Most people on the beach had turned up now, and with the appearance of Ella with a gun, had fallen so silent that the sound of the waves further down the beach was drowned out only by Sawyer's heavy breathing. Sawyer turned to Locke with fire in his eyes. A few people physically backed away from him. Sawyer went and crouched infront of Ella, holding out his hands to her.
"Give it to me, Ella." He told her, his tone serious, an emotion no one thought Sawyer could display.
"Sawyer, relax, it isn't loaded." Locke defended.
"Shut up!" Sawyer yelled at him, then turned back to Ella. "Ella, give it to me." He repeated.
"But I'm a bad guy, Daddy!" She protested, holding it up infront of him. "Bang! Bang! Ba-"
But on the third bang, the gun went off for real, and a bullet was sent over Sawyer's shoulder and into the trees behind him. No sooner had the gun gone off, had a cry echoed behind them.
"Oh God." Jack said, running over into the trees to see who had been shot.
Ella dropped the gun, and screamed, bursting into tears. She looked terrified, and threw herself at Sawyer, who held her, while standing up to glare at Locke.
"It isn't loaded my ass!" He shouted.
"Sawyer-"
"No! You gave my kid a loaded gun!" Sawyer said. "She's two years old, and last time I checked, we weren't part of any Island Mafia!" If there had been a time on the island where Sawyer was angrier, no one had seen it. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"
"It had no cartridge in it." Locke said. "I emptied it."
"And what about the round left in it? You didn't think to take that one out!"
Kate stepped in, putting her hand on Sawyer's arm. "Sawyer!"
Sawyer shrugged her off. "She could have killed herself!" He shouted.
"Sawyer-" Kate continued, but again, he didn't listen.
"What did you think 'oh, I'm bored, nothing's happening, let's give a kid a gun and see what happens'? Are you insane?"
"Sawyer-"
Locke stepped in to defend himself, but Sawyer shook his head. "Nothing you can say can make up for this."
"SAWYER!" Kate yelled over him.
He stopped and turned to her. "What?"
"In case you haven't noticed, someone's been shot, and you're standing here yelling at Locke, which is scaring your daughter!" Kate said to him roughly. "Will you cut it out!"
Sawyer glared at Locke on final time, but then turned his back and stalked away to his tent. On his way, he passed Jack and Michael pulling the body from the trees. He was still alive, groaning from the bullet in his stomach.
"Wait a second..." Sawyer said, and doubled back to look at the man, sheilding Ella's eyes from the blood. "That's not anyone from our camp." He told Jack.