Omg! I apologize a million times that this chapter took so long to get out. I am gonna try to do a better job during the hiatus. Thanks for reviewing, please keep it up I really enjoy hearing what people have to say, it moves my story along faster!:)
Chapter 6:: Why Talk?
The afternoon sun beat down hard on the weary traveler's faces. They hadn't stopped walking all night. Rests were scarce on their journey. As they traveled over the jungle terrain sweat beads began to form on each of their brows. It had been a great more than twenty-four hours since Sawyer or Kate had slept and the fast pace that Londy set began to wear them down.
"You feel free to take a break anytime you want to, lil lady." Sawyer hollered at Londy.
"If you're tired just say so." Londy commented not even turning her head.
"Alright. I'm tired." He confessed wearily.
"Get over it then, we still got a good eight, nine miles before we reach our destination." Londy said unsympathetically.
"Where exactly are we headed, London?" Kate asked. She, herself was tired but she hide it well.
"Somewhere safe."
They continued to walk. Slowly yet surely their trek began to take an uphill course. Each of their paces decreased in speed as they continued up the slope. The afternoon melted into evening. The sky held orange and pinkish clouds spattered all across it leaving only a few glimpse of blue here and there. The wind blew furiously through the trees creating a whistling noise. Branches swung every which way all at once. When one gale would stop, the whistling noise it had made continued to echo though the jungle air; ringing in a person's ears. Sawyer's hair repeatedly got in his way and he would then have to brush it out of his eyes. He always made sure to do it with a frustrated air, not that it mattered much. His companions were too tired and worried about the task ahead to bother with Sawyer's attempts to show annoyance in the situation.
Leaves began to fall from trees as the gusts of winds power grew. It didn't take a weather man to know that a storm was on its way. The pink sky quickly turned to grey in one quick action. Within the blink of an eye it went from gusty evening to a wet one. The rain did not begin with light little droplets, the rain poured down from the heavens as if some one had just switched on a water faucet. Kate looked up as the rained poured down on her face and she could see the clouds moving quickly across the sky. The rain fell at every possible angle, hitting the three travelers head on. The weight of the wind and continues water droplets upon them slowed them down slightly. Each drop held an icy feel to it that made the on skin impact send a chill up a person's spine. The evening chill came with the turn of weather; their teeth began to chatter. The three were brought out of their tiresome daze by the sudden storm and pushed forward toward shelter.
As the rain poured down upon them, they could each feel the pressure the every pounding rain on their already drenching wet skin. Through the wall of rain Kate and Sawyer saw Londy turn around and yell.
"This way; quick!"
The followed her into a thicker area of the jungle all the while treading at an uphill slant. Trees of every kind formed a canopy. Rain drops fell lighter in the area compared to out in the open. Hungry, tired and wet they pressed on. All of a sudden Londy stopped and began to push back vines that hide something. She threw aside wet leaves and branches all to uncover a rusty metal door.
Kate remembered a similar incident that had taken place a few weeks ago when she was on her trek with Claire. Quickly, Kate assisted Londy in uncovering the rest of the metal door. Sawyer reached for the handle and pulled the heavy door open. The three for them, soaking wet, took shelter from the rain. Sawyer and Kate shut the door behind themselves. The lights flipped on as an effect of Londy flipped a switch in a rusty old breaker box.
"This is good." Kate said in a relaxed tone and nodded toward the outside.
Londy was busy rushing around here and there. She nodded in agreement.
"All our tracks will be washed away."
"So what is this place?" Sawyer asked while taking a brief look around. The lights flickered off and on quickly. The place held a musty wet smell to it; water could be heard falling against the metal doors outside.
"This is the old Dharma meteorology station; that's why we had to climb so high; the weather up here was more worth studying. It's been empty for years."
Londy collapsed in an old dusty chair. She lay her back against the chair and threw her legs over the arms of it in one motion. She yawned deeply then without another word she shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Her shoulder lay at a slant and her mouth hung open a bit. Her pony tail was fallen out on the journey so her blonde wet hair had fallen on her shoulders forming ringlet shapes.
Before Kate allowed herself to relax she looked around the Dharma station. It was much smaller than the hatch. The walls were the same cement color as the other. The ceiling as not as tall as the other. An open door showed a toilet and sink. A built-in book self was next to a wooden door across from where she stood. A rather small living area with a connected kitchenette held two chairs and a faded orange couch. The place was covered in dust and was rusty in several particular areas. Plumbing pipes could be seen; they lined the walls and corners or floors.
Sawyer fell onto the couch causing dust to fly about the room. He lay his head on an old flat pillow and kicked his feet up on the opposite side over the arm rest. Water droplets still covered his forehead and hairline. His eyes closed with a flutter. Turning to see him at peace for a moment with his eyes contently shut Kate then walked toward the door next to the book shelf with tired steps. The door knobs cool feel gave her goose bumps. As she turned it to its left, a darkness from the other side covered her sight. Kate felt around the narrow way for a light switch; she found one quickly and turned on a dime light above her head. As the light bulb above her turned on, another light caught her eye. With the former darkness consumed a narrow, steep staircase was revealed. Kate with a slow step made her way up the steep stairs. Each step was difficult as her being as tired as she was. She would bring herself to put each leg up so she could satisfy her curiosity. She wondered what was behind the door, and up the stairs
The sound of the flickering light was soon drowned out by the sound of rain. Kate heard thousands of droplets pounding on what she thought was glass. Once she reached the top of the staircase she then stood in a small room with a circular ceiling. The ceiling was made of glass. It was been covered by leaves and mud by weather and time, so it was difficult to see out of. Two high-back, musty brown wingchairs sat in the center on the room. On a small coffee table between the two chairs lay dharma notebooks, drawings, calculations and photographs. Next to one of the chairs was a telescope. Kate sat down in one of the brown chairs and closed her eyes. She listened to the sound of the rain against the thick glass. The room was a bit chilly. She curled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. The smell of the room was neither comforting nor grotesque; it reminded Kate of an older house that hadn't been lived in for quite some time. Like the house it held memories and good times and old southing scents. Many coffees or mid-day snacks must had been shared in that room. Kate inhaled the roomed scents as she took in a deep breath. The old papers and dusty feel clouded her senses. Only planning to sit for a moment before she went downstairs, the sound of the rain and exhaustion soon took over her. As she would later not even recall Kate's mind collapses into a deep sleep as her head hit the back of the chair.