Recommendation: reread the last paragraph of chapter 8.
Chapter 9: The Final Choice
A choice. That was what separates everything in life. To stay or go, to act or walk away, to live or die trying, the choice to forget and move on with life, the choice to remember and live in the pain of past mistakes; the choice whether to help or not, can be the most dangerous of all; it's a self sacrifice that may come back to haunt some one sooner than thought. The true devotion and sincerity while helping is shown in a climatic moment; the moment when the world and what a person's done in it is shown for what it truly is.
Once the night was gone and the caves were behind them, London, Sawyer and Kate walked through a morning fog. The thick cloud filled the air and made it difficult to see. Every glazed part of the watery air had the effect of a mirror; sight could not penetrate it, the reflection of their past and who they were was stuck in the thick air about them. After the morning dew soaked into the dirt a thin layer of dry mud caked the jungle floor. The mud stuck to each of their hiking boots and weighed them down ever so slightly. Even the usually bright green plants held a dimmed grey look due to the low earthly cloud.
Sawyer and London followed a fading figure through the fog.
Kate trailed behind Sawyer, who trailed behind London. She walked in a casual, yet determined way, looking upon her two traveling companions before her. Kate saw London slightly differently after their talk the night before. She watched her with caution, with a protective air; as a sister might look upon her younger sibling. The air was thick and hard to breath; it clouded a person's senses and set a chilling sleepy effect on them.
"There's a stream up about a mile from here, ya'll wanna stop for a bit when we reach there?" London asked without even turning around to face them.
"How do you people know this island so damn well?" Sawyer questioned back with a hint of an irritated tone.
"When ya live some place your whole life ya get us to it. And I'll take that as a yes" London responded with her typical 'you should have known that' tone.
Once they met the stream they all stopped. Each filled their own water bottles with the clear crisp stream water.
The moment held a feeling of inviolability. Although the fog would have seemed to set a dreary tone the cold rushing water touching the tips of their fingers and presented a false feeling of hope brought on my easily swain emotions that were created by a delusional type circumstance.
Every sound in the jungle seemed to cease in a moment. One sound was left ring in each person's ears. Without hesitation Sawyer, Kate and London all reached for their own guns after they heard the fire of a gun only yards away from where they stood. The bullet had been aimed wrongly and had missed its target, its target being Kate. The shot had been fired from the direction in which they had been going; quickly they rushed behind different trees.
The sound of gun shoots continued to ring in the air.
There were four Others that lined the opposite bank of the creek where they had been resting. Shoots constantly where being fired at the group of trees where the three hide. Sawyer got down low and looked through brush and bushes n the ground near his feet. Quickly, he aimed and shot his gun, the bullet whizzed through the air and hit one of the Others square in the head, he feel back immediately, and all they could assume was that he was dead. Kate stealthily moved amongst the trees until she found a good position. Eyeing her opponent she readied her gun and fired, twice. With two hits to his chest the man fell back to join his also lost partner. Two more men remained, they continued to fire in the direction in which Sawyer and Kate's bullets had come from, the shoots hit the trees around them or often flew past the gaps between the trees just dearly missing their bodies.
London, who was behind the tree nearest to the stream, with out hesitation aimed, pulled the trigger of her gun and shoot down one of the last remaining man. As fate would have it, as she had gotten into view to shoot, the fourth man had seen her. Sawyer and Kate sat feet away crouched in the brush; they heard the shoot and saw the look on her face when the bullet penetrated her skin and went into her heart.
Filled with rage and determination, Sawyer instantly shot down the remaining man. The gun shot concluded their firing match; the sound that remained was that of the heavy and painful breathing of London.
Sawyer held out his gun and an across the stream, he began to check the surrounding area and the bodies.
"No, no!" Kate shouted as she ran to London. The young girl began to cough up blood; her once steady shoulders caved and hunkered over, her chest caved in as she struggled to breath. Tears began to stream down Kate's eyes.
"You can't do this, you can't leave!" Kate cried to London in a hurt tone, as if she was leaving her by choice.
"So…. did I fail?" London asked with a bloody cough. She still didn't loss her light air that showed up most in time of desperation.
Kate smiled a weak, yet genuine smile.
"No, London, you didn't fail." Kate reassured her in a weak tone.
"Good, the whole death thing scared me there for a minute, I thought I had lost what chance I had left to do something right."
"Don't you say that…" Kate cried with red cheeks. "You are going to be alright." She added trying to convince herself of something she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was not true. London laughed a weak and hallow laugh.
"Do you have a bullet in your eye or something, Kate? Cause as far as I can tell, I have one in my heart, and seeing as we are in the middle of a jungle I think it's safe to say it's my time."
London's eyes were blood shot and her blue, green eyes were nearly fully taken up by her expanding black pupil. Kate cried; all she could do was looked at her. That strong girl who had helped lead them so far was dying in front of her.
"Kate, look in my backpack." Kate wiped her tears way and started to look through London's belongings.
"Take it all." London instructed, even in a dying state she continued her pursuit to help. "Now look in the front pocket" London said in a feeble whisper, her voice was failing her fast. Unzipping the front zipper to London's well worn in black, back pack, she saw something she thought she would never lay eyes on again.
Carefully she lifted a small toy plane out. Kate looked London directly in the eyes; no longer did they hold a reflection that presented hope or determination, they were dry and color drained.
"He needs you." London said in a whisper.
The fog had been slowly lifting all the while.
London slipped out of earthly existence moment after she uttered her last words to Kate.
Sawyer who had walked up behind her stood still; and stared blankly at the lifeless figure on the ground before him. The two of them were silent, what could be said. The world had thrown another trial, another heartbreaking incident at them. To hold in the pain, to deny or accept guilt would be the choice they had to make. London's choices and decisions that lead to her death would echo in their hearts. Taking what they learned and moving on would seem the easier thing to do; to revenge the dear lost one would seem to fit the theme of the journey. Blood spilled out of her chest, the stream from the river caught a hold of the blood as it spilled out. The scarlet fluid was carried down stream and mixed with the water. The surrounding and personal thought of fear left at the sight of seeing the life sustaining blood flow out of her body and down the stream where she had lead them.