Mortal Desire

by Alexander Bryn

  I turned to the dominant immortal that had visited me in the elevator earlier. ‘Release her. It is me that you want, not her! She is innocent and knows nothing.’

  ‘Henry, Henry, Henry. Do you know how we found her? From your scent! She reeks of you. At first we thought that we could smell you, but you were nowhere to be seen. We followed the scent, and there she was, sitting on the park bench.’ The dominant immortal grabbed a handful of her hair and held it against his face. He inhaled deeply. ‘She is beautiful Henry. We asked our boss if he would like Sarah sacrificed instead of you, because she is so pure and innocent. He considered it for a while, but then decided that your sacrifice would be priceless. So here we are, ready to exchange one for the other.’

  ‘Release her now!’ I threatened through my gritted teeth.

  ‘Oh, we will, as soon as we have detained you.’

  The sound of metal handcuffs were behind me. My arms were grabbed and secured behind my back. I looked to the far side of the warehouse and strengthened my mind and body for what was going to come my way. I would not let them see my fear. And I would not give any of my knowledge of matters immortal or not.

  The sound of the scraping chair on the concrete floor bounced off the metal walls. The dominant immortal stood before me. ‘Henry, I am Evan. I need to prepare you to meet our master.’

  He shouldn’t have used his name. I could now use it against him ...

  He pushed me forward away from the table and took me to the side wall of the warehouse. He latched the handcuffs onto a metal structure behind me. I pulled on the handcuffs against the post to check how secure they were, and to test the strength of the post. I kept my eyes focused on the far wall opposite me, and kept my expression deadpan when I realised there was no escape.

  Evan paced around me like I was a prize, and looked me up and down. Then he ripped my shirt open exposing my torso.

  ‘Sarah ... come,’ he sang. He looked at her with a smile on his face and rubbed his hands together.

  She was led to me by one immortal in particular. He kept touching her, running his finger along her collar bones and over her neck. My blood began to boil as anger built up inside of me.

  ‘Jax ... stand her before Henry,’ Evan stipulated in a smooth voice. ‘Pedro, you must come and watch the human,’ Evan said. He looked up at me and smiled. ‘Tell me Sarah dear, what do you see before you?’ he asked without looking at her.

  ‘A man,’ she replied. Her voice was weak.

  ‘Come on, you can do better than that. In fact, if your answer is not detailed enough, I will apply one punch to his body for each poorly described answer. How does that sound?’

  Evan raised his fist and punched me hard in the gut.

  I winced as pain shot through me.

  ‘NO!’ Sarah yelled, and struggled in the arms of Jax. Her eyes filled with tears.

  ‘What do you see before you Sarah?’ Evan asked again.

  Sarah swallowed hard. ‘I see a tall dark haired man with chiselled facial features, honey-brown eyes. He has a strong neck and broad muscled shoulders. His chest is well defined and he shows abdominal muscles that indicate mid body strength and fitness. He is wearing an open white long sleeved buttoned shirt, and acid wash jeans with a black leather belt. His shoes are much like hiking boots,’ Sarah said, visibly shaking.

  Evan took a handful of her hair and smelt it like it was a sort after delicacy.

  ‘Well done. Your boyfriend must be proud of you, except you forgot one thing.’ Evan turned to me and punched my hard in the gut again.

  I coughed and gasped for air as I bent over as far as I could to stop the pain.

  Sarah screamed before a filthy hand covered her mouth.

  ‘You forgot to mention this scar that he has here on his chest,’ Evan said. He moved my shirt to the side to reveal the immortality scar that all immortals brandished. From my peripheral vision, I could see him squint, and move his head to get a better view. Then he moved my shirt that covered my other pectoral muscle to look for the symbol. He walked away from me with his fists clenched on either side of him. He stopped, then turned and walked back towards me. He looked into Sarah’s eyes before he landed another punch into my abdomen.

  He grabbed her face then, in his unclean hands, and spoke nose to nose to her.

  Sarah closed her eyes in disgust.

  ‘Did he make love to you Sarah?’ Evan asked in a quiet voice.

  She squirmed.

  ‘ANSWER ME!’ he yelled into her face. ‘Did he fuck you?’ he spat in a menacing low voice.

  ‘NO!’ Sarah yelled at him before she emptied the contents of her stomach over him.

  He used the back of his hand to flick away the vomit, then turned to me and landed a punch to my face. My vision started to fade, and blood started to drip from my lip and nose. My eye closed over as it swelled. But I stood tall, staring at the opposite side of the warehouse. I refused to make eye contact with anyone.

  ‘I’m sorry Henry ... I’m so sorry,’ Sarah whispered until I heard the sound of a slap, then silence.

  I remained still, burning with fury as I stood handcuffed with my hands behind me, unable to protect the woman that I loved.

  Unprovoked, another punch was delivered to my stomach, followed by a violent kick to my thigh bone.

  I clenched my teeth, and refused to buckle over as excruciating pain seared through me. I would stand strong to the very end. I would keep my head held high, and take the secrets of eternal life with me to the grave.

  ‘Get her out of here. She is useless to us! And then we will kill him!’ Evan yelled.

  From the corner of my eyes I watched Pedro drag Sarah to the workman’s door. He opened it and stepped outside with her.

  Minutes passed until the footsteps of a single person were heard at the workman’s door again. I moved my eyes slightly to the right and saw a lone figure.

  It was Albert—with a walking stick.

  ‘Benvenuti Albert. Era ora che brutta bestia,’ I mind linked to him.

  I saw him nod briefly.

  He walked at his own sweet pace with an exaggerated limp toward the two immortals that stood before me.

  ‘Boys,’ he said, addressing Evan and Jax.

  They turned at once at the sound of Albert’s voice.

  Ah–the element of surprise!

  Albert stretched his hand out towards them, his crooked bony fingers stiff and long. ‘Do sit at the table so that we can have a civil conversation. Release Henry from the post. He will do you no harm. This garbage of beatings and threats is Hollywood rubbish made for the human psyche. We don’t need that mortal unintelligence!’

  Evan and Jax moved as Albert said, following his instructions. I wondered what power Albert used to coerce our immortal friends into obeying his suggestions.

  I rubbed my wrists where the metal handcuffs had cut into them, and then joined them at the table.

  ‘Right ... questions—ask away,’ Albert said.

  ‘Where is Pedro? Did you kill him?’ Evan asked.

  ‘Oh—of course not! I released him from the curse and sent him off for a new life,’ Albert answered, and waved his hand around in the air like a butterfly as he often did.

  Evan and Jax looked at each other and blinked rapidly.

  ‘Can you do the same for us?’ Jax asked. His hands trembled on the table.

  ‘If that is what you desire—certainly.’

  Jax looked at Evan and nodded his head.

  But Evan did not. ‘No Jax. We have a mission to accomplish to please our master, or he will kill us.’

  ‘He is going to kill you anyway boys. I have the gift of seeing into the future. He persuades everyone to do his dirty work and promises them great things, and then he kills them anyway. But I, on the other hand, can give you freedom.’

  ‘But he will scent us out, track us down, and then cruelly torture us before killing us for deserting him!’

  ‘No … you will smell like a human. Change your hair,
change your clothes, change your name, move away from the area, and I will give you this.’ Albert held a small crystal in between his two fingers. ‘This, my boys, repels immortals. It weakens them, and mimics death. They are so repulsed by it that they will do anything to get away from you. It is like kryptonite to superman. I can help you. All you have to do is to say the word.’

  Evan and Jax cringed and shielded their eyes from the crystal before they looked to each other.

  ‘I can read minds too boys. Would you like me to tell you what the other is thinking? And Henry, what was that with your greeting? I heard your thought loud and clear—”Welcome Albert—about time you ugly brute!”’

  The immortals eyes widened, and they shook their heads vehemently at Albert’s suggestion of mind reading.

  ‘Why do you seek my nephew, boys?’ Albert asked.

  ‘Our master controls all immortals, and he wants your nephew. We must follow our master’s orders if we are to continue living, for he will kill us if we do not do as he asks.’

  ‘But how can you be immortal if you can die?’

  The two immortals looked to each other before Evan spoke.

  ‘Our immortality is length of life. A human can live to 120 years, grows old, weak, feeble and useless as you are becoming Albert—Sir. Our immortality freezes our age in time. We remain strong, fast and smart, and disease free. Death can only be at the hands of our own type.’

  ‘But how can you be killed if you are immortal? And if you can die, where do you go?’

  ‘We don’t know. We have not thought of death before. We concentrate all of our thoughts and deeds to remaining alive, forever!’

  ‘Till the end of Earth time do you mean boys?’ Albert added.

  They did not answer, but looked at the table.

  ‘What if I could release you from the life of immortality? At the moment, you live on fear everyday of your lives. That is no way to live. You are like paranoid schizophrenics, watching over your shoulders in case you are being followed by another immortal who may be your enemy. I am giving you an option. What do you want to do?’ Albert asked.

  I could see Albert penetrating their eyes with his, manipulating their minds, their thoughts. I was watching a virtuoso at work.

  ‘Why would you help us? We have done nothing but cause you grief,’ Evan said.

  ‘Why not? Did you choose to become the monsters that you are now? Your type have no love. And love is the key that will open up a whole new world. It is the key to the happiness that you are searching for. But your type can never reach it,’ Albert explained.

  Jax started ripping chunks of his hair out. He growled in a low painful sound that was like he was being incinerated.

  Evan stood up and clenched his fists. ‘STOP IT JAX! STOP IT!’ he yelled, and then let out an excruciating howl of gut retching pain.

  Albert placed one hand on each of them, and they calmed at the instant.

  ‘What will it be boys?’

  ‘Help us, please … help us’ Jax said with his head bowed in a submissive pose.

  ‘Good choice,’ Albert said in a low threatening voice. His great power swirled around them ready to attack at his thought.

  He rose and stood behind Evan, and placed his fingers onto his skull. Albert closed his eyes and made a low humming sound. The pupils of Evan’s eyes dilated before he slumped onto the table unconscious. Albert repeated the process with Jax before he placed a clear quartz gemstone in the right hand of each.

  ‘Bel ragazzo. E ‘tempo di lasciare i nostri nuovi amici,’ Albert said to me as he put his arm around my shoulders.

  ‘Yes, it is time to leave. I don’t know whether I can call them my friends, and I am certainly no pretty boy with my face smashed up like it is now Albert. Thank-you, my Protector,’ I said. ‘And what is with the walking stick? I have never seen you with a walking stick old man!’

  Albert pointed to his head. ‘Psychological my boy, psychological; just like the crystals, and the power of suggestion that I planted into their minds. They will wake up the same type, but with no memory of their previous years since being changed. In fact they will not even remember the change. They will act and live as mortals, even though they are not. At least their lives may be happier,’ Albert explained.

  We both ducked through the half sized door as we exited the old warehouse out into the mist of the night. I winced in pain as reality set in of my beating. I pulled my ripped shirt over my chest and pulled up my collar around my neck and closed my eyes. When I opened them, Sarah appeared from behind an old barrel. She limped towards me.

  ‘Liam, please forgive me ... I am so sorry,’ she whispered between sobs.

  I took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, checking to see how she was faring after her traumatic experience.

  ‘No Sarah. I am the one who should be apologizing to you. You would never have been forced to come here and witness what you did had it not been for me. I am the one who is sorry.’ I reached for her hand and held her fingers in mine.

  A tear slid down her face and she shook her head. ‘I forgive you Liam. There are bad people in this world. They chose to do this. Let me take you home and tend to your cuts and bruises. It looks so painful,’ she said with compassion and sympathy oozing from her eyes.

  I looked to the ground between us, and closed my eyes for the briefest time until pain shot through my left eye.

  ‘Albert—how rude of me. This is Sarah Flynn. Sarah, this is my Uncle Albert. I am sorry that I could not warn you of his ugliness before you met him for the first time,’ I said and smiled at him.

  He lifted his walking stick up off the ground and then jammed it onto my shoe.

  ‘Ah,’ I said, exaggerating the pain that I felt to make him feel bad.

  ‘Sarah, it is my pleasure meeting you. Your accurate observation of Liam’s body was well spoken. You did save him from further unnecessary beatings. He should be thankful for that. And I think that you should be the one to tend to his spilt blood, for I would find it difficult not to add extra antiseptic to seek revenge for his comment about my birth into this unfortunate beauty challenged body of mine. I must return home before the rain returns. Good evening to you both,’ Albert said. He nodded his head to Sarah before he pulled up his collar around his neck.

  ‘Buona notte e ringraziamento Albert,’ I called after him as he walked away.

  ‘Good night, and you have already thanked me. Has anyone ever told you to speak English in front of your English speaking friends?’

  I hung my head and smiled, splitting my lip again in the process. I squeezed my eyes shut at the pain before I dabbed at the blood with the sleeve of my shirt.

  ‘That wasn’t French was it Liam?’ Sarah said as she watched Albert walk away.

  I shook my head. ‘No. It was Italian.’

  Sarah narrowed her eyes at me. ‘It is definitely not the “halo effect” Mr. O’Connell. Let’s get out of here and get you cleaned up.’

  ‘Yes, lets,’ I responded. I hailed a cab and winced at the pain that shot through me.

  *~*~*~*~*

  I sat on the sofa in front of the lazy flames of the fireplace. Sarah knelt in front of me. She looked up at me with apprehension before she dabbed my swollen lip with honey. She then held ice cubes wrapped in a clean cloth against my lip. ‘This will help with the swelling Liam. Before you go to bed, coat the cut with toothpaste. It will stop the pain during the night.’

  I covered her hand with mine as I took over holding the ice to my lip and closed my eyes, enjoying the cold sensation against my throbbing lip.

  She unwrapped my torn shirt to assess my abdominal injuries. She ran her fingers over the bruising that had already appeared before she applied ice packs. I shivered. But not from the coldness of the ice.

  ‘I’m so sorry Liam,’ she whispered.

  ‘It’s not your fault, remember,’ I said. I looked into her wide eyes before I moved my eyes down to my chest, looking for my scar of immortality.


  It was not there.

  I moved my hand to my left pectoral muscle and pressed over the area where the scar had been for the past four hundred years.

  I was blemish free.

  I left my hand over my muscle and closed my eyes again, welcoming Sarah’s touch as she tended to my injuries.

  ‘Thank-you Sarah, I like your touch much more than Albert’s.’

  She gave a quiet giggle. ‘I just had a vision of him adding vinegar to your wounds ... and I aahh … like looking after you Liam …’

  She sat next to me on the sofa and rested her head on my shoulder. I could get very used to this.

  *~*~*~*~*

  I entered my apartment feeling sore and sorry for myself, and slumped down into the sofa chair opposite Albert. I placed my hand over my forehead.

  He was knitting again.

  ‘Yes, I have a headache. Yes, my injuries are hurting. But worst of all, I feel so useless and powerless compared to you. You make me feel like a weak mortal!’ I said.

  He chuckled under his smile. ‘Liam, we are given different gifts. Mine is … well … many that are different to yours. You on the other hand are a seeker and a healer,’ he said.

  ‘Yes … that I am not allowed to use as an immortal. That makes a lot of sense right?’ I mumbled with my eyes closed. ‘Thank you again for saving my butt today. I am forever in your debt.’

  ‘It is my absolute pleasure to be there for you. And I give abundantly with the generosity of my heart, without expecting anything in return. You owe me nothing my boy. You know that I love you Liam, as if you were my own. And today, I answered your question that you have asked yourself for the last four hundred years.’

  ‘You did? Well thank-you. When I replay our day’s events, I will discover the answer to the question that I never directly asked you.’

  Albert smiled at me again. ‘You’re welcome ... it is one of my gifts …’

  I hobbled over to him and planted a kiss on his head.

  ‘I am taking my beaten and bruised human form to bed to heal. Buona notte Albert.’

  ‘Yes, good night my friend,’ he said. ‘I am starting to feel my age tonight and will be retiring soon myself. And Liam, I am coming to visit you in a dream in my true visual form. And then you will not call me ugly anymore young one,’ Albert added as I ascended the steps to my room.