This is the last chapter of Loss of the Lost, but there will be a sequel up within the next week. I just figured it would be better to split it up into two parts rather than continue on when I've already written 19 chapters. Please read my next story when it's up, and thank you for your views. Don't give up on Violet - her story is not finished...
Vincent nuzzled himself against Violet's side, as the dog let out a long whine. Violet barely noticed the dog's attempt for attention, as she stared at the ocean with tears staining her cheeks. There was nothing to be seen for miles, the raft was no longer in sight. It still felt surreal to her. Walt was really gone; she would never see him again. Unless they send somebody back to rescue us. She thought to herself, hoping that would never happen. Not because she didn't want to see Walt again, but because she knew being rescued meant meeting her father. She didn't even want to think about that.
Violet wiped the tears away, but more replaced them. It was no use, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop crying. Worse, she could still smell the smoke from the jungle; a sure sign the Others were still coming. Fear and sadness overwhelmed her. Walt was gone, the Others were coming, and nobody had any idea when Jack, Kate and the rest of the crew would be back to implement their plan to protect them from the Others, whatever that plan was.
Violet found herself stroking the golden retriever, the only thing she had left to remind her of Walt. Everything had happened so quickly, it was still hazy to her. Walt telling her to take Vincent, because he was a good listener. Violet smiled to herself as she hugged the dog. Walt was a good kid; he gave up his only dog for Violet, to protect her and listen to her. It meant more to Violet than she could even admit.
"Do you miss Walt too?" She cried as she stroked the dog's golden hair, getting a low whine for a response. "I know. So do I." She buried her face into the dog's shoulder, feeling ashamed for crying so much, but not being able to control it either. She barely even heard the footsteps approaching.
"Hi Violet." Violet let go of the dog and looked up to see Claire standing over her, with Aaron in her arms. "Mind if I sit down?" Violet shook her head as she turned her face away, drying her tears. She hated when people saw her tears.
"You alright?" Claire asked. Violet sighed out slowly and shrugged slightly. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't alright, none of them were. They were all in the same boat, unsure of when the Others were coming, or worse, who they were after.
"This is Walt's dog, isn't it?" Claire asked, as she reached over to pet Vincent. Violet nodded, feeling more tears threatening their escape.
"Yeah, he...gave him to me." Violet replied in a quiet voice as she cleared her throat, trying to force the tears down. Claire only nodded, noticing Violet was upset. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again.
"Do you want to hold him?" Claire asked. Violet turned and saw Claire was holding Aaron out. Violet hadn't had the chance to hold the new baby yet, and managed a small smile, nodding. Violet carefully took Aaron into her arms, as Claire adjusted the baby's blankets. Violet had never held a baby before, and was a little nervous, but smiled as Aaron looked up at her curiously.
"Hi Aaron." She said as the baby gripped hold of her finger tightly. Violet couldn't help but feel better as she held the infant close. She turned to Claire.
"Thanks Claire." She said. Claire nodded.
"You'll see Walt again, Violet. I'm sure of it." She replied. Violet nodded, knowing Claire was only trying to make her feel better, but the reality was overpowering. The chances of seeing Walt again were slim, and she knew it. Still, it was nice of Claire to try.
Kate jogged through the jungle toward the beach. She had left Jack, Locke and Hurley behind to set the plan into action. Kate had wanted to stay to help them blow that hatch open, but she couldn't shake that nagging feeling that Violet was on the beach, alone and sad. Michael's raft would have left by now, the sun was almost setting. Jack had assured her they would get the hatch open, and she should go to Violet. More than that, a protective nature overwhelmed Kate, one that didn't want to leave Violet alone, undefended if the Others showed up. That was her primary reason for speeding up.
Kate arrived on the beach to see everything exactly as it had been when she had left. Nothing was out of place, except for one thing. The raft was gone. Kate began to worry when she didn't see Violet anywhere. Had she decided to go with Walt after all? Kate shook her head. No, she wouldn't, no matter how much she didn't want Walt to leave.
She walked through the camp slowly, checking the usual places Violet would go. She checked Katie's grave, she checked her tent, but saw no sign of Violet. She did see Claire wading in the water though, holding Aaron in her arms. Kate approached her, smiling at Aaron.
"Hey Claire." She said. "Have you seen Violet at all?" Claire nodded.
"Yeah I was just talking to her actually." She sighed. "I don't think she's doing so great." Kate nodded.
"Because Walt's gone." She said.
"Yeah, I mean, I guess the two of them were really close." Claire replied. Kate sighed.
"Yeah, they were. I guess because they've both lost somebody they loved." She said sadly. "I should probably go see if she's okay." Claire looked off in the distance.
"Yeah she's still over there. On that hill. She's been sitting there since the raft took off a few hours ago." She said. Kate turned to see Violet sitting on the hilll, hugging her knees close as she stared into the ocean. Vincent was laying down next to her. Kate turned back to Claire.
"He left his dog?" She asked. Claire nodded.
"Yeah, Violet told me he gave him to her." She replied. Kate sighed, Violet must have been devastated.
"Has she had anything to drink while she's been up there?" Kate asked, starting off in that direction. Claire shook her head.
"No, she hasn't had anything that I know of. She hasn't even moved." She replied. Kate nodded her thanks and began walking toward the hill, grabbing a fresh water bottle on the way. She couldn't say she was surprised; Violet had a tendency to forget to take care of herself when things got hard emotionally. Kate remembered a few times having to remind Violet to have some water, or some food, or to sit down for just a minute, even drugging her. Kate sighed, feeling sorry for Violet. She was still just a kid - of course she didn't know how to take care of herself. She was just a teenager, with no mother, no big sister, and as far as she was concerned, no father.
"Hey Violet." Kate whispered as she knelt down next to Violet carefully. Violet sniffled as she peered at Kate from out of the corner of her eye. She had been crying, and still was a little bit, but the black lines under Violet's eyes told her she was growing exhausted.
"Here," Kate handed her the water bottle. "I want you to drink some water." She noticed Violet's hesitance. "I didn't drug it." Violet took it and drank a sip, and Kate smiled to herself, happy that Violet trusted her. They sat in silence together as the sun set over the horizon, the sun clashing against a deep purple sky.
"Do you think they'll make it?" Violet quietly asked, breaking the silence, eyes drifting closed as she swayed where she sat. Kate looked at Violet with serious eyes, and sighed.
"I don't know Violet, but I hope so." She replied. Violet nodded.
"Me too." She paused. "What were you doing in the jungle today?" Kate's stomach sank as she remembered everything that had happened. Pulling dynamite out of the ship wreckage, dangerously transporting it to a secret location she had never known about until today. A hatch. A hatch that would fit everybody inside, if they could blow it open. Kate sighed.
"There's a hatch, out in the jungle. Locke found it ages ago, with Boone." Violet looked up at the sound of Boone's name. Tears clouded her vision as Kate continued. "We don't know what's inside, but Jack thinks if we could get it open, we could hide everybody inside until the Others leave." Violet shook her head.
"You're telling me there's been a hatch out there all this time?" She asked. Kate nodded as she breathed out slowly.
"They're down there trying to blow it open right now. They're hoping to have everyone down there by tomorrow morning." She said.
"What if it's too late? What if they come tonight?" Violet asked with a touch of fear shading her voice. Kate turned and stared at her, not sure what she was going to tell her. Tell her they wouldn't come? She couldn't lie to Violet, no matter how much good she thought would come out of it.
"If they come tonight, we will fight them. We have guns, remember?" Kate asked. Violet turned away, beginning to cry again. Kate grabbed her shoulders and spun her to face her. Looking into Violet's tear-glazed eyes hurt.
"Hey. We'll be okay. We're going to be fine, alright?" She asked. Violet shook her head.
"It's not fine." She cried, as her body trembled. "Walt's gone, and I'm in danger." Kate was taken aback as she stared at Violet seriously.
"What makes you think you're in danger?" She asked. Violet breathed out.
"Because Walt said I was." She saw the confusion in Kate's eyes. "For some reason, Walt knows things, he can know something is going to happen before it actually does, and they usually come true. He knew Boone was going to die, and for some reason, I felt it too. It wasn't anything I had ever felt before, but even though both Walt and I knew Jack was doing everything he could to save his life, he died. And he knew! Then he told me that same feeling told me that if I didn't get off this island, something bad was going to happen to me, and now the Others are coming, and Walt's gone, and...and..." Violet's tears choked her so badly she couldn't finish what she was saying. Kate grabbed hold of her and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.
"Hey, listen to me, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Walt was just saying that because he was scared. He was scared to leave you, just like you were scared to let him go. He didn't want to leave you alone on this island, especially knowing the Others are coming. Violet, we aren't going to let anything bad happen to anybody. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, alright?" She promised, pulling Violet away to make her look at her. "I know you miss Walt, Violet, but you are not alone on this island. This isn't the end, you have to believe that. Don't give up hope. Jack's plan will work." Kate felt a stab of guilt for making a promise she wasn't sure she could keep, but she knew what she needed to do. It was her job to protect Violet, and so that promise was for Violet, as well as for Kate. She wouldn't let anything happen to Violet.
Violet had fallen asleep as soon as she hit the pillow that night. Vincent had curled up loyally at her feet, laying his head on her feet. Kate couldn't sleep; she wondered where Jack and the rest of the crew were. It had been three hours since she arrived back at the beach, and they were still out there. Did they get it open? What did they find down there? A part of her wished she had stayed out there with Jack, Hurley and Locke to find out what was inside the hatch, or if they could fit all these people, but a stronger part of her knew she needed to be here. Violet was a wreck. The mixture of sadness in saying goodbye to Walt, and the fear of the Others coming had really taken its toll on Violet. She really believed she was in danger, no matter how much Kate tried to convince her they were all equally in danger, Violet kept coming back to what Walt had said. Kate had tried to tell her Walt was just being protective, and probably trying to get her on the raft, but Violet didn't seem to believe her.
She'll be okay. She thought to herself, as she stared at the sleeping girl. We'll all be okay. She looked around and saw nobody. Everyone had turned in for the night, and the camp was silent. Too silent. Not even a gust of wind swept over the beach. Kate sighed. Jack, where are you? She wondered.
"Walt, no." Kate turned to see Violet turning in her sleep, muttering quietly. Vincent shifted to allow her room to move. Kate shook her head.
"I'm sorry Violet." She said quietly. "I know it's hard. I know what it's like to feel alone. I know you feel like everybody in your life leaves you." She half laughed to herself. "Funny, I have the opposite problem." She looked at the sleeping girl seriously. "Seems like everywhere I go, I can't stay. Maybe it's because I'm a wanted criminal, but maybe it's more than that. Maybe I'm afraid, Violet. Afraid I'll screw it up somehow, like I've screwed up everything else in my life." She sighed. "Whatever my problem is, I'm not going to leave you. Whatever happens, even if we're rescued, I promise you right now, I'll figure something out." Kate knew Violet couldn't hear her, and maybe that was for the best.
The silence was deafening for a long while, as Kate finally felt sleep coming to her slowly, but that was quickly forgotten when she heard a distant scream. She turned her head quickly, but only to hear the scream cut off by the sound of something hard colliding with something else. Kate held her breath. Who had screamed? It was someone from their camp, it had to be. Soon, everybody was getting out of their tents, asking questions as to who had screamed. Kate stood up carefully, squinting her eyes to see what was happening down the beach. She could only see shadows, but they were enough. A large figure clubbed someone over the heads, knocking them unconscious. Kate swallowed hard, as people throughout the camp began to scream. It's them. She thought, as she turned. The Others. Her heart was hammering against her chest as she quietly knelt beside Violet, looking around her every few moments to make sure no one was sneaking up on her. She stared to shake Violet vigorously.
"Wake up." She hissed, hearing clubs colliding with people's heads, or people's fists planting themselves into faces. The islanders were going down. Violet finally stirred, and Kate grabbed her arm, pulling her up. Violet staggered for a moment, as she stared at Kate.
"What's going-" Kate covered her mouth with her hand quickly, as her wide eyes stared around at the dark. It was hard to see anything. She motioned Violet to be quiet as she removed her hand.
"They're here." Kate whispered. Violet's eyes widened as she looked around, frustrated at the lack of light as well.
"What are we going to do?" Violet whispered, as Kate grabbed hold of her hand.
"We gotta get to the hatch." She began leading Violet toward the jungle, motioning her to walk slowly and quietly. Violet gasped out loud when they saw two shadows in front of them. Kate protectively pushed Violet behind her. It was difficult to make out, but the shadows appeared to be a man and a woman.
"There she is." The man's voice said, breaking the silence. Kate could barely make them out, but she saw the reflection of the moon in his eyes. He was looking straight at Violet.
"Let's go." He said again, as he stepped forward. Kate gave Violet a little push.
"Run Violet." She called. "Go!" Violet began to run, pausing to look behind her for a moment, as Kate started after her, but she felt thick arms grabbing her around the waist, holding her back.
"No! Violet, get to the hatch! Get to Jack!" She screamed, when Violet stopped. "Go!" Violet tearfully complied and began to run again. Kate could only struggle against the man's grasp, as she watched in horror when the man who had spotted Violet was chasing after her. Violet's screams filled the camp, and out of the corner of her eye, Violet saw the woman who was still standing there, pull a strange device out of her pocket, aiming it at Violet. She pressed a button and something shot out toward Violet.
"No! What are you doing?" Kate screamed as she watched to see whatever it was the woman had shot hit Violet. Violet stumbled immediately, falling to the ground, shaking violently.
"What have you done to her?" Kate screamed out at the woman, who was coming down the hill, sticking the device back in her pocket. Kate yelled out desperately as Violet's body stopped shaking, and lay motionless on the sand, helpless as the big shadowy man approached her with a hearty laugh.
"Don't touch her!" Kate screamed, struggling with all her might; she could feel tears streaming down her face as the man scooped Violet up in his arms and began to run.
"Let's go!" He called, as the woman followed him down the beach. Kate screamed out desperately, but could do nothing. The last thing she saw before she was clubbed over the head was the man running off with Violet in his arms, and the rest of the Others following him.
The horror clung to her as darkness overcame her.
The Others had taken Violet.
To be continued...