Chapter 25 to a LOST Love
"What's begun?" a voice said at the cave's entrance. Alex looked up to see Sayid had come back and in his hand was a huge shot.
Sucking in her breath through bared teeth, Alex scooted backwards away from it. Jack was unprepared for it and his needle stabbed her back. She didn't even notice as her eyes, impossibly wide, were fixed on that thing. She sort of fell in Jack's lap and he grabbed her arms to steady her.
Sayid looked quickly at the shot in his hand and then instantly hid it behind his back. A cringe lined his face as he said, "Alex?"
Alex sort of relaxed and climbed out of Jack's lap, saying "Sorry" quietly as she did. "Sorry, Sayid; that…that thing sorta freaked me out."
"Where the hell did you get that?" Walt asked Sayid. Michael instantly cuffed him on the back of the head, glaring at him for his profanity. Walt looked defiant for a moment, but his expression softened and he turned back to Sayid.
"This is what saved Alex's life," Sayid explained. "See, I found her on the beach and I started to carry her back…when I looked and saw Boone in the woods," Sayid stared off into space as he said, "He was just…staring at me. I pleaded with him to help me or get Jack, but all he said was…" here Sayid broke off.
"All he said was what, Sayid?" Jack asked.
Silently, Sayid said, "He said, "Let her go…" I became angry, chased after him, and then he started rolling on the ground. I almost pounced on him, but he was in mortal agony, clutching his head. He managed to say, "There's not much time left, take this." I grabbed this out of his bag," and with that he brought the shot out from behind his back and Alex flinched again. Looking apologetically at Alex, Sayid continued, "This needle held this liquid, this unearthly stuff. I ran back to Alex and by that time she…she was…" Sayid rubbed his hand over his face as he struggled to get it out.
"She was what?" Charlie asked, prompting Sayid to continue.
"She was…" Sayid still couldn't say it. Finally, he dropped his hand and blurted it out. "She was dead." Charlie's eyes went huge and Claire's and Kate's faces paled instantly.
"Jesus," Sawyer said softly. His eyes, too, had gone huge, though he tried to disguise it.
"Well, if she was already dead, how did you bring her back?" Jack asked, going all doctor-ish on Sayid. "I mean, unless you stabbed that needle straight into Alex's heart…" he paused, seeing Sayid nod sagely.
"That's exactly what I did, Jack," Sayid said.
"So it wasn't all a dream," Alex said softly.
Kate turned to her. "What?"
Alex looked back at Kate. "When I was dreaming, I felt this awful pain stab me right in my chest and course through my body. It was like lava was racing through my veins and swirling all inside me...Then this bright explosion of light shook me and I realized that I was staring directly at the sun. That's when I woke up. So, that pain must have been what Sayid did to me." Here she looked back at Sayid, eyebrow raised as if to ask Am I right?
Sayid nodded again.
"Let me see it," Alex said gesturing to the huge shot. Sayid walked slowly over to her, bent down and handed it to her. Alex took it from him and with a great bang, her eyes went dark and she saw something else unfold in front of her…
She was walking forward, carrying the needle in her hand. She approached a man who grinned wickedly at her and she dropped the thing in his hand. She backed off to watch what he would do.
Glancing around, she suddenly saw Shannon chained to a tree on her knees. She glanced up at Alex, fear written all over her face. She had been beaten; badly, Alex guessed. Blood coursed from her hairline down her face and both of her eyes were black from fatigue and from punches. Her shirt was ripped in several places, blood also coating the shirt around her wounds. Shannon then turned toward the man with the needle and gasped; a pitiful attempt at a scream.
Without warning, the man grabbed Shannon's hair, pulled her head aside to expose her neck, and plunged the shot straight into her neck. He began to draw out Shannon's blood; except her blood was quite dark, almost black. When he finished filling the huge needle, he released her hair and she slumped down in a faint.
Turning toward Alex, the man squirted the blood into a small, animal-skinned bag and rolled it around in his palms. Then he injected the needle back into the bag and drew out the blood again. A bright light reflected through the vial and the blood had turned a beautiful amber color. Alex was going to be sick, as the lava-lamp-like chunks in it were pieces of Shannon's very own flesh.
Gasping out loud, Alex freaked and dropped the shot. It instantly shattered all over a rock, glass shards flying everywhere. Alex stood up quickly and walked to the edge of the cave wall and leaned on it with one hand, her face gazing at the ground. "Shit," was all she could say. "Shit!"
Sayid fairly flew to Alex's side to comfort her. Everyone else backed away from the shards of glass so as not to get stabbed by them.
"Um…what just happened?" Charlie asked hesitantly.
"Alex…" Sayid said softly. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Alex muttered thickly. "I saw Shannon…"
"What?" Jack said urgently.
"Where?" Sun also chimed in.
"I don't know where…" turning to look at Sayid full in the face, Alex said, "That stuff that was in that thing, that needle…" here she gulped. "That was part of Shannon."
Hurley paled and all of a sudden, he slumped to the floor in a faint. Everyone's attention immediately turned to Hurley, save for Alex's. Instead, she turned and walked quickly out of the cave, her strength not quite back enough for her to run out.
Jack quickly bent over Hurley and asked, "Hurley? Hurley? Come on, man…Hurley?" Jack started shaking him a little. Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes, then came over to Hurley and slapped him hard across his cheek. Hurley moaned and opened his eyes again.
Sayid heard Alex move and saw her walking out. Jogging a couple of steps, he fell into step with Alex and they walked silently together. Looking back toward the cave, Sayid nodded at Jack who had looked up at them and Jack nodded back, silent permission flowing between the two.
After a while…
Sayid and Alex walked for a ways until Alex stopped suddenly. She leaned against a tree and looked to the sky; a silent tear rolled down her cheek.
Sayid, saying nothing, simply took his hand to the side of her face and wiped it away with his thumb. Alex turned her head to lean closer into his hand; she closed her eyes and sighed. Sayid put both hands to her cheeks and turned her head toward him. Alex's eyes opened, her blue eyes watery with tears, and she silently gazed at him. Sayid leaned in and their lips met, softly, ever so softly.
Chills raced through Alex's system and goose bumps freckled her arms and back. Suddenly, Alex pulled away from Sayid, and turned her gaze to her right and down, as if ashamed.
Sayid's eyes questioned her and Alex felt his gaze on her so she looked back at him. "Sayid…" she said softly, breaking the tranquility of the silent forest. Sayid simply tilted his head slightly to the right, inquiring without words.
"The things I saw…" Alex began. "They keep flashing through my mind, over and over. Awful things…" here Alex turned her gaze over Sayid's arm and stared off into space. "Awful things…" Sayid still said nothing, only tilted his head a little farther to bring her gaze back to his. He was unsuccessful.
"Fire…blood…bodies…faces…" Alex slowly said, closing her eyes to block the visions. "Everyone…killed…awful ways…" tears began to pour once again down her face. Sayid gently pulled Alex into an embrace and she willingly accepted it this time. Sayid stroked her hair and whispered to her, "Shh…shh…everything's alright…shh…shh…"
Still crying, Alex managed to say, "Sayid…don't leave me. I'm so scared…"
"Shh, shh…I know…I know…" Sayid said sagely. "I won't leave you…shh…shh…"
"How do you know that though?" Alex said, breaking away from Sayid suddenly. "How do you know that some thing out there isn't just waiting for us? How do you know we won't all die here on this godforsaken island!" Alex was beginning to yell now.
Sayid held up his hands in surrender. "Easy, easy, Alex. I don't know all of that, but I do know that I will never leave you."
"But you don't know that, Sayid!" Alex said frustrated. "All of my dreams have come true, every single one of them! I'm so scared this one will come true…I don't want that, Sayid! I'll never forget what I saw… There's something out there, Sayid, whether you want to admit it or not. There are other people on this island, Sayid!"
"Yes, Alex I understand that!" Sayid snapped back. "I understand that this island is not what it appears to be," his tone softening. "I know that there are other people here, dangerous people, and that monster, what ever it is, is out there as well. I don't know if we shall all die here; I'd like to think not because we have done well for now." Sayid paused, waiting to hear a response from Alex.
Alex put her finger tips between her eyebrows and closed her eyes. "You're right," she said dropping her hand. "I'm sorry, it's just I'm so terrified by what I've seen…how do you put up with it? Day after day, torturing images running through your head…"
Now it was Sayid's turn to be quiet. He sat there for a moment, his thoughts racing behind his eyes. "I just got used to it, I guess. It has been a while since I have done any of those things. Please, let's not talk about this sort of thing now."
Alex nodded and turned to walk off in the direction they were headed. Sayid started to follow, but she quickly turned around and said, "No, Sayid. I need to be alone. Please."
"No. No way. I'm not going to lose you again," Sayid said, rushing forward to grab her arm lightly. "If you go out there, I don't know if you'll come back to me."
Alex sighed. "Alright, how about I go down to the beach and be alone there? Will that make you happy?" she said sarcastically.
Sayid raised one eyebrow at the sarcasm but finally sighed, "Yes, Alex. That would make me happy," he said equally sarcastically.
Alex lightened her gaze on Sayid and smiled back tiredly. "Thank you, Sayid."
"For what?"
Alex paused, adding to the effect of her words. "For being there."
Sayid smiled and Alex smiled back, too. Sayid held out his elbow and Alex took it gratefully, and so they walked arm in arm toward the beach, heading into the beautiful red sunset, with only their shadows following them.