This chapter is dedicated to the podcast Lauren Gets Lost. Lauren and Zane ,you keep me sane.

Chapter 8

"The pilot has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts," Lauren's coworker announced to the plane, as she finished handing the last person in business class their beverage. Straightening her skirt, Lauren made her way to the attendants' area to strap in. On her way, she made eye contact with an attractive, bearded man with dark curls and sad eyes and she blushed, but before she could compose herself the plane lurched forward. Her training kicked in and she grabbed the headrests on each side of the aisle and leaned against the force. Shit I gotta hurry up. As the plane righted itself, Lauren quickly found her seat and buckled her seatbelt. God, Lauren get it together, it's just a little turbulence! The plane shook and rattled the passengers. All around her, people murmured their concerns, and Lauren attempted to put on a brave face for them, despite what she knew.

The plane hit a patch of violent air currents and the cabin was elevated thousands of feet in mere seconds, bashing unbuckled passengers into the ceiling of the plane. Many let out shocked shouts, but Lauren pressed her lips together, biting her bottom lip in fear. Rapidly moving upwards, Lauren's head was pressed against the seat as the oxygen masks fell from above her. Her flailing arms revealed the fear she was fighting so hard to reign in, but she caught the edge of the mask and forced it onto her face. A loud creaking groan vibrated her seat, and she knew that there was no coming back from whatever happened next.

****Flashback Ends****

Lauren stared into the fire, shocked. The others were concerned about her, for she hadn't moved all day. Michael claims he saw her drink some water, but Hurley and Nikki had been near her all day and had barely witnessed a twitch of her limbs. Jack knelt down in front of her, but Lauren continued to stare into the flames.

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked softly. The fire popped and Lauren flinched.

"Lauren," she whispered, not breaking line of sight with the dancing flames in front of her.

"Lauren, you need to eat something. We have fish, fruit, and some other things…"

Lauren hadn't thought about food. She had felt the ache in her stomach but had assumed it was some pain from the crash. All that mattered was that the signal fire kept burning. We have no other chance…

The silence passed between them, and Jack laid down a tray with a small slice of some sort of fish, a rather green banana, and two packets of saltine crackers. Lauren hadn't even seen him holding it, but as he set it down next to her, her stomach growled loudly. Jack hid the smile that threatened his lips, and Lauren allowed herself a glance at the man. He had short shaved black hair, tattoos on his bicep, and a handsome stubbled face. The face tried to put off confidence, but Lauren could see deeper. She always could. Jack stood and turned to walk away.

"Thank you," Lauren whispered.

"You're welcome." His face showed genuine concern, and Lauren appreciated him for a moment, before turning back to stare at the flames.

****Passage of Time****

The return of the siblings took everyone away from the signal fire, but Lauren continued to sit. Night had fallen and the stars were brighter than ever before. Lauren found herself rotating between staring into the flames and staring into the sky. The flames offered a dance, a show of power and destruction; the sky offered serenity, an unchanging field with the occasional passing cloud. Both had their uses in comforting the shocked woman. The fire had performed for her all day, as the events of the crash replayed over and over in Lauren's head. No one is coming. The stars twinkled against the dark blue sky and Lauren searched for the one constellation she knew. The big dipper, the North star, something that could tell her where she was in the world.

"Any sign of Locke?" Lauren heard someone ask, but no one responded. Lauren's stomach growled quietly and she decided now was the time to eat. Unwrapping the crackers first, she nibbled on the corner. The dry, salty cracker was followed by a small, wary bite of the fish.

"He has the formula though, you're sure?" Jack had been itching to search for the missing man for hours, but the others persuaded him against it. The monster, as many in the group had begun to call it, was out there and they had no information other than it was capable of knocking down a large portion of the plane.

"Locke's on his own for now," Sayid stated.

"But what about the baby, Sayid?" Lauren sensed where Jack's priorities were. Where most everyone's priorities were. The baby. Lauren didn't judge the others for their compassion, but… if they knew what I knew… The baby's cries in the distance exaggerated Jack's question. Lauren heard a loud sigh as she unpeeled the banana.

"Jack, will you come check Shannon out, she can't catch her breath," Boone interjected. Lauren noticed the girl leaning against a bit of wreckage, long tan legs stretched out in front of her, her breathing quick and shallow. The fire popped again and Lauren looked away from the girl and finished her banana. Other survivors returned to sitting around the fire, including Hurley, who noticed her eating. He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up.

****Passage of Time****

The next morning, Locke had yet to return and Lauren could hear the starving infant's shrieks. The fire no longer brought her solace, so Lauren found a set of seats that had landed just near the shore and she sat and pondered her options.

I have to tell them… then they'll lose all hope… but what else can I do?

Last night, Sayid fixed the transceiver, but announced to the group that they would need to go to higher ground to get a signal. Nobody was anxious to head back into the darkness of the jungle, but Lauren was beginning to feel antsy. She had sat by the fire the whole day following the crash, but the shock was starting to wear off. She had managed to eat a mango for breakfast, but staring out at nothingness was turning her mind into the devil's playground; she had to do something.

Up the beach, a group was forming and Lauren could see Sayid in the middle of it. With one last wistful glance at the ocean, Lauren stood up and made her way towards the crowd. As she approached, she noticed Kate standing farther down the beach, clutching the screaming newborn. Lauren couldn't imagine being in her position, caring for a doomed soul. We're all doomed souls if this transceiver doesn't work…

"I'd like to join you," Lauren's voice was weak from non-use, but Sayid nodded in response.

"You may want to consider different shoes," he said as Lauren walked to retrieve a pack to put her things in. She glanced down to see that her compulsory, FAA assigned heels had somehow clung to her feet through it all. Lauren changed course to the pile of suitcases that had gone unsorted. Eight suitcases later, Lauren found a pair of tennis shoes that would suffice. By that time, everyone in the group was ready to go.

Lauren took one step into the jungle and was amazed by the sheer greenness of it all. Everywhere she looked, green surrounded her, almost overwhelming her. The canopy hid the blue sky above, and the ground below was covered in leaves, grass and moss. The smell of earth and decomposing leaves filled Lauren's nose. It reminded her of the days when she would hike for hours through the woods with her best friend.

"It was about three kilometers inland, if we go directly to the cockpit," Sayid announced to the group. Comprising the group, Lauren only knew Sayid, Charlie, Ethan, and Sawyer. The last one came along supposedly for the sake of finding water as soon as possible, but Lauren had heard the others whisper that he was probably hoping to search the first class passengers for scraps. He'll probably survive the longest… a dark voice purred. Lauren shoved the thought away and continued moving through the jungle. The group was destined to split off into two. If Locke was found near the cockpit, Charlie, Ethan and Sawyer would either help him back to camp, or recover the formula and take it back alone. Sayid and Lauren, along with two others whose names she didn't know, would continue up the mountain in search of a signal.

They hiked through the jungle for several hours, barely exchanging any words. Though the scenery hardly changed, Lauren found herself noticing minute differences along their journey. As they walked deeper into the jungle, she made note of the change in the shape of the trees. Near the beach, large sprawling trees with dark bark grew with decent space surrounding them. Here, thin pale trees and bamboo enveloped the survivors, forcing the group to change course to avoid them.

After an hour, the group rested. Sayid warned them to keep quiet as he scanned the area. The morning had just started, but the light filtering through the canopy suggested it was nearing sunset. Odd. Lauren took a sip from her water bottle, careful not to indulge. Birds chirped around her, squawking ominously. Lauren reminisced about her friend, who used to swear she had caught a morning dove with her bare hands. What Lauren would give to hear the gentle coo of a morning dove, but instead her ears were assaulted with the rabid echoes of some unknown species. Lauren took a breath and began to rise from her resting spot, when she noticed Sawyer staring at her. Catching his eye, she considered looking away. His blue eyes were mischievous but scared, mocking yet reserved.

"What?" Lauren asked, tired of the eye contact with the twisted man.

"Oh, was I staring?" he drawled, standing, "I suppose I don't see the harm in appreciating a woman, hell there's nothing else to look at."

Feeling naked, Lauren shoved the water bottle she held back into her pack. With a withering glare, she turned in Sayid's direction, hoping to finally muster up the courage to admit what she knew.

Sayid tore at a bag with his teeth as Lauren approached. Pretzels, she noticed.

"Those will dry your mouth out like crazy," Lauren said quietly.

"I know, but I am beginning to shake with hunger," he responded, holding out his shaking hand as proof. Lauren placed his accent from the Middle East, but had no context as to where. The man's dark tanned skin was shining with sweat, as he pushed back the long curls out of his face. Sawyer's voice drifted through Lauren's mind, no harm in looking. Sayid ate the pretzels quickly, and the group eventually continued on their path to the cockpit. Finally, after a few more hours of hiking, the group neared the scene where the monster had last been heard.

Sayid headed straight for the cockpit that laid on its side. He knelt near the ground, searching for a sign. He apparently found one, as he crouch walked off to the right of the wreckage. Lauren looked at the ground where Sayid found the trail. It was covered in mud and short grass with sharp rocks jutting out closeby. There was nothing special about this patch of ground. Lauren's eyes investigated closer, seeing a worm surface and dive through the wet mud, there was nothing to indicate what Sayid was following. Until… Lauren's eyes squinted, she saw part of a boot print on the edge of the mud. Careful not to disturb it, Lauren followed Sayid's path, staring at the ground. In another spot, Lauren saw flattened grass in an ovular shape. The trail led them to a clump of trees, but upon closer inspection, Lauren realized it was one tree, with roots descending from its branches.

"He hid here," Sayid said from within the strange tree. Moving around the perimeter of its branches, Lauren and Ethan searched the ground for more signs. Ethan motioned her over and pointed at a full boot print in the mud.

"Sayid, this way," Lauren yelled before remembering where she was. Sayid looked up anxiously, before putting his finger to his lips and strolling over and examining the footprint.

"Why would he go West?" Sayid whispered, mostly to himself. Charlie and Sawyer had joined them to stare at the ground, but Lauren was looking forward. She moved away from the group, taking care to avoid Locke's footprints. She made her way over to a bush and reached into its thorny leaves.

"What is it," Ethan called quietly. Lauren lifted up the diaper bag.

Charlie was the first to reach her, a smile lighting up his tired eyes. Lauren unzipped the bag and peered inside. Toys, bottles, diapers, but no formula. The group collectively sighed, but Lauren dug her hand in deeper, past a blanket and gripped a firm plastic bottle. Pulling it out, a small smile appeared on Lauren's face. Not all for nothing. She reached for her own pack and pulled out her bottle of water. Taking the full bottle of water from the diaper bag, Lauren poured a little into her own bottle and glanced up at the others.

"Give me your bottles and I'll divide it between us." The others listened, and slowly the one full bottle of water transformed into several half empty bottles. As Lauren filled Sawyer's water bottle, his voice was behind her.

"Go ahead and keep fillin,"

"Everyone gets the same," Lauren wouldn't be talked into favoritism.

"Mmmmhmmm, a little slip of the arm wouldn't hurt anybody," his low voice purred right behind Lauren's ear. If she moved even an inch, his chest would touch her back. Lauren was rigid, trying to remember the moves she had used against her brother as a child, but a grown man was much more formidable than her little brother. Besides, did Lauren really hate the proximity that much? Warmth radiated from his body, but Lauren knew it was only skin deep. He's a player, Lauren's mind reminded her, everyone here is a toy.

Sawyer seemed to be lucky, as Lauren poured the allotted amount into his water bottle, only a swallow remained. She thought for a moment, debating on whether she'd give him the opportunity presented. Then, instead of tipping the last few drops of water into Sawyer's bottle, Lauren poured the remainder into her mouth. She smiled and swallowed and Sawyer snatched his bottle from her hands.

****Passage of Time****

The survivors followed Locke's trail for nearly half an hour before it ran into a fallen tree and disappeared. Charlie jumped onto the tree and began to balance himself on it, before slipping and hitting his balls. He groaned loudly, as did Ethan and Sawyer in sympathy. Sayid just sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Let's rest here," Sayid finally said and the only response was another groan from Charlie, who laid in the mud against the fallen tree. Thirty minutes wasn't enough time to warrant a break, but Lauren figured Sayid was trying to get his bearings, and let Charlie get his shit together. Lauren found a boulder and sat, taking a tiny sip of water, glancing around her surroundings.

Lauren saw a man standing a hundred yards into the forest ahead of her. She blinked and looked again and was frozen to the rock. Zane. He stood there in a football jersey and jeans, like he was at school rather than the jungle. His glasses reflected the scattered sunlight, so Lauren couldn't see his eyes, but she was sure it was him. Rising from the rock, Lauren stumbled towards her brother. She heard Sayid whisper at her, but she ignored him and moved faster.

Zane wasn't on the plane, Lauren's subconscious whirled, but her pace defied logic, and she started running. Roots threatened to trip her, and rocks appeared out of nowhere, but Lauren managed to gracefully avoid them all. Zane's image seemed to move deeper and deeper into the jungle, not allowing Lauren to advance. I have to find him… save him… From what, Lauren didn't know, but as trees whipped past her she knew Zane needed her.