Lost and Found

11

Elyse trudged through the jungle once again, heading back toward the place she'd just escaped from, alongside John Locke.
When she'd first announced she was going after Desmond, John told her to wait until morning, when the sun was out. When she refused, he insisted on joining her.

She felt secretly relieved Locke had insisted on joining her, seeing that he knew his way around much better than she did, and he always carried around knives, plural. She wasn't sure if she could trust John still, but she didn't have a choice. She certainly trusted him more than Ben, and half the people back at their camp for that matter.

"So, what did you do for a living back home?"

She asked him casually while she kept an eye out for anything suspicious. She figured making small talk would distract her from worrying about Desmond, and maybe she could get to know Locke a little more.

"Depends on what you mean. If you're asking where I worked, it was a box making company."

He explained while he led the way through the thick greenery, with a torch held out in front of him to illuminate their path.

Elyse thought about what he might've meant by that, and whether or not she cared to ask further questions, while Desmond still forced his presence in her mind. She shivered at the thought of what might happen to him if they didn't make it there in time, or even what might happen if they did.

"That sounds exciting."

She went with a generic response, figuring he would elaborate if he wanted.

He let out a light chuckle and looked back at her with a smile, his face became illuminated beneath the torch in his hand.

"Oh, sure. I'm getting quite bored out here actually, I can't wait to go back home and make some more boxes."

He responded gleefully before facing forward and continuing to walk them through the dark jungle.

Elyse wondered if he was implying that he was enjoying the chaos of being on the island. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy parts of her time here, specifically with Desmond, though she couldn't imagine staying here forever.

"How long do you think it'll take to get there?"

She asked him impatiently while she fought not to stumble over her own feet.

"Oh, maybe an hour at most. It's just straight on north from here."

He explained, keeping his face forward.

Elyse quickly realized he was recalling the path from memory, not from Desmond's tracks, like he'd claimed when they first left.

"How did you know that?"

She asked him, intently waiting on his answer.

"What do you mean?"

He replied, sounding dumbfounded by her accusatory tone.

"How do you know exactly how to get somewhere you say you've never been before?"

She accused him, feeling a bit anxious now when she remembered she was in the middle of the jungle with a man she hardly knew anything about, let alone what he'd be capable of.

"I remember the place where I ran into you and Desmond, when you first escaped earlier."

He explained nonchalantly, seeming to pick up his pace a bit now.

"You would've had no idea how far we were from their camp. You've been there before, haven't you? Why would you lie about that?"

She questioned him, feeling suddenly brave when she realized she didn't have much to lose either way.