Iris

by Nick Whitesides

  “I’m sorry I was too late,” I mumble solemnly, bowing my head out of respect. “If it’s any consolation, I wanted to save you.”

  I reflect on these words while laying her down, wishing I could bury her the way Eli buried that family. My legs carry me towards the dining room, stopping just for a moment to survey Jaak. “This is where I leave you, forever.”

  In the heat of my escape, I failed to notice a hallway, concealed in darkness, a few feet away from the kitchen. A door lies at the end of it with the faint words “Emergency Exit” written on it. “Of course,” I hiss ironically.

  I burst outside with relief, the brisk night air blowing against my face. The darkened landscape bends and twists itself from beyond my natural eyesight. I need to find Eli. The cold metal tingles underneath my feet, oblivious to the noise clamoring from my footfalls.

  I press upon the flimsy steel stairs sending vibrations throughout its entire structure. Halfway down, I stop dead in my tracks, blocked by a blackened figure just a few feet away. Does Jaak have an accomplice? Or is it a Blooder?

  I almost crush the railing, my fingers grip so tight. “Krys?” The voice questions, with a deep tone and a rich timbre.

  The figure removes a sash, revealing a face once consumed with worry, now elated with relief. “Eli!” I exclaim joyously. With outstretched arms we embrace each other, rejoicing.

  “I thought I lost you, boy,” his voice breaks with emotion.

  “I was lost,” I bawl through bitter tears. In my twenty-one years of life, I’ve never felt this before. My heart is ablaze with an intense and invigorating relief, piercing through to my soul. I soak up this moment and relish in the calm, hoping it will last. Knowing that I am truly home.

  Chapter 14 Reconciliation

  My scrawny legs bobbed up and down anxiously while sitting on a kitchen stool in our apartment. Why haven’t we gone to the fields yet? It’s been almost an hour! On my back was a green pack with a cable attached to a battery powered BAND used for children under eight years.

  I chewed my fingernails as the screen read 09:45. “Kalen!” I barked, only to hear silence. I leapt off the stool and knocked on his door.

  “Just a moment, Krys,” he acknowledged, his voice muffled through the walls.

  “We’re going to get in trouble! IRIS law has to be followed,” I demanded.

  He appeared from the threshold with his arms wide open, biding me to run into them. I was still young then, still somewhat childish. I can’t remember another time I embraced him after that day.

  “Happy Birthday, Krys,” he said, kissing my forehead.

  Instinctively, I pulled away. “What’s a birthday? Won’t the sentries be upset? We’re so late, they could send us to Cleansing,” I whined apprehensively.

  His large but gentle hands patted my shoulders, hiding his hurt with a dejected smile. “It means the day you were birthed. So… I asked a favor from an old colleague of mine and since today you’re getting your permanent BAND, we don’t have to go to work.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief, then, I let a cautious smile show. “So, what are we going to do?” I asked curiously.

  He shrugged his shoulders playfully. “I don’t know. It’s your day today. We can do anything.”

  The minor enthusiasm is swept away as the weight of the pack matches that of my dependency. “But what about our BANDs?”

  Kalen folded his arms. “Let’s just say I was able to take care of that too. However, it’s only for a few hours, then we have to take you to the Cathedral for the final installment.”

  Excitedly, I ran and jumped on my bed exclaiming, “I wanna go back to bed!”

  Kalen chuckled and nodded. “Okay, Krys, if that’s what you want.”

  It’s the same. The same joy I experienced that day, but magnified in intensity. Touch is expressly forbidden in Pura as it leads to many inappropriate actions. And now I understand why, it’s powerful. It expresses emotions in ways words can’t.

  Like the love a father has for their child. That same love Kalen had for me, is mirrored by the love Eli displays as we weep in each other’s arms. He pulls away for a moment to collect himself, wiping his cheeks.

  “I’ve been looking for you. When I got back, I could tell something was wrong. I saw signs of struggle in the basement and I left. Found some tracks that lead me back to the city, though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where.”

  I lean against the railing while he speaks. It’s so good to hear his voice again.

  “I wasn’t sure who took you or if you were still alive. So I waited, did some reconnaissance, and found out what I could. At first, I suspected one of the Blooders or some desperate thug. A week went by and I started to lose hope. Up until, a few nights ago, when I saw a ghostly looking man wandering around. I tell ya, he gave me the heebie-jeebies so bad, I knew I had to tail him.”

  I laugh out loud. I’m never the first one to laugh. Eli takes notice and smiles gleefully before continuing.

  “After two nights, I followed him back to this building and… here you are.” His gaze redirects to the numerous cuts all over me. “What on earth did that monster do to you?”

  Just mentioning them, brings each one back to my focus with a burning string. “There’s a lot to tell,” I dismiss weakly.

  Eli anxiously insists, “Yes. Well, you can tell me all about it on our way home.”

  He claps me carefully on the back, but it still hurts. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, even the slightest contact causes me to wince.

  “Sorry,” Eli apologizes.

  Nodding, I grumble and roll my shoulders. “It’s okay.”

  He disrobes his black leather jacket and offers it to me. “Here, it’s gonna be I’ colder.”

  I thank him and put it on, moaning with every sudden movement. “How long have I been gone?”

  “Almost two weeks.”

  Thankfully, I don’t have to remember them.

  “Anyways, we better save the questions for later,” he turns around to descend the stairs.

  “Eli, he knew your name,” I call back.

  “That doesn’t matter now, Krys, Blooders still patrol near this section. I have a safe house nearby. We can wait there till the morning, and get you back out of the city.”

  “He called himself Jaak.”

  Eli stops mid-step, then pivots back around, eyes down, his mouth agape. “Jaak?” he asks rhetorically.

  “What does this mean, Eli?”

  His gaze slopes up to meet mine. “Did he have blonde hair?”

  “Yeah, he did,” I answer, feeling uneasy.

  His body language changes in an instant. Hungry interest steals away his placid countenance. “One last thing. Did he have a scar on his upper lip, going down to his chin?”

  I hadn’t really noticed it before, but as soon as Eli describes it, Jaak’s sullen face pops into my mind. “Yes,” I clarify solemnly.

  Holding onto the railing, he sags his head and shoulders. “I knew him.”

  I didn’t want to believe it. But hearing it said from Eli’s very lips, chills me more than the frosty breeze. No words could properly express everything I’m thinking. I stay silent while he stares into the distance, the low rumble of thunder calling from afar.

  With a deep breath, Eli straightens up and faces me. “Krys, get to the safe house,” he insists ominously.

  “What are you planning?” I ask, failing to hide my concern.

  “I have to make sure.” He walks past me and ascends the stairs.

  “I’m not going back in there!” I protest.

  “I don’t expect you to.” His tone is patient as always.

  With a nervous groan, I follow suit. “If I die Eli, I swear I’ll come back to haunt you.”

  “I’d welcome the company,” he responds seriously.

  At the top part of the landing, the door remains ajar summoning us to the pitch black hallway. Eli and I exchange apprehensive glances.

  “Don’t look at me. You
’re the one who wanted to go back,” I assert.

  He gives a telling smile, knowing that I’m quite right. I follow closely behind him as the darkness engulfs us.

  “Do you know where he’ll be?” he whispers.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” I answer, thinking back to my prison of delirium. We inch our way forward, reaching the corner to the dining room with caution. We emerge into the space to see plates and silverware smashed to pieces. The tablecloth was rent into shreds of cloth, while the collage of papers litter the floor.

  A stray candle lays on the floor. The wax is spilt, the wick still smoking from a recently doused flame. I peek into the kitchen where Jaak’s victim was. Her body’s gone, along with the other decaying corpse that sat at the table.

  My heart feints, not seeing Jaak coddling against the cold tile where I left him. “He was here.” I indicate. Eli vigilantly surveys the kitchen, noticing the broken glass, the dented wall, the splattered blood, taking in every tiny detail.

  “What was he doing?”

  “Preparing a dinner.”

  “I see,” he replies with a frown. In the faint obscurity, I make out a trail of blood leading to the busted down door. “He dragged her from here,” I point to the spot where he was laying.

  “Who was she?”

  “Do you remember the woman who was attacked that night you rescued me in the courthouse?”

  He shuts his eyelids, letting out a remorseful sigh. “It was him. He was stalking her. Keeping her here all this time.”

  I don’t want to make him feel any worse. His face is riddled with guilt and remorse. “Eli, when I was first brought here, Jaak asked me my name. So I said the first one that came to mind. I gave him yours. After that he went absolutely crazy.”

  He sighs and rubs his chin. “There’s a lot I still haven’t told you.”

  “Jaak agrees.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. He phases out of the dark like a phantom now, standing behind the table. The wind blowing through the shattered window causes him to tremble with cold.

  Still covered in blood, Jaak wields a knife from his “art station,” the burning hate leaking from his eyes. He chokes the tears back just enough to speak. “E-Eli, it’s s-so good to see y-you.”

  Each word is recited with a clenched jaw though his tone is genuine. A perfect mix of respect and disdain.

  I’m weak, but I can still hurt him if I have to. As though he read my thoughts, Eli places a hand up, signaling me to stand down.

  “It’s okay. Krys.”

  Jaak breathes an earnest sigh of relief. “I missed you… so much.” His blend of emotions is usurped temporarily by wistful longing. Cautiously, Eli opens his mouth.

  “Jaak, I thought you were de—”

  “—Dead?” he interrupts. “That’s what they all think.” His head cocks towards me. “Krys. That’s friends name, yes?” It’s at this moment I regret not convincing Eli to leave with me. “Wasn’t good enough to tell Jaak real name?”

  His stare of betrayal amplifies from his mauled sockets.

  “What happened?” Eli asks sincerely.

  “Krys hurt Jaak.” He pouts his lips like a child. I smirk, not feeling sorry in the least.

  “Jaak, how did you survive?”

  He groans and lets out a laugh. “Can’t tell you yet. First tell Krys about Jaak,” he demands, thrashing his knife in the air. “Tell him about Jaak!”

  In a feat of monstrous rage, he flips the table which clears his path to us.

  “Krys, Jaak and I lived in the same community I told you about. He was a boy when we first met. There was something… different about Jaak. People became uneasy and he didn’t have friends. Spent most of his time finding books about surgery, animal dissection, serial killers. . . I tried to help him, tried to show him that he wasn’t bad.”

  “But Jaak has been a bad boy,” he croons whimsically.

  “After a year I got married to Andy, and that’s when Jaak started acting out. Started threatening the other kids, scarin’ them. Once he tried to beat an older boy to death with a stone… So, I told Jaak we couldn’t be friends anymore. He promised to stop and for a while, it worked. I was hopeful he would get over his… urges.”

  If I weren’t right next to him, I wouldn’t have noticed Eli’s microscopic shutter. “Then the attacks started and the Blooders came. I saw a whole group of them rush into the main building. With such little time, I had to act fast. I grabbed Andy and three others and we ran. I didn’t know you were still alive… I’m sorry Jaak.”

  “Eli promised to stay with Jaak,” he cries, his face scrunched up with hurt. He lets out loud snorts and wipes his nose with his gory forearm. The knife lowers as Jaak’s appearance changes to a calmer persona. “I-I watched from the top window in my room. When they came. I watched.” His voice sounds more gentle, but still upset. “I watched you leave.”

  Jaak takes a step forward. The insufferable tension builds beyond human levels, each heartbeat hammering against my rib cage. Preparing to lunge should Jaak show the smallest sign of aggression. “You left me!” He lurches forward.

  This time, Eli doesn’t stop me when I move in front of him. Jaak cowers backwards, expecting another beating.

  “Said that you’d be my friend. Said that you’d never leave. And you left me!” His arm jets up, pointing the knife at my pounding heart. “Didn’t tell him all of it,” he grips the hilt of the blade tightly.

  “If you touch him I’ll kill you,” I shout.

  Frustrated, Jaak stomps his feet with a conflicting look. “Didn’t tell him all of it! Didn’t tell him.”

  A hand presses my shoulder. “What didn’t you tell me, Jaak?”

  He snickers maniacally. “Jaak… Jaak… Jaak saw Eli running to big ball. Jaak told, told man in coat. Jaak knew Eli gonna be a daddy.”

  “You told what?” I ask confused.

  “Jaak told them where Eli leave. Told them he went to big ball so they make Eli stay, be Jaaks daddy.”

  I crane my neck back to Eli. Glints of tears water his eyes and his lip quivers. Then Jaak laughs, singing an eerie song and clapping. “Eli was a daddy, Eli was a daddy, Eli be Jaak’s daddy only… but Eli left Jaak. You… left… Jaak.”

  I’ve seen shock, I’ve seen fear, and I’ve seen heartache. Eli’s expression of the purest, darkest, most intimate suffering shakes me to the fabric of my very being. “Jaak, do you know what you’ve done?” he asks with a husky voice.

  Jaak nods timidly.

  “Because of you I’m not a daddy anymore.” His sorrow pours out, dripping off his chin as he takes a step forward. “My child is dead.”

  Jaak takes a step back.

  “I’m not a daddy anymore.”

  Not knowing how to react, Jaak throws the knife away like a toddler.

  “I’m not a husband anymore either, because my wife is dead.”

  Jaak lowers his head shamefully as Eli moves closer.

  “Everything I’ve ever cared about. . . is gone.”

  Jaak looks up, Eli now standing just inches away; his hands strangling themselves into a fist.

  “You’ve killed everyone I loved.”

  Jaaks face twists back and forth from a smile to anguish.

  “Eli still loves Jaak?” he whispers with desperate longing.

  “No.”

  I let out a gasp as Eli smacks him across the face. Jaak cradles his cheek, sinks down, and cries in pain.

  “You’re not my son, Jaak, and you’re not a child anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for this. Some things that you break… stay broken.”

  On bent knee, Jaak howls; wrecked by Eli’s rejection. More devastating than me brutalizing him.

  “Let’s go, Krys.” Eli turns around, giving me a steely look. I comply and walk across the kitchen floor to the dining room. In a flash, Jaak jumps up and plunges a blade into Eli’s stomach.

  “No!” I scream.

  “You no leave J
aak!” he shrieks furiously.

  The knife! I thought he threw it away. He must have had another behind his back. Eli grabs the hilt and leans against the wall.

  Jaak’s fragmented mind shatters, granting him renewed strength; purging his reason and flooding his heart with murder. Next thing I know, his hands clench around my neck.

  “You made him hate me! It was you! It was you!” I struggle to breathe as I stumble back into the kitchen, too weak to fight like before. In a moment of pure instinct, I open my mouth and crunch my teeth into his crusty forearm.

  A primal scream radiates from his throat as I’m knocked onto my back. I can’t get up. A sharp hissing sounds when Jaak rips apart a black nozzle near the bottom of the wall. He rushes to the green-tinted fridge in the corner and takes out a gallon sized container. Immediately, he begins flinging liquid all around me.

  “No one leaves Jaak. No one leaves Jaak,” he repeats over and over, flooding the ground.

  Once empty, he tosses the container at me out of spite, then grabs flint from the top shelf.

  “Stop, Jaak!” I shout uselessly. Nothing can stop him now.

  WHACK! His body falls down, revealing Eli standing behind him, holding a broken piece of furniture. Bleeding profusely, he extends his hand, and pulls me to my feet. Still holding the flint, Jaak strikes it to light a spark.

  “The stairs!” I shout.

  “There’s no time!” answers Eli. We run to the end of the kitchen where the broken window waits to be used. I look back at Jaak on the ground just as a hint of a flame ignites, spreading everywhere.

  “Eli—” I’m cut off by a deafening boom as the room rips itself apart. Brick and mortar crumble to pieces. Wood burns into a shriveled black crisp. Glass and tile erupt into clouds of debris cloaked with hot white embers.

  I cover my face, the heat from the fire licking my entire front, then sends me sailing through the air. The cracked pavement rushes to meet me as I land with a heavy thud. There’s a millisecond delay before piles of rubble bombard me.

  Disjointed sounds of popping flames and burning timber fade in and out, my consciousness hanging on by a thread. I fight to stay present, fight to keep exhaustion from conquering me. “Eli,” I slur, getting on all fours.