Part 111: Day 26

The rain came down in sheets. The group managed to make a small shelter out of the small tarp they did manage to bring with them. They all gathered under the small shelter, huddled together. Tony was worried they would catch cold. They had been traveling for several days. The only things pointing them in the right directions was McKay’s compass and the constant smell of salt water. It was their main indication that they were getting closer to the ocean.

Yesterday was their biggest clue. As they were trekking down from the mountain overpass, they had come across the remains of a campfire. It looked and smelled several days old. Even though a few of them argued that it was left behind by Andra’s mother, others argued it was the other survivors. They had been trekking for several days now. Their nerves were wearing thin. “We never should have come out here.” Natasha moaned, under the tarp.

“Tasha, we’re getting close,” John pointed out, “You can’t give up now.”

“Give up?” she exclaimed, “What is there to give up, John? I am soaked, I am freezing and I am standing under a tarp into the middle of the freaking jungle.”

“Could be worse,” Cecil coughed, “You could be dead.”

“SHUT UP, CECIL!” she screamed.

“Guys, we are close to them,” Mia said, “I know we are.”

“Then lead the way, girl!” Cecil grunted, “We’re only here following your idiotic hunches!”

“Watch it, old man!” John screamed back.

“ENOUGH!” Tony screamed.

The group finally calmed down. Shanna blinked, always amazed that when Tony talked, they usually listened. Tony took a deep breath, rubbing Eddie’s shoulders who stood beneath him. “Listen to me,” the blind doctor sighed, “We are close. We have to be. Now we are going to wait for the rain to stop. Then we’ll continue on toward the beach which can’t be far now. We are not going to yell at each other, cause all that will wind up happening is us, STILL HERE, with the same problem!”

The group was quiet. They were tired and miserable. Tony didn’t like to take charge but sometimes it was necessary. Eddie then held out his coffee cup, collecting rain water. The blind doctor smirked hearing the water collect into the cup. Even still, the little boy was doing what he told him. As Tony leaned up to stretch in the cramp space, his new razor sharp ears caught a sound. He turned, concentrated. At first he thought it was an echo of the screaming that they made but he realized it wasn’t. “Did anybody hear that?” asked Tony.

“What, the rain?” asked Cecil, “We can hear that just fine.”

“No, it sounds like . . .fighting.” the blind doctor whispered.

“Fighting?” asked Marita.

“Is there a faction over here that we don’t know about?” asked McKay.

“Not likely,” Tony shook his head, “We should go check it out.”

“I’ll go with you.” John replied.

“I’ll lead the way,” Marita said, taking his arm.

“Can I come, Tony?” asked Eddie, “PLEEEEEZZZEEE?”

“Okay, uh . .stay with Mia. Mia, you want to come with us?”

The Lakota girl patted Shanna on the arm and walked forward, taking Eddie by the hand. McKay told the others to say put while they checked it out. They’d be back shortly.

The group made their way through the jungle, with the rain coming down on top of them. John led the way with Tony and Marita behind. Eddie hummed to himself while Mia walked with him and McKay held up the rear, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Tony concentrated on the sound he heard earlier. It was the sound of fighting, he was certain of it. However, due to the sound of the rain all around him, he could not pinpoint it’s location. They just had to go a little ways and then a massive sound startled them.

The sound of gunfire.

John turned to the noise. It wasn’t that far. He quickly pulled out an arrow, arming it in the string of his bow. He then started to jog toward the sound. Tony and Marita quickly followed him, with Mia, Eddie, and McKay close behind. They kept walking through bushes, and trees, pushing them aside. John then shoved a branch aside and found the source of the noise. There was a grouping of people in a small clearing, standing over a dead man. “What the hell-“John started to say.

Then the dark-skinned man turned and fired at John. The archer’s body flung backwards after the shot was fired. Mia immediately screamed. McKay tackled both her and Eddie, swinging them to the bushes. Marita grabbed Tony, pulling him down. The blind man quickly reached out, grabbing his friend by the shirt. He swiftly pulled him toward him. “HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!” Tony screamed at the top of his lungs, “HOLD YOUR FIRE!! WE HAVE A CHILD BACK HERE!! HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!”

“What did he say?” someone said in a foreign tongue.

“JOHN!!” the blind doctor shook his archer friend, “JOHN!!”

John then woke up. He quickly made a wheezing sound, then started slapping all parts of his chest. Marita looked concerned, trying to see where he was shot but she saw no blood of any kind. John then leaned up, feeling for his head and neck. No wounds of any kind. Marita then spotted what was shot. She gently reached over and poked her finger through the hold in the top portion of John’s quiver. “They shot your arrows, John.” She smiled.

John gasped, collapsing into Tony’s lap. The blind doctor patted him on the chest, letting him know they were okay. As they stood up, Mia embraced him. John could barely stand, knowing the fact that he was almost shot. Then he looked to his left. The group of people walked up to them. They were comprised of two women and five men. Amazingly enough, one of them was pregnant. The dark-skinned man definitely was a Middle Easterner of some kind. He was flanked by a short man, an average looking man that had a buzzed-cut hair, an older bald man and a man with dirty blonde hair. The Middle Easterner was concerned over John’s welfare. “Are you all right?” he inquired, “Are you injured?”

“Only my wits.” John exclaimed.

“Why the hell did you shoot at him?” Tony demanded.

“My deepest apologizes. It was a tense situation. Your friend just appeared out of no where.”

“Who are you guys?” asked one of the females.

“We’re the survivors of Flight 815.” Marita answered.

The group that they just met when silent. They stared in disbelief about what was just said. The older man with the scar down his right eye smirked. It was almost as he knew what was happening. He knew who they were. “They are from the tail section,” the old man smiled.

“Where da hell did ya’ll land?” asked the dirty blond man with a heavy southern accent.

“The other side of the island.” McKay answered.

“That’s crazy!” the short man exclaimed, “How the bloody hell did you know to come here?”

Eddie wasn’t listening to the people ask their questions. He was staring in the distance of the dead body being covered in rain. The body of the man who taught him about coconuts. He gently reached up and pulled on Tony’s index finger. “Tony?” he asked, “They killed Mr. Ethan.”

Marita looked in the distance at the body. It was indeed the body of the man who spoke to Eddie and gave her the creepiest of smiles. McKay knew Ethan from what Alexander was telling him; about a psychopath who stole babies from Red Faction. The Australian then put two and two together; seeing the pregnant woman. Was Ethan trying to take her unborn child? The dark-skinned man was speechless. How did these people know Ethan? The average looking man then reached over past his friends and placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for all this,” he coughed, “No more questions. Are you guys alone?”

“No, we have more people back there.” The blind man pointed out.

“Sayid, get these people to the caves,” the man turned around, “Sawyer, Locke, help me get Ethan’s body out of here. Kate? You and Charlie take Claire back to the caves.”

Sayid handed his gun back to the average looking man. He then held out his hand to John. “If you will lead the way?” he said politely.

“I’ll show you.” McKay mentioned.

McKay and Sayid walked forward. Marita and Tony followed behind with Eddie in tow. Mia and John walked together. The archer massaged his elbow, still trying to get his heart to calm down from his near miss. Mia looked at him with concerned. “You okay, John?” she asked.

“I can’t tell cause I am soaked but. . .uh . . I think I might have pissed myself,” he confessed.

“It’s okay, John. I probably would have too.” She said, smiling.

“So, uh . .Mia, is that bald guy . .is that . .”

“Yes, it’s him,” Mia sighed, looking at them disappear into the distance, “I can’t believe he’s really real. He’s really here John.”

“The funny part, I am curious what you have to say to him.” He tried to smile, “Let me know when you want to speak with him.”

“I will.”

As they walked, Sayid pushed aside the branches with McKay leading the way. The Australian looked at the man and then offered his hand. “Barto McKay,” he said.

“Sayid Jarrah,” he said, shaking his hand.

“Sayid, I caught most of the names of the people back there. Who was the guy with the buzzed cut and the tattoo?”

“His name is Jack. He also happens to be our resident doctor.”

“What?” Tony paused, “What did you say?”

“I said he is our doctor.”

Tony almost collapsed. Another doctor on the island? He chuckled at himself and Marita found herself giggling along with him. John smirked, remembering Tony mentioning about the odds of finding another doctor on the island was slim to none. Sayid raised an eyebrow at their laughter. “May I inquire what is so humorous?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Tony smirked, “It’s just nice to know if my friends need a second opinion . ..they’ll get one.”

Part 110: Day 24

The group continued their journey into the new undiscovered country. The grass was greener, the trees were taller and the fruit was plentiful. A few of the survivors joked they should have landed over on this side of the island instead of the other side. Eddie was indeed the happiest ; sometimes he would eat so much fruit he would complain he was stuffed. John had to carry him on piggyback while the little tyke slept.

They had been trekking for a few days but still no sign of a beach. No cave were found along the way either. McKay was getting slightly worried, concerned with how big this side of the island might be. Even though they were in good spirits, he wasn’t sure when they would reach the beach area to hopefully where the other survivors were.

As they walked along, they had reached an area of the jungle that consisted mostly of trees and vines. The trees were decently spaced out but only for the others to walk past them with ease. Taylor paused at a tree; massaged her thigh and kept walking. McKay was concerned that she might be cramping up; a sign of dehydration. He took out his canteen and handed it to her. She smiled, taking it and having a drink of his water.

Tony held onto Marita with Eddie following behind, who was holding Yolanda’s hand. The blind doctor kept all his other senses sharp. If there was anything out of the ordinary that he could hear, he was concentrating on finding. Then something happened that he did notice. Not of sound but of smell. Tony then stopped in his tracks, and Marita along with him. The blind doctor took a deep inhale. “Tony, what is it?” the Latina asked.

Tony then slowly kneeled down, reached out with his right hand and pulled up chuck of grass and weeds. As he stood up, he brought the weeds to his nose and sniffed. “Oh, my god, “Yolanda laughed, “Did you find Marijuana, Tony?”

“What is Mary Wanna?” asked Eddie.

“I’ll tell you when you are older,” the black stewardess immediately responded.

Tony took another whiff of the weeds, then held them out for Marita. “What does that smell like to you?” he asked.

Marita leaned over and sniffed the plants. She then reeled, gagging. “UGH!” she grunted, “It smells like . . .gasoline.”

“What?” McKay said, stopping and turning around.

“Does the ground look like it’s been burned?” the blind doctor asked.

“Not that I can tell,” Marita replied.

“Why would a grouping of weeds smell like gasoline?” asked Mandy.

“Gasoline is just like any liquid, it gets saturated into the ground,” The doctor replied, “The trick will be determining where it came from.”

Marita looked around, for any possible sign of a gas can. Her thoughts were that if she did found one, it would be a sure clue that there were indeed people on this side of the island. However, she didn’t find a single one in her range of visions. Then another thought occurred to her. She remembered the suitcase full of medicine that fell from the tree, because it’s strap was hung on a branch. Marita slowly looked to the sky and then gasped at the sight before her. “TONY!!” she said, tugging his arm, “There is a helicopter in the trees!!”

“What?” exclaimed Tony.

The group of survivors turned their gaze upward. Up in the trees, hanging by several branches and vines was a small sized copter. It was a light brown with markings on it but they were eroded due to weather damage they assumed. Tony smirked at the thought of a helicopter crashed landed on the island. “The gasoline must have leaked out onto the ground when it landed in the trees.” He said.

“God bless your nose, Tony,” McKay chuckled, “Had you not smelled the grass, we would have missed it.”

John then looked up at the vehicle, slightly laughing to himself. The part that he found that was so funny, as that by all accounts, he already knew this helicopter was here. He walked over to Mia, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Mia, it’s YOUR helicopter.” He giggled.

Mia blinked, remembered her first vision of the bald man showing her a helicopter plummeting from dark clouds in the sky and crashing through the trees. It was even yet another one of her visions that came true. “Oh . .wow.” she stuttered.

“Someone has to get up there,” Tony mentioned, “There might be supplies in it.”

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McKay grunted as he used his rope to get under the helicopter. Jenny used the vines to climb up onto the tree area so she could get a decent look inside the copter. She worried that the vines weren’t going to hold her but Seth pointed out they were strong enough to hold a helicopter. The young teenager joked that once and a while, he made a little sense.

Jenny maneuvered herself as close to the helicopter as she could. She could already see the pilot in the cockpit plus someone else sitting next to him. They clearly weren’t moving. She held onto another vine and then shifted her foot to place it on the copter’s railing. The vehicle shifted a little under her new added weight. “JENNY, BE CAREFULL!!!” Kristy called down from below.

“YEAH, THANKS!!” she called back sarcastically.

Jenny then grabbed the door handle, and pulled it down. The she shoved it to the side, opening up to the view of the inside. The young girl had to keep from gagging at the side of the two women in the back with flies buzzing around their faces. “WHOA, GOD,” she grunted.

“JENNY, YOU OKAY??” McKay called down from below.

“THERE ARE DEAD PEOPLE UP HERE!!” she said, looking in the opposite direction.

“That’s fine, back away.” The Australian told her.

As Jenny crawled out to the tree, McKay found what he was looking for at the bottom. Near the fuselage was a small but thick piece of wood that had pierced the fuel tank. He grabbed it and grunted; yanking it out. When he did, two drops of gasoline dripped out. From what he could tell, the gas tank was empty. He smelled of the piece of wood and it confirmed what he thought. “TONY!!” McKay called down, “YOU WERE RIGHT!! THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY!!”

“GOOD!” Tony called back, “BRING IT DOWN!!”

McKay swung back to his tree and then climbed upward, above the copter. Jenny did the same, following his lead. Then when they were in range, they both took out the small short swords and began to hack away at the ton of vines. As they cut one at a time, the helicopter started to turn on it’s side. Then back to it’s other side, and back again. Jenny grunted with each hack. McKay continued to chop, seeing down below that his friends were getting out of the way. Then Jenny screamed, delivering one blow that managed to cause a branch to break. Then the copter made it’s way to the ground.

Everyone took cover as the copter plummeted to the jungle floor. When it landed, the metal bent inward slightly and the glass shattered. It wasn’t that big of a crash cause it didn’t have that far to fall. Eddie leaped up and down, yelling about how cool the crash looked. As Jenny and McKay made their way downward, the other group ventured closer to the helicopter. The small crash had made one of the bodies to flop out onto the ground. John slowly removed his pack and his quiver. He tapped Seth on the arm. “Help me get these bodies out of here.” He said.

Seth put down his pack and stepped into to help him. The others waited till they were out of the way. John grabbed the first woman, grunting as he hauled her away. It wasn’t that easy of the task; the poor woman was severely overweight. Seth grabbed the other woman by the shirt, and dragged her out of there, trying not to hurl from the stink. Martin stepped in and grabbed the co-pilot, un-securing him and dragging him away. John came back and then got the pilot out of there. As the dragged the last body away, McKay and Jenny had finally landed on the ground. The Australian walked over and looked inside the copter. The first thing he noticed a giant blue cooler. He grabbed it by the handles and dragged it out. “We got a big cooler, Tony,” he mentioned.

“If it had ice, it’s definitely melted and we can use the water.” The blind doctor said.

McKay opened it up and looked inside. He cupped some of the melted ice water and sipped it. He quickly spit it out. “It’s stagnant.” He coughed.

“Damn it.” The blind doctor muttered.

“But the good news is we got a consolation prize, “McKay said, holding up a can of Mountain Dew.

“MOUNTAIN DEW!!” Mandy screamed, grabbing it from McKay.

The others reached and it and pulled the cans of soda out of the giant bin of water. It wasn’t just Mountain Dew, it was other flavors as well. The Australian picked up a can of Coca-Cola and walked over to his blind friend. He gently took his hand and placed the can into it. “Here you go, Tony,” he smiled, “It’s not ice cold but it’s still Coke.”

“Thank you,” the blind man giggled with anticipation.

Tony popped the tap, hearing the familiar fizz. He raised the can to his lips and started to chug the liquid. The acidic part burned his throat but he didn’t care; it was a taste he longed to have again. As he gasped from the drink, Marita then helped herself to some of it, moaning at the taste. Eddie leaped up and down wanting a sip as well. John laughed at all the survivors drinking some type of soda. It was something they missed so they all enjoyed it.

John walked in to the helicopter and started to grab the other bags to the people in the copter. They seemed to be overnight bags or backpack; no actual suitcase. Seth took notice of that too. He looked at the markings on the side of the copter, rubbing away the debris and dew. He could make out the letters of Gran and uide but nothing else. “It’s like a bag game of Wheel of Fortune,” he muttered.

John handed him a third bag while he pulled out the other two. The archer kneeled down and unzipped the gear. It had a mixture of several bags of dried fruit, power bars, and at least two bottles of water. Plus it had matches and gloves. Seth started to check the bag that John gave him. It was directly under the seat of the fat woman. As he opened it up, he was expecting to find similar supplies like John found. However, all he found was various junk food snacks. All with an universal theme. “Geez, “he coughed, “This woman had a serious peanut butter fetish.”

“Peanut butter?” Shanna lit up.

“Yeah, I got peanut butter crackers, peanut butter Kudos, small Reeses and several individual squeeze tubes of peanut butter.”

“GIMME THE REESES!!!” Shanna screamed like a wild animal.

“WHOA, TAKE IT!” Seth backed off as she jumped him.

The red-head grabbed the small bits of candy, quickly unwrapped them and stuffed them in her mouth. She then giggled with her mouth full, landing on her back and kicking up her legs in joy. Seth smirked at his friend’s reaction to the candy. As he turned around, he saw Mandy, Taylor, Natasha and Yolanda staring at him, with their mouths practically watering. The young bookstore worker just sighed and held up the bag. The four women dove their hands into the backpack, grabbing what they could.

Tony and Marita enjoyed some power bars and dried fruit. Eddie was sucking down one of the tubes of peanut butter. John went through the bag that was under the copilot. He searched through, finding roughly the same stuff. He even found a small box of cigarettes. Since he didn’t smoke, he tossed them behind him like unwanted trash. Mia then saw what he did, gently picking them up. She then looked to Cecil. The old man saw the whole display, giving her wanton eyes. The Lakota girl could tell that he really wanted to smoke but he wasn’t saying anything. She gently sighed, then walked over and gave them to him. “Here ya go.” She whispered.

“Thank you,” Cecil replied, taking them and getting the box open as fast as he could.

Mia walked back over to John, already hearing Cecil light up one. The archer looked at his girlfriend and took her hand. “You’re a big person, Mia,” he smiled, “I’m not sure if I could have been so kind.”

“It’s all he has left, John,” she sighed.

John stood up, nodding his head in agreement, tell her he understood. Then he pointed to the bodies. “Let’s check them out,” he mentioned, “Maybe we can get some kind of clue where they came from.”

Mia and John walked over to the grouping of bodies. McKay was already there. He had pulled out a kind of dark brown safari hat from the co-pilot and the hiking shoes off of the smaller woman. He was washing them out with his canteen. John smirked. “Always the resourceful type, eh, McKay?”

“Have to be, partner,” the Australian said, “Besides these people don’t need them anymore. Their sacrifice will help us.”

Mia then kneeled down and grunted, holding her nose while she checked the bodies of the women. John checked the pants of the pilot, and then pulled out his wallet. He checked out and realized his name was William Bellfont by way of his credit cards. Strangely enough the man didn’t have a driver’s license. John then checked his side pockets and his vest pockets. He found another Zippo, which he quickly tossed to McKay. Then inside his vest pocket was a long piece of paper. He slowly pulled it out and began to unfold it. He felt his eyes expanding at what the paper was telling him. John wasn’t sure it was possible but clearly it was cause he was looking at it. “Mia.” He mentioned.

The Lakota girl stood up and walked over to where he was kneeling. McKay saw what he had brought out and scooted over to take a look. John shifted the giant paper around, revealing it was a map. Mia gently placed her hand on the wording at the top.

It read Grand Canyon Sky Guide Tours.

“That’s . . .not possible,” she whispered.

“How the hell did a tour copter get from the Grand Canyon all the way here?” McKay exclaimed, “We are hell and gone from that part of the world.”

“But yet here it is,” Mia whispered.

“Guys,” John whispered, “Where the hell are we?”

Part 109: The Crossing

McKay, Taylor and Mandy got all the vines and other debris off the raft. The Australian stood up, brushing his hands off on his jeans. “Judging by the amount of debris on this raft, Tony,” McKay mentioned, “It’s been here for quite some time.”

“Can it hold us?” the blind man asked.

“Only a few at a time,” the Australian said, stepping onto the raft, and taking the long stick used to push it off it’s makeshift handle.

He started to float out a little ways. McKay held it stationary with the long river-staff. He slowly turned around, smiling. “Taylor, Mandy?” he asked.

The two girls held hands and slowly got on the raft. McKay checked it. The weight was still okay. “Who’s next?” he asked.

John turned, “Mia? Shanna?”

The Lakota girl took a deep breath and stepped onto the raft. Shanna watched her step as he maneuvered on the raft. Mia took her hands and helped her on. All fours girls then sat down, rocking the raft so slightly. “Go, Seth.” John pushed him forward.

Seth sighed and then stepped onto the raft. It started to sink slightly into the water. “That’s it,” McKay said, “We are full.”

“Get them over, McKay,” Tony said, “We’ll be waiting for your return.”

“I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

McKay then began to push the raft over with the long staff. Eddie waved good bye to the people the makeshift. Taylor thought it was cute and waved back to him. McKay grunted with his strength pushing them onward. “How are they doing?” asked Tony.

“Poor Shanna looks a little rigid but so far, they seem fine,” John commented.

“Martin, can you do us a favor?” Tony said, “ Look around for a very long tree branch or thin tree truck. Tear it down and bring it to us. It’ll go faster if two are pushing the raft instead of one.”

“Roger,” the young black man said, putting down his backpack and going to fetch a large stick.

The other survivors sat down, watching McKay push the raft nearly halfway across the river. A few had to admit the prospect of newer surroundings was exciting. Eddie was scared but he didn’t admit it to Tony. The reason for that is that his older friend didn’t show any fear. If Tony wasn’t afraid, why should Eddie be? The little boy held onto his friend’s hand as he watched the others make their way across the river.

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Three hours later they had come to the last batch of people. McKay shifted the raft over and put it up onto the bank. Bernard then stepped on, followed by Natasha, then Jenny. The young teenager then picked up the second long tree truck that Martin had made and helped the Australian push the raft into the water.

Bernard started to sing an old song about sailing across a river. Natasha smiled at his gospel-like voice. McKay just smirked as he pushed along. Jenny enjoyed the small workout she was getting pushing the raft. Then it occurred to her. She was on a raft, pushing it on a river in the middle of some island where she didn’t even know where she was. “I can’t believe this is all happening,” she giggled,” Never would I have imagined I’d be doing this.”

“Yeah, you’ll have one hell of a story to tell your folks back home.” McKay mentioned.

“Yeah, I hope the rescue party comes looking for us in the right location,” Natasha mentioned.

“You believe we are doing the right thing, McKay?” asked Jenny.

McKay wondered how it wound up being asked the exact same question twice one day. He decided to not be honest and say what he said to Taylor. “Yes, we are.” He said, bluntly.


On the other side of the river, the other group waited for the remainder of their party to arrive. Martin and Kristy were laughing at the abundance of food they had found. Fruit was hanging off of various trees nearby them. Tony mentioned that it made more sense that their would be more fruit over on this island. They were really mooching off the food supply of the Red Faction.

John looked outward to the raft. The group was just over the halfway point. Mandy and Taylor watched along, both making sure McKay was all right. Taylor had every faith he knew what he was doing; he might have had to transverse some river in Australia too. John rubbed his forehead and then his left eye. Then the water near them changed. The archer blinked, using his sharp eyes. It seemed as if a swell of water was heading straight toward them. He then leaned down abruptly and picked up his bow. This made Taylor squeak in fear. “WHAT’S WRONG?” she yelped.

“Something is heading toward them.” He whispered.



Out on the raft, Jenny pushed it forward. Then she heard a bubbling sound to her right. She looked at the water and saw a wave of water coming toward them. It was as if something was under the water. “Uh . .McKay?” Jenny asked.

Before he could answer, a huge crocodile leaped from the water and collided with the raft, knocking them over. The last thing McKay heard when he plummeted into the water was Taylor screaming his name.

Jenny shot up her face in the water. She saw the green animal swimming it’s way toward Natasha. The brunette did her best to get above water and swim but her backpack was a hinderance. She turned around to see the crocodile baring down on her. She screamed and swam with all her might. She thrashed around, feeling the water flush against her face. The beast was almost on her.

Then an arrow swung past her head, and struck the crocodile in the back of it’s neck. The reptile grunted, and swung to it’s left. “SWIM, NATASHA!!!” John screamed, “SWIM NOW!!!”

She grunted, swimming toward the outer bank. Bernard did his best to swim, as much as his limbs would let him. Jenny quickly joined them, swimming faster than both of them. The young teenager turned to see the arrow coming up, meaning the croc was making another grab at them. Jenny swung around, prepared to give it her backpack to hold it off. Then McKay lunged out of the water with his short sword, stabbing it in the back.


Taylor was leaping up and down at the fight before her. McKay was going one-on-one with a crocodile. The beast would twirl in the water, and every time it did, she would catch a glimpse of her lover coming up for air. McKay continued to thrust the sword into the animal every chance he got. John squinted one eye, trying to get a shot but the beast kept turning. “JOHN, SHOOT IT!!” Taylor screamed.

“I don’t have a good shot!” he scream back at her.

The other rushed into the water to help Jenny, Natasha and Bernard to shore. The old black man was coughing up water as he landed on the bank. Natasha was shivering and Mia held her as she started to cry. Jenny quickly turned and looked at McKay. The Australian was still twirling in the water against the beast, flinging small bits of blood everywhere. Then they both plummeted into the water.

John slowly lowered his bow. There was no more turbulence in the water. Marita gasped at the sight, not seeing McKay come up. Taylor was whispering no, no, no under her breath. Mandy held onto her friend, trying to comfort her. Tony gripped his staff, hoping his friend was all right.

Then the part of the river where McKay went down started to fill up with blood. Taylor started crying into Mandy’s arms. Then they saw a shape floating up to the surface.

The crocodile floated up on it’s belly, then swung over, showing the short sword poking out of it’s head. Then McKay gasped as he shot out of the water next to it. He caught his breath and coughed. He turned to his right, seeing the dead animal. Reaching over, he grabbed the sword’s hilt and yanked it out. “Gimme that!” he muttered.

The group began to cheer McKay as he swam back to shore. He found his footing and started to walk up to the bank. Tony couldn’t stop laughing. John was still in disbelief that he came out of it without a scratch. Taylor ran to him and embraced him, despite the fact that he was wet. Jenny slung her wet hair back and couldn’t help but marvel at what he had done. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more crazier stunt.” She whispered.

“It’s wasn’t a stunt, he saved our lives.” Bernard coughed.

“Guys, it was nothing, “McKay chuckled, placing his sword back in it’s sheath and pointed to the dead carcass of the croc, “Where I come from? . . ..That is a hobby!”

Part 108: Day 21

The group continued their trek through the jungle. Most were hot and a few were tired. They had camped in the jungle overnight. A few of them started to grumble about the whole point in all this. The proof of the poor dead woman was enough to convince most but others still had their doubts. They weren’t sure what was really on the other side of the island but they did not that most of their party thought there were other survivors. No one wished to stay alone so it was going to be an adventure or at least a change in scenery.

McKay followed his compass. They were still going in the right direction. The easier news was that they were at present going down hill. For some that made the journey easier. For others it was a pain cause they had bad knees anyway. Bernard was the one who grunted the most about the walking. Natasha and Yolanda stayed with him the most making sure he didn’t fall or anything. Poor little Eddie kept growing tired and tired from all the hiking. For long periods, he would ride piggy back on Tony’s shoulders, telling him where to go. Marita was so proud of her man. Even though she could tell he was growing tired, he never complained once.

Taylor wiped her sweat from her forehead. She stumbled slightly but caught her balance using McKay’s arm. The Australian held onto her until she could regain her balance. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Taylor huffed, “My feet hurt. I haven’t walked this far in a long time.”

“Don’t worry, luv. In the end it’ll all be worth it.”

“You really think there are more survivors over on the other side, McKay?” she asked.

“I honestly hope so. But in the end, it really doesn’t matter what I think.”

“What?” the blonde was confused, “Why doesn’t it matter?”

“If we stayed on that beach, we were going to die, Taylor. Die of hopelessness. I really agreed to go on this journey for the reason of giving us something to do. Something to focus on. If there are people on the other side, then I will be pleasantly surprised. If not, then since I am not expecting it, I won’t be disappointed.”

“That’s . ..kind of a strange philosophy but it does make a little sense.”

McKay just chuckled at her response. As they continued walking, he pushed two limbs out of his way, stepping on the dead grass. He looked back to her one more time and then said, “Tell me, darlin, you got room back at your place for me?”

“My place?” she said, a little confused.

“Yeah, back in America.” He said, clarifying.

Taylor’s eyes went wide. “McKay . . .you would move to America . . .for me?”

“You are my best reason,” He smiled to her, “Not to mention the fact that my brother, my only close relative, is in Montana anyway. It’s high time I left my country behind and started a life in America.”

Taylor walked up to him, taking his hand. “I can’t wait for us to get off this island.”

“Me too,” he winked.

Then before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by an animal barking.

The group stopped dead in their tracks. McKay looked up to a small ridge. Nestled between two trees was one of the members of Red Faction, a girl. Along with her was one of Alexander’s wolves. John stared at her, wondering why she was out here alone. Marita gently rubbed the blind doctor’s arm. “Tony, “she whispered, “One of the Red Faction girls is here.”

“Ask her what is going on, McKay.” Tony said.

McKay asked the girl how she was doing and why she was out here in French. She stroked the fur of the wolf, then stood up. The young girl gently removed her masked, revealing who she was. “It’s Andra.” Seth pointed out.

Andra then asked a question in French. McKay looked to the others and translated, “She asked if we are going to the other side of the island?”

“Qui, Andra,” Tony answered her.

Andra then pointed and said something in French. McKay looked to the direction and then asked her something in French. She responded by nodding in agreement. “What did she say, McKay?” John asked.

“She said there is a path that leads to a river. Once we cross it, we’ll technically be on the other half of this island. I asked her if she and her friends created this path, and she said yes.”

“Has she been to the other side?” asked Tony.

McKay asked her in French and she responded. The Australian blinked. “That’s strange,” he said, “She said that she had only been over there once at a young age and . . .she’s not going back.”

“Why?” Tony was immediately concerned, “Why wouldn’t she want to go to the other side?”

McKay then asked her the question in French. Andra slowly stood up, placing her red bandana back over her mouth. She had a sad look on her face and gently pet the gray wolf at her feet. McKay shook his head, “She ain’t gonna tell us.”

“I don’t understand.” Tony grunted, “Ask her if it is something dangerous over there.”

McKay asked her and she shook her head in disagreement. She then rubbed her hair back and whispered something in French. McKay squinted in his eyes in confusion. “She said . . .it’s dangerous only to her.”

“Huh?” asked John said, even more confused.

Andra said something else in French, waving her hand over them. She paused, then said something else, and then turned to walk away. McKay called to her in French, sounding like he wanted to her to stay. The Australian grunted in frustration, wondering what she was talking about. “McKay, translation?” John asked.

“I don’t get it, man,” he said in anger, “I tried to get her to come back and explain what she said.”

“What did she say?” asked Taylor.

“She first said that May the Lord watch over us. Then she said . . .beware of Mother. She is sick.”

“Is she . . .implying her MOTHER is over there?” Marita said in disbelief.

“Okay, THAT is weird.” Seth rubbed the back of his head.

“If there is someone over there that is Andra’s mother, then she must be old. Possibly out of her mind,” Tony mentioned, “It changes nothing.”

“Agreed,” John said, “Let’s keep moving.”

With reluctance and a slight bit of hesitation, the group continued forward. Their were a slight few whispers about what they were going to find over there before they met up with the other survivors. Tony assured them not worry. Seth even helped lighten the mood by singing Run Through The Jungle by Credence Clearwater Revival.


After an hours of going downhill, they finally arrived at the end of the island. McKay looked ahead, past the trees to the slope where the land met the river. Sure enough it was a massive river, covering in a smooth fog. Across the river was another embankment, leading upward. The river was looking like it was a good 100 feet across or more. McKay was wondering how they were going to cross. Then Taylor tapped his arm and pointed to the right.

Red Faction it seemed was kind enough to leave their raft.

Part 107: Two if by Land

The group had been walking for five hours. They had managed to surpass a large portion of the beach. Most started to complain that they had walked a few miles in the five hours but no one was really sure about the distance. McKay took a guess they had covered nearly several meters. But they had no where near crossed a mile yet. If they did, he didn’t know for sure.

As they walked, a few of the people carried on idle conversation about what they were hoping to find over on the other side of the island. Natasha hoped she would find more handsome men, which made Yolanda laugh. Cecil just hoped he’d find more cigarettes but he didn’t tell that to anybody. Mandy and Taylor joked that they should still take Alexander home with them. Of all the strange things that had happened, they were going to miss him the most. Tony suggested they probably haven’t heard the last of the blonde savage.

Marita still held onto Tony’s arm, guiding him as they walked. Eddie wasn’t holding onto her hand anymore, he was skipping head, making jokes with McKay who led their party. Tony held onto his cane with one hand, and then slowly slid his hand into Marita’s. The Latina smiled, gripping his hand. “What are you thinking about?” she giggled.

“Oh, nothing in particular, “Tony smiled, “I just wanted to say something to you.”

“Like what?”

“I love you.”

Marita gasped, feeling her heart skip. Tony smiled, holding onto her, and making her follow him still. He chuckled slightly, pulling her closer. She embraced him as they walked. “Oh, Tony,” she said, trying not to cry, “To hear you say . .I just . .”

“It’s okay, honey,” Tony replied, “Whenever I say those three magic words to a woman I am in love with, I don’t want to say it till I am ready to mean it.”

“Tony, stop, I am trying not to cry,” the Latina giggled.

“You mean more to me than I can say. I love you, Marita.”

“Oh, Tony, I love you too,” she leaned up, kissing him on the lips.

“Hey, knock it off, you too,” Yolanda laughed, “You ain’t got a Tent to hide behind anymore.”

“Shut up, Yolanda,” the Latina laughed, “I can kiss my man whenever I want to.”

This drew a round of laughter and applause from the other survivors. It was the first time that Marita had openly referred to Tony has hers. Mia smiled, looking at John. The archer smiled at her, almost as if they were thinking the same thing. How long before they declare their love for each other? It was a silent love; an unspoken love. It was as if words were not needed. Mia and John just knew.

As they walked, Seth looked to the left, at the ocean. He was glad that his friends who had become lovers were enjoying each other’s company. It only made him miss Tanya even more. When Mandy asked if he was taken, a small part of him wished he had said no. The big part only thought of Tonya. If he knew his girlfriend the way he hoped he did, he knew she would stay loyal to him. Therefore, it was only right for him to return the gesture. He only hoped he made it home in time for her to not let him go, believing he was dead. That thought made him think back to the fish he had captured a few days ago, then let it go on the express purpose it would tell Tanya that he was alive and he was coming home as soon as he was able. Without thinking, Seth said aloud, “I hope Rupert made it.”

“Who?” asked Shanna.

“What?” immediately Seth.

“You said, I hope Rupert made it. Who is Rupert, Seth?”

“Oh . .I was . .uh . .thinking out loud.” He started to giggle.

“What is so funny? Tell me, so I can laugh.”

“A few days ago, I captured a fish that had washed up on the beach. I named him Rupert, after my favorite Survivor. Anyway, I thought about eating him but seeing him there, struggling for life ; same as us, I just couldn’t do it. So I let him go but I told him to swim to California and tell Tanya I loved her.”

“Aw, Seth, that is so sweet.” Shanna said, taking his arm.

“Yeah, I guess I was getting punchy after a few days,” Seth laughed, “Talking to fish.”

“Well, the moment you start talking to fish again, I promise I will slap you.” The red head laughed.

“Sounds good,” he laughed.

The two friends paused as they realized the group had stopped walking. Up ahead, McKay was standing near the edge of the beach, which now seemed to be met with a large grouping of rocks. He scanned the area with his one scope, instead of binoculars. He looked around and then turned to John, pointing out toward the massive wall in their path. “We have a problem” he muttered.

John turned to his blind friend, “Tony, it would seem that obstacle McKay was afraid about has apparently happened.”

“How big?” asked Tony.

“Very big, and I have no rock climbing gear.” The Australian rubbed his head, “Looks like we are going to have to hike through the jungle after all.”

“Does that look funny?” Eddie pointed.

“What does, Eddie?” asked Marita.

“Those two weird shaped tall rocks in the distance, “The little boy held out his hand, “Don’t they look like a fat guy and a skinny guy?”

Mia moved away from John and stared into the distance of where the little boy was pointing. The two rocks he was talking about were strange shaped pillars of stone. One was tall and thin; the other short and big. But the way the rocks were shaped, they looked like poorly drawn stick men. Two men in the distance, standing upon the land. Mia blinked. “Two if by land.” She whispered.

“What was that?” asked Marita.

Mia walked over to the blind doctor, “Tony, those two weird shaped rocks. That is where we should enter the jungle.”

“Why?” asked McKay.

“Call it a hunch.” The Lakota girl responded.

“What, seriously?” the Australian said in disbelief.

“I’ll buy that,” John immediately said.

“I am slowly learning, McKay, that I should trust Mia’s hunches to other peoples’ facts,” Tony smiled, “If that is where she says we should enter the jungle, then we enter the jungle at that spot.”

“All right, mates,” McKay sighed, picking up his gear, “Follow me.”

The group then made their way across the rocks toward the weird shaped pillars. The sun had been starting to set over the past hour. By the time they got into the jungle, it would be dark and night time. They all knew journey would take a while. But they weren’t worried.

They always had each other.

Part 106: The Journey Begins

The group of survivors began to get their gear and bags ready. Tony instructed them on how to proceed. Most of what they were going to carry would be all housed in back packs. Anything with a strap they could place around their bodies would aide in the travel. If they didn’t have straps, they were going to use cord or rope to make them. They were sad about loosing their tent but John reminded them; the tent was just a thing. Things can be replaced.

Marita stuffed her backpack full of her clothes, plus she made room for Eddie’s. The little boy had a back pack of his own but he only had half of his clothes in it. The other half when to Mr. Kangaroo. The Latina smiled as she watched the little boy take such pride in carefully stuffing his little toy friend into the backpack so he wouldn’t fall out. Marita had grown to love Eddie, almost as her own son. He even referred to her as his Right-Now-Mommy. She hoped and prayed that Eddie’s parents would be on the other side of the island.

Martin had a side bag that he used for his clothes, and gear. He wished he had a backpack but there was not enough for him. Kristy had found a bare of boots and placed them on, even though they were one size too big. She stuffed them with extra cloth so they wouldn’t jolt as she walked. Her foot was almost healed: it only stung slightly as she walked. Jenny didn’t have many clothes, so she took what they gave her from the General Store. Luckily she had a backpack small enough to fit her.

Mia tied the bandana around her head, tucking her hair partly behind her ears and letting too small strands come out front. Then she tied her jean jacket around her waist then checked her backpack. Shanna tied her sleeping bag on the top of her backpack, and then checked on the gear inside Brendan’s suitcase. She already placed the journal in the pack, then she slowly brought out the Kendo stick. She examined it and then looked to Mia. “Do you think Brendan would mind if I used this as a walking stick?”

“I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t,” the Lakota girl smiled.

Shanna stood up and held onto the Kendo stick, by the handle, sticking the blade shaped wood into the ground. As it turned out, it will make a good walking stick. She checked her short sword by her side and then tied her hair back in a ponytail. Then she smiled, rubbing her arms, feeling a wave of goose bumps. “I can’t believe we are doing this,” she giggled.

“You excited?” Mia stood up.

“I’m excited. I’m nervous, and I am scared. I’ve never been flooded with so many emotions.”

“It’s normal. It’ll be nice. A little adventure before a change of scenery.”

“Do you really think we’ll find people over there, Mia?” Shanna asked.

“Oh, I think we’ll find something over there for sure.” The Lakota girl smiled.

“Like what?”

Mia rubbed her hair back, and grinned. “Hope.” She whispered.

McKay got his gear together; pulling out the straps on his knapsack and hoisting it above his shoulder blades. Mandy got her gear together; almost volunteering to be in charge of the water. Taylor tucked her hair back under her red cap and hoisted up her own backpack. Marita guided Tony over to McKay, as he also helped him to place on his backpack. “McKay, you’ll be our guide.” The blind doctor told him, “How do you think we should proceed?”

McKay checked his compass,” The other side of the island is facing south, so in order to find them, we should stick to the beaches for now. If we come across an impass, then we can cut across the jungle. As long as I have my compass here, we’ll be fine.”

“Sounds good,” Tony smiled, “Are we ready, people?”

“Almost, Tony,” Yolanda said, putting on her side bag, “John has gone to say goodbye to Ramon.”

“That’s fine,” the blind doctor sighed.




John placed the bow onto the wooden cross at Ramon’s grave. The archer then kneeled down and looked at the torn ground. “Well, buddy, it’s time for me to go,” John whispered, “I don’t know what to say to you right now but after all we’ve been through, I had to at least say goodbye. You weren’t that good of a friend ;I admit that now but my true friends will stay with me. I wanted to thank you for all that you’d done for me. I only hope you can forgive me for not wanting to refer to you as a friend anymore. But I respect you for your accomplishments and everything you did do for me. I have your gold medal. I’ll keep it safe and make sure your sister gets it when we return to the real world. . . .goodbye, man.”

John stood up and began to walk away. The he heard someone speaking. The closer he got to the area where the jungle exited the beach; he realized it was Seth. The young man was standing next to the grave of his friend Brendon. He already had his backpack on, with the sword sticking out of it. “Sixteen days,” Seth whispered, “Can two men become friends in sixteen days? You and I sure did, Brendon. I remembered when you called me the truest friend you had ever known. My brother, you were certainly mine. We are on our way to the other side of the island; possibly to find the other survivors. I don’t know what we will find. I wish I had Mia’s faith. But you taught me one valuable lesson; always stand by your friends. I’ll keep them safe. I promise. And when I get home, I’ll tell Tanya all about you. Good bye, Brendon.”

Seth turned around and began walking back toward the beach encampment. Soon he realized John was walking with him. “Good speech,” the archer smiled, “Brendon would have loved it.”

“Thanks, man,” Seth sighed, “You said goodbye to Ramon?”

“I have.”

“I never really heard about the history between you two. Mia hinted it wasn’t very good.”

“No, it wasn’t. But I tell you what; help me keep Mia and the others safe, and I’ll tell you about it over a boar bar-b-q.”

“You’re on, man!” Seth laughed, as the two friends hit fist to fist.

Mia smiled as he realized John and Seth were starting to bond. Nothing could have made her happier. As they arrived, everybody gathered around one last time. They all looked at each other. Then Bernard held out his hands. Natasha took his hand, then held out her other one to Yolanda. Yolanda took hers, then held out her hand to Kristy. One by one all the survivors joined hands. No one needed to ask or say anything. They knew what they were going to do. Each person bowed their head and closed their eyes. Bernard looked to the sky, and closed his eyes. “Dear Lord, here I am again, asking one more chance for us sinners,” he said with conviction, “Guide us to the proper path, Lord. Give us the strength and the courage. Let our journey not be in Vain, Lord. Allow us the chance to reunite with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the island. Give me a chance, Lord . . .to see my Rose one more time. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”

“Amen,” they replied in unison.

The group then turned and began their walk down the long access of the beach. Mia too John’s hand in one hand and Shanna’s in the other. Seth stayed by their side as they walked. Marita wrapped her arm around Tony’s arm, and held onto Eddie’s hand in the other.

As they walked, the little boy turned around and waved goodbye to the camp.

Part 105: Burden of Proof

John and McKay grunted as they hauled the woman’s body from the ocean waves. It was still cloudy, so the wind was still a little more cold than normal. The others huddled around as they brought the dead girl to them. The two friends grunted as they sat down the body then moved away.

They all examined her. She was clearly a woman in her mid-twenties. Her lack of abundant clothing came way to Tony’s theory. McKay kneeled down, rubbing his chin. He took a closer look at the girls’ crotch area and it was unmistakable. “That’s a bikini bottom all right,” the Australian stood up, “I can’t believe I missed it.”

“We were too busy NOT looking at her cause she is a dead body.” John gagged.

“But this is the proof we need,” Tony smiled, “This tells us more people are on this island!”

“How does this tell you that, Tony?” asked Yolanda.

“Yeah, I mean . .she’s got a bikini bottom, but so what?” Seth mentioned, “She may have put it on while she was out there in the ocean.”

“Oh, get real, Seth!” Jenny grunted, “When I was out there, floating the ocean, I didn’t have time to worry about putting on a freaking bathing suit!”

Seth shied from Jenny’s statement. She moment she corrected him, he realized how stupid it sounded. Cecil walked up and leaned down, coughing. Then he looked up to the blind doctor. “Okay, say for an instance, I believe this,” the old man replied, “How do you think the bathing suit means there are MORE survivors?”

“People, think about it!” Tony exhaled, “This woman . . if she was alone, I can promise you the last thing she would be thinking about was swimming! This means that she was with other people. Other people that made her feel comfortable to swim. Possibly even people that provided food for her and even built shelters. She went out there to swim and probably drowned due to rough currents or maybe even the undertow.”

“That makes sense, “McKay piped in, “If she was at another point in the island, the currents fighting the undertow could have tossed her around down there for days before the ocean got calm enough to let her wash ashore.”

“If she was alone, she wouldn’t be swimming. She would be foraging for food, building shelter.”

“She might have been hunting for fish.” Cecil told him.

“If she was, then she wasn’t a good swimmer. She would have known to stay away from the currents.” McKay told them.

“My friends, this is the proof we need. This means there are more people here. We must find them.” Tony smiled.

“Find them?” Martin exclaimed, “I hate to rain on your parade, Dr. Tony but we don’t even know where to starting looking.”

“If these people are as half as smart as we are, then they would either be sticking by the beach or near a body of water. Right, Mia?”

“Right,” the Lakota whispered in disbelief.

Mia stared at the woman, then back to her blind friend. She could hardly believe what was happening. Tony was now convinced their where other people on the island besides them. In her vision, Granny said that Tony would need to be the one that was convinced. Then he would convince the others. Mia then remembered her elder telling her to watch for the signs. The Lakota girl stared at the dead body that washed up on shore.

One if by sea.

“Holy crap,” Mia whispered under her breath.

“We must find these others survivors,” Tony mentioned, “If only for the reason of safety in numbers. Not to mention, if the rescue boat does come, then it would be better if we were all in one location. The other survivors don’t know about us and we don’t know about them. We must get to them.”

“Okay, I’m convinced.” Marita mentioned.

Eddie pulled on Tony’s hand. “Tony, do you think my parents are over there?”

The blind man kneeled down to face him, “I don’t for sure, buddy. I won’t lie to you. But don’t you want to take the chance? Wouldn’t you want to go see and make sure they were over there?”

“Yes,” Eddie shook his head, “I want to see my parents again. I’ll do anything.”

Tony stood up, “We’ll leave today. Make our way around the island, follow the beach line. Provided there are no obstacles in our path, we should be able to find them, if they are on the beach as well. Now . . .who is with me?”

“I’m with ya.” John immediately said.

“ME, ME!” Eddie jumped up and down raising his hand.

“I’ll go wherever you go, Tony.” Marita said.

“Yeah, I am in too.” Jenny replied.

“I’ll definitely go.” Mia laughed.

“I go where Mia goes.” Shanna said her two cents worth.

“God, “Seth grunted, then raised his hand, “I wouldn’t feel right letting Mia and Shanna go off on this journey without me. I’m in.”

“I’m in,” McKay said, then turned to his love, “You with me on this, babydoll.”

“Yeah, I am in.” Taylor replied

“Yeah, Okay,” was all Mandy said.

“Yeah, whatever,” Yolanda steamed. She still wasn’t completely convinced.

“Might as well,” Martin smiled, raising his hand, “We’re gonna get bored here in a few days anyway.”

“I am able to walk and I am going where my friends go.” Kristy mentioned.

John looked to Natasha, “Tasha?”

The brunette held onto her arms, rubbing her foot in the sand. “I don’t know, John,” she whispered, “This all sounds so far-fetched to me.”

“You want to get off this island, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do,” she exclaimed.

“Then this is the best way. We get in a large group and when the rescue boat arrives, they’ll know they won’t have to search over this island for us.”

“But . .but what if we get over there, and we find that things are not any different. Maybe they are even worse.”

Bernard then gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Some things you must take on Faith, Natasha,” he smiled.

“You’re going, Bernie?” the brunette asked him.

“I have to. Like young Eddie, he is going for the chance to see if his parents are alive or not. I must take the risk. I have to know if my Rose is alive or dead. I have to know.”

Natasha sighed and smiled, “I’ll go.”

There was only one last person. Cecil scoffed at what they were suggesting. But yet, it was all going on a hunch. A guess they all decided to follow on and venture deeper into the island in the hope of finding a group of people that may or may not even exist. It was all too insane but Cecil had other reason for going. “I’ll go pack my bags.” He said, pointing behind him.

“You willing to take the risk, Cecil?” Bernard smiled.

“Hell, no,” the old man grunted, “Ya’ll may hate me but I don’t want to be left alone here either.”

“In the end, he’ll see this is the right decision,” Tony whispered, “Thank you all for believing me. And Mia?”

“Yes, Tony?” she answered.

“I am sorry for not believing in you theories before now.”

“It’s okay, Tony,” she smiled, “I am just glad you found the proof you needed.”

Part 104: Day 18

The morning had arrived with the waves being slightly stronger. The wind was blowing a little stronger too. It was almost as if a storm was coming but there were only barely enough clouds in the sky to constitute one. The survivors remained huddled together for the warmth before the sun reached it’s zenith.

Tony inhaled deeply as he wound up awake. He rubbed his stubbled cheeks, and scratch the outer rim of his jaw. He leaned over to the sleeping Latina in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. Marita smiled, moaning and leaned over, returning the blind doctor’s kiss with a peck on the lips. “Morning,” she said, rubbing his chest.

“Morning to you, sweetie.” Tony whispered, “Did you sleep well?”

“As well can be expected. You make a decent pillow.”

“Glad to hear it. When we get back to the real world, how about you and I make a trip to Vegas and stay at the Rio for a whole week? They got the best beds.”

“Best beds?” she giggled, “Do they . .uh . .bounce much?”

“Only if we make them.” Tony grinned from ear to ear.

Marita hit him on the chest, laughing, “Tony, you are so bad!”

“I try, honey, I try.” He chuckled.

Marita then immediately stopped laughing. She felt a momentary rush of panic when she noticed Eddie was missing. “Tony, Eddie is gone!” she told him.

Tony then slapped his other arm on the ground where Eddie normally slept, hitting nothing but the blankets. The blind man and Marita leaned up abruptly. “JOHN!” Tony called to him.

“Hmm?” the archer stirred awake, holding Mia in his arms.

“Please tell me you see Eddie at the beach, peeing.” The blind doctor grunted.

John leaned over and used his sharp eyes to scan the bottom of the beach. Eddie was running back up toward them, wearing nothing but his shorts. The archer took a deep sigh, trying not to wake up Mia. “Yeah, he was on the beach,” he told his friends, “He’s heading back up here.”

Tony then fell right back into his makeshift bed, gasping. “Sweet Jesus, “he exhaled, “I think my heart skipped a beat.”

“Yours wasn’t the only one,” Marita said, calming down.

“Uh . .Tony?” John blinked.

“Yeah, John, what is it?”

“I don’t know . .but. .uh . .something might be wrong. Eddie looks upset.”

Tony concentrated on his hearing. As the young boy got closer, he could indeed hear him bawling his eyes out with crying. The blind doctor slowly got to his feet, feeling his way out of the Medical Tent. He made it to the entrance and called to the little boy. Eddie ran to him crying up a storm. The weeping boy collided with Tony’s legs, embracing him. The noise of his despair woke up most everybody. The blind doctor reached down, and picked him up, holding him best he could. “Shhhh, Eddie, calm down,” he said, patting him on the back, “Tell me what is wrong.”

“I don’t want anybody else to die,” he cried.

“Eddie, what . .no one else has died, we are all fine.”

“NO!” Eddie cried into his shoulder, “There is a dead lady out there! Dead Lady on the beach.”

Tony felt a rush of adrenaline hit his spine. A dead woman on the beach? Where they attacked in the middle of the night again? He quickly put Eddie down and hoped his friends were awake. “MCKAY!” he bellowed, “I need a head count, NOW!”

McKay threw off his blanket and scrambled to his feet. He began to search the surrounding area for all the females in their group. Taylor and Mandy had been sleeping by his side, along with Shanna so they were fine. The Australian dove inside the medical tent, seeing Marita, Yolanda and in the back were Jenny and Kristy. He then dove back out of the tent, ran to the side and around the back to see the far encampment of Natasha. “NATASHA!” he screamed, “SOUND OFF!”

“What’s going on?” she replied, looking back at him after two seconds.

McKay turned to Tony, placing his hand on his shoulder. “We’re good, Tony,” he whispered, “All ladies accounted for.”

“Then it would seem we have another visitor,” John rubbed the back of his head, “The bad news is, it’s a dead one.”

“Let’s go have a look,” Tony said, “Pardon my pun.”

Eddie slowly stopped crying. He took Tony’s hand and slowly began to lead the way. McKay and John followed, along with Marita, Mia and Taylor. The other’s stayed behind, not really wanting to look at a dead body.

The group made their way down the beach. The wind kicked up in their faces, sending small shivers down their bodies. Taylor rubbed her arms together, trying to keep warm. When Mia saw this, she gently put her arms around her, using her jean jacket to help keep her warm. The blond returned her kindness with a simple smile. Marita caught up to Tony, taking his arm. Eddie then pointed toward the body.

It was indeed the body of a female woman. She had washed up on the beach; her hair flayed out against the sand. McKay walked over and kneeled down, looking at her. Tony took a deep breath and then asked, “Would somebody describe her to me?”

McKay coughed, “She . .uh . . looks maybe in her middle twenties. She’s wearing a t-shirt with only yellow panties. Her skin . . .is . .uh . . .very white, with small pieces of her skin missing.”

Marita tried to keep from feeling sick. Tony gently patted her on the arm, “Unfortunately that means this woman was in the ocean long enough for the fish to start feeding on her. Anything else, McKay?”

“She’s got a digital watch, looks broken, “he said, “Other than that, nothing else. Just another victim of the crash.”

“Why did she wash up on the beach after all this time?” John asked.

“Probably hung on some rocks near the bottom, giving the fish time enough to feed on her,” Tony whispered, “My guess? Her pants were hung on some sharp rocks.”

“Then eventually they gave way and she floated up here,” McKay nodded his head, “You must have been a detective in another life, Tony.”

“Not really,” he smiled, “I get my deductive reasoning from my grandpa. He was a cop.”

“Damn shame,” McKay stood up, “For the poor woman to die like that. I hoped she didn’t suffer. I hope she died the moment she hit the water.”

“Needless to say, there is nothing we can do for her now.” John coughed, trying not to get sick himself.

“I’ll go get a blanket to cover her up with,” Mia sighed, turning around, “At least we can do for her is to give her back her dignity.”

“Thank you, Mia,” the blind doctor whispered, “That is very thoughtful.”

The majority of the people turned around. They began to walk back. Tony moved to turn around and walk back as well but he noticed Eddie was no longer by his side. He reached over and took the body by the shoulder. Marita gently rubbed Tony’s elbow, letting him know she would leave the two alone. After the death of Brendon, it must have been very difficult for Eddie to see this woman. He had just gotten over one death only to be faced with another. Tony kneeled down beside the boy, holding onto him. “Talk to me, Eddie,” he whispered.

“Do you think she went to Heaven, Tony?” he asked.

“I’m sure she did.” He replied, rubbing his arm.

“What does it feel like when you die?” Eddie said.

“You really shouldn’t be thinking about this stuff at your age, Eddie. Most people don’t start thinking about Death until they are well into their twenties. You are just 9 years old.”

“When I get into my twenties, will you tell me, Tony?”

“Yeah, I will,” Tony sighed, “Good Lord willing, we are off of this island by that time.”

Tony stood up and took the boy by the hand then started to lead him away. He felt bad for the little kid, faced with so much death at such a young age. Eddie shouldn’t be on this island. None of them should but they had to maintain their strength if they were going to survive. Eddie held onto his friend’s hand, as he wiped his nose. “I hope God takes care of that woman in Heaven,” the little boy whispered, “I mean, she didn’t have to die. All she wanted to do was take a swim.”

“That’s not funny, Eddie,” Tony said, being a little stern, “That poor woman died when the plane went down.”

“She did?” the little boy blinked, “Then why is she wearing a swimsuit?”

Tony paused. What did Eddie just say? The doctor slowly turned around and rubbing his lips. “McKay . .. .I thought he said, she was wearing yellow panties?”

“Looks all rubbery. Like a swimsuit to me, Tony.”

The blind doctor then stumbled back toward the body. He felt on all fours and felt his way around. He wounded up touching her pale arm first. Tony felt his way down the decaying corpse to her inner thighs. He felt of the area where her panties would have been, grabbing the garment. The blind man gently pulled on the outer string, then slinging it back, making a SNAP sound.

Like a typical elastic swimsuit.

The fiery nerves in Tony’s brain began to super charge. The woman was in the water and she was wearing a swimsuit, meaning she was swimming. She wasn’t a part of their survivor group, cause they’ve all bonded since the beginning. What would be the odds that a woman would wear a bikini bottom on the plane? Slim to nothing. Unless she knew the plane was going down and even then, those were slim odds as well. The only thing that made sense was that this woman survived the crash and felt comfortable to take a swim.

And that could lead to only one logical conclusion.

Tony immediately turned around and began to run up the beach. Eddie grabbed his cane and followed him. The blind man was running as fast as his legs to take him. He couldn’t see where he was going but he didn’t care. He only had to get within shouting distance of his people. “JOHNNNNNN!!!!” Tony screamed.

The archer turned around, seeing his friend running fast toward them. Mia held the blanket in her arms, wondering what was going on. “MIIIAAAAA!!!” Tony screamed to her.

The two lovers looked at each other; wondering why their blind friend wanted to get their attention and attention alone.

“WE’RE NOT ALONE!!” Tony yelled, “THERE ARE OTHER SURVIVORS ON THIS ISLAND!!!”

“What?” exclaimed John.

John Riggs Wallpaper

nk

Part 103: The Healing Process

Another day had come and gone. It was strange for most of them as the days seemed to be getting shorter. Was the events that led up to this making them seem shorter? It probably was. Thanks to everybody’s strength, they were able to make it through and become even stronger in their bonds as a result.

Still, some wounds had to be healed.

John grunted as he picked up the blanket he was using to haul back more coconuts. He began to look around, just making sure he was not being followed. The archer scoffed at himself for starting to get paranoid ; looking over his shoulder. But after what happened, he vowed he’d never be surprised again. John then started to walk back toward the beach, stepping over fallen logs and dead grass. “Need a hand?” Natasha said.

John paused, seeing the sultry brunette leaning against a tree. She had a very sad look on her face. The archer shifted the makeshift bag around and continued walking. “I got it, thanks,” he said.

Natasha didn’t say anything. John continued walking past her. After he got a few feet, she called to him. “John, please wait!” she yelled.

John paused but he didn’t turn around. Natasha slowly approached him. She quickly took notice of the fact that he didn’t move. “You . .you don’t even want to face me?” her lips quivered.

John said nothing.

“Fine. Fine, I do deserve it,” she said, hugging her arms, “John, I said some things I didn’t mean. I was . .upset. I . .I let my loneliness get the better of me. I just want to say I was sorry.”

John finally let the blanket drop. He slowly turned around to her. “I . .uh . . I didn’t mean what I said either,” the archer replied, rubbing the back of his head, “I was upset that you referred to me that way.”

“I deserved being called that. I am a bitch,” Natasha rubbed her eyes, “When I don’t get my way, I react like a spoiled brat.”

“Well . . .knowing the problem is the first step in resolving it.” John smirked.

Natasha giggled slightly but stopped. She turned to walk away but then turned back around to face him. “Can we, at least, be friends?”

John sighed, holding out his arms. Natasha ran to him and embraced him. He gently kissed her on the forehead, rubbing her curly hair. “Natasha, all I ever wanted was your friendship,” he sighed, “I am sorry I can’t offer you any more.”

“It’s okay, John,” she sniffed, “I’ll take you anyway I can get you.”

Natasha kissed him on the cheek and departed. John picked up the blanket full of coconuts again. He then began to follow the brunette back to toward the beach. She let the way through the bushes, pushing them aside for him. Soon they made their way to the beach. The sun was just dipping into the horizon, casting the sky in a lovely orange. John looked into the sunset, basking in it’s beauty. It was almost as if everything was change; the group and the island was given a fresh start. Natasha began to walk toward her little encampment. “Mia is a lucky girl,” she said, under her breath.

John smiled at the fact that Natasha was big enough to admit such a thing. The archer’s spirit began to soar over the delight of getting Natasha back as a friend. He wondered if even one day her and Mia might even be able to get along to each other.

John arrived at the medical tent and walked over to McKay’s cutting log. The Australian stood up and followed him. The archer flopped down the coconuts and picked one up, placing it on the log. McKay shifted up his short sword and slammed it down, ribbing into the husk. His friend then started to scan for Mia. He saw her handing out with Shanna, Seth, Mandy and Taylor. The red head was reading aloud from Brendon’s diary, while Lionel Rictchie’s Say You Say Me was crooning from Seth’s tape player. As she spoke the words of their fallen friend, none of their faces reacted in sadness. They all looked happy. John looked to McKay, “It’s good to see Mia happy again.”

“Hell, it’s good to see them all happy, Mate.” McKay said, putting down a coconut.

“How’s your wound, man?” John asked him.

“Stings a bit but we still got plenty of Augmentin left.” He grunted, ripping off another coconut husk, “I think I’ll be fine.”

As the two friends continued their work, getting everybody food, McKay looked to his archer friend. “Hey, John, can I ask you a question?”

“Anything, McKay,” he smiled.

“What is the cost of living in LA?”

“Kinda high but I travel mostly. I have an apartment back home, my cousin looks after it for me. Why?”

McKay looked back to Taylor. Somehow the blonde must have realized he was looking at her, cause she turned and smiled back at him. She waved to him before returning to listen to Shanna. McKay stabbed another coconut and then said, “Cause I think I am going to move there.”

“No kidding?” John laughed.

“Yeah, why not? The truth is my family is in America anyway. My brother, my sister-in-law and my nephew. Perhaps, when we finally leave this island, I think I might change my citizenship and leaving in California.”

“This . .uh . .wouldn’t happen to be because of a certain blonde, would it?”

“I can’t lose her, John. She’s grown too important to me now. If it means moving to a whole other country, I honestly don’t have a problem with that.”

“I must admit . .it’ll be kick ass to have you as a neighbor,” John chuckled.

The two friends gave each other a pound on the fist, then continued their assembling of the coconuts for the night’s dinner.

Part 102: Tough Love

The daylight had come after a very short day. Most everybody slept peacefully, as a few didn’t sleep at all. The beach was unusually quite. John looked at all the tree, scanning them for any sign of movement. He saw nothing. The archer took a deep sigh, realizing his blind friend was probably right. They were finally safe. It was just sad Brendon had to die to make sure that happened.

Shanna walked back over to their former encampment. Her red hair flayed in the wind as she kneeled down to get the rest of her stuff. She then looked to Brendon’s empty spot. Next to his blanket was his suitcase. Then she remembered the promise he asked of her to take his book with him and finish it. Taking a deep breath, she walked over, kneeled down to the suitcase and opened the lock based upon what she heard him say aloud that night. As she opened it, it contained a mixture of clothes, postcards, his Kendo stick but no book. Shanna raised an eyebrow, wondering where it was. Gently she moved some of the clothes aside and then found something at the bottom but it wasn’t a book.

It was a journal.

She picked it up and opened it. It was indeed Brendon’s writing. But she noticed it wasn’t finished; only half of it was full. Shanna wiped a tear from her, understanding what he meant when he told her to finish it. Perhaps it would help keep her sane while she waited to get rescued from the island. Then a shadow covered her, blocking out the sun. She looked up to find the smiling face of Mia staring down at her. “I didn’t know he had a journal.” She grinned.

“Me neither,” Shanna said, standing up, “When he said he wanted me to finish his book, I thought he had something to read.”

“No, I think he wanted you to write in the journal. Perhaps continue to write about our adventure here?”

Shanna grinned at her friend’s new attitude. “Mia, you. . .you definitely appear more happy today than you were yesterday.”

“I do miss, Brendon,” she confessed, “I will probably always miss him. But I had to realize that he is indeed at peace. That makes me saving. His suffering is over.”

“I guess you are right.” Shanna smiled.

“I am.” She said, walking with her friend, “You’d be surprised what a good night’s sleep will do.”

As the two friends walked down the beach with renew spirit, Mia saw Seth sitting at the beach, letting the water hit him. Even from the distance she could tell he was crying. Shanna looked at her Lakota friend with concern. Even thought Mia was able to help the redhead through their loss, it looked as if Seth needed a little more help. The two girls walked over to their friend who was just rocking back and forth. Mia kneeled down, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Seth?” she asked.

The young man said nothing.

“Seth, talk to me,” the Lakota replied.

“How can I do this?” he whispered, “How can I keep going?”

“Seth, we know you miss Brendon,” Shanna said, “We all do but you remember what he told us; we don’t have to grieve for him.”

“It’s not that, Shanna. I . . .I murdered two kids last night.” He said, wiping his eyes.

“Seth, you can’t dwell on that. You did what you had to do.” Mia insisted.

“They were just kids! They were younger than me. I . . .oh . .God, I chopped his head clean off.” Seth whimpered, “Mia, I can . . .I can see his eyes staring back at me.”

“Seth, you have to let it go, those kids would have killed you.”

Seth wasn’t listening. He was just kept crying. Mia sighed, stroking the back of his hair. Shanna stood up, not sure what to say. The bookstore worker whined and cried, keep into his hands. “How . .how can I go back to Tanya knowing what I have done?” he wept.

Mia took Shanna’s hand and let her away. The redhead looked back as they left Seth crying on the beach. The two friends walked back toward the medical tent area. John smiled at her but then he quickly dropped it when he saw the serious look on her face. Mia gently touched his arm and then looked to the blind doctor. “Tony, can you help me?” she asked.

“What do you need, Mia?” he responded.

“Could you talk to Seth?” she asked, “He’s dwelling on what happened between us and the Black Faction. He believes he is a murderer.”

“Well, it all depends on how you look at it.” John piped in, “Those psycho kids were going to kill me!”

“I know that, John but Seth can’t get past it.”

Tony held out his hand, “I’ll talk with him.”

Mia took the blind doctor’s head and lead him up. She gently lead him from the medical tent and down the beach toward the crying young man. Seth wiped his tears, not being able to stop crying. Tony patted Mia on the arm, letting her know he could take it from here. The blind doctor gently made his way over to Seth and slowly sat down in the sand next to him. Seth sniffed and looked at him. “Mia said you killed two of those kids last night, Tony.”

“Yes, I did.” He whispered.

“How do you live with it? How can you not see them in your sleep?”

“Well, I am fortunate. I didn’t actually see it when I killed them.”

“Yes, I guess so.” Seth sniffed.

“Seth, what you did was necessary. What you are going through will pass in time and you will be as you where once before.”

“I don’t think so, Tony,” the bookstore worked cried, “How I can go home to my Tanya and tell her I murdered someone.”

“You didn’t murder them. You killed them.” Tony said coldly.

“It’s the same damn thing!” Seth scoffed.

“THE HELL IT IS, SETH!” Tony faced him, “Let me tell you something; you don’t murder animals, you kill them! Those may have been teenagers we fought last night but they were raised like animals. Last night was War and soldiers don’t murder; they kill.”

Seth didn’t say a word. He had forgotten that Tony was a former marine. The young man had momentarially stopped crying. He wiped his eyes and whispered, “You’ve seen combat?”

“More times than I cared too.” Tony gulped.

“You had to kill people?”

“My main job was to keep other soldiers alive. I was fortunate to only need to fire my weapon a few times. I had only killed two people with my weapon. The third person I killed, I killed with a blade.”

“Why did you need to do that?” Seth asked.

“Cause of what he did.”

“I don’t understand,” the young man confessed.

Tony wiped his nose. It wasn’t something he had thought about in a long time but perhaps he needed to tell Seth this particular story. Perhaps it would help him through what he was going through. “You ever heard of a country called Triceria?” the blind doctor asked.

“No,” Seth told him.

“Most people haven’t. It’s a small country, virtually invisible to the outside world. It’s located just a little ways inside Nigeria. My group and I were going to extract an American doctor, plus a handful of Priests out of there. By the time we were there, an Nigerian faction had invade the village.”

“They . .they were killing them?”

“No. They were murdering them.” Tony said sternly, “These men . . .these men were performing what CNN calls Ethnic Cleansing. They were murdering these people because they were born of a different culture.”

“That’s horrible.” Seth coughed.

“Yes, it was, Seth. We checked around the village to locate the doctor. To do that, we had to remove the hostile element. One of my fellow soldiers shot two soldiers who were about to set an old man on fire.”

“Oh, my god,”

“I went inside a hut and heard screaming. I found one soldier, holding a woman down. I immediately grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up.”

“He was raping her?”

“No. He was slicing off her breasts.”

Seth nearly vomited. He coughed and coughed. Tony reached over and patted him on the back, understanding full well what he was feeling. “Sweet Jesus, “ he coughed, “Why was he doing that?”

“One of the atrocities of the Ethic Cleansing was that they didn’t allow new mother to breast feeds their babies. They cut off their breasts to keep that from happening.”

“What did you do to him?”

“I took out my blade and I stabbed him,” Tony whispered, a single tear coming down from his left eye, “And I stabbed him, and I stabbed him and I stabbed him. I . . .I couldn’t stab him enough to punish him for what he had done.”

Seth coughed one last time, finding his eyes were finally dry. “What happened to the girl?”

“There was no way I could save her,” Tony whispered, “I gave her enough morphine to die peacefully.”

“Tony, . .I had no idea.”

“It’s okay, Seth. I just wanted you to realize the extent of what you did. When I saw what that Nigerian soldier and what he had done, I no longer saw him as a man. I saw him as a monster that had no right existing on the same planet I did. Perhaps . . .you saw the same thing to the Lost Boy who shot Brendon?”

Seth stared out into the ocean. He didn’t even remember that lost boy’s face who shot his friend. “Yeah . .I think I did.”

“And remember that. You didn’t murder a teenager. You killed a savage that took away your friend.”

Seth sniffed and looked at the blind man. “Tony, I killed a second one. I used Brendon’s sword when I did it. I used all the stuff he had taught me. When I cut off his head, I screamed KIAI. A samurai spirit shout.”

“Then what happened?”

“I went to back to Brendon and he told me I had done well.”

“Then you probably did. Brendon didn’t judge you for that. Why should you?”

Seth took a deep breath. He felt as if a weight had just been lifted from his body. He slowly stood up and then helped Tony to his feet. After he slapped the sand off of his jeans, the blind doctor smiled. “You okay now?” he asked.

“I am,” Seth replied, “Thank you, Tony. For everything.”

“You’ll be fine, Seth,” Tony patted him on the arm, then turned around, “The same old Seth is still inside you. All you got to do is let him come back out. Tanya won’t know the difference.”

Seth walked the blind man walk backup the beach toward the Medical Tent. The young man turned around and decided to take a walk for a little ways to clear his head. By the time Tony got up to the tent, Mia was already near him. He gently touched his arm to let him know she was near him. “How did it go?” she asked.

“He’s okay,” Tony smiled, “He just needed a little tough love.”

Part 101: Day 17

Mia reeled from the snow thrown into her face. The impact made her stumble back, and landed hard against the ground. At that moment she was covered in snow. The young girl coughed and gagged from the snow, wondering where it came from. “MIA, MIA, CAN’T WE SEE-YA!!” two little boys laughed.

Mia looked up and across the street. Tommy Riles and Marcus Jones were laughing at her, as they had just thrown snow at her. They were both ten years old again. The Lakota girl stood up, brushing the snow off of her daddy’s overcoat. She smirked, realizing she was dreaming again. She was back home and it was snowing. The two local bullies were attacking her again. Some of her aunts and uncles told her they only picked on her cause they liked her.

Mia never believed it.

She quickly grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it back to them. She wasn’t ten year old; she was an adult. The snow collided with Tommy’s face, sending him careening into the street. By the time Marcus saw what was happening, Mia was already on top of him. She shoved him down and bent his arm back. “FEEL FAMILIAR, MARK?” she screamed at him, reminding of the times when he held her down and did the same thing.

Marcus wailed like a baby.

“Get out of here, you little rat!” she said, letting him go, “And don’t pick on any girls again!”

The two boys ran off into the distance, crying and demanding their mothers. Mia brushed the snow off of her overcoat. She smiled brightly; she felt good and justified. The Lakota girl wondered why this was in her dream; what was it telling her? She turned around and looked at her home, so peaceful in the snow. She walked over to the stairway entrance to the porch. It creaked like always. How many times did dad promise to fix it and never deliver? Mia didn’t mind. It was a sure-fire sound that always reminded her she was home.

She opened the door to the cold, wooden floored house. Mia looked to her left and then smiled. On his recliner was her father: asleep after a hard day’s work. The Lakota girl walked over, and picked up a blanket from the stack of month on magazines under the window. Her father moaned as she covered him up. Mia gently kissed her fingers and placed them on her his forehead. She had missed him so, but it didn’t change the fact that she knew this was a dream and her father had been dead for a year. “Don’t you know your father will always be with you?” her grandmother said behind her.

“Granny?” Mia turned around, pleased to hear her voice.

Her grandmother sat on the couch, covered in her blanket. She was less that three from the fire. “Come sit with me a while, my little sunshine,” her grandmother whispered, “While I try to get warm.”

Mia walked over to the couch, joining her grandmother. The young Lakota girl leaned upward, then leaned over to rest in her grandmother’s arm. The old woman kissed her granddaughter on the forehead, rubbing her arm. Mia sniffed, rubbing a tear away from her eye. “You warned me about pain and grief, granny,” she whispered, “I am sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“No, Mia, you did believe me.” The old blind woman whispered, “You just didn’t think it would affect you so.”

“Brendon was a good man. I didn’t want him to die.”

“But you knew he was going to?”

“Yes, I knew. I was just in denial.”

“Do you want to know where Brendon is right now?” her grandmother smiled.

“Please,” Mia said, wanting to hear it.

“Brendon is currently sipping tea with his mother, father and uncle. The house he is in the middle of some Mulberry Fields, where the scent will caress his nose and give him peace for eternity.”

Mia sniffed, “That sounds beautiful.”

“You don’t need to worry about Brendon any more, my little one. He is at peace. Probably for the first time in his life and he would want you to be happy for the friendship you and he had; not mourn him constantly.”

“Okay, Granny,” the young Lakota girl agreed.

“Now tell me about him.” The old woman grinned.

“About who?” Mia leaned up.

“The brave man who has captured your heart.”

Mia giggled. Her loving grandmother was talking about John. “He’s strong; he’s handsome,” the young girl smiled, “He’s brave in the face of danger. He’s fiercely loyal to his friends. And . . .I think he really loves me.”

“That is wonderful, Mia,” the blind woman laughed.

“Yes,” Mia grinned, “It is wonderful, isn’t it?”

“You see? It’s not that hard to be happy.”

Mia laughed at her grandmother’s statement. The two relatives enjoyed their laughter together. They always had in the past. The Lakota girl never realized how much she missed it until it was gone. Mia leaned up, hugging her knees inside her father’s overcoat. She turned her head toward her grandmother. “Granny, is Black Faction going to be a threat anymore?” she asked.

“My sunshine, “ The old woman chuckled, “Always down to business, eh?”

“I have to, Granny. You said I need to be strong and you helped me with Brendon. I am ready again. I have to help these people find the other survivors.”

“You realize, of course, you can’t do that alone?”

“Yes, that is true,” Mia scratched her eyebrow, “I probably will be able to convince John. Seth is still a non-believe, God bless him. Shanna is still a little heartbroken over Brendon. I know she trusts me, especially now.”

“That’s all well and good, Mia. But you are missing the obvious. They are not the ones that need convincing.”

Mia blinked. “Who must I convince, Granny?”

“The one who has something in common with me.” She smiled.

Mia wondered which of her group had something in common with her grandmother. She immediately thought of age, reminding her of Bernard and Cecil. Then she clicked her fingers, realizing the other thing she had in common with another person was something called blindness. “Tony!” Mia smiled, “He’s the one I must convince.”

“Once you are able to convince him, he’ll be convincing the others. Above all else, he wants his friends safe.”

“He’s a good man. Just like John.” The Lakota sighed, grinning.

“One part of your journey is over, Mia. Another will begin soon. You must watch for the signs.”

“What signs, Granny?”

“Two if by land, one if by sea,” her grandmother whispered.

“Two if by . . “ Mia blinked, “Wait a second, granny, I think you got it backwards. It’s one if by land and two if by sea.”

“Who you gonna listen to, child?” her granny giggled, “Them or me?”

Then a sound interrupted Mia’s thoughts. It was the sound of a woman screaming. Her screams were there, then they disappeared. Then the screaming happening again, then suddenly silent. Mia walked over to the window, then looked outside. She saw no one out there but the gentle falling snow. “Who was screaming, granny?” the Lakota girl asked.

“It doesn’t matter who she is,” her grandmother whispered, “What matters is why she is screaming.”



Mia opened her eyes. The soft breathing of John on her neck told her she was back at the beach. She leaned up to look toward her friends who were all there still with her. The Lakota girl leaned back into John, making him moan slightly. She had had another vision. Her granny literally speaking to her from the grave or was it simply thought in her head showing her the way? Mia didn’t care; she felt better after their discussion. She kept the words of her grandmother in her head, as she drifted back to sleep. Thank to the vision, her strength had returned and her resolve even strong.

Now more than ever, she had to find the bald man and the other survivors.

Part 100: The Shortest Day

The night had come quicker than anybody had realized. No one did much of anything or said much of anything the remainder of the day. Most people discussed about Brendon and what a good man he was. Others just laid around most of the day.

Inside the Medical Tent, Tony felt he had to pull everybody together. He wanted to know exactly what happened out in the woods. “I managed to stop two of them.” Jenny said.

“Hey, girl, I kinda helped,” Martin quickly helped.

“Uh, yeah, Martin KINDA helped.” The young teenager pointed out.

Kristy giggled at her black friend’s disgust over the fact that Jenny did a better job of him out there against Black Faction. Tony smirked, glad he was to hear the sound of laughter again. “I know I managed to kill one. Then I took out Cedric.”

“How did you take that bastard out, Tony?” asked Yolanda.

Tony massaged his chin, “With all due respect, Yolanda, you really don’t want to know.”

“Okay,” she replied, leaving it at that.

“Mia told me she and Shanna took out another two,” John piped, “And Seth and Brendon took out three of them.”

“That’s at least eight,” the blind doctor whispered, “Didn’t Mia say there were nine boys?”

“Yeah.” The archer nodded.

“More than likely, we got all nine. The girls may still attack but it’s doubtful. Hopefully, seeing as the bulk of their tribe was wiped out, they’ll stay away from us in regard to fear.”

“Yeah, you are probably right, Tony,” McKay sighed.

“I’ve seen stuff like this before, in foreign countries. Trust me, guys. We are safe now. It was just sad that we had to pay for our safety . . . .with one of our own.”

No said anything but they agreed with Tony’s statement. At that point, everybody then agreed to try to get some sleep. It was difficult but most every one were emotionally tired. McKay walked over and laid down into his bed, and Taylor curled up to him. Mandy also scooted next to them. The blonde took her friends hand and held it as they got ready to sleep. The closeness they shared was needed that night.

John rubbed his face and removed his shirt. He kneeled down to get into his blanket. Then paused when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Mia, Shanna and Seth standing there, holding their blankets and gear. “Mia?” the archer blinked, “Are you okay?”

McKay, Taylor, and Mandy looked to them. Tony paused by the entrance to the tent, while Marita looked at the younger people. Mia massaged her blanket and then whispered, “Can we bunk with you guys?”

“It’s . .uh . . . it’s not the same over there without him.” Seth confessed.

“Of course,” Marita sighed, “You can absolutely bunk with us.”

“Seth, come sleep near me,” Mandy said, offering a spot near her.

The young man walked over to where the blonde was sleeping and Shanna slowly followed. They placed down their gear and then folded out their blankets to make themselves ready to sleep. Seth laid down next to Mandy and Shanna laid down next to him.

Mia slowly put her gear and her blankets in one pile. She then walked over and kneeled down next to John. The archer looked at her for a few seconds. There were no words spoken and none was needed. He slowly opened up his blanket for her. The Lakota girl slid down with him and turned around. John laid his head down on his pillow, placing his arm around her. She scooted closer to him, kissing his arm. Mia needed to be with someone tonight. No one gave any looks or whispered any comments about her sleeping with John. It seemed appropriate anyway.

They were only sad that the loss of one of their own brought them closer together.