Chapter 17

Lauren heard Boone choke through a wet, bloody cough as she sat staring into the fire. Jack was screaming at Locke, asking what happened, but nobody answered him as he rushed around Boone trying to decide where to start first. Most of the survivors had gathered around him, but Shannon was nowhere to be found. She had taken to Charlie ever since Locke and Boone started going into the jungle together, and they were prone to wandering down the beach, bickering. Lauren had seen them doing just that about an hour prior to Locke arriving with Boone on his shoulders. Who knows where they are now…

Boone was wheezing violently, and Lauren's stomach began to turn. I have to get out of here but she was rooted to the sand. The morning after Lauren returned with the baby, she couldn't handle the stillness of the tent. Laying on the airline cushions in the dark, cramped shelter reminded Lauren too much of her time with the French woman. So she sat by the fire as she had done in the days after the crash and barely moved. Sayid and Hurley brought her food and water, and Lauren ate and drank when she felt the need. When Jack took out the stitches Rousseau had given her, Lauren didn't say a word. As Jack had snipped the threads, Kate approached with the baby to thank her, but again, Lauren didn't speak.

Now, they left her alone to deal with the tragedy. Kate was near Jack, but Lauren heard the baby down the beach. He must be with Sun, Lauren thought as images of the tiny child entered her mind. He was so small, but did he have some pipes! Before Rousseau took him, the formula Jack and Kate had been feeding him ran out and Lauren worried what would happen to the group if they lost its most precious member. He screamed and screamed through the night, begging Kate to feed him and Lauren heard the comments the group made.

"There's nothing we can milk on this island?" Nikki said to her boyfriend Paulo who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah I saw a herd of cows just over yonder, go check 'em out," Sawyer added unhelpfully.

"Maybe Vincent can help," Walt said. Walt was Michael's son, and he had an attitude and didn't listen, but he was a good kid, only worried about his dog.

Now, Lauren heard Jack rip Boone's shirt open. Kate was saying something to him, but Lauren was barely listening to her words. The baby was crying down the beach and Boone was wheezing loudly. A few days prior, the camp had been peaceful. The baby was fed and the only one crying was Shannon when she dropped an open bottle of nail polish in the sand. That was before Lauren or the baby were taken and before the formula ran out, before Boone fell off a cliff, before Lauren had lost her voice. The beach camp was tense around her, the energy of the group all hinging on whether Jack could be the hero again, and Lauren had a suspicion Boone was going to die.

****Passage of Time****

"Boone, stay with me!" Jack screamed. Lauren finally turned around to see Jack bent over Boone, holding his head. Kate stood nearby, tears falling down her face. Sun was still in position behind Boone, gripping his shoulders and holding him down from when Jack tried to set his leg. She slowly let go and took a step back as Jack's head fell to Boone's still chest, sobbing.

The survivors looked away and gave Jack a moment of privacy, and everyone felt the weight of his death on their hearts. Boone had not been a boisterous part of the community the way Jack, Locke, Kate and Sayid were, but he volunteered for every excursion and every mission. He was brave and good, Lauren thought, though she had barely said anything to the man.

Quiet moments passed before Jack looked up, his eyes red and intense.

"Sayid!" he shouted. Sayid emerged from the group. "Take Lauren and find Locke."

Lauren's head snapped up. Excuse me? Sayid looked to Lauren then turned back to Jack.

"Lauren's leg is still injured, I can go on my own."

"No, nobody goes into the jungle alone. Take Lauren and go find Locke." Jack repeated his orders.

"What about Shannon?"

"Kate will find her," Jack looked down as he spoke. Boone had dried blood under his nose and on his chin. He had contusions covering his forehead, and his matted brown hair was shiny with blood. His piercing blue eyes had lost their light, but they sat open, staring at Lauren. Jack reached down and gently closed Boone's eyelids.

Lauren finally stood up for the first time all day, went to her tent and grabbed her pack. I can't sit on my ass forever… Sayid joined her at the entrance of her tent and she nodded at him when she was ready to go.

When Sayid and Lauren were a ways into the jungle, Sayid helped Lauren over a creek. Lauren's leg protested the weight she put on it, but Sayid was there to hold her over the water. After they crossed, they filled their water bottles.

"What happened with Rousseau, Lauren?"

Lauren froze when he spoke. I can't… She looked at him and shook her head slightly then continued to retrieve water in silence.

"You can't stay silent forever," Sayid's voice was gentle, far from the tone he had taken with Jack back at camp. Nonetheless, his question urged her to open up. But again Lauren shook her head and walked through the treeline.

"Lauren!" Sayid called after her. He jogged to catch up and when he did he reached out and delicately grabbed her arm. He spun her around to face him and gazed into her eyes. "You have incredible strength, Lauren. Whatever happened to you… you are going to be alright. But you are not alone, don't pretend to be." He dropped her arm but their eyes were locked. After a few moments, Lauren nodded. Sayid took that as the best he would get for now, and continued leading the way.

They were following the trail that Locke left after carrying Boone through the jungle. A blood trail led them to a separate location, but Sayid knew Locke did not return to wherever Boone was injured. The pair hiked for a couple miles in silence, but when they reached a clearing in the jungle, Lauren had a feeling they were getting close to where they needed to go. They pushed through some trees on the opposite side of the clearing and were greeted by the hatch site.

"What is this thing?" Sayid breathed.

Lauren still didn't speak, but her mouth was agape. Locke had told her he found something in the jungle, but she was not expecting this. Sayid looked around the area, but the hatch door was closed and the trail ended there. Once he was finished, he began to examine the hatch. For several minutes, he walked around it, touching the sides and peering through the small window. After a while, Sayid returned to stand by Lauren and stare at the hatch alongside her.

The sun filtered through the canopy, and glistened against something in the grass off to the left of the hatch. Lauren left Sayid, and walked over to it. Crouching down to peer closer, Lauren realized it was shattered glass. Toeing around it, she saw the neck of a bottle nestled into a patch of high weeds. She breathed in deeply and recognized the scent of whiskey. Sayid finally joined her and they examined the area surrounding the glass. Finally, he found a trail and they followed it. After a few hundred yards, the pair were met with a large bush pushed against the treeline. Sayid put his hands into the brush, and pulled it apart to reveal a door. The pair looked at each other quizzically.

"Stay here," he said.

Lauren grabbed his arm as he began to open the door, and shook her head. Lauren hoped her eyes could communicate everything she was thinking. How little she wanted to be left alone in the jungle, how dangerous this situation could be, and how worried about Sayid she would be if he left her waiting. Lauren stared at him and pleaded.

"Alright, let's go," he turned the handle and the door creaked open. A dark entryway greeted them, with another door just inside. It was dimly lit by a bare bulb high in the corner and the walls were grimy. Sayid stepped inside and Lauren followed closely. He stood up tall and looked through the window of the second door, but there was nothing to be seen through the foggy glass. Eventually, Sayid turned the handle of the second door. As it began to groan, Sayid stopped and listened. Deep inside the hatch, two voices were speaking. They hadn't stopped from the sound of the door, so Sayid inched it open a bit more. When it was just wide enough to squeeze through, Sayid did so and Lauren followed suit. They crept quietly down the dark passage. Lauren looked at the walls on either side of them, noting the graffiti painted on the wall. "108, 108, 108, 108…." on and on it went. 108, Lauren thought, why is that number so familiar?

When Lauren took another step, her foot splashed into a puddle. They both stopped and listened, but the conversation continued. Sayid looked at her and put his finger to his lips. They crept onward until there was an intersecting hallway with light flooding into the passage. Sayid stopped and crouched beside the arch.

"How long have you been down here?" Locke asked.

"Three long years, brotha," a Scottish man responded. Sayid turned to look at Lauren, who shrugged. They knew they weren't alone on this island.

"And you've been alone, all this time?"

"Kelvin was my partner, but he died."

There were several moments of silence that was broken by a beeping from another room. Sayid backed away from the archway and pressed himself against Lauren. Footsteps approached, and the two held their breath. A man walked lazily across the hallway Sayid and Lauren hid in, but he didn't see them. The beeping continued, but then there was the clacking of keys on a keyboard, a shuffling of cards, and then the beeping stopped. The man walked back through the hallway, and this time he saw them.

The man was taken aback, literally stumbling a few steps backwards when he saw them in the shadows. He fumbled but eventually swung the rifle that was strapped to his back, around and aimed it at Lauren and Sayid.

"Go into the light," he ordered, waving his gun.

Lauren reached out and took Sayid's hand as the two rose from their hiding place. Sayid raised his arms in surrender, but held onto Lauren's hand. As they walked into the main room, they saw Locke sitting in a booth. He rose when they entered.

"They're with me," he said.

The Scottish man turned his gun towards Locke, "Sit down."

Locke complied, raising his hands too.

"Who are you?" He finally asked.

"We're survivors of a plane crash. Oceanic Flight 815 out of Australia," Sayid said.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for him."

The man glanced at Locke, who was still covered in Boone's blood. In the time they were talking, the man's aim had fallen. As he looked at Locke, Sayid took the opportunity to drop Lauren's hand and tackle the man. The man wasn't expecting it at all, and dropped the gun immediately. Sayid grabbed the rifle quickly, and stood up and aimed it at the man still laying on the floor.

"You wanna know how many times I've looked down the barrel of this gun?" The man's eyes were wild, but Sayid lowered his aim slightly, and motioned for the man to move and sit on the couch. He did so, but dropped his head into hands and cried.

"For three years, I've pushed that button… For months, I've been alone…"

"What does the button do?" Sayid asked calmly, ignoring the depression the man was falling into.

"That's not the question… but what happens if it doesn't get pushed?"

"You don't know?"

"Kelvin said we were saving the world…"

Sayid looked at Lauren briefly, obviously confused by the entire situation.

"Sayid, you can put the gun down," Locke said.

"And why would I do that, John?"

"He hasn't hurt me and he's clearly drunk."

The man laughed and Sayid aimed at him again.

"You haven't seen drunk…"

Locke looked at Sayid as if to say "I told you so," but Sayid still didn't lower the rifle entirely.

Lauren took a moment to peer around the room. It was like a time capsule of the 70s, without the fun colors. The man sat on a faded yellow couch, with a scenic nature painting above it. The ceiling was domed, and the walls a dark charcoal. There was a ping pong table in the room, and Lauren's intrusive thoughts wondered if she could beat the Scotsman in a game. Her gaze wandered to the kitchen and Lauren had an idea.

"Just let me go…" the man finally said after a few moments of crying.

"Where would you go?" Sayid questioned.

"Away from that sodding beeping."

"Then we'd have to deal with it," Sayid responded.

"I'll push your button." Everyone looked at Lauren. "I'll push your button, as long as we can have all the powdered milk you have."

Lauren wasn't confident he would have powdered milk, but he said he'd been down there three years and he didn't look malnourished. There had to be food down here, food that would last but still be nutritious.

"Lauren, you don't know what you're doing," Sayid said.

"We need it, Sayid, for the baby," Lauren said the last part quietly so only Sayid could hear her.

"If there is any left, it's in the pantry over there," the man pointed generally to a door on the other side of the room. "If you push the button, you can have anything you want."