Disclaimer – I don't own flight 29 down or any of its characters.
Jackson tapped his foot impatiently while looking around the camp for something to do. He scanned the whole area careful hoping that it would provide him with inspiration for a task he could do to help him escape his thoughts. Being stuck on the island, the only thing he'd really done is thought. He felt like a decaying old man lying on his deathbed looking back on all the accomplishments and disappointments of his own life. As the old man version of his self slowly washed away, his decomposing mind released memories of his so-called youth. Jackson himself never really had the opportunity to be young. He was always taking care of his mom or being whisked away from home to home just so he could get attached to another family he'd soon be taken away from. He started to stop caring all together. It just made things easier. His eyes reached the woodpile, which looked surprisingly small. With that he grabbed the camp knife and set off into the jungle.
"Hey, wait up!" a voice called from behind him. He turned and saw Taylor running to catch with him. He stood in place and waited for Taylor to catch up to him.
"Where are you going anyway?" She questioned as if the camp knife in his hand didn't make it obvious.
"To cut some fire wood." He answered coldly. She nodded while trying to catch her breath.
"Listen, can I talk to you… later. Now's clearly not a good time" She sighed signaling to the camp knife.
"Yeah, sure" Jackson agreed faintly while looking beyond Taylor at a tree that appeared to have good wood. Satisfied, Taylor walked back in the direction of camp and left Jackson to himself.
Jackson walked over to the tree he had been looking at and started hacking away at one of the branches. With every swing he got more momentum until the point where he was using his whole body in every swing. He put all his frustrations into detaching the branch from the tree. He thought about how he was so stupid as to go back to his old neighborhood and tell his 'friends' about the camping trip to Palau. Swing. He thought about that stupid storm had busted one of their engines causing them to crash. Swing. He recalled when Taylor and Eric had played Melissa's video diary for everyone to hear and the desperate look on her face before she ran off in embarrassment. Swing. He thought about the fact that he had literally drove Melissa off a cliff. Swing. He thought about the incident where Eric had played his video diary so they could judge if he was potentially dangerous. Swing. He thought about how just when he was starting to respect Taylor he realized that first intentions were sometimes right. Swing. With that final swing the branch broke off.
"Wow chief, take it easy!" Eric remarked with a smirk on his face coming up from behind him. Jackson quickly realized that he probably looked like a maniac the way he was swinging the knife so hard. He used to back of his hand to wipe off the sweat on his forehead while giving Eric a dirty look.
"Alright, alright. I get it. You wanna be alone. Jeez." Eric said defensively while throwing his arms up in the air in surrender. He turned away and started walking in the direction he had come from muttering something under his breath. Jackson rolled his eyes and started on his way back to camp.
"Hey Jackson" Melissa greeted him as he made his way into camp. She smiled sweetly in his direction and Jackson returned a weak smile back. Everyone one was gathered around the fire pit in preparation for dinner. Everyone except Eric that is.
"We're running low on fire wood. Did anyone get any today?" Daley questioned the whole group. Everyone shook their heads and just as Jackson was just about to speak up, he noticed he had left the branch he had worked so hard to cut off, back by the tree. He silently placed the knife by fire pit and took a seat next to Melissa. He bowed his head in disbelief in his own stupidity for not bringing back the branch.
"Well if it isn't the Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" Eric commented while smiling mischievously at Jackson. "Oh and Daley, I got this for the fire."
"Thanks Eric!" Daley beamed while Eric handed Daley a branch, Jackson's branch, and smiled as if he was gods gift to the world. Jackson tightened his fist so hard his knuckles went white but didn't say anything.
The rest of dinner was eaten in silence with nothing but the harmonized sounds of chewing and the final moan from Eric when he discovered he had devoured his dinner in less than five seconds flat. Jackson stole a couple glances at Melissa who seemed to be completely zoned out. He himself wasn't very hungry seeing as he was eating fruit and fish, a meal he'd been having three times a day for over a month. Give him a large pizza with everything on it and he probably would've been hungrier. When everyone finished dinner they all went their separate ways. Just as he was about to ask Melissa if they could talk Taylor pulled him a side.
"So, can we talk now?" She asked in an annoying tone.
"Yeah, ok" he said, his eyes still following Melissa.
"I just wanted to ask you where we stand." Taylor said boring into his eyes. Jackson was taken aback by her forwardness but quickly regained his posture.
"What do you mean?" Jackson asked trying his best to act dumb.
"You know what I mean. It's just it seems like you have to choose between me and Melissa and I just wanted to know where we stand right now." Taylor pushed. Jackson paused to think about how to answer the question. He didn't want to hurt Taylor's feelings nor did he want to make her angry. He pictured her turning into the hulk out of pure rage and squishing him like an ant. She'd yell at him and suddenly start going green. She'd grow bigger and bigger making him look simply insignificant. All this would happen without her ripping off her shirt like the original hulk of course.
"I don't know" Jackson said shaking his head and looking down. He then walked off to go about his business leaving Taylor answerless and alone. Little did Jackson know, Taylor was going to get a real answer out of him, whether he like it or not.
A/N: Ok so here is my second chapter. Sorry to Jaylor fans for the lack of love but I'm more of a Jelissa fan myself. To the Naley fans there will defiantly be more to their story so you don't have to hold your breath. PLEASE comment if you want me to keep writing cause I still don't know where this story is going.