Hello my lovely readers, I know it's been a while since I last updated my story, but believe me I'm not done yet. This story started in 2012 so I'm not giving up on it yet, I'm just very busy right now with being a full-time nurse.

This chapter is dark, I'm warning you now that if you are not a mature reader please do not read this chapter. There are themes of death and sex and all sorts of adult themes, which is what I warned and intended from the beginning. If you started reading this when I started writing it then you are surely old enough now ;)

Anyways please enjoy this chapter, it was a very intense write and it really set the mood for the rest of the story. I am working on Chapter 17 right now, and hopefully it will be a little lighter than this one.

Enjoy!

Ralph and I walk back to the shelters in solemn silence, neither knowing what to say in regards to the nights events. My heart aches at the prospect of asking the question in my head, but I need to know the answer so desperately. We reach the edge of the clearing for the huts, and a fire burns in the centre— tended by Bill.

Ralph's arm lies protectively around my waist, and he notices immediately when I begin to slow to a stop. He looks at me with a confused glance, and I cast my eyes down before I speak.

"Simon?" I say, as it is the only coherent word that will come out of my mouth. I look back up to Ralph, and he looks at me for a moment before staring back out into the forest.

"I couldn't find him, I think he managed to escape them… but I can't find Piggy anywhere."

I look around the clearing, and the littleuns lay in the huts or by the fire— but Piggy is nowhere to be found.

"I didn't see him at the festivities tonight either… come to think of it, I haven't seen him in quite some time."

My eyes search harder in the dim light of the moon and fire— not spotting the portly boy, or hearing his whiny demanding voice.

"I need to go make sure Simon and Piggy are ok—," he starts, but anger and worry rush through me at the prospect of being left alone again to worry and be helpless.

"I'm coming with you Ralph, I'm not sitting here again waiting until I wander back alone into the forest again!"

"Please Annie stay here, I don't want to fight you on this," I look back at Ralph's pleading eyes, but my resolve and anger are stronger than his.

"No Ralph, I need to see with my own eyes. And besides, I'm safer with you!"

He searches deep into my eyes for a long moment before setting a resolve in his furrowed brow.

"Fine, but please Annie stay beside me and don't wander off… And if I say hide, you hide. One encounter with Jack is enough for one night."

I nod, and grab onto his hand before stepping back into the darkness of the forest. His hand slips out of mine, and he slides it protectively around my waist.

The sounds of night hum around us; the crickets chirping in the grass, and the thrum of the distant mountain waterfalls. I look up to the canopy of trees above, and admire the lattice of shadow and moonlight— the stars twinkling through. Ralph and I walk in silence, as not to alert anyone who might be lurking nearby. The closer we get to the base of the mountain, the harder my heart beats.

Why is my heart racing? I think to myself, and it is only when Ralph stops our walking when I realize— the crickets are no longer chirping. He drops his hand from my waist, and looks around him for any signs of danger.

The silence around us is deafening, and all I hear is the gentle sounds of Ralph's breath. I look around, but the moon is blocked by the face of the mountain and the darkness is almost blinding.

I look over to Ralph and open my mouth to speak, but he places his hand over mine and motions with his finger over his lips to be silent. I see his shadowy hand point to my right, and my eyes squint to see the target of his interest.

The cracking of a branch sounds from afar, and the area to which Ralph pointed shows what looks like a few shadowy figures moving through the trees.

A voice carries through the dead silence of the forest, but I can't make out the words from the distance we are away.

Ralph ducks low, and begins to slowly and quietly move towards the voice. I follow closely behind, taking extra care to be as silent and swift as possible.

"Beeeasty~!" a male voice calls, coaxing out his prey. I see at least four silhouettes dimly among the trees, and I recognize the height and posture of the one pacing back and forth.

"Come out to play beasty! I know you're around here somewhere!" calls the dark-haired boy Roger.

Standing among them I spot what looks like Maurice and Robert, but it is hard to tell in such darkness and distance.

Crack!

A branch snaps nearby to my right, and my heart hammers as the group of boys focus their attentions on the noise. Ralph and I begin to move in the opposite direction of the sound, scrambling to not be noticed.

"I've got you now beasty!" calls Roger, and the other boys begin hooting and hollering in celebration.

"Good work Rog," says Jack to my left, quickening my breath. Ralph quickly pulls me in behind a large stump, ducking away from the sights of the boys barreling through the forest in search of their prey. Jack runs by, not noticing us crouched in the shadows, and I shakily release the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

A scream echoes through the forest, and Ralph springs to action. I scramble to keep up, but he bolts through the forest— intent on stopping the carnage apparent.

The boys ahead take no notice of Ralph and I crashing through the forest; their senses intent on their prey.

In one swift move Jack snaps up his target, rolling around the dirt with him until stopping just after the edge of the dense forest and before the edge of the cliff we are standing upon.

"I've got you now!" he mocks, and the other boys form a circle around the two.

"Kill the beast! Kill the beast! Kill the beast!" the boys chant.

My lungs ache, and I can't run any longer. I stop just metres away from the group, and no notice is taken of my hunched form in the dark.

"No," I protest in a breathless whisper.

Ralph stands close in front of me, stopped and assessing the situation. If he runs in now, he could get hurt or killed in the process. The carnal desire to kill apparent in the energy of the air.

My heart pounds, both at the scene laid out in front of me and the pure exhaustion running through my body.

Suddenly, one of the boys stops and looks over to the edge of the cliff, where a shadowy figure is barely illuminated. Clouds roll in behind the cliff, quickly bringing in a threat of a storm.

"It's the beasty!" he yells, and points to the figure.

At first no one responds, as the boys are under the impression that they have indeed already caught the beasty. A few in the circle begin to look ahead, and soon only Jack isn't looking— as he struggles to subdue a writhing Simon.

A bolt of lightning flashes behind the form, and finally Jack's head is turned towards the light as it flashes a second time.

"What are you waiting for?" he screeches, "get it!"

The boys all begin the run at the figure, Roger leading the group. Jack pushes away from Simon, and begins running towards the beasty as if his life depended on it.

The beasty begins taking a few steps back, before being cornered between the edge of the cliff and the approaching boys.

A glint of moonlight shines through the clouds upon the darkened figure— a glimmer bright enough to illuminate the eyes of the beasty. Its large round orbs stare blankly ahead, as if made of glass, and its body stands rigid among the chaos.

In a moment it clicks into the minds of the crowd that the glinting eyes of the beasty are in fact the rims of the stout and fearful Piggy. He takes a step back at the approaching mob, looking for an escape at the sudden threat. It doesn't matter now who the beasty is, and after a night of pursuing, the boys need something to show for their hunt.

"Kill the beast!" speaks a boy from the back.

"Cut 'is throat!" utters another.

"Bash 'im in!" they all chant in unison now, and begin stabbing their spears towards the portly boy. Their voices are low now, like a cat purring before the kill.

A rock slides off the cliff behind Piggy, and tumbles into the current below— its sound rumbling like a distant roll of thunder. The boys continue to chant, their voices echoing off the cliff and becoming louder with every word.

"Spill his blood!" Roger cries, stabbing his spear at the boy— coming within a centimetre of his metal frames and causing him to stumble back in surprise and fear. His small hand comes up to shield his face in defence, and his glasses drop off his face and onto the dirt below his feet, before he takes another step back and further away from his attackers.

Like the events of a film, Piggy's foot slides into the soft gravel at the edge of the mountain, and his weight is pushed backwards into the enveloping emptiness behind him. A flash of lightning illuminates his face one last time, and his mouth freezes in the shape of an 'O'. His eyebrows furrow at the sudden realization, but he does not scream as he slips back and towards the craggy sea shore below.

There's no sound as he falls. No boy utters another word, and my breath catches in my throat as I wait to hear the sickening thud of his final decent. I wait, but no sound comes— the only noise comes from the waves crashing against the rocks below.

The next sound comes not from the boys, but from me— bursting out from me before I can stop myself.

"What have you done!" I yell, my voice tired and my throat thick with grief. I move towards the cliff face, as if to save the boy from the fate he had already met.

The boys turn to face me now, their expressions invisible in the dark, but I can sense the shock and reprieve that hangs in the air like thick fog. They watch, unmoving, as I stumble towards the edge— searching for the boy amongst the waves.

My sobs echo out, shaking my body and blurring my vision as I spot the dark stain of blood spattered amongst the rocks. My hands brush against a small wire in the grass and dirt, and then I spot them— Piggy's glasses.

I grab the glasses and sob louder, my tears running hot down my neck. I feel a hand grab my shoulder lightly, and I jerk away.

"No!" I wail, pulling myself back towards the sea. The hand grabs me again, and I protest with screams of desperation.

"Annie," the voice pleads, and drops of rain begin to soak my face. I pay no attention to the others around me, the wounds cut by the loss of this innocent boy bleeds deep into my mind.

"He's gone Annie," the voice states again, and my cries begin to slow to defeated whimpers. The person beside me kneels down, wiping my tears in a failing effort to dry my face against the rain and my tears.

"Ralph," I speak, my voice almost a whisper. He leans forward, enveloping me in a warm embrace and I pull in a shaky breath. In one swift movement, he puts his arms under my body and lifts me off the ground in a bridal carry.

I wipe my eyes to clear my vision, and see the tribe of boys staring not at me, but at the rocks below— their energy low and solemn.

"Let's go find some shelter," he whispers into my ear, slipping quietly away from the group of boys.

Ralph places me standing on the ground as we come close to the bottom of the mountain, not breaking contact by placing his arm around my waist. My tears are stopped by now, but the rain soaks my face making it hard to tell. A chill wracks my bones and I pray for shelter from this downpour.

"I know it's around here somewhere—," mutters Ralph, looking around in the dark to attempt to spot something the utter blackness.

I open my mouth to ask him what he means, but he speaks before I can.

"I knew it was here!" his pace quickens as he says this, causing me to try to keep up with him and his long legs.

"What is it?" I question, looking at a dark portion of rock in the face of the cliff.

"A cave— my hiding spot of sorts," he explains, pulling me under the carved out portion of rock and stopping the onslaught of rain. My body wracks with shivers from the sudden change, but I am relieved to finally feel some semblance of comfort.

"Annie, I want you to wait here while I go get something, ok?" he says— not a question but a command.

"No please—," I start, my eyes welling up with tears at the prospect of being left alone.

"I promise, I'll be back before you know it. I need to get stuff to make a fire or else we'll be very cold and wet sleeping tonight."

Defeated and without any fight left in me, I nod and wrap my arms around my small frame.

Ralph takes this opportunity to leave, and his dark figure retreats into the tree line. I stare towards the place I last saw him until my eyes begin to fill with white specs, trying and failing to adjust to the nothingness.

A drip splashes onto my cheek and I look up, startled until realizing it was coming from my eyes once again. I do not sob this time, my grief subtle and solemn as the events of tonight replay in my mind's eye. My body shivers from the wind, as it cuts through my thin clothing and breaks my skin out in a wave of gooseflesh.

I wait there in the cave for what must have been minutes, but felt like an eternity, until Ralph's approaching figure emerges from the thick trees.

"Annie?" he calls, assuring himself of my presence.

"I'm here," I reply, my voice barely audible over the rain.

He enters the cave, holding a bundle of what I can only assume to be logs, wrapped up in the tarp we use to cover the logs at the camp.

"We'll start a fire and get ourselves dry before we sleep," he explains, and drops the logs near the entrance of the cave, far enough out to not collapse the rocks above he explains.

He creates a spark; once, twice, three times, until it lights the small brush enough to transfer to the logs. I watch as the fire spreads and begins to bring light to the cave around us.

I notice a spot to the back of the cave, covered in moss and clovers. I stand up, grabbing the beige tarp sitting to the left of Ralph, and place it over this spot— creating a makeshift bed for the night.

"We should take off our clothes and let them dry—," I reason, but as soon as I say this my face begins to flush.

"Yes, I was just about to say the same. We need to get dry, and if we leave our wet clothes on we could get sick."

I nod and unbutton my blouse, peeking up from my eyelashes to see if Ralph is staring. He looks towards the fire instead, focused on prodding the fire with a long stick and watching the ash pop in response.

My blouse is all the way unbuttoned now, and I slide it off my shoulders and onto the ground behind me. My skirt is next, and I unbutton the side before unzipping it to let it slide onto the stone floor below. My knickers are mostly dry, and I decide to keep what little modesty I have left by keeping them on. I lay the clothes flat on the ground by the fire to attempt to dry them out by morning.

"Ralph… your clothes?" I prompt, and he hums in agreement.

I cross my arms across my chest to shield myself from the cold, and to cover my breasts from view.

Ralph now stands up and begins removing his shirt, and when I realize I'm gawking I turn away embarrassment and gaze out of the entrance of the cave. The rain still pours heavily from the sky, and shakes the tall trees with each gust of wind. I begin to warm up with the heat from the fire, but I can feel the humid air around me begin to cool with the cold rain pouring from the sky.

I hear his breath behind me before I feel his hands on my back, and my arms break out in gooseflesh as he gently runs his hands over my shoulders and down my back.

"Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies," I say, turning to face Ralph, "that's a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay."

He looks into my eyes, searching for meaning.

"What I mean by that is we are all grown up now. Somebody has died Ralph, and we can't take it back no matter how sorry we are."

He wipes his thumb across my cheek, catching a falling tear in one swift moment.

"Omnia mutantur; nihil interit," he speaks in a latin tongue, "everything changes; nothing is lost."

I nod and look towards the fire, its flames licking the sides of the logs in a constant need to devour.

"Piggy is gone now," he continues, lightly grabbing my face to turn my attention back to him, "all we can do now is be strong for him and keep him in our memories."

His eyes glimmer with hope, and I feel for a moment that all hope is not lost.

"Ralph," I start, and he looks into my deep into my eyes, "hold me."

He pulls me close in one swift movement, our mostly naked bodies colliding with a soft slap of skin. His mouth is over mine in an instant, desperately seeking solace and comfort on the night of misery.

I don't feel nervous or scared as he presses his erection against me, and reaches down my knickers to grab onto my bottom. The feel of his hands over my body warms me with small electrical currents, exciting me with each new touch and gripping my heart with desire. I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him closer to me and deepening our kiss.

He suddenly lifts me up, pulling me up so my legs wrap around his waist. I don't stop for this movement, moving my kisses to his warm neck. He suddenly places me on top of the makeshift tarp bed, pulling apart from me and resulting in a noise of protest arising from my throat.

He stands up, pulling down his briefs in one swift movement and revealing his proof of desire for me. My throat feels tight, and my heart beats fast in my chest as I see him stark naked for the first time. He smiles a half-smile and licks his bottom lip in anticipation before returning to my waiting embrace.

Our mouths move like waves lapping on the shore, melding together as if one. Soon I feel his hands on the band of my knickers, pulling them down in an attempt to get them off of me. I giggle at his struggle for a moment, before finally resigning to help him in his efforts. I kick them off my feet and in a pile where his undergarments lay, and immediately feel his hands massaging me below. It feels strange at first, but I feel myself becoming more aroused the longer he continues.

A moan escapes my mouth as he sticks a finger inside, moving around and pressing against the spongy mound inside. His mouth moves to my breast, licking and flicking each of my nipples in experimentation.

"Please," I find myself saying, my voice thick with desire.

He understands this utterance, and positions himself between my legs, his lust heavy on his breath as he pushes into me.

I let out cry at first, the sensation both fulfilling yet painful at the same time.

"Sorry," he says, concern in his voice as he begins to pull back.

"Keep going," I encourage, preparing for further pain, but when he strikes again I feel a pleasure unlike I have ever felt before, running from my head right to my toes. The second noise that escapes me is a loud moan, and he takes this as encouragement and continues his ministrations.

The dark and hungry beast of desperation sits between us, fuelling the fire that burns between each of our legs and causing us to both howl into the night. When we both come to completion, we lay in the cave in each other's arms with nothing but silence hanging in the air.

It's not long before I fall asleep, dreaming that I am a bird high above the island as circling around the warm sun above.