at the wall in the makeshift cell. All there is in the cell is a blanket, a mattress, and a bucket. Apart from bouts of sobbing, and Ana-Lucia and Jack checking in on her, this is her existence. There are footsteps outside, they stop, and the heavy steel door opens, she flinches as a torch is shone into her eyes.
"Eat." Jack places down a plate of food, with a cup of water. No cutlery. He stands back, watching her. Sun is there beside him; her calm and graceful exterior is betrayed by a scowl. Only days before she counted Kate as a friend, now she is something else.
"Once you've eaten, Sun, and Anna will get you cleaned up." Jack says before walking away. "If you would like to know, we're having a ceremony for Eve at the beach this afternoon."
"I want to go." Kate's words, though a whisper, echo like thunder in the corridor. A startled Jack turns round in shock, Sun looks at Kate with contempt. Jack takes a few steps into the cell, he looks at a horrified Sun. "Please leave us."
It is a bright humid afternoon, a light breeze blows in from the ocean onto the beach encampment. Thankfully, the rain clouds appearing on the horizon, will not arrive for another couple of hours. A shallow pit five feet deep, and the length, and width of a small child has been dug into the soil at the edge of the jungle. Beside the grave, Eve's form is wrapped in blankets.
With a few exceptions, namely Sawyer, Jack, Kate, Sun, and Anna-Lucia, all the survivors have gathered for the service.
Connor stands at the front, hand in hand with Lana, on one side, and Claire on the other. Charlie beside her cradles a sleeping Aaron. Eko leads the service with a few passages from his bible. These are a blur to Connor. Eko speaks about Eve being in the bosom of our merciful Lord, and at peace. I really want to believe that, he says fighting back the tears.
"Please if anybody wishes to speak now, please, this is the time to say the words." Eko glances at everybody standing around the grave.
Connor forces himself to speak. "Eve, in the short time that you were with us, there were times when we needed eyes in the back of heads to know where you were. But you'd always return with something, be it fruit for everybody to share, a makeshift fishing rod for Jin, a pretend radio for Sayid." Jin, and Sayid smiles across from Connor, he never caught anything with it, and the radio was a nice gift. "Or the pictures you drew at the bunker for each of us. Eve you have all given us something in the short time that you were with us, that was something to live for in this place." Connor clears his throat. "We'll all miss you Eve, but we will all promise you this, we will get you home!"
Lana watches him as he wipes away a tear. There are smiles, and tears from around the grave. There is a moment of perfect calm. That was Eve, everybody remembers.
Suddenly there is an angry shout from the back of the crowd. Eko, and Connor look round to chastise the individual, then they see what has caused the outburst.
Two hundred meters away walking towards them is Jack, and Ana-Lucia, in-between them, hands bound in front of her, is Kate.
The atmosphere changes within a moment, Connor, Locke, and Eko move towards the advancing group, to intercept them. Chances are if the survivors get a hold of Kate, she'll be lynched.
"No weapons, no knifes." Connor says to them. Locke unbuckles his knife sheath, it drops to the ground. Eko isn't carrying anything, but he is good at improvising, with what he has at hand. His bible. He looks at Connor, Connor silently and reluctantly doesn't insist. They carry on.
"Jack, I think for the safety of Kate, this is highly unadvisable." Locke shouts. Jack hears him, but doesn't respond. "It's wasn't my idea John." Ana-Lucia shouts back. "Trust me I'd have left her to rot."
"Where she is going Ana, she will be there for all of eternity." Eko snarls. "She will burn in hell."
Both groups stop, a few metres apart.
Connor stares at Kate. You got your wish, Connor. A voice whispers. Kate nervously looks at him, eyes pleading for words that will tell her that everything will be ok. They will not come.
Connor inhales a breath slowly. He turns his head, and focuses on Jack. Kate is not even registering now to him.
"She goes no further, I cannot guarantee her safety Jack" Connor's tone is calm, cold, and deliberate. "Take her back." Connor turns away. Jack puts a hand on Kate's shoulder, to turn her around.
"Connor." Kate whispers. Connor sharply turns around. He looks right through Kate. "I have nothing to say to you." He angrily whispers back.
"Murderer." Another voice joins the group, from behind Connor, Locke, and Eko. Lana stands. Her blue eyes are piercing and cold. She is holding something, Locke's knife, extended out in front of her, it shines with malice in the sunlight. Lana takes a step forward. Locke takes a step in front of her. The knife is millimetres from his shirt, he looks into Lana's eyes.
"Lana this is not the way!" Locke says calmly.
"An eye for an eye, an life for an life!" She replies. "Does it not say that in the bible" She spits out. Eko looks at Lana, then nods, then turns to Jack. "She speaks the truth."
By now the funeral crowd is walking slowly towards the group. Some of them are have armed themselves. The look of hate in each of their eyes, especially of Sayid and Jin is frightening.
Connor looks at Jack. "Get her out of here – now!"
"What do you want to do?" Jack replies. Connor looks at Kate for a moment, she is staring at the ocean. He turns to Jack, he sighs.
"Trial, at the bunker, tommorrow. We go over the evidence, the facts, and come to a decision!" Connor says calmly. Jack laughs inappropriately. "A jury trial. In a place like this?"
Connor shakes his head. "Everybody has Kate already guilty. A panel, like a military court martial. Three judges, review and consider the evidence."
"Then what?"
Connor grimaces. "We decide on a verdict, and a sentence." The waves crash against the shore. The crowd are inching closer, and closer. The look of desperation on Jack's face, is matched by the concern shown by Connor. "Our options are limited." Connor adds. Jack nods. "Okay, you, me, Locke!" Connor sighs. "It's getting like Lord of the Flies here!" He turns to Kate. "Get a good night's sleep, you're going to need it!"
"Is that it!" Lana screams as Anna-Lucia and Jack drags Kate away. "Nothing happens!" She wails, as Locke gently takes the knife from her. Eko lays a hand on her shoulder. All three look at Connor, Eko and Locke with acceptance, and Lana with venom.
"The next time I see you, I will kill you bitch." She screams at Kate.
"The next time I see you, I will kill you bitch!"
Kate stops suddenly, to the annoyance of Ana-Lucia, and Jack. The voice, she remembers, from a long time ago, in an almost distance life. She starts to turn round, back Jack stops her. They frog-march her away.
As the three walk away. Sawyer watches from the jungle. Casually leaning against a tree, smoking. Jack, and Ana-Lucia stroll past him. Kate looks at Sawyer.
"Have you got anything better to do Sawyer!" Kate spits out.
Sawyer coolly smiles. "Nah Freckles, watching the drama this afternoon, is all that I have planned." He laughs, as she is lead up a path, to the bunker.
Jack turns round.
"Sawyer, I'd stay away from the camp for the next few days."
Sawyer grins, he won't. Kate turns round. Sawyer watches her, the helpless and despair on her face. Sawyer watches with a cool detachment. You're really are in for it Freckles.
To be continued…
