dimples, james "sawyer" ford

fourty three

the next day dawned with an eerie calm in the barracks, the silence broken only by the occasional chirping of birds in the trees. sawyer stood by the makeshift horseshoe pit with lana and hurley, his mind heavy with the weight of everything that had transpired the day before.

lana cradled aaron in her arms, giving claire a well-deserved rest, rocking him gently as the baby cooed. hurley, always trying to keep the mood light, tossed his horseshoe with an exaggerated effort.

"man, i'm gettin' good at this!" hurley exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. he tossed another horseshoe, which landed perfectly around the stake.

sawyer clapped slowly, his usual smirk in place. "well, don't get too cocky there, jabba. beginner's luck won't last forever."

as hurley launched another horseshoe, he casually mentioned, "oh, hey, did you guys hear? kate tried to let ben out last night. she wanted to talk to miles or something, but locke caught her. he kicked her out—banished her from the barracks. she left."

sawyer froze mid-throw, his eyes narrowing. "she what?"

hurley nodded, scratching the back of his head. "yeah, man. she's gone."

"gone?" lana's voice was quiet but sharp, her attention shifting from aaron to hurley.

"locke banished her. like, totally kicked her out." hurley shrugged, his tone carrying a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "it's crazy, right?"

before they could process that news, sawyer caught movement out of the corner of his eye. ben—smug, unbothered, and walking freely—strode right past them as if nothing was wrong. sawyer's eyes narrowed.

"what the hell is he doin' out?" sawyer muttered, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun on his belt.

hurley, mouth agape, could only manage to point at ben as he moved past them. "how is he...?"

"see you guys at dinner!" ben called out, his voice bright and casual as he disappeared inside a house, leaving them all standing there in stunned silence.

locke walked out of the home the man had walked into and called out from across the barracks. "sawyer, i need a word."

sawyer glanced at lana, who gave him a quick nod, signalling that she was fine to stay with hurley for now. "don't go too far," he told her quietly, squeezing her hand before turning and heading toward locke's house.

inside, the atmosphere was tense. ben sat in the corner, his expression unreadable, while locke stood by the window, staring out at the jungle like he was waiting for something.

"what the hell's goin' on, locke?" sawyer demanded, crossing his arms as he glanced between the other two men.

locke finally turned, his face grim. "the freighter people... they're not here to rescue us. their crew plans to kill everyone on this Island once they capture ben."

sawyer felt a chill run through him. "what?"

ben leaned back in his chair, ever the calm manipulator. "their orders are to wipe out everyone on the island once they get me. you can thank charles widmore for that."

before sawyer could ask them more questions, the phone on the table rang, its shrill sound cutting through the heavy silence in the room. sawyer picked it up instinctively, pressing it to his ear.

"who the hell is this?"

a voice on the other end gave the answer he dreaded: keamy and his team were on their way. the freighter mercenaries were coming for ben, and they weren't leaving any survivors.

sawyer slammed the phone down, turning toward locke. "we need to get everyone inside, now."

locke nodded, but ben's smirk still lingered in the background, unsettling sawyer even more. sawyer stormed out of the house, his heart racing as he shouted orders to the group. "get inside! now! lock your doors and stay put!"

lana, holding aaron protectively, rushed up to him, her face pale with worry. "what's happening?"

he looked at her, his protective instincts flaring. "they're coming for ben, the freighter people. i need you inside, safe."

lana's eyes widened in alarm, but she didn't hesitate. she grabbed his hand, her grip tight. "claire." she breathed, her voice thick with concern.

sawyer clenched his jaw, knowing he had to get claire out of her house. "i'll get her," he said, cocking the gun in his hand, readying himself. he looked down at lana, his eyes filled with unspoken words, their shared fear and love passing between them without needing to say anything.

she squeezed his hand once more, holding on for a second longer before letting him go. "be careful," she whispered, her eyes never leaving his as he took off toward claire's house.

gunfire erupted not long after, the sound of bullets tearing through the village as keamy's team opened fire. three survivors were gunned down before sawyer could reach claire's house.

he ducked for cover behind one of the buildings, the world around him erupting in chaos. smoke filled the air as a mercenary aimed a rocket-propelled grenade at claire's house.

"no!" sawyer shouted, but the explosion rocked the barracks before he could stop it. the blast sent debris flying in every direction, and sawyer was knocked back by the force of it.

through the haze of smoke and dust, sawyer scrambled toward the ruins of the house. "claire!" he yelled, coughing through the dust as he sifted through the wreckage.

for a terrifying moment, there was nothing but silence. then, he heard a faint cry. his heart leaped as he uncovered claire, dazed but alive, huddled beneath a broken piece of the wall. relief surged through him as he gathered her in his arms.

"i've got you," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "we're gettin' outta here."

with claire in his arms, sawyer made a mad dash toward locke's house, bullets still whizzing past him. sawyer reached the front of the house, pounding on the wood, desperate to get in.

"we can't let them in." ben spoke from inside, his voice frantic.

"no one's listening to you anymore." lana muttered as she picked up a chair.

the sharp sound of shattering glass burst through the air as lana smashed the front window with fierce resolve. her eyes blazed with determination as they met with sawyer's frenzied eyes.

"get in!" hurley ran over and yelled, his voice sharp with urgency.

sawyer didn't hesitate. he lifted claire through the broken window first, then followed her inside. the house was tense, filled with fear and uncertainty.

claire was safe, but they all couldn't shake the weight of what had just happened—the people they'd lost, the danger that still loomed.