Set during and after The Greater Good (1.21). _________________ And all the roads that lead to you were winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
The night had seemed long, only indicated by the shadows that crept into the mouth of the cave. No one dared interfere with the Doctor and John; they knew they’d be told to leave immediately. Analysing the lingering darkness, he made it 2 o’clock in the morning when feeling united with his body once more. His foot twitched; pins and needles. Both his feet had began to move in circular motions. Left, right. Left, right. Toes flexing, ankles rotating, knees creasing. He was cured.
Jack hadn’t seemed at all surprised. He wasn’t optimistic as much; just sure that Locke was hyperventilating. Now that his primary instinct was to fear the worst of his gift being stolen, his secondary thought was the pain of the bullet wound. The searing blade of anguish tore through his body; unrelenting and dangerous. As he tried to move off the cot, he winced and gave in to rest. His days a blur.
The next time he awoke the cave was bathed in a soft golden light. Morning had arrived at last, and people were busy with their lives; their voices all joining to create one long mass of chatter. He tried picking snippets of conversation up, but what he heard he did not want to have to listen to. Memories of Boone and his mourning sister bore a stale taste to his lips. How he longed to reverse time, to change the course of destiny just this once.
He wished sacrifice did not have to be demanded in order to progress. All the souls demanded for the greater cause, life stolen to obey the uncaused cause’s plan. Locke felt like a pawn in life’s cruel game. Boone no longer suffering, but it was John who carried the burden. It was he who had to plunge on alone now. No glory shared, no honour divided. Was it good or bad?
A moan emitted from his mouth. He turned his head and wished sleep to suffocate him.
Kate
Jungle
Charlie
NEXT DAY.
Their course had dragged them through time and land. The two had travelled and rested until early hours of dawn. They had hardly noticed dusk greeting them, if it hadn’t been for the harsh drop in temperature; chilling them to their aching bones. Kate’s ankle was sore, yet neglected as she was determined to plunge ahead with her English comrade until they uncovered Locke’s secret. She would not drop until she found it.
Eventually however, they both had to concede to temporary defeat, and set up camp in a nook of the jungle; a small patch of grass surrounded by an uneven ring of trees. There they made a fire and ate whatever left over’s in Kate’s pack; an uninteresting and uneventful night following, with nothing but small talk to distract them from the unsuccessfulness of their excursion.
When morning crowned, sounded by birds chirping overhead, Kate awoke with a sore neck and yet determined soul. She woke herself up by splashing her face in a puddle, and then creeping over to where Charlie slept. Kate reached out to touch his arm, whispering gently to him;
“Charlie, wake up. We need to keep going.” _________________
He begrudgingly opened his eyes to the morning dew that whispered its thin strands of light over the jungle. There was an immediate and impacting argument in his body; it didn’t like being awake so soon. Ever since med school it had suffered the short nights of sporadic sleep, and it wasn’t likely to lessen or adapt to the lack of rest any time soon.
Drained and already dreading the day ahead, he scrubbed his hands across his eyes, his head hanged low as he sat crookedly on his cot. The hand ventured to the back of his neck as he lazily stretched himself upright, twisting his spine out of habit. A small sigh was emitted as he saw Locke occupying another cot, his mind recollecting all the nightmares of history.
Stepping toward him, he was already calculating the speed of healing in Locke’s shoulder as he crouched near him. “John?” he asked, trying to rouse the man from his sleep. “How are you feeling, John?”
Charlie
Jungle
Kate
Spring up with a start, he dashed to his feet and started slapping at his arms. “Bees! There’s bees everywhere!” It took him five more frantic slaps for him to realise he was conscious now and this was no longer a nightmare. There were no bees. He slowly settled into normality and stared quizzically at Kate, remembering where he was. Pressing his lips together, he tried to look innocent as the sweat trickled down the sides of his forehead. He smiled weakly. “So…”
He shrugged off the last minute as if hadn’t happened. Then he assessed their location and scruffed up his hair so it actually looked better than before. He wasn’t quite sure where they were. “How far away do you think we are then?” he asked as he coughed away what was left of his sleep. Taking a few steps in a random direction, his eyes browsed downwards and he saw what could only be scuff marks in the dirt. Kneeling down for a closer inspection he saw a spot of blood. “Must be ‘round here someplace.” _________________ What if I missed you
You got caught in the sun
As a baby takes it first steps; uncertain and wavering, so were Locke’s first couple of paces out of the cave. It was like a school reunion, walking. You’re separated so long from the people you had become so familiar with – and whether they were good or bad for you, you missed them like crazy. When Locke had been confined to one chair for four years, he begged for that reunion. But patience was worth persevering for, and with a word of thanks to Jack, he left in search of Sawyer. Patient or not, Locke couldn’t afford to be a risk taker in the sense that he should share his journey with another, not after what happened. Not after Boone. But what was he to do now? He could hardly kill the Southerner for what he had seen, but couldn’t risk him opening his mouth.
He knew exactly where the man would be, but was unsure of what condition he’d find him in. Locke prepared and braced himself for a fight, but didn’t want to engage in one that was to be preserved in yesterday. Today would be to weave a peacemaking scheme, or at least some kind of compromise. He intruded upon the sun Sawyer unconsciously bathed in, causing a shadow to cast upon the hung-over male. Locke’s mouth was curved ever so slightly in a small grin; amused by Sawyer’s disregard for his health. Surely he had something to live for?
“Good morning, Sawyer.” He greeted, standing above him and waiting for the uncertain reply which was certainly to come.
Kate
Jungle
Charlie
There was the necessity for small talk, but no time. And as the two did not coincide, Kate found it hard to deal with the abundance of thoughts swirling around in her head. She felt as if her thoughts were draining down the plug hole, and she couldn’t find the plug to stop the loss of her mind. With Charlie constantly nattering away about one thing or another, Kate felt as if she was losing the fight gradually. She would smile occasionally to show she was listening to him, but really her mind was on the more important matters.
Truth be told, she had no idea where they were anymore; and she was beginning to think that the right direction they had been going in was no longer any direction at all – but they were slowly being pulled into the green abyss – deeper and deeper in the unknown turf. She didn’t want to tell Charlie again that she didn’t know where they were, he’d only panic. And through that, she’d panic too. This way she stayed calm, she looked focused.
But who the hell was she kidding? She needed Charlie as much as he needed her, because she had to face it; she’d be going crazy with every rustle to her left and right if she didn’t have the company. “Locke wouldn’t walk out this far every day, would he?” she asked, half to herself and half to the company. “None of it makes sense” she stressed, her voice almost a whisper as she began to lose breath hiking through the milky way of long grass and trees. _________________
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Unlocked: Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:05 pm by Zarina
