Island of the Zombies: Chapter Seven
Jun. 18th, 2006 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nobleplatypusDisclaimer: I don't own LOST. Also, Shannon's opinion of Suave hair products does not reflect my own.
She really couldn't believe the huge deal people were making about these supposed "zombies." She certainly didn't believe in them. Charlie was probably just making it up to get attention since saying, "I'm in Driveshaft," didn't work (why he was so eager to associate himself with that godawful band was beyond her).
Besides, even if there were zombies, she figured Sayid would protect her. That guy was ripped.
"Ugh, who honestly buys Suave?" Shannon snorted, chucked the bottle aside and continued rooting through Sawyer's stash of hair products.
"I dunno," Sawyer drawled, casually flipping a page in his book. "Someone thrifty?" He paused, eyed Shannon (who was rolling her eyes), then shook his head and said, "Princess, you'll be begging for the Suave once the pricier stuff runs out."
"'Runs out'? Like we won't be rescued by then." Shannon straightened for a moment, tossed her hair back, then bent back down and rummaged with a bit more gusto.
Sawyer lifted a shoulder and smirked. "Whatever you say." After a moment, he shut his book and leaned forward. "And what were you gonna pay me with?"
"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."
"I was busy admiring the view," he shot back with a leer.
Shannon scowled and hastily straightened, having forgotten how short a skirt she was wearing. She turned to face him and held up a copy of Tales From Watership Down. "It's the sequel. Boone stuck it in my bag because it wouldn't fit in his."
Sawyer grabbed the book with a "hot damn" that sounded a bit more genuinely enthusiastic than he could have intended. "You're bartering your brother's goods?" he asked, examining the cover.
"He's my step-brother," came the automatic correction. "Besides, do you think he has time to read it when he's always following that Locke guy around? Aha." She held up a bottle of Tresemmé and waved it at Sawyer with a victorious grin. "At least someone on the plane had taste."
"Ooh, la la," Sawyer said with a sarcastic, dimpled smile before returning to his book.
As Shannon strolled away from Sawyer's tent and towards the jungle (she had found a small creek not too far from the beach where she usually washed her hair), Sayid approached her.
"Shannon," he looked at the shampoo in her hand, then in the direction in which she had been walking, "where are you going?"
"To wash my hair," she replied, waving the bottle for emphasis. Wasn't it obvious?
"Given the circumstances," Sayid said, furrowing his brow, "it may not be wise for you to wander off into the jungle alone."
Shannon stared at him, uncomprehending, then scoffed incredulously. "What, you mean with the 'zombies' out there? You actually believe that crap?"
"There are dangers enough in the jungle even without zombies," he chastised. How can he say that with a straight face? After she continued to stare at him, he added, "I speak only with your safety in mind."
Shannon sighed in exasperation. Why did he have to be so cute? "So what are you suggesting? Should I not wash my hair?" Unthinkable.
"All I am saying is that it may not be wise to go alone." He raised his eyebrows slightly, and Shannon found herself wondering if he was planning on physically restraining her if she tried to go off into the jungle by herself. Would she mind if he was?
"Look, thanks for worrying about me and all that, but I really think I can handle washing my hair by myself. Seriously. I'll be fine." She flashed him a quick, reassuring smile, then stepped past him and headed into the trees. He didn't follow her or try to stop her. Hmph.
As she walked, she considered what she would say to Charlie nect time she saw him. His zombie nonsense was getting everyone all worked up for no reason, and while she didn't mind increased attention from certain Iraqi studs, she didn't want or need to be babied. She was twenty years old, for god's sake, and she got enough babying from Boone. She did not need it from Sayid, too.
The short hike to the creek was uneventful and almost pleasant. Birds were chirping or squawking or whatever, and she didn't hear anything else moving around out there (which didn't surprise her--she'd never been bothered at the creek before). She didn't even have to worry about other castaways, because she'd kept the creek a secret. Sure, Boone would have chewed her out for not immediately sharing the location of a fresh water source, but there was plenty of water in the caves. Why should she have to give up her privacy? Besides, the hike to the caves would do those other people good, assuming they didn't just wait for the doctor to bring water to the beach.
The creek itself was easy to miss. A narrow thread of water wove its way between mossy rocks, its cheerful trickling often masked by the wind and other various jungle sounds. Shannon picked her way upstream until she reached the waterfall. It was small (maybe three feet high), and the volume of water passing over its edge was comparable to the flow of your average kitchen sink. But it was great for washing hair.
Shannon set down the bottle of shampoo and ducked her head under the modest flow, allowing the cool water to soak her hair. Other people could call her shallow all they liked. In a situation where clothes couldn't be properly washed and meals were never certain, she figured she could be forgiven for indulging her hair; it's not like she had control over anything else. And, she reflected as she worked in the shampoo with her fingers, it was something to do besides trying to translate those maps.
It wasn't until she was rinsing her hair that she realized she'd forgotten her towel. Damn. She finished rinsing, then squeezed the excess water out of her hair. A proper drying would have to wait until she got back to the--
A rustling in the bushes interrupted her thoughts. She frowned, peering through the trees. "Vincent? Is that you?" The rustling continued, and Shannon took a step backwards. Charlie's voice echoed in her ears: "There's a zombie in the jungle." But he'd just been making it up... hadn't he?"
"Vincent?" Shannon's voice shook.
The rustling stopped.
Shannon swallowed. Then, still staring in the direction from which the sounds had come, she slowly bent down and retrieved the bottle of shampoo. Just as slowly, she straightened. Still nothing.
Perhaps she'd just been imagining things. With a small sigh, she turned to leave.
Shannon's scream pierced the relative calm as she instinctively leaped backwards. The scream was shortly followed by an indignant (and not a little embarrassed), "You asshole!"
Sayid raised an eyebrow. "Did I startle you?" He had been standing just behind her, quietly waiting for her to notice him. And notice him she had--just not quietly.
"Of course you startled me!" Shannon smacked his shoulder, and his lips quirked upwards into a faint smile. "Jeez!"
"My apologies."
She glared at him until she had recovered her nerves, then snapped, "So what are you doing out here? Spying on me?"
"I prefer to think of it as protecting you," he said mildly.
"Well, I don't need protection." She added, with no small trace of scorn, "It's not like there are any zombies out here."
Sayid's expression changed from faintly amused to serious. "I do not know about zombies. But I do know that it was not a zombie who kidnapped Claire; it was a man, and he was not alone. We are not alone, here. Zombies or no zombies, it is not safe for you to be out in the jungle by yourself."
It may have been a very gentle and reasonable scolding, but it was a scolding nonetheless. Shannon hated such reprimands; they made her feel like she was five years old. So she scowled at the ground, looking not unlike a pouting five-year-old.
"Shannon," Sayid said, touching her shoulder.
She twisted out of his grasp and stepped backwards. Her eyes began to sting. Great, now I'm going to start crying. "Just leave me alone," she said.
Sayid gazed at her for a moment, then shook his head once. "I can't do that."
"I said," Shannon began, her composure swiftly unraveling. But the rest of her sentence was replaced by another high-pitched shriek. But this was not a shriek of surprise because Sayid had startled her. This was a shriek of terror and pain because Ethan had staggered out of the bushes behind her and sunk his teeth into her shoulder.
"Shannon!" Sayid leaped forward and, without even a moment's hesitation, drew his fist back and punched Ethan in the face. The zombie staggered backwards with an irritated "urrggh." Shannon stumbled forward, her left hand clutching her injured right shoulder. "Come on," Sayid grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Urrrgggghhh!" Ethan attempted to follow, but the dropped bottle of shampoo had spilled a small but slick puddle on the jungle floor. His foot hit the slippery patch and slid forward and upwards, sending Ethan toppling onto his back. He writhed clumsily, groaning in frustration.
"Oh, god, Charlie was serious?" Shannon stared at Ethan in horror.
"Run," Sayid replied, grabbing her uninjured arm. Together, they sprinted back to the beach.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Hurley, Steve, and Boone were heading down towards the beach. After adequate volunteers had been found to keep watch at the caves, Locke remembered that no one on the beach had been warned since Charlie's earlier trip. Boone had offered to go down, and Locke suggested Hurley go as well, since he was "the resident zombie expert." Charlie had wanted to stay behind with Claire (he hadn't said so outright, but it was obvious), so Steve offered to tag along. Hurley and Steve had equipped themselves with the rough shovels Charlie had made. Boone had the axe and a torch.
The fire-lit beach appeared to have several guards posted, but there was no trace of the panicked air that had permeated the caves. People were lounging by their fires, eating fruit, and occasionally darting half-interested looks at the newcomers. They don't know, Hurley thought to himself. They have no idea what danger they're in.
"We should probably find Sayid," Steve said, squinting down the beach. "That's who we told last time." Boone frowned slightly at the mention of Sayid's name, but Hurley agreed and headed down the beach, picking his way between the fires.
They found Sayid under his tarp with Shannon. He was using a damp cloth to dab at her shoulder, which was steadily oozing blood. Even in the ruddy light of the fire, Shannon looked ashen.
"What happened?" Boone immediately jammed the torch into the sand and kneeled down next to his step-sister.
"Shannon was attacked in the jungle," Sayid said tersely.
"Crap," Hurley said, looking at the wound with wide eyes.
"What do you mean, 'attacked'? Who attacked her?" Boone put his hand on Shannon's shoulder. She blinked at him, then wrinkled her nose and shrugged him off.
"I'm fine, Boone."
"It was..." Sayid hesitated. "It was Ethan. He bit her."
Hurley amended his earlier statement. "Oh, crap."
"Wait, Ethan bit her?" Steve glanced from Hurley to Shannon and back. "Doesn't that mean...?"
"Yeah," Hurley said, leaning on the shovel for support. This is going to be awkward.
"Then... don't we have to..." Steve began, but Hurley winced and flapped a hand at him to shut him up.
Boone was glaring at Sayid. "Were you with her when this happened?"
Sayid barely spared him a glance. "Yes."
"Then why didn't you do something about it?"
"Stop it," Shannon said wearily. "It's not his fault." She shut her eyes.
"Shannon?" Boone shook her shoulder gently.
"Go 'way... you're in... my... sun..." Shannon slowly started to slump to one side.
"Shannon!" This one came from Sayid, who had stopped dabbing the wound and was watching her intently.
Hurley gripped the shovel till his knuckles turned white. He had to say something. "Dudes..."
"Shannon," Boone sobbed. He'd caught her in his arms. She wasn't moving. Nor, Hurley realized after a moment's scrutiny, was she breathing.
She was dead.
Sayid stared at her body as if he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Steve was leaning against his shovel, staring at the scene with a pained expression on his face. Hurley cleared his throat and tried again.
"Dudes, you need to get away from the body. Like, now."
Sayid glanced at Hurley but didn't move. Boone didn't appear to be paying attention; he was rocking back and forth, clutching Shannon's body and weeping.
"I'm serious," Hurley insisted, straightening and hefting the shovel. "Boone, move!"
"Hurley," Steve said shakily.
"She's gonna change any second!"
Boone looked up, saw the shovel, and continued looking up until his eyes met Hurley's. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"Shannon's a zombie," Hurley said. "If we kill her now, she won't have a chance to hurt anybody else."
"She's already dead," Sayid said, tearing his eyes away from Shannon's body and staring at Hurley.
"Not for long, she's not."
"Shut up!" Boone stood up, Shannon's body cradled in his arms. "She's not a-- she's-- you're crazy!"
"I," Hurley took a step forward, "am not crazy."
Sayid leaped to his feet and put a hand on Hurley's shoulder. "Stop."
"You don't understand! She's--"
"...alive," Boone whispered. Sayid turned around. Everyone stared as Shannon stirred in Boone's arms.
"Eeeecccchhhh," Shannon said quietly.
"Oh, crap! Put her down!" Hurley pushed forward, but Sayid held him back. Steve took an uncertain step forward, gripping his shovel and looking back and forth between Hurley and Shannon.
"Shannon?" Boone looked down at her. "Shannon, can you... aaarrrgghhh!" His head arched back in pain, throwing Shannon's face into the firelight. She was gnawing on Boone's neck.
"Holy shit!" Steve hesitated, then took a step forward, hefting the shovel.
"Stay... stay back!" Boone backed away from the three of them, still hugging Shannon protectively.
"Are you nuts? She's a zombie!" Hurley shouted. The noise was starting to draw attention from the other castaways, who were beginning to wander over, muttering amongst themselves.
"I'm not going to let you hurt her!"
"Dude, she's chewing on your neck!"
"Stay away!" Boone tossed a wild-eyed glance down at his late step-sister, who was still chomping away at his neck and shoulder with gusto. "It's okay, Shannon, I won't let them touch you!" And with that, Boone turned and stumbled into the jungle with Shannon in tow.
There was a long pause.
"Crap!" Hurley threw down his shovel and gave Sayid a look. "That's two more! Why did you stop me?"
"I..." Sayid began before stopping abruptly. For the first time since they crashed on the island, he looked to be completely at a loss. If Hurley hadn't been so frustrated, he would have felt sorry for him.
But Hurley was frustrated. He bent down, picked up the shovel, then straightened and looked at Sayid. "Post more guards and torches. If you see anyone acting like Ethan did, or like Shannon did just now, you have to either shop its head off, or smash its head in. Don't go feeling sorry for them, and don't get bitten. Okay?"
Sayid had been staring blankly into his fire, but he turned to face Hurley and nodded once, and unreadable expression on his face. "I understand."
"Good." Hurley motioned for Steve to grab the torch Boone had left in the sand. "Come on, let's go."
She really couldn't believe the huge deal people were making about these supposed "zombies." She certainly didn't believe in them. Charlie was probably just making it up to get attention since saying, "I'm in Driveshaft," didn't work (why he was so eager to associate himself with that godawful band was beyond her).
Besides, even if there were zombies, she figured Sayid would protect her. That guy was ripped.
"Ugh, who honestly buys Suave?" Shannon snorted, chucked the bottle aside and continued rooting through Sawyer's stash of hair products.
"I dunno," Sawyer drawled, casually flipping a page in his book. "Someone thrifty?" He paused, eyed Shannon (who was rolling her eyes), then shook his head and said, "Princess, you'll be begging for the Suave once the pricier stuff runs out."
"'Runs out'? Like we won't be rescued by then." Shannon straightened for a moment, tossed her hair back, then bent back down and rummaged with a bit more gusto.
Sawyer lifted a shoulder and smirked. "Whatever you say." After a moment, he shut his book and leaned forward. "And what were you gonna pay me with?"
"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."
"I was busy admiring the view," he shot back with a leer.
Shannon scowled and hastily straightened, having forgotten how short a skirt she was wearing. She turned to face him and held up a copy of Tales From Watership Down. "It's the sequel. Boone stuck it in my bag because it wouldn't fit in his."
Sawyer grabbed the book with a "hot damn" that sounded a bit more genuinely enthusiastic than he could have intended. "You're bartering your brother's goods?" he asked, examining the cover.
"He's my step-brother," came the automatic correction. "Besides, do you think he has time to read it when he's always following that Locke guy around? Aha." She held up a bottle of Tresemmé and waved it at Sawyer with a victorious grin. "At least someone on the plane had taste."
"Ooh, la la," Sawyer said with a sarcastic, dimpled smile before returning to his book.
As Shannon strolled away from Sawyer's tent and towards the jungle (she had found a small creek not too far from the beach where she usually washed her hair), Sayid approached her.
"Shannon," he looked at the shampoo in her hand, then in the direction in which she had been walking, "where are you going?"
"To wash my hair," she replied, waving the bottle for emphasis. Wasn't it obvious?
"Given the circumstances," Sayid said, furrowing his brow, "it may not be wise for you to wander off into the jungle alone."
Shannon stared at him, uncomprehending, then scoffed incredulously. "What, you mean with the 'zombies' out there? You actually believe that crap?"
"There are dangers enough in the jungle even without zombies," he chastised. How can he say that with a straight face? After she continued to stare at him, he added, "I speak only with your safety in mind."
Shannon sighed in exasperation. Why did he have to be so cute? "So what are you suggesting? Should I not wash my hair?" Unthinkable.
"All I am saying is that it may not be wise to go alone." He raised his eyebrows slightly, and Shannon found herself wondering if he was planning on physically restraining her if she tried to go off into the jungle by herself. Would she mind if he was?
"Look, thanks for worrying about me and all that, but I really think I can handle washing my hair by myself. Seriously. I'll be fine." She flashed him a quick, reassuring smile, then stepped past him and headed into the trees. He didn't follow her or try to stop her. Hmph.
As she walked, she considered what she would say to Charlie nect time she saw him. His zombie nonsense was getting everyone all worked up for no reason, and while she didn't mind increased attention from certain Iraqi studs, she didn't want or need to be babied. She was twenty years old, for god's sake, and she got enough babying from Boone. She did not need it from Sayid, too.
The short hike to the creek was uneventful and almost pleasant. Birds were chirping or squawking or whatever, and she didn't hear anything else moving around out there (which didn't surprise her--she'd never been bothered at the creek before). She didn't even have to worry about other castaways, because she'd kept the creek a secret. Sure, Boone would have chewed her out for not immediately sharing the location of a fresh water source, but there was plenty of water in the caves. Why should she have to give up her privacy? Besides, the hike to the caves would do those other people good, assuming they didn't just wait for the doctor to bring water to the beach.
The creek itself was easy to miss. A narrow thread of water wove its way between mossy rocks, its cheerful trickling often masked by the wind and other various jungle sounds. Shannon picked her way upstream until she reached the waterfall. It was small (maybe three feet high), and the volume of water passing over its edge was comparable to the flow of your average kitchen sink. But it was great for washing hair.
Shannon set down the bottle of shampoo and ducked her head under the modest flow, allowing the cool water to soak her hair. Other people could call her shallow all they liked. In a situation where clothes couldn't be properly washed and meals were never certain, she figured she could be forgiven for indulging her hair; it's not like she had control over anything else. And, she reflected as she worked in the shampoo with her fingers, it was something to do besides trying to translate those maps.
It wasn't until she was rinsing her hair that she realized she'd forgotten her towel. Damn. She finished rinsing, then squeezed the excess water out of her hair. A proper drying would have to wait until she got back to the--
A rustling in the bushes interrupted her thoughts. She frowned, peering through the trees. "Vincent? Is that you?" The rustling continued, and Shannon took a step backwards. Charlie's voice echoed in her ears: "There's a zombie in the jungle." But he'd just been making it up... hadn't he?"
"Vincent?" Shannon's voice shook.
The rustling stopped.
Shannon swallowed. Then, still staring in the direction from which the sounds had come, she slowly bent down and retrieved the bottle of shampoo. Just as slowly, she straightened. Still nothing.
Perhaps she'd just been imagining things. With a small sigh, she turned to leave.
Shannon's scream pierced the relative calm as she instinctively leaped backwards. The scream was shortly followed by an indignant (and not a little embarrassed), "You asshole!"
Sayid raised an eyebrow. "Did I startle you?" He had been standing just behind her, quietly waiting for her to notice him. And notice him she had--just not quietly.
"Of course you startled me!" Shannon smacked his shoulder, and his lips quirked upwards into a faint smile. "Jeez!"
"My apologies."
She glared at him until she had recovered her nerves, then snapped, "So what are you doing out here? Spying on me?"
"I prefer to think of it as protecting you," he said mildly.
"Well, I don't need protection." She added, with no small trace of scorn, "It's not like there are any zombies out here."
Sayid's expression changed from faintly amused to serious. "I do not know about zombies. But I do know that it was not a zombie who kidnapped Claire; it was a man, and he was not alone. We are not alone, here. Zombies or no zombies, it is not safe for you to be out in the jungle by yourself."
It may have been a very gentle and reasonable scolding, but it was a scolding nonetheless. Shannon hated such reprimands; they made her feel like she was five years old. So she scowled at the ground, looking not unlike a pouting five-year-old.
"Shannon," Sayid said, touching her shoulder.
She twisted out of his grasp and stepped backwards. Her eyes began to sting. Great, now I'm going to start crying. "Just leave me alone," she said.
Sayid gazed at her for a moment, then shook his head once. "I can't do that."
"I said," Shannon began, her composure swiftly unraveling. But the rest of her sentence was replaced by another high-pitched shriek. But this was not a shriek of surprise because Sayid had startled her. This was a shriek of terror and pain because Ethan had staggered out of the bushes behind her and sunk his teeth into her shoulder.
"Shannon!" Sayid leaped forward and, without even a moment's hesitation, drew his fist back and punched Ethan in the face. The zombie staggered backwards with an irritated "urrggh." Shannon stumbled forward, her left hand clutching her injured right shoulder. "Come on," Sayid grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Urrrgggghhh!" Ethan attempted to follow, but the dropped bottle of shampoo had spilled a small but slick puddle on the jungle floor. His foot hit the slippery patch and slid forward and upwards, sending Ethan toppling onto his back. He writhed clumsily, groaning in frustration.
"Oh, god, Charlie was serious?" Shannon stared at Ethan in horror.
"Run," Sayid replied, grabbing her uninjured arm. Together, they sprinted back to the beach.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Hurley, Steve, and Boone were heading down towards the beach. After adequate volunteers had been found to keep watch at the caves, Locke remembered that no one on the beach had been warned since Charlie's earlier trip. Boone had offered to go down, and Locke suggested Hurley go as well, since he was "the resident zombie expert." Charlie had wanted to stay behind with Claire (he hadn't said so outright, but it was obvious), so Steve offered to tag along. Hurley and Steve had equipped themselves with the rough shovels Charlie had made. Boone had the axe and a torch.
The fire-lit beach appeared to have several guards posted, but there was no trace of the panicked air that had permeated the caves. People were lounging by their fires, eating fruit, and occasionally darting half-interested looks at the newcomers. They don't know, Hurley thought to himself. They have no idea what danger they're in.
"We should probably find Sayid," Steve said, squinting down the beach. "That's who we told last time." Boone frowned slightly at the mention of Sayid's name, but Hurley agreed and headed down the beach, picking his way between the fires.
They found Sayid under his tarp with Shannon. He was using a damp cloth to dab at her shoulder, which was steadily oozing blood. Even in the ruddy light of the fire, Shannon looked ashen.
"What happened?" Boone immediately jammed the torch into the sand and kneeled down next to his step-sister.
"Shannon was attacked in the jungle," Sayid said tersely.
"Crap," Hurley said, looking at the wound with wide eyes.
"What do you mean, 'attacked'? Who attacked her?" Boone put his hand on Shannon's shoulder. She blinked at him, then wrinkled her nose and shrugged him off.
"I'm fine, Boone."
"It was..." Sayid hesitated. "It was Ethan. He bit her."
Hurley amended his earlier statement. "Oh, crap."
"Wait, Ethan bit her?" Steve glanced from Hurley to Shannon and back. "Doesn't that mean...?"
"Yeah," Hurley said, leaning on the shovel for support. This is going to be awkward.
"Then... don't we have to..." Steve began, but Hurley winced and flapped a hand at him to shut him up.
Boone was glaring at Sayid. "Were you with her when this happened?"
Sayid barely spared him a glance. "Yes."
"Then why didn't you do something about it?"
"Stop it," Shannon said wearily. "It's not his fault." She shut her eyes.
"Shannon?" Boone shook her shoulder gently.
"Go 'way... you're in... my... sun..." Shannon slowly started to slump to one side.
"Shannon!" This one came from Sayid, who had stopped dabbing the wound and was watching her intently.
Hurley gripped the shovel till his knuckles turned white. He had to say something. "Dudes..."
"Shannon," Boone sobbed. He'd caught her in his arms. She wasn't moving. Nor, Hurley realized after a moment's scrutiny, was she breathing.
She was dead.
Sayid stared at her body as if he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Steve was leaning against his shovel, staring at the scene with a pained expression on his face. Hurley cleared his throat and tried again.
"Dudes, you need to get away from the body. Like, now."
Sayid glanced at Hurley but didn't move. Boone didn't appear to be paying attention; he was rocking back and forth, clutching Shannon's body and weeping.
"I'm serious," Hurley insisted, straightening and hefting the shovel. "Boone, move!"
"Hurley," Steve said shakily.
"She's gonna change any second!"
Boone looked up, saw the shovel, and continued looking up until his eyes met Hurley's. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"Shannon's a zombie," Hurley said. "If we kill her now, she won't have a chance to hurt anybody else."
"She's already dead," Sayid said, tearing his eyes away from Shannon's body and staring at Hurley.
"Not for long, she's not."
"Shut up!" Boone stood up, Shannon's body cradled in his arms. "She's not a-- she's-- you're crazy!"
"I," Hurley took a step forward, "am not crazy."
Sayid leaped to his feet and put a hand on Hurley's shoulder. "Stop."
"You don't understand! She's--"
"...alive," Boone whispered. Sayid turned around. Everyone stared as Shannon stirred in Boone's arms.
"Eeeecccchhhh," Shannon said quietly.
"Oh, crap! Put her down!" Hurley pushed forward, but Sayid held him back. Steve took an uncertain step forward, gripping his shovel and looking back and forth between Hurley and Shannon.
"Shannon?" Boone looked down at her. "Shannon, can you... aaarrrgghhh!" His head arched back in pain, throwing Shannon's face into the firelight. She was gnawing on Boone's neck.
"Holy shit!" Steve hesitated, then took a step forward, hefting the shovel.
"Stay... stay back!" Boone backed away from the three of them, still hugging Shannon protectively.
"Are you nuts? She's a zombie!" Hurley shouted. The noise was starting to draw attention from the other castaways, who were beginning to wander over, muttering amongst themselves.
"I'm not going to let you hurt her!"
"Dude, she's chewing on your neck!"
"Stay away!" Boone tossed a wild-eyed glance down at his late step-sister, who was still chomping away at his neck and shoulder with gusto. "It's okay, Shannon, I won't let them touch you!" And with that, Boone turned and stumbled into the jungle with Shannon in tow.
There was a long pause.
"Crap!" Hurley threw down his shovel and gave Sayid a look. "That's two more! Why did you stop me?"
"I..." Sayid began before stopping abruptly. For the first time since they crashed on the island, he looked to be completely at a loss. If Hurley hadn't been so frustrated, he would have felt sorry for him.
But Hurley was frustrated. He bent down, picked up the shovel, then straightened and looked at Sayid. "Post more guards and torches. If you see anyone acting like Ethan did, or like Shannon did just now, you have to either shop its head off, or smash its head in. Don't go feeling sorry for them, and don't get bitten. Okay?"
Sayid had been staring blankly into his fire, but he turned to face Hurley and nodded once, and unreadable expression on his face. "I understand."
"Good." Hurley motioned for Steve to grab the torch Boone had left in the sand. "Come on, let's go."
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:02 am (UTC)Seriously, though, yey chapter. Hahaha...stupid Shannon. I did think you'd keep her alive for at least a few chapters, hahaha.
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Date: 2006-06-19 05:15 am (UTC)But if people aren't dying, there's no sense of URGENCY or something!
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Date: 2006-06-19 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-20 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:58 am (UTC)That was effing awesome. You write all these characters so well, which makes it more hilarious because I can see it in my head. BWAH.
Can't wait to see more! ^_^
.......Charlie/Steve!!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 06:17 am (UTC)D'aww! I try. I was worried Hurley was being a bit too snippy at the end, but he's had a long day.
Heh, it'll probably be a longer break between chapters, as I have no idea what's going to happen next and HOLY SHIT THAT LUNA MOTH IS FUCKING BACK OH MY GOD. I just saw it flailing around out of the corner of my eye and now I don't see it aaaaauuuggghhhh!
...
*goes to make a post about this*
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Date: 2006-06-23 10:19 pm (UTC)Hurley needs hugs! and possibly some lovin'!
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Date: 2006-10-06 05:36 am (UTC)Books are pretty awesome. Ho yes.