Lisa had lost the battle. He was just too strong- he couldn't be stopped.

"Sorry, Janie Jones, but it looks like I'm takin' over the Mediterranean."

She scowled distastefully at Sawyer, although she laughed. Piling the remnants of her army back into the box, she said,

"Okay, fine. Take it over. But I still say you're cheating."

Sawyer looked offended, spreading his arms. "Come on, now! I'm playin' fair. It ain't my fault you got all 'High an' Mighty' and started a two front war!"

Lisa snorted, slumping back into her seat beside Hurley. Baby Aaron cooed from his lap, trying to reach for the game board. Locke stared at it deep in thought, his fingers tented.

"I guess it's all up to you," Lisa told Hurley.

He made face. "Thanks."

She cracked a grin, tapping his shoulder a few times. Lisa left them to their competitive game of Risk, shuffling into the kitchen to grab a glass of lemonade. She grabbed her little backpack from the floor and flopped down on the couch, rifling through it for the book. She frowned as she searched, clattering her CDs together as she gripped the novel in her hand. She pulled it into view, untangling it from the wire of her headphones. With a small sigh, Lisa leaned back and opened to where she had left off. The picture was marking her place, and from time to time she would glance at it to trigger a small smile. She pulled the zipper of her jacket up and down as she read.

Suddenly, a telephone rang.

She looked up confusedly from the book, exchanging looks with Sawyer and Hurley. Locke finally answered, holding it to his ear. He listened for a moment, frowning. As he hung it up, Hurley asked,

"Who is it?"

"…I think it's for Ben," Locke replied.

Lisa closed the book, straightening up. Locke headed for the door, asking for Sawyer to follow him. Lisa came up to the table, brow furrowed in concern.

"Hey, what's going-?"

"Stay here with Hugo and the baby," Locke told her.

Before she could reply, the door slammed closed. Aaron was beginning to fuss, angrily pulling on his blanket. He buried his face in Hurley's shoulder, muffling his cries.

"I don't like this," Lisa said, moving to look out the window.

Hurley tried to get the baby to calm down, bouncing him on his knee. Lisa diverted her attention to Aaron, speaking to him in soothing tones. He watched her for a few moments, his eyes shining brightly with imminent tears. He scrunched up his face and cried. Lisa would have taken him but the door burst open, startling her. Ben and Locke appeared, the former looking harried.

"What's going on?" Lisa asked.

She scowled as Ben brushed past her, the question presently ignored. Locke followed close behind, watching as Ben started piling things in front of the door.

"These people, you're afraid of them, aren't you?" he said.

"Yes, John, I am," Ben responded in a slightly wavering voice.

He threw the ottoman against the door with a bang. Lisa jumped at the sound; Aaron wailed.

"Where's Sawyer?" Hurley wanted to know.

Lisa could only watch as Ben and Locke heaved a bookcase into place over the door. Several novels and picture frames slid off of it and rattled to the floor.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded.

They looked at her once again, but said nothing. Lisa felt fear creeping up on her, standing immobile as Ben continued to pile things in front of the door in a strange panic.

Without warning, gunfire sounded, chattering outside. Lisa felt her heart shoot up to her throat, and she ran to the window, hearing Sawyer shouting.

"Get away from there," Ben told her, pulling her back by her arm.

Lisa's heart was roaring in her ears, now. Gunfire erupted outside yet again and she gave a start, gasping. Ben had somehow procured an M-16 rifle, moving to stand before the entrance, looking like some kind of bizarre soldier. Locke was cradling a shotgun in his hands, pumping a round into place. Lisa ran to stand beside Ben, not sure what else to do.

There came a deafening sound, which caused all of them to twitch in surprise. Lisa screamed. One of the houses had exploded into flames; she could hear bits of wood and drywall thudding to the ground. Dirt fell on the roof like a gentle rain. Thick, dark smoke coiled into the air. Aaron was screaming in Hurley's arms.

"Wasn't that Claire's house?"

"Hugo! Get the baby away from the window," Locke ordered, "Get him away- go in the back room!"

Hurley did as he was told, disappearing down the hallway. Lisa's breath was coming in short bursts, and she was trembling. She clung tightly to Ben's arm, not caring who he was at the moment.

"Oh my God…oh my God!!"

"Right now you need to tell me what's going on!" Locke shouted at Ben, taking a few steps toward him.

"I think the technical term is "shock and awe". They're trying to frighten me into surrendering," came the breathless reply, "If you don't want to die, you're safest here. That's why no one can leave and no one can come in."

Ben shrugged out of Lisa's grasp, racking the slide on the rifle. Lisa's eyes darted from Locke to Ben and back. She was shaking horribly.

Faintly, Sawyer's voice sounded.

Lisa squeezed her eyes shut, trying to blot out everything. How could this have happened? Her whole world had been ruined in less than twenty minutes. She looked up at Hurley, who had reappeared, no Aaron in sight.

"Open this damn door!" Sawyer screamed.

He pounded against their 'barricade' repeatedly. Lisa winced at each sound.

"Let him in!!" she shrieked.

Hurley moved to open the door, but Ben pointed the rifle.

"Hugo- I wouldn't do that."

Sawyer bellowed again, and Lisa pleaded to let him in the house. He pounded on the door still. Hurley seized the ottoman from the pile and chucked it at the window. The glass shattered, plinking on to the front porch. Sawyer hurdled the window sill, and Lisa gasped sharply. He held the lifeless form of Claire in his arms.

"She's alright," Sawyer assured them breathlessly, "She'll be fine."

He passed Claire to Hurley, who took her down to the bedrooms. Locke threw Sawyer the shotgun, pulling a pistol from his belt. Sawyer gripped it tight, checking to make sure there was a round in the chamber.

"They're all camouflaged," he said, "Highly trained- crack shots. A miracle I made it out of there…"

"Are you fucking serious?!" Lisa screamed.

They looked at her a moment, as if realizing for the first time she was there. Ben gripped her shoulder tightly.

"Go into the bedroom, Lisa-"

"-But what if-?"

"Go!" he told her firmly, "Do not come back out here until one of us tells you."

He pushed her in the direction of the hallway, returning his attention to the front door. He gripped the rifle tightly, his knuckles white.

"Get the hell goin,' Kid!" Sawyer yelled.

Lisa sprang into action, snatching up her back pack from the couch. She ran down the hallway, tripping in her haste to do so. Aaron's cries could still be heard, coming from Ben's bedroom. Hurley was there, sitting on the bed next to the unconscious Claire. Aaron was fussing still, obviously not happy at the fact Hurley had put him in a laundry basket. Lisa took the basket from the bed, carefully walking over to the corner of the room and sat against the wall. She placed the basket in front of her, hitting the carpet beside her for Hurley to sit. Aaron had calmed after seeing her, chewing on his fingers.

Lisa's breath was uneven and shaky; her whole body was trembling in fear. Hurley walked up to her and sat beside her. She leaned against him, her eyes wide.

"I miss Charlie," she whispered, "I miss him…"

"It's okay. It'll be over soon," Hurley told her.

They sat huddled in the corner for some time. Lisa noticed the sun was beginning to slant toward the west; the light outside was fading. She held a fist in front of her face, biting her knuckles.

The doorbell rang, and she jumped.

Widmore's men certainly had a sick sense of humor. She could hear shuffling from the living room, followed by frantic voices. Lisa's heart had started to hammer once more against her chest. A slight breeze came in through the window, and her eyes darted toward it. She choked out sharp gasp, yanking on Hurley's t-shirt.

"Someone's out there," she hissed, "Someone's out in the woods!"

They watched as a small group of men appeared at out of the trees, dressed in camouflage to match the jungle. One of them went walking into the camp, leaving the other two behind. He was not wearing a helmet; his uniform looked dirty and he wore a Kevlar vest for protection. Jet black combat boots made deep grooves in the dirt as he walked, a small radio clenched in his hand. A pistol was in the other.

It was then Lisa heard sobbing. Without thinking about what she was doing, she scrambled to the window, peering cautiously over the sill. To her horror, Alex stood between two of the soldiers, shaking and sobbing. Her hands were bound and her hair hung into her eyes.

"Oh my God," Lisa breathed, "Oh, please not Alex…"

The leader had walked out of her line of sight, presumably stopping over by the picket fences. Lisa wanted to shout out to her friend, but she knew she couldn't. Her mouth struggled to form a sound, but all that came out was a strangled squeak.

"Lisa, get away from there!" came Hurley's voice.

She glanced at him, but didn't move. Aaron sang the sound for her name, but she ignored it. Her fingers gripped the sill tightly, and they were beginning to hurt from the effort. Her breath was coming in shaky intervals; her whole body was tensed.

There came a shrill whistle, and one of the soldiers began to shove Alex the way the leader had gone. She thrashed around, crying, but they dragged hr along. Lisa could only watch on helplessly.

"Where are they taking her?! What's happening?!"

Hurley seized her by the arm and pulled her back into the corner. Lisa allowed herself to be dragged back crying,

"Where is she going?!"

Aaron was staring at her, not sure what to make of her actions. Lisa could hear voices echoing down the hallway, but they were indiscernible. She trembled where she sat, still held tightly by Hurley. The voices had become louder; she could tell something was wrong.

A single gunshot sounded. Lisa gasped.

"Oh no…no, they didn't…they couldn't-!"

She tore herself from Hurley's grasp, running back up the window, ignoring his protest. Her eyes scanned the tree line desperately, but there was no one in sight.

"Alex?"

She was too numb to feel anything anymore. There was sadness, fear, remorse and anger, but she couldn't feel it- not then. She'd shut it all out. But she wanted to hear her friend's voice. Lisa's fingers curled into tight fists and she pounded the window sill.

"Alex!!"

The baby started fussing yet again. Hurley took him out of the basket, moving to sit on the bed with him. Claire was beginning to stir, her head moving from side to side. Lisa sank to the floor, feeling as if in a dream; a nightmare. She watched vacantly as Claire gingerly rose to a sitting position, holding her head. Aaron reached for her and she took him in her arms instinctively.

"What's going on?" she asked groggily, massaging her head.

No one answered. Lisa forced herself off the floor, slinging her backpack over a shoulder. She walked out into the living room, needing comfort- wanting protection. Her friend was gone and she needed someone there.

Locke, Sawyer, -and surprisingly- Miles were standing in the room, all looking scared in one form or another. Lisa ran up to Sawyer and he held her close to him protectively. It seemed like he'd needed her there, too.

"It's okay, kid…it's alright."

"They killed her," Lisa murmured into his shirt, "They killed Alex…"

She felt a heavy sigh escape him, and knew she was right. He avoided her question and gripped her shoulder tightly. He asked Claire if she was alright instead.

"Yeah, I'll be okay…"

Sawyer nodded, still keeping his arm around Lisa. She looked around them, noticing the shadows were longer and it was getting darker outside.

"Where's Ben?" she asked.

Lisa watched as Sawyer's eyes flickered to one of the bookcases, which had been pushed away from the wall.

"He's takin' a slight detour," was the reply.

Locke came back into the group, having just come from watching for trouble outside. He clenched a pistol in his hand.

"I don't see anyone out there, but it's going to be dark soon, and that's when they'll come back. I'm pretty sure they're watching this place like hawks."

Sawyer felt Lisa's fingers dig into him and he shot Locke a dark look.

Ben suddenly appeared from behind the bookcase, looking the worst Lisa had ever seen him. He surveyed the weary group for a moment, as if counting who was left. He seemed broken to Lisa somehow; weak for the first time she'd known him, slathered in soot like a pathetic child. To her, Ben was someone who never changed, someone who remained uncompromised amidst chaos. But he had been forcibly changed. His world had been destroyed and it showed.

"What the hell were you doin' in there?" Sawyer demanded.

Lisa watched Ben with a frown, one arm still slung around Sawyer. He walked to the window and stood there. He spoke.

"I want you all to listen to me very carefully. When I give the word, everyone needs to get outside and head into the jungle."

"You mean toward the people trying to kill us?" Miles said.

"Of course not. We want to stay as far away from them as possible."

He was still leaning on the window sill, watching for something. Lisa narrowed her eyes. The floorboards suddenly trembled beneath her shoes, and she looked around wildly to determine the cause of it. The walls started shaking and a rumbling sound came to her ears. Pictures fell from the walls and clattered to the floor, glass shattering. Suddenly, there came a strange, booming sound. Everyone but Miles and Ben flinched.

"What was that?" Miles asked.

Lisa pulled away from Sawyer, feeling the hair stand up on the back of her neck. The sound came again, followed by a strange, hollow cranking. Lisa's eyes widened in shock. She watched open-mouthed as a large column of jet black smoke streamed past the house, leaving a deep groove in the grass as it went.

"Outside!" Ben suddenly shouted, "Now! Go!!"

Everyone sprang into action, throwing aside the 'barricade' and wrenching open the door. gunfire rattled in the distance, followed by the screams of men. The booming sound took over them, and Lisa winced moving to cover her ears. She stood with the others and gaped at the jungle, watching as the smoke creature swirled violently before them, towering above like an ominous storm. Trees groaned and splintered in its wake; flashes appeared through the thick clouds of blackness from the mercenary machine guns.

"Let's get outta here!" Sawyer bellowed over the 'roar' of the creature.

He seized Lisa's wrist and pulled her along with him. She stumbled after, still gawking at the pillar of smoke, the muzzle flashes playing across her face like strange fireworks.

"What about Ben?" she shouted.

"Just keep running!!"

Sawyer yanked her along behind him, sprinting as fast as he could toward the jungle. Lisa forced herself to look away from the scene, panting like a dog as she followed. The wind roared in her ears as she ran and soon branches slapped at her body, signaling they had made it into the trees. Lisa's hand never left Sawyer's.

The sounds of the monster were beginning to fade, although machine guns still chattered violently in the distance. The jungle was very dark and difficult to maneuver. Lisa's foot caught on something, and she fell over with a shriek. She could hear Sawyer swearing ahead of her as she tried to get on her feet.

"I can't see!" she whimpered, clawing at the plants and trees in her path.

The baby's cries suddenly sounded off to her right; Claire's voice softly hushed him. Lisa heard footfalls snap the twigs nearby and Sawyer's rough hand closed around her wrist.

"I got you, kid."

He heaved her to a standing position and she slung her arms around him in relief. She felt him tousle her hair, sighing. A sudden burst of light appeared from behind them and they all spun around to face Locke. The torch's flame flickered above him.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

Lisa managed a nod, looking around for her friends. She was relieved to see they had all made it. Hurley flashed her a weak smile, but she only nodded in response. Locke came toward them, bringing the reassuring light along with him.

"I think we're far enough away from the camp," he said, "They won't be able to find us for awhile."

"What the hell was that 'distraction'?" Sawyer spoke up.

Locke shrugged, shaking his head. "You'll have to ask Ben about that."

"Where is he?" asked Lisa in a voice weak with fatigue.

"Who cares," Sawyer snapped, "Sonova bitch almost got us all killed!"

Lisa scowled but said nothing. The trees suddenly swayed and leaves crunched loudly, causing Sawyer to automatically point the shotgun; Lisa tensed as he pushed her behind him protectively. From around his arm, she watched as Ben appeared, stepping into the small circle of light. Lisa stepped out from behind her defender, strangely happy to see him.

"I'm sorry about your daughter," Locke said quietly.

Ben shifted his eyes slowly to look at him. "Thank-you, John…"

Lisa watched them both, shivering as a cool breeze washed over her. The torch light twisted, distorting the shadows. Sawyer tousled her hair comfortingly, lying a hand on her shoulder.

"That being said, you lied to me. You told me you didn't know what the smoke monster was," continued Locke.

Ben regarded him silently for a moment, the firelight catching the sweat across his face.

"You can ask Jacob all about it when we get there."

Lisa felt a strange pang of recognition at the name. She frowned, hugging Sawyer's arm.

"Who's Jacob?" he questioned.

"He's going to tell us what to do next, James."

Sawyer shook his head, stringy blond hair waving out around him.

"To hell with that. I'm done takin' orders from you two. I'm headin' back to the beach- who's with me?"

Claire raised her hand as Aaron wailed; Miles nodded to him; Hurley agreed. Lisa said nothing, her eyes shifting to Ben. She was surprised to find he was already looking at her. He jerked his head slightly, telling her to go. She pursed her lips as everyone started walking their separate ways. Sawyer was gently pushing her along.

"Hugo stays with us," came Locke's voice.

Lisa heard the clicking of a pistol and her eyes widened.

"Son of a bitch," Sawyer growled.

He spun on the spot, leveling his own pistol at John's forehead. Hurley protested, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Put the guns down- cut it out! I'll go with 'em!"

Lisa wrung her hands, watching as Sawyer slowly lowered his weapon.

"I'll catch up with you guys, don't worry," Hurley assured him.

Sawyer heaved a sigh, nodding. He glowered at Locke before turning around to follow the others. He came to a halt when he realized Lisa wasn't following him. She smiled at him apologetically, though he shook his head.

"No, kid. Please."

Lisa bit her lip, looking up at him. "I don't want to leave Hurley alone," she said, "Just let me go, Sawyer."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if convincing himself of something. Lisa waited patiently. Sawyer watched over her head as Locke walked away, the torchlight fading from view. he looked back down at her.

"I don't trust them. Either one."

"I'll be fine."

Sawyer closed his eyes again, shaking his head. "Alright. But I'm coming back to get you- I promise. You're getting' off this island with us, kiddo, and no bug-eyed little bastard is going to stop me."

Lisa smiled. "I'll hold you to that, Sawyer."

He brought her into a loving hug, squeezing her close to him a moment. When they parted, he tugged on her ear teasingly.

"I'll be back later for ya."

"Bye," Lisa said, "See you then."

Sawyer smirked one final time before turning around and trudging off into the jungle. Lisa headed the way Locke had gone, watching Sawyer leave from over her shoulder. She gasped a little when she found herself suddenly face-to-face with John. He looked surprised, but to her dismay, he was shaking his head.

"No, Lisa. You can't come with us."

"I want to come," she countered, "I'm here for Hurley."

Locke sighed, stepping in front of her as if to make what he said more imposing. Lisa held her ground.

"You aren't coming. Go on back to the beach with the others- Hugo will follow soon enough."

"No-"

"Do what I say, Lisa," Locke interrupted, his voice louder this time, "Or I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

She clenched her jaw, standing rooted to the spot as he left her behind, rejoining Ben and Hurley up ahead. Lisa watched as they receded into the darkness, watching the fading torchlight, knowing it was too late to find her way back to the beach. She decided to play her trump card.

"I can see Jacob's cabin," she called after them.

The light wavered ahead of her, casting skeletal shadows through the vines. Lisa smirked, knowing John had stopped in his tracks. He came back into view, a passive look across his face. He held up his hand, beckoning her to follow, and she marched through the foliage to join him.

Lisa just smiled.