Chapter Five

Sayid awoke at the same time he did every morning, very early. He had never been able to dismantle that internal, soldier's alarm clock, had never been able to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in. He washed his face in a basin of water outside his tent and ran his hands through his thick hair, barely wetting it. The frigid water purged what drowsiness remained in his mind, and he shook the droplets of water off of his hands before pulling his shirt over his head. The sounds of the nearby jungle seemed so much louder at this hour, louder than the almost gentle crashing of the tide against the shore. The tree frogs were exercising their sound lungs this morning, but Sayid let the sound drift into the background as he considered the coming day.

He went to the spot where he had promised to rendezvous with Ana and told her there would be no training that morning. When he explained that he did not yet have the guns and that he would be fighting Sawyer for ownership, she asked, "How do you know he'll even given them to you if you win?"

"He said he would."

Ana laughed. She placed a hand on her hip and looked at the jungle's floor before returning an amused yet condescending countenance to Sayid. "And you trust him?"

Sayid shrugged. "Generally, no. But to keep his word in this matter—yes. It is a bet."

Ana shook her head and murmured, "Boys, boys, boys. So you think the whole camp will be watching?"

"I think Sawyer wants them to. I would rather that not happen."

"Well, it'll happen. This is something I've certainly got to see, anyway. You're certain you can win?"

"What do you think?" Sayid asked, wondering why she had even asked him the question. Wasn't it obvious he would win?

Ana's lip curled slightly. "You're pretty sure of yourself, huh?"

Sawyer's smugness had not given him pause, but this question now did. He would not admit his newborn concern however, certainly not to Ana.

"Why would I not be?" he asked, forcing his face into a rigid cast.

"You been in a lot of fistfights?"

"Not a lot, but I am trained--"

"Well," interrupted Ana, "if I learned anything as a cop, it's that training only prepares you so much for experience. Good luck." She turned and walked back to the beach, leaving him in doubt.

He shook off the uncertainty as he made his way to the designated sparring ground. From the eyes that trailed him as he walked along the beach, he deduced that Sawyer had been canvassing the neighborhood to spread the news of the impending fight. The cowboy must truly believe he was going to win.

When Sayid walked by the tent of Sun and Jin, they both smiled slightly at him, almost as if they were amused. Well, it was better than the medley of fear, distrust, and uncertainty he had seen in most of the castaways' eyes the previous day. Sun leaned back into her husband's arms, and Jin kissed her on the cheek. Sayid thought that he had not been entirely correct to assume that all love and loyalty had been drained from this place. Standing here was a redemption story that had not yet unraveled; here was a sweet reconciliation, rising like the phoenix from the ashes.

And a little further down the shore he spied Rose and Bernard, helping one another to take down clothes from a line. Now there was a woman who had clung to hope when everyone around her had believed she was deluding herself, and her hope had not been futile. She had escaped much suffering in those early days because she had possessed faith. How beautiful it would be to be able to believe in something again, to be able to hope for someone. Hope was a terrible thing to lose, Sayid thought; it could be a manacle, but it could also be a buttress.

At last he passed by Claire, who cuddled her infant son tightly to her chest. The baby rooted against her from instinct, settling with a coo against her breast, an innocent light in a darkening world. Yes, there were things in this camp worth fighting for, things loftier than survival.

He felt the survivors draw in behind him as he continued to walk towards the shore and Sawyer. He resisted the urge to turn and look at the curious trailers. When he reached the designated spot on the shore, he saw that Sawyer had already marked off a ring. And he saw Eko standing on the outskirts of the unholy box, looking unusually stern. The towering man looked down at Sayid and said, "This is a pitiful way to resolve things. But I will referee."

Sayid said nothing and took his place on one end of the ring, while a smirking Sawyer assumed a spot at the other. By now many of the other survivors had arrived and were beginning to hover around. Some, like Hurley, plunked themselves to the ground close by the ring in spectator position. The whole scene felt almost surreal to Sayid, as though he had unexpectedly become an entertainer. It made him quite uneasy, but he tried to block the throng from his mind, and he almost succeeded until Jack's voice broke in from behind the crowd: "What the hell is going on here?"

"Torquemada there is going to fight me for the guns," announced Sawyer loudly, leveling his eyes at Jack as though daring him to crash the party.

"This is ridiculous," said Jack. "Sayid, have you lost your mind? We are civilized people here. We aren't…we aren't…"

"We do what we have to do," said Locke quietly, drawing up behind him. "And if this is what Sayid has to do…"

Jack shook his head in frustration, turned, and stormed off down the beach. Locke, however, took a place among the spectators and looked on with silent interest.

"While we're giving everyone a show…" Sawyer drew off his shirt and threw it on the sand outside of the ring. He knew he looked good, and his posture and smug smile proved it. "How about you, Mohammed?"

Sayid let his arms swing loose at his sides. "No thank you," he replied. "I prefer not to have to wash your blood off my chest." Then Sayid considered that Sawyer might attempt to grab and drag him by the shirt, and he repented his decision. He pulled off his shirt also and tossed it aside.

Sawyer laughed, a fake, drawn out guffaw, and then he glanced at Eko. "Start this thing, why don't you?"

To be continued…

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If you are enjoying this story, you might also like:

--Despair & Hope (Sayid-centric with Ana, Sun, Rose, Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Nadia, Locke, and new characters)

--A Different Kind of Grief (Sayid, Libby, and ensemble case)

--Solitary Retold (from Nadia's point of view) / Escape (the sequel, from Sayid's point of view)

Click on author name for a list of stories.