by Marina Epley
Our Republic will soon be split into two states. The northern section will be for ordinary humans and the southern for mind breakers. Residents of both states will be allowed to travel across the border only after receiving special permission. Elimination will be closely monitoring the relationship between both states and imprison any rule breakers, now functioning strictly as a defense mechanism.
Holtzmann holds very enthusiastic prospects for our future. He thinks that we’ve finally begun to learn how to cooperate with one another and coexist in peace.
“It’s only the beginning,” he explains. “Of course, some conflicts will be unavoidable, but I believe humanity will be able to overcome any further issues and learn from our past mistakes.”
I don’t say anything. I don’t really give a damn what happens to humanity going forward.
“Someone else is here to visit you,” Holtzmann adds, smiling.
He leaves, then a moment later a hysterical Marian runs into the room.
“Alex!” she exclaims, hugging me tightly. “I’ve missed you so much!”
I don’t react.
“How could you do that to me?” Marian exclaims. “How could you leave me again?”
She grips my hand, pressing it against her face.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it,” she sobs. “I was afraid I’d lost my brother forever.”
Marian finally calms down and explains how she stayed with Chase and Rebecca while I was in coma. They looked after her.
“Chase and Rebecca?” I ask, a little confused. “Wait, you mean they’re living together?”
“Well, yeah,” Marian answers, smiling. “Didn’t you know? They’ve been dating for a while now.”
“No.”
“You’re kidding!”
Marian giggles. She begins telling me about her work in the refugee center, but I’m not really listening. I no longer feel anything special toward this odd girl. She remains more of a stranger to me than sister.
I need to find Kitty. I promised to stay with her.
***
I remain in the hospital for the next three weeks. My muscles gradually strengthen. Doctors provide a cane so I can now go for slow tiresome walks along the hospital’s corridors. I eat whatever the nurses bring. I do all the physical exercises they direct me to do. I speak when spoken to and remember to smile, faking a positive attitude. I can’t allow anybody to learn my true thoughts and intentions.
I’m plotting an escape. I somehow have to return to Kitty. They can’t force me to continue living against my will. Unfortunately, I still haven’t decided just how things should go down. I currently don’t have access to a gun, and the medics are doing a good job of keeping away any sharp objects. They’ve even mounted video cameras on the walls inside my room, so I assume I’m under constant watch now.
It’s frustrating.
I finally decide to wait to make my escape after I’m allowed to leave the hospital. As soon as I’m out of here, I’ll get hold of some sort of weapon and then…
Marian remains nearby all the time. She returns to headquarters only late at night, and every sunrise she’s back in the room by my side. She helps out a lot during walks, bringing me water and telling entertaining stories. She clings to me and is constantly holding my hand, always trying to catch my gaze. Most of the time though, I simply ignore her.
Jessie drops in one day for a visit. She sits across from me in a chair as I’m lying in bed in near total exhaustion after a three hundred yard stroll. We don’t speak for a long time.
“What the hell happened, Jess?” I finally ask. “You made me a promise.”
“Well, guess what?” she answers. “I lied.”
“Damn you!” I exclaim. “I thought I could trust you.”
Grinning, she shows me a finger.
“I’ll make you regret you didn’t kill me,” I threaten.
She lets out a laugh, obviously perceiving my threat as a joke. It’s not easy to scare Jessie.
“Seriously, Jess,” I say. “I counted on you.”
“Stop whining,” she interrupts. “You’re such a wimp! It’s me who should be complaining. I had to perform resuscitation on you for a solid twenty minutes. It was disgusting! Marcus and Chase refused to help me out because you know… you’re a guy.”
“But why?!” I ask. “Why did you do it?”
“What else could I do?” Jessie’s expression becomes serious. “What would you do if you were in my place? If I’d asked you to kill me?”
I don’t answer.
“I know you, Rex,” she says. “You’d have done the same thing.”
She spends a few more minutes in my room, then pats me on the shoulder and leaves. Although Jessie certainly didn’t keep her promise, she remains a trusted friend.
Chase visits me another day. We speak about Elimination’s new executives including our freshly elected governmental leaders.
“What about you, Chase?” I ask. “Will you remain Elimination’s leader?”
“No way!” he blurts out. “It’s too much of a headache. No, I prefer being a regular officer.”
“Thanks for looking after Marian,” I say.
“No big deal,” he sighs. “But listen, can you explain to me how you manage to deal with that girl? I mean, she’s completely off her rocker.”
“Yep,” I agree. “What has my sister done now?”
“I really don’t want to go into specifics,” Chase mutters. “But she’s just like you. She’s nothing but trouble. So please do me a big favor, get well quickly and come take your Marian the heck away from me.”
I grin, amused by Chase’s frustration. I know firsthand how nasty Marian can be at times.
Rebecca is the next one to drop by. I thank her as well for taking care of Marian.
“Oh, it’s been my pleasure,” Rebecca assures me. “Your sister is my best friend. And she’s such a sweet girl! I’ll miss her terribly after she leaves.”
I don’t comment.
Rebecca tells me about her future plans.
“I’ll continue working in the refugee center,” she says. “They’re going to make me some kind of supervisor there. I will also continue assisting Egbert in his lab part time. He’s creating a new department in Elimination, one where telepaths and memory readers will be working together. And I’ve also been thinking about going to college in the future. Maybe I could become a child care specialist or something else along those lines. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I answer, smiling.
Rebecca lowers her eyes, seemingly embarrassed.
“Marian told you about Chase and I, didn’t she?” she asks.
“She did,” I answer. “And I’m very happy for you and Chase.”
“Truly? I was a little scared to tell you.”
“Gosh, Rebecca! What’s to be scared about?”
She shrugs, still avoiding looking at me.
“I’m really very happy for you two,” I say sincerely. Rebecca smiles.
Marcus comes for a visit one afternoon. We discuss Elimination and captured Guardian soldiers. Then I ask carefully, “Are you getting along all right, Marcus?”
He frowns, instantly realizing what I’m referring to. His brother. Marcus hasn’t been quite the same after his loss.
“Well, I guess I’m doing okay,” he says. “I was thinking about leaving Elimination. I thought maybe I should go to study. I remember telling you how our mother had always wanted for at least one of us to get a degree.” He smirks, sighing. “But nah, I can’t imagine myself being anything but an officer. You know once you begin working for Elimination, there’s no going back. This job kinda sucks you in.”
“I do know,” I say.
Oliver and Victor come for a visit. They both plan on staying in Elimination for a while as well. Oliver may become one of the commanders, although he’s not too thrilled about his offer. Looks like he’s also getting tired with the idea of leadership.
Victor claims that he’ll remain in Elimination only until they manage to find a suitable replacement for him. As soon as that happens he’s planning to head south, find some kind of gravy job where he can be whoever he wants to be. Which happens to be a junkie. Well, what could anyone ever really expect from Victor?
My days pass slowly with the same monotonous routines. Visitors come and go. I eat, sleep and continue walking and doing exercises. I slowly recover and get stronger. And I constantly think about my escape.
They won’t be able to keep me here much longer. They can’t separate me from Kitty. I’ve always been pretty good at escaping, and I won’t fail this time.
***
A few days after Victor’s visit, Chase drives Jessie, Marian and I to the city cemetery. We walk between the rows of fresh graves. We find the place where Dave and Vogel are resting. We spend a few minutes in silence, standing near the graves. And then we walk toward a large, tall oak and stop at Kitty’s grave. Marian instantly begins sobbing, clutching my wrist and shivering. Jessie quietly puffs on a cigarette, looking away. Chase watches me intently, probably concerned I’ll freak out as I did in the intensive-care unit. I remain silent and calm. None of us has anything to say.
“Well, let’s get going,” Jessie whispers finally.
“I’ll catch up with you guys,” I say. “I want to spend a few more minutes with her. You can wait for me in the car.”
“Alex,” Marian utters.
“Give him some space,” Jessie says, grabbing hold of my sister’s elbow and leading her away.
Left alone, I sit on the ground and begin crying. I weep like I’ve never wept before.
Perhaps not only for Kitty, but crying for everybody that died during this pointless war. I remember our fallen. I remember all those people who gave so much and got so little in return. All those whose deaths were so meaningless, unnecessary and tragic. Little Lena. Chelsey. Jimmy. Erica Vogel. Christina and Dustin. Dave. Frank. Rebecca’s parents. Jessie’s parents. Vogel’s son. Emily.
But most of all I cry for her. I cry for Kitty. And when I finally stop weeping, I realize that I’ll probably never cry again in this lifetime. There are no tears left in me now. I’ve used them all.
I wipe my face and rise to my feet.
“I love you, Kitty,” I whisper. “And I miss you so much. But I have to stay here for a little bit longer. I still have one more thing to do. Just know I’m always thinking about you. And I’ll never forget you.”
Then I turn and walk slowly toward the main gates of the cemetery. Jessie, Marian and Chase wait for me outside the car. We get in and drive away.
Driving, Chase clears up his throat and says, “Well, maybe it’s not the best time to speak about it, but anyway… Elimination is currently recruiting breakers. You and Jessie are welcome to join our team.”
Jessie and I exchange glances.
“You’d be working with me, Marcus and Holtzmann,” Chase adds quickly. “And you can actually ask for any kind of compensation you wish. So what do you think, guys? Are you ready to help hunt down evil breakers?”
Neither of us says a word.
“Hello,” Chase says. “Elimination is offering you two a job lest you weren’t listening. It’s okay to speak up.”
“No, thanks,” Jessie answers. “I’m sick of Elimination. I’m planning to head south and become a bartender.”
“Are you kidding?” Chase groans. “What about you, Rex?”
“Sorry, but I’m out as well,” I say.
“Well, you don’t have to decide anything right now,” Chase adds. “Considering your contribution to our victory, you both can take as much time to think things over as you please. This is an open-ended offer with no expiration date.”
“We’ll see,” I answer curtly.
I don’t know whether I’m going to accept Chase’s offer or not. Maybe I’ll just follow Jessie’s example and head south, leaving Elimination behind. Or maybe I’ll join Chase’s team and go hunting evil breakers. But for the moment, all I really want to do is take care of my sister. She’s still young and vulnerable. And there’s still some innocence left in her because she has never killed anybody. Her hands are clean of blood. I need to make sure she remains this way. I must help Marian find the right path in life and live better and happier than her brother. I have to make certain she doesn’t repeat my mistakes.
My sister is sitting beside me, lightly brushing her fingertips against my sleeve, thinking I don’t notice. I turn to look at her. She catches my gaze and smiles shyly. I hesitate for only a moment before returning her smile.
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