The Sacrificial Love of an Immortal

by Kurtis Eckstein

  I didn’t know. And honestly, even if they left us alone for a while, I didn’t like the idea of one day coming face-to-face with an army of Freya’s clones. The thought disturbed me on so many levels.

  Because it could happen.

  They had already succeeded once, so what was to stop them from doing it again?

  Thus, we had to stop them. We had to end this. All of it.

  But how?

  That was my dilemma, and it had continued to plague my mind ever since I discovered this new connection between Rose and the man who may have started it all, or at least was responsible for getting me on this organization’s radar.

  When the door to the breakroom finally opened, I sighed and stood straighter to begin pouring myself a cup of coffee. I saw in my second-sight that it was Nancy taking her lunch. She always kept to herself, so I didn’t pay her any attention like usual.

  She had brown hair and brown eyes, along with an overall plain appearance. It wasn’t that she was unattractive, but more like she just didn’t care about dolling herself up despite her clear interest in fashion magazines. I suspected she could be attractive if she wanted to be.

  Granted, it was undeniable she was a world away from someone like Lily, who looked attractive without extra stuff like makeup. When Lily had been a model, she had professional makeup artists apply it all over her body for photoshoots, but she usually didn’t wear it outside of her job since it didn’t react well to her frequently heated skin.

  But I liked Lily’s natural beauty, and the rare occasions when she wore something special like eyeliner, such as when she dressed up for Halloween, was a special treat.

  A very special treat.

  Needless to say, when Lily had asked me ‘Trick or Treat’ last Halloween, I had certainly taken the treat without hesitation when the orange and purple latex maid outfit made it obvious it was an offer, rather than a request.

  The brief memory of the way the shiny purple stockings hugged her thighs, along with how the slick orange material wrapped around her waist and chest, not to mention how alluring it made her citrine eyes appear, all made me briefly wish she was still working at the office with me.

  Just so I could see her.

  Just so I could say hi, or maybe even sneak a hug while no one was looking.

  However, all that also made me long for something even more.

  It made me wish I could keep her forever…

  I took a scalding sip of my coffee, sighing heavily as it burned my throat on its way down. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful for what I had going on in my life, but my thoughts obsessively returned to all the reasons why it wasn’t perfect. It was one of the many psychological problems I had developed over time.

  Even without the threat hanging over our heads, I probably still would have found myself depressed about the fact that Lily would die one day. Mortality hadn’t bothered me so much with my first wife and daughter, but after losing both of them, the reality that almost everyone I loved would die eventually now haunted me like so many other issues.

  I took another deep breath.

  I really needed to get back to work. As I turned around, deciding I had spent way too long on a coffee break, I was surprised to find that Nancy’s gaze wasn’t locked onto her tablet screen like usual during her breaks. Instead, she was standing next to her seat, eyeing me patiently.

  I blinked at her for a moment in surprise. “Oh…hey,” I said awkwardly. “Did you need something?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. I was just wondering how Lily’s doing,” she replied, completely at ease. “She was the only person I really talked to here, and she doesn’t have any kind of online account where I can connect with her, so I have no idea what’s happening in her life. I don’t even know why she quit, or what she’s doing now. And I never thought to ask for her number.”

  “Oh,” I said in surprise. I knew Lily used to have a few accounts when she was younger, but she got rid of them when she saw how it affected Freya, who became jealous easily with those she obsessed over.

  From the basic details that I had gathered during a brief conversation on the subject, I discovered that Freya had never tried to control what Lily did. However, the busty model, who garnered a lot of unwanted attention, wasn’t oblivious to how her overly dedicated friend reacted to people commenting on pictures she posted online. In the end, Lily decided she didn’t need social media in her life, a decision that made Freya love her all the more.

  And, unlike what Lily had originally told me, her decision to get out of the modeling business had also partially been a decision made for Freya’s benefit – not just because Lily considered it to be a toxic environment.

  Granted, I didn’t blame her for withholding that information.

  Out of all the possible secrets to disclose, the fact that she partially revolved her life around an obsessive friend, who also had feelings for her, probably wasn’t at the top of the list of things to share on a first date.

  Or a second date. Or a third…

  You get the idea.

  Granted, I was sure most people would prefer to know that kind of thing upfront, but ironically those types of secrets were what others tried to hide.

  As I considered how to respond, I realized that Nancy’s comment was an indirect request for Lily’s number, but I didn’t feel right about giving it out without her permission. Thus, I carefully formulated a reply.

  “Well, she’s doing fine,” I conceded. “And, if you want to write your number down, I can pass it on. She doesn’t talk on the phone a lot though,” I added, wanting to give Lily an excuse in case she didn’t want to socialize with her former coworker. Granted, I could also just try saying I lost her number or something, which might work for a little while at least.

  Although, knowing Lily, she would probably talk to the woman either way, even if it was just once in a blue moon. It wasn’t like she didn’t like her coworker – she just had her hands full with giving all her time to the other people in her life.

  And time was a limited, finite commodity for virtually everyone.

  An invaluable resource that most took for granted…

  Something you could never get back once it was gone forever…even when you were immortal.

  Nancy’s nod pulled me out of my thoughts, as she finally sat down. “Sure. I’ll shoot you an email later.”

  Well, so much for losing her number.

  “Okay,” I agreed simply, giving her a small nod in response, before moving to leave, coffee in hand. “Enjoy your lunch.”

  “Thanks,” I heard her reply, already beginning to flip through a digital magazine on the tablet she pulled out of her purse, while eating a strawberry from a fruit salad she was working on.

  For some reason, the scene made me smile, though I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she looked content? Happy even? Satisfied with what she had going on in her life? A state of ‘being’ that I wished I could maintain. Yet, instead of feeling jealous by the sight, I found myself briefly at peace.

  Briefly.

  I continued on back to the office, determined to try to get something done today and keep my mind off my more depressing thoughts. If only it was so easy as my coworker Nancy made it seem.

  2: Dangerous Accidents

  Heidi Stockton

  January 14, 2735 – 6 Hours Later – Early Evening

  “Be careful, Rose!” Heidi called out to the little girl when she began scaling an icy tree in Sam’s backyard.

  “I will!” she cheerfully responded, having brightened up more after eating earlier. “I want to see daddy drive down the road!”

  Heidi uncomfortably glanced both ways, knowing that the fence surrounding Sam’s backyard wouldn’t do anything to hide Rose’s dangerous activity from the prying eyes of nosey neighbors. The last thing she wanted was for someone to call the police because they witnessed a child climbing an icy tree.

  Not to mention, while Rose did have a coat on, she wasn’t dressed warm enough f
or this weather – at least, not for a normal person. Even despite Heidi’s thick winter coat and two layers of pants on top of her leggings, she shivered when the frigid wind pierced her clothing. Her hands were freezing inside her gloves, since they had already been outside for almost an hour playing in the snow. Yet Rose didn’t have gloves on…or shoes…

  “Hey Rose,” Heidi spoke up hesitantly, not wanting to ruin her fun, but knowing it was necessary. “Please come down. I know you want to see him come home, but…” Her voice trailed off.

  Rose paused for a moment, almost to the top already, before carefully making her way back down without question. She did look a little disappointed as she ran barefoot in the snow back over to Heidi, but she didn’t complain verbally.

  “I’m sorry, sunshine,” Heidi replied, feeling bad.

  Rose shook her head. “No, I know you’re cold. We can go inside.”

  “Thank you for being so good, sweetie,” she said sincerely. “I know you wouldn’t get hurt if a tree branch broke under the weight of the ice, but the neighbors might call the cops if they saw you.”

  Rose nodded while grabbing her abandoned boots out of the snow. “It’s okay,” she said simply, before heading for the backdoor.

  Once they got inside, Heidi realized she probably should have insisted they go in sooner, because it felt like she might have begun to develop frostbite on her exposed skin. Not that it would cause permanent damage or anything, given her ability, but she had the same desire to protect her body from harm just like anyone else.

  Sam was the only person she had ever met who didn’t seemed fazed by physical pain at all, with him not even flinching whenever Freya bit him. Heidi wanted to get to that point too eventually, hoping that having Rose feed from her arm would help her build up a tolerance to it.

  The first thing Heidi did was strip off the layers of clothing, leaving her only in black spandex leggings and a spandex long-sleeve shirt underneath a royal blue jersey. She then immediately went to work making dinner for everyone. She would have started cooking sooner, but she knew Sam would wait until Lily and Lexi got home from birthday shopping before he ate, and Freya wouldn’t be eating, so there was no point. Granted, her own hunger was beginning to make her wish she had started sooner.

  As she began pulling out the ingredients she needed from the fridge, she paused to grab a jar of peanut butter from the pantry, getting a spoonful in her mouth before she resumed what she had been doing. Given how skinny she was, no one would believe she ate as much as she did.

  Within a few seconds, she was going for another spoonful of peanut butter, still not satisfied after the first.

  It took her a moment before she realized Rose was standing at the edge of her vision, looking a little distressed.

  Heidi stopped what she was doing and turned to face her. “Everything alright, sunshine?” she wondered seriously.

  Rose’s expression pained. “I’m…hungry. Again.”

  Heidi’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you ate until you were satisfied earlier.”

  “I did,” Rose admitted. “I don’t know why I’m hungry again.”

  She sighed, pulling up her slick sleeve in response. The stretchy black material was tight when bunched up on her upper arm. “Well, you can eat again if you want to. I was back to normal several hours before we went outside. Really, I could probably handle you eating three or four times a day if needed.”

  Rather than respond, Rose’s head snapped towards the front of the house, reacting to some unheard noise. “Daddy’s home,” she whispered.

  “Better hurry then,” Heidi replied, moving closer to her. “So I can get back to making dinner for everyone.”

  The little girl nodded, and then accepted the outstretched arm, pressing her lips against Heidi’s pale skin. She sucked in a deep breath with her eyes closed, as if enjoying the scent, before slowly opening her mouth, her jaw widening a little like usual.

  However, just as Rose bit in, her forehead abruptly split down the middle, and a slitted crimson eye forced its way into view, seeming unfocused before the slit abruptly contracted.

  Narrowing.

  Staring straight at Heidi.

  ❖ ❖ ❖

  Sam Archer

  January 14, 2735 – Current Day – Early Evening

  I pulled into my driveway knowing that only Heidi and Rose were home right now. Lily had sent me a message earlier, reminding me that they were going shopping for Heidi’s upcoming 21st birthday on February 2nd.

  Lily’s birthday was coming up too, in March, which meant I needed to start putting some thought into what I might get her. This birthday was a big one for her since she would be turning thirty.

  It was strange to think that so much time had passed already – the year and a half we had spent together had gone way too fast. She had been twenty-eight when I first met her, only to turn twenty-nine just after we had begun having sex successfully. And now she was about to be thirty…

  I just wished I could stop viewing her age as a countdown…

  Not to mention, Valentine’s day would be arriving even sooner, which meant I had three people to think about for that. I was especially looking forward to figuring out something special for Rose for Valentine’s day, already having a basic idea of what I would do for Lily and Freya.

  As I got out of my work car – briefly noticing that my emerald green Mustang was in the garage, which meant the ladies had taken Lexi’s car to the mall – I automatically focused my second-sight to see inside the house.

  The moment I did, I stopped in my tracks when I realized it looked like Rose was about to feed from Heidi’s arm.

  While Rose’s mind-reading range didn’t seem to be very far yet, I didn’t want to risk getting too close and having her catch glimpses of my thoughts. They had been anything but pleasant for most of the day, though I had to admit I was doing a little better today than I had been yesterday.

  I tried not to focus too heavily on Heidi, but it was hard not to when the spandex leggings she was wearing left little to the imagination. Even despite how thin she was, her shapely butt was well defined by the slick material. Not to mention she was wearing a silky jersey, with the shiny fabric promising to be even smoother to the touch than the spandex.

  I really wasn’t staring though.

  Those were all just fleeting observations I made in a split second. The only reason I was continuing to focus on her was so I would know when it was safe to go inside, patiently enduring the bitter wind nipping at my skin. I hadn’t really considered retreating to my car yet, since barely a couple of seconds had passed.

  However, my brow furrowed when I noticed Rose’s forehead begin to change its shape slightly. My confusion then instantly shifted to shock when her forehead split open without warning, revealing the hidden third-eye that resided within.

  I bolted for the door without a second thought, desperate to stop Rose from using her mother’s ability before she saw something traumatizing. I knew from Freya that Blaze had only hurt Heidi by breaking most of her bones once, having only threatened worse, but I still didn’t want Rose to see that. I didn’t want her to see any of it.

  A couple of astral limbs bolted out of my body too, rushing to intercept Rose even as I went for the door. But it was too late.

  The moment Rose’s third-eye had appeared, it was too late.

  Just as Freya had once done to me when seeing Lexi’s traumatizing memories, so Rose also did to Heidi, uncontrollably jerking away from the shock, with her dagger-like teeth still deep in the crook of Heidi’s arm.

  Heidi shrieked so loud, I could hear it through the door, the noise hitting my ears like a semitruck once I finally yanked the door open and rushed inside. My astral limbs were already wrapping around her arm to stop the bleeding, to prevent the gore from gushing any more blood than it already had.

  Rose was curled up on the floor seeming oblivious to Heidi’s screams, appearing as if she was still lost in the young woman’s mind.r />
  Without hesitation, I dropped to my knees and scooped Heidi into my arms, getting a better hold of her elbow with my astral limbs. Her scream cut short the moment I had her in my lap, her entire body shaking violently as she shoved her face into my chest as hard as she could, gritting her teeth while a pained noise came from her throat that sounded like some combination of a grunt and whimper.

  “Heidi!” I said urgently. “Should I call an ambulance?!”

  This should have been a no-brainer, and it would have been if it were anyone else, but I honestly didn’t know with her. I wasn’t fully aware of what her limits were. I knew this would take a few hours to heal, but that didn’t mean she still couldn’t bleed to death before she had a chance to fully recover. For all I knew, Heidi could be in danger of dying right now, even if I was stopping almost all the bleeding.

  “Heidi!” I repeated, when she didn’t answer me.

  I then yanked my phone out of my pocket with an astral limb, not wanting to take the chance. I knew this kind of injury would be difficult to explain, but it was better to deal with that hassle, and she be alive, than the alternative.

  “I’m calling an ambulance,” I announced, placing the phone in my physical hand so I could dial the number.

  “No,” Heidi managed through gritted teeth, her body still shaking violently. Even her jaw was beginning to tremble, her teeth chattering like she was freezing.

  “Are you sure?” I asked seriously, having dialed the number anyway, my finger hovering over the send button on the screen.

  “Yes,” she reaffirmed, the sound of her teeth growing louder.

  Unexpectedly, Rose began squirming on the floor as the vibrant third-eye disappeared back into her forehead. It hadn’t been out for even half a minute, but I knew it had been plenty of time to see all of Heidi’s memories. It had still been focused on her, as if it couldn’t look away.

  “Rose,” I croaked out, trying to reassure her by wrapping an astral limb around her waist.

  She bolted upright onto her rear the moment her forehead returned to normal, her crimson eyes bursting with tears. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” she pleaded, crawling over to us, staring at the gore of Heidi’s arm with a horrified expression.