The next day you accompanied Hank to say goodbye to Gunpei. James was glued to your side. He hadn't been more than three inches from you since your reunion. Not that you blamed him. You didn't want to let him out of your sight either. You had long ago forced yourself to accept the fact you would never see your husband again. So to have him here, to be able to touch him and hold him, was mind blowing. You were still having difficulty convincing yourself it wasn't all an elaborate dream. 

The hideous noise the homemade boat made when they started it up ended up being all the convincing you needed. Surely it would have ran much smoother in a dream. The brief celebration was cut short when you realized the entire village had come out to see you off. You stood beside Hank as he said goodbye. You added your own thanks feeling a small twinge at leaving the people that had taken you in. James stood behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist. You leaned back against his chest, taking comfort in his presence. 

You cruised the river, searching for any sign of the others. "I got a wife," Hank said suddenly, causing you to look up. The two of you had talked about your families before, but not often. It was a painful topic when you thought you'd never see them again. Now there was hope. "Had a wife. Have a wife. I guess I don't know any more." He showed her picture to James and Mason. "We got hitched right before I deployed. I got a telegram from her the day before I got shot down. She said we just had our baby boy. I got a son out there. A grown man I've never met."

"Yeah, she definitely thinks you're dead, man," Slivko said from his perch on top of the boat.

You snatched a piece of fruit from your bag and pelted it at him. It hit the arm he threw up to block his face. "Hey! I was just saying."

"Dumbass," you grumbled while James tried to reassure Hank.

"You don't know that. You'd be surprised how long people wait," he said with a look in your direction.

You gave him a soft smile in return. "One more day," you said to Hank.

He grinned. "One more day, Slayer."

James glanced at you in question.

"It was kind of our mantra," you explained as you stood and wiped your hands on your clothes. "We'd often talk about all the things we'd be willing to do to have just one more day with our loved ones." You wrapped your arms around James and rested your head against his chest as you looked at Hank. "You'll get your day, Hank."

Your conversation got interrupted by a voice on Slivko's radio. Plans were made to meet up with the  others. Suddenly, Nieves screamed and you all turned to the rear of the boat to see him being carried off by the lizard birds. 

"Damn it." James and Slivko rushed for the weapons. It only took you a second to realize they weren't going to shoot. You grabbed James's weapon from him and aimed it at Nieves. Your aim was true and he was dead before the creatures started ripping him apart. Tears flooded your eyes but you set your jaw and handed the gun back to your husband. "It was the only way to help him."

You didn't wait for a response as you turned away. Hank gave you a nod. He understood. It wasn't the first time you'd been put in that situation. No, the first time you hesitated, and the victim suffered for hours before you found them. You vowed then never to let it happen again, and you hadn't. 

"Slayer," was all Hank said to the rest of your group. You kept your back turned, not wanting to see their expressions. 

Soon you met up with Packard and his men. Introductions were made then he announced he still had a man unaccounted for. "Chapman's with a downed Sea Stallion just west of here."

"West? We can't go west," Hank started and you held up a hand to cut him off. He had a tendency to sound crazy when he got riled up.

"If your man is west of here, he's already gone. If you go after him, you will be, too. There are things on this island you can't possibly imagine," you explained.

"We've seen some pretty weird shit. How do you know we haven't already seen it?" Packard asked. 

"Because you're still alive."

He looked you over from head to toe and  you weren't certain if he was considering your words or trying to figure out the best way to kill you. His gaze shifted to James. "Your job is finding lost men, right?"

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath already knowing what was going to happen next. "Okay, sir," your husband said. "But if we reach that position and he's not there, we don't send out a search party. We're back here by nightfall, understood? In twenty-four hours we have to be on the other side of this island."

"Roger that. Hear you loud and clear," Packard said with a smile you didn't buy for a second. 

***

You and Hank had both attempted to convince them not to go through the graveyard. But why would they listen to you? It's not as if you'd managed to stay alive all this time. You stayed close to James and Mason stayed close to you. Hearing a familiar, terrifying sound you froze.

"What is it?" James asked, his voice soft.

Your eyes met his. "Move," you ordered seconds before Hank yelled for everyone to run. You all dove for cover behind bones and in skulls. You shoved Mason next to James and slid into a space beside Hank. You kept still, cursing Hank as he moved around next to you. Finally, you turned and hissed at him. "If you get me eaten, I'm gonna be pissed."

He nodded with wide eyes but calmed down, which is all you cared about. As the creature disappeared from sight, Packard yelled for everyone to rally. James stood beside you and placed a hand on your back. He leaned forward to speak in your ear. "That's what's left of Chapman," he told you and indicated the bones the beast had regurgitated. 

You nodded to let him know you heard and began to inch your way across the graveyard. Chapman may be gone, but you still needed to get out of this deathtrap. Randa was the next to go. The flash on his camera kept firing as the beast swallowed him down. That flash was the only way you could track the creature in the thick fog that surrounded you.

You lifted your bandana from around your neck and positioned it so it covered your nose and mouth as your eyes searched the area around you. Suddenly, the thing burst from the murk. It missed Hank and he managed to slice its leg with his sword. It roared and went straight for the 50 caliber machine gun. It ate the soldier manning the weapon and then came after the rest of you. 

Mason split off and it followed her. Knowing shooting at the beast wouldn't do any good, you ran a on path to intercept Mason, ignoring James yelling behind you. You grabbed her and pulled her under a rib cage that should offer enough protection to keep it from getting to you. You pulled her down into the dirt as the creature snapped above you, trying to reach you. Suddenly, the beast was engulfed in flame as the soldiers used a flame thrower on it. 

You and Mason scrambled away only to drop into the dirt again when an explosion rocked through the air. You quickly got back to your feet, turning around as you heard your husband yell for Slivko. A cloud of green gas erupted into the air along with a flock of lizard birds. "Shit, shit, shit," you muttered to yourself as you calculated your next move. "Fire, I need fire."

"Here," Mason said and tapped your arm. 

You looked down to find her handing you James's lighter. You snatched it from her with a twist of your head. "Stay here," you ordered and raced off without pausing to see if she obeyed. You ran toward Slivko, knowing that was where James would be heading as well. You reached them moments after the two men had begun heading for safety. The creature was coming right for the three of you. You lit the ever trusty lighter and tossed it toward the gas that engulfed the beast. 

The resulting explosion sent all three of you into the dirt. After making sure the creature was dead, you rolled onto your back with a grunt. "I really hate this island."

***

Hank was trying to convince Packard that this creature was the first of many but he wasn't listening. You knew he wouldn't. But when James told him that Chapman was dead and produced his dog tags and Packard still insisted in proceeding to the Sea Stallion, you were done. 

Packard knocked Hank to the ground and you immediately aimed your rifle at Packard's head. "That's enough," you said and Packard froze as he tried to judge just how far you'd take it. 

"Y/N," James said from behind you. "Put the gun down. We don't have to do this."

You maintained your position, ignoring the other men with weapons pointed in your direction. "How many men did you just lose? How many men died because you didn't listen when we said not to go through the graveyard? We live here you asshole. Hank for a hell of a lot longer than me. And for what? Revenge? Kong is an animal protecting its home. You came into his home and blew it to shit. Of course he's going to retaliate. You kill Kong and everyone on this island dies, including us."

"If you want to stop me, you're going to have to kill me," Packard said, his gaze locked on yours.

James placed his hand on barrel of your rifle. "Let it go," he said to you. Your gaze shifted to him and it was the fear in his eyes that was your undoing. "Let it go," he said again and you lowered the weapon, taking a step back from Packard as you did so.

James turned himself so he was between the two of you. "All right, Colonel. You'll find your Sea Stallion three clicks up that ridge. I'm going to take these civilians back to the boat and we'll wait for you there. All right?" He held his hands up in a placating gesture.

Packard had his weapon pointed at you and you just glared back. Finally, he lowered his rifle. "Saddle up. Let's go kill this thing." None of his men looked happy about the order. James wrapped a hand around your wrist to hold you in place.

As soon as they were out of hearing range, you turned to him. "I'll help you get the others to the river and then I'm stopping him."

"We'll stop him." He gave you a small smile. "You certainly keep me on my toes, sweetheart."

***

daisy_up

Finally part 2. But I can't leave it there so the conclusion is coming in part 3, which I am already writing. Hope you liked it.