Night came, and Richard wished the end would come all the while knowing that it wouldn't. It was his own fault; he had told Jacob he never wanted to die and that had been Jacob's gift to him. He would never die and thus never go to Hell.
Though at the moment, Richard was certain that Hell would be better than this.
He had been unable to move after being hit full force by the smoke monster and landing initially in a tree before finally landing hard on the jungle floor. Little hope remained of his being able to regain any movement so he didn't bother to think about what to do next. All he could do was lie there with pain as his only companion.
Oh, and there was pain. He had felt as every bone in his body snapped from the force of being hit and then dropped. Muscles and ligaments had been torn in the process as well, and he thought one of his broken ribs might have punctured a lung because breathing was almost impossible. The agony of not getting air was worse than the agony of trying to breath and so he labored to keep drawing breath.
"Hello, Ricardo."
The voice was familiar but Richard had heard no sounds of approaching footsteps to indicate that anyone was coming. It had to be the monster, taunting him until the end no doubt, pretending to be his friend. He wanted to scream go away! but he couldn't manage to more than a soft groan.
"It's all right. It will all be over soon."
He sat down beside Richard and rested a hand on the other man's chest. Suddenly Richard could breath again and he gasped for air, grateful to finally be free of the burning in his lungs.
"You..."
"It's me, Ricardo. I only have a little time before the fire dies out so I have to do this quickly."
"You're dead."
"I don't have time to explain. Please just trust me."
"You came here to heal me?"
"No. Ricardo, you have been my one companion here on the island." Jacob smiled slightly, remembering their first meeting. "You tried to kill me, and you ended up in service to the island."
"And in return you made it so I would never die."
"It was the one thing you asked for that was within my power to grant. I should have warned you, made you think about what you were asking me for, but I had been alone for so long that I wanted you to live forever just so I would never have to be alone. I was selfish, and I am sorry for that, my friend."
"Why are you here now?"
Jacob smiled again, sadly. "I'm here to release you, Ricardo. I've made it so that when the fire dies, you will die with it. Isabella is waiting for you, Ricardo. She's waiting and the two of you are going to be together for eternity."
"No, I won't get to be with her."
"You will, Ricardo. I promise, and I'll stay here with you until the time comes."
"What about you?"
He chuckled softly. Those were the same words he had asked Benjamin Linus. "I'll be moving on as well."
"I don't regret it, you know."
The statement took Jacob by surprise. "What?"
"All this time I've been working for you. I don't regret it. I know now that...that there was a purpose for it. Thank you for having me."
"You're welcome, and thank you for being my friend Richard." He saw the slight smirk on his friend's face and smiled. "I figured I should call you Richard one time. It's a good name, it suits you."
"Then why-"
"Ricardo is the name your mother gave you."
The fire died before he got the chance to explain further. Isabella was there, whispering to Richard. Jacob couldn't hear her words. Then Richard stood up and walked off with her, looking back confused that he could no longer see Jacob.
"Goodbye my friend."
Another figure approached Jacob. "Mind if I join you?"
"Please."
They both sat on a fallen tree and his new companion pulled out a black box. Opening it, he sat it carefully on the log and began arranging the black and white stones on the board. "Do you want to play?"