dimples, james "sawyer" ford

twelve

the tide crashed against sawyer's legs as he pulled himself up from the water, his entire body screaming in pain. his shoulder was on fire from the gunshot wound, the salty seawater making the sting worse with every second. but he had no time to think about the pain.

people had blown up the raft, stolen walt, and left them for dead in the middle of the ocean. but somehow, by sheer luck or some sick joke, they had washed back up on the island.

sawyer coughed, spitting out a mouthful of seawater as he staggered to his feet. his vision was still spinning from the blast, his body weak, but he could see michael a few feet away, collapsing onto the sand, exhausted and broken.

"michael!" sawyer called, his voice raspy and raw.

michael didn't respond, too devastated by the loss of walt to do much of anything. sawyer gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively going to his shoulder, pressing against the wound. he needed to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't focus. not when his head was still swirling with the image of that boat, the flash of gunfire, and walt's terrified face as he was dragged away.

as he stumbled forward, he spotted movement further down the beach. his heart raced as he saw jin. something was wrong. the korean man wasn't just walking along the shore—he was running. and behind him, a group of people chased after him.

"jin!" sawyer tried to call out, but his voice was too weak. his body wasn't cooperating. before he could do anything to help, jin was tackled to the ground by one of the men, and within seconds, the group had surrounded him.

sawyer cursed under his breath, his instincts telling him to run, to hide. but it was too late. the people had spotted him and michael as well, and they rushed toward them.

sawyer's hand twitched, reaching for the gun that wasn't there. they had lost everything in the explosion and they were defenceless.

"hey!" michael shouted, trying to get the attackers' attention, but they didn't listen. they moved swiftly, dragging sawyer and michael to the ground, their hands tied behind their backs in a matter of seconds.

sawyer fought against them, but he was weak from blood loss, and the strength of the men overpowered him. the pain in his shoulder flared as they tightened the ropes around his wrists, cutting into his skin.

"let us go, dammit!" sawyer growled, his voice hoarse. but the men didn't even glance his way.

they were taken through the jungle, moving quickly despite the rough terrain, and all sawyer could do was struggle to keep up. his mind raced—who the hell were these people and why the hell were they capturing them?

after what felt like an eternity of being dragged through the dense forest, they arrived at a deep pit dug into the ground, hidden beneath the cover of the trees. sawyer's heart sank as they shoved him to the edge.

"son of a—" before he could finish, they shoved him into the pit, the world spinning around him as he hit the ground hard. pain shot through his shoulder, and he groaned, trying to push himself up.

a second later, michael and jin were thrown in beside him, both of them just as bruised and beaten as sawyer was. he looked around, taking in the steep walls of the pit, the only exit far above them. there was no way out.

"great," sawyer muttered, wincing as he sat up. "back on the island, stuck in a hole. just keeps gettin' better."

michael glared at him, his face full of rage and fear. "they took my son, sawyer. they took walt!"

"i know," sawyer snapped back, frustration boiling over. "you think i don't know that?"

jin, still catching his breath, said something in korean, but neither michael nor sawyer could understand him. they were all trapped, no answers, no weapons, no plan. just a pit and the threat of whatever was coming next.

the three of them waited and waited and waited.

sawyer lay flat on his back at the bottom of the pit, his breath shallow as the pain in his shoulder pulsed with every beat of his heart. jin and michael sat nearby, equally exhausted, their faces drawn with worry and fear. the jungle around them buzzed with the sounds of nightfall, but the thick walls of the pit kept them trapped in silence.

sawyer winced, pressing a hand against the makeshift bandage michael had tried to wrap around his shoulder. it wasn't enough. the wound was getting worse, and he could feel the fever starting to set in. his vision blurred, but he fought to keep himself awake. passing out now would only make things worse. he needed to stay sharp.

"how long we gonna be stuck in here?" michael muttered, his frustration boiling over.

"as long as those bastards want," sawyer grunted through gritted teeth. "unless you got a way to scale up that wall?"

jin said something in korean, pointing at the rope burns on his wrists. he had already tried once to climb out, but the pit was too deep, and without anything to grip onto, it was impossible.

sawyer leaned his head back, staring up at the patch of sky visible from the pit. he thought of the raft, the slim hope that it might've gotten them off the island. now, they were right back where they started. only this time, they were in deeper trouble.

the sound of footsteps approaching made the three men look up as a figure appeared at the edge of the pit. it was a woman, her clothes dirty, her face hardened by the island's cruelty. she crouched down, peering into the pit with a cold, calculated look in her eyes.

"hey!" michael shouted, getting to his feet. "get us out of here!"

the woman stared at them for a moment longer before tossing down a rope. "climb," she ordered. "one at a time."

sawyer shot a glance at michael and jin. he wasn't sure whether to trust her, but they didn't have a choice. one by one, they climbed the rope, michael going first, then jin, until finally it was sawyer's turn. his muscles screamed in protest as he pulled himself up, his injured arm barely able to hold his weight, but somehow, he made it to the top.

when he reached solid ground, he collapsed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. the woman was already turning to leave, her expression unreadable.

"wait," sawyer grunted, forcing himself to stand. "who the hell are you?"

she paused for a moment, looking him up and down. "ana lucia," she said simply.

"you with them? the people who threw us in there?" michael asked, his tone suspicious.

ana lucia gave them a look and nodded. "we had to make sure. i overheard you talking down there, and i'm one of you. i'm a survivor. there's more of us." she turned and motioned for them to follow her. "come on. i'll take you to the others."