Heart On A Stick (Jack x Ralph)

Rescue

As Ralph ran with nothing but fear carrying him across the sandy beach, he felt nothing but hopeless. He wanted to scream and cry out but he knew it wouldn't be any use. Jack Merridew had a blood thirsty look in his eyes, and he knew he'd be chased until he was stabbed or collapsed dead anyway. He slipped in the sand and fell down, scraping his hand on a rock. "Ow!" He stood up, but by then it was too late. Jack pushed him down and sat on top of him, grinning sadistically. The innocence in his eyes was gone- They were nothing but a midnight colored void of evil. Ralph coughed, struggling to breathe as the wind had been knocked out of him. "Any last words, coward?" Jack asked spitefully. Ralph looked at the painted face in horror. Jack lifted his arms, spear in hand. "Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood." He said menacingly. Before Jack could deliver the stab, a loud horn was heard, which startled him, causing him to fall back onto the sandy beach. Ralph took his opportunity and stood and ran. His legs trembled beneath him. There was nowhere to honestly go- Most of the trees had burned down, and the ones that hadn't would soon. The thickets were in flames, and even if he dared to crawl in, he'd surely suffocate.

He ran around senselessly before slamming into a larger person. He fell back- Terrified. He looked up and expected to see a painted face- Instead it was a naval officer. He was dressed in white with gold clasps holding his coat together, and royal blue pants complete with combat boots. Ralph scrambled to his feet, silent. The officer seemed off-put. "Hullo." Ralph gulped, his dry mouth made it painful. "H-Hullo." Jack saw the officer, forcing him to drop his spear and run to the boy and the man. He looked at the officer, his dirty painted face was startling. Ralph stepped away from Jack, scared, he didn't dare say what was happening to the officer. He'd surely die then. "Playing pretend I see." The officer chuckled and examined the boys. "Are there others here? Any adults?" Ralph shook his head. "Th-They're all gone. There was some but...They're all gone." He trembled as he spoke, scared senseless. The officer looked puzzled. "How long have you boys been here?" Jack chimed in. "We haven't got a clue." The officer sighed. "Well, we'll get you two back to Britain. You boys are British, right?" Jack nodded. "Very well. Come along." He lead the boys to the ship and pulled them aboard.

"There's a wash room just down the hall. Clean yourselves up, I'll find you boys some clothes." Once the officer walked away, Jack pinned Ralph to the wall with nothing but hate in his eyes. "You're so lucky that I got us rescued." Ralph was too afraid to speak. Jack tightened his grip on the boy, making him whimper. "Don't think for a second I'm done with you, Ralph." He spat. He ripped away and marched to the restroom, taking a quick shower. When he was done, Ralph hopped in. He stayed in a bit longer, the water felt nice on his dirty skin. When he stepped out, a white under shirt and some boxers lay on a table, along with a towel. He quickly changed and went back to the hallway, where Jack stood, dressed in the same thing. He glared daggers at the boy. The officer returned after a moment and guided the boys to an extra living quarters.

There were two beds on either side of the room, a table in the middle, and a few things under the table such as games and books. "We'll be back to Britain in about 3 days. I'll return when we're eating supper." He left and shut the door to the fairly small room. Ralph sat on his bed and covered his legs with the heavy blanket, not daring to look in Jack's direction. He could feel his gaze stabbing him from behind. Jack was a hunter; Ralph felt like his prey. Jack huffed and laid down with his hands behind his head. "I should have stabbed you. I just might tonight." Ralph was too frightened to speak, he didn't dare to even try since his throat hurt so much. He was thirsty. Very thirsty. He stood and looked under his bed, where he found a metal tin filled with water. There were a few, actually, some under Jack's bed too. He chugged the bottle as fast as he could, finally feeling a bit better. His headache was starting to clear.

"Don't ignore me. I know you heard me." Ralph sighed. "J-Jack, we've been rescued. Bloody hell, you aren't the leader anymore. There are adults around. Y-You aren't all-powerful like you think you are anymore." Jack chuckled darkly. "The second we get off this boat, you'll wish you hadn't said that." Ralph hushed himself, fearing saying anything to anger Jack even further. Jack stood and made his way over to Ralph, who saw this and sat against the wall. His heart raced with fear again. Jack put his hands on either side of Ralph's head, cornering him. "I doubt they'll find our parents. I'll bet they died a bit ago in the war. Nobody will be around to mourn your sorry body." He had a hungry look in his eyes.

The officer came back, forcing Jack to rush back to his bed. "Supper is ready, follow me, boys." Jack grinned at Ralph and pulled him up, his whole body jerked and ached from the previous chase. He let go and lead Ralph, following the officer. He gave the boys plates and had a table sat up in a corner for them. The crew mates had they own dinning area, they didn't want to eat around the boys in case they said something inappropriate. Ralph ate silently and slowly. He was hungry but his stomach hurt to shreds. Jack ate normally, having done that since he learned to hunt. They sat in silence before Ralph spoke. "Let's make a peace." He tried to sound stern but fell short. "Ha! And why should we? So you can stop being afraid?" Jack laughed at the boy's remark. Ralph opened his mouth to speak before shutting it and looking down. "You must be batty. Swallowed a bit too much salt water, eh?"

Ralph was silent, only shoveling food in his mouth now. Jack sighed dramatically. "If I make a peace, it wouldn't really be one. Besides, a leader shouldn't need to make peace with what's his." Ralph choked a bit. "I-I am not yours." He said sternly. Jack leaned forward on the table and put his hand up, as if he were going to smack Ralph. Ralph flinched violently. "That's exactly my point." He lowered his hand and ate, staring at the boy with a hungry look. He stared at the boy for a while, it was an uncomfortable stare. Not for Jack, but for Ralph. Thinking of what he- What Jack and his boys, not him- Did to Simon came back to him. What happened to Piggy. The mulberry boy. Samneric, the littluns, all of them. With one last bite, he threw his plate away and stood to head back to the room. Jack stood and grabbed his wrist harshly. "No, no, none of that. It won't kill you to sit with me for a few more minutes." Ralph huffed and sat back in his chair, feeling like a prisoner. "Good boy." Jack grinned and said. He finished his food, slower than he was eating before. "Maybe I will keep you around. I can't be a leader without somebody to lead. And besides, you'd be cute if you weren't so annoying."

Ralph flushed. "E-Excuse me?" Ralph seemed taken back. 'Cute?' he wondered. "Hm? Oh, I didn't say anything." He smirked deviously. "Nothing worth while anyway." He threw his food away and took Ralph back in the room. Before he could sit on his bed, Jack pulled him onto his. Ralph was silent, unsure of the trap Jack was trying to set. "I hope you're a quick learner, Ralph." He dug his gnarled nails into Ralph's thigh. "Ow!" Jack chuckled darkly. "If you aren't, I feel sorry for what's to come for you."