by R. J. Henry
“I’m doing this. Anything to help my little angel not be an actual angel yet.”
“How safe is it?”
“Well, the person it was used on seemed
just fine when my partner and I visited the lab.
She seemed, almost, too healthy.”
“Are you sure he used it then?” “Yes. If he hadn’t, my partner would
have said something.”
She sighed, nodding at him as he placed
the cool steel to Katie’s skin. She didn’t even
wince at the time of injection. He noticed her
pulse was not apparent. “Katie? Katie!” He stood, hearing his heart thud loudly
against his rib cage. He grabbed her shoulders,
shaking her violently. “Katie!”
He stepped back, shaking, fearing the
worse happened. He hoped he wasn’t too late.
Jack covered his eyes, covering his tears. A
piercing wail came from Katie, making him
jump out of his skin in shock as he saw her flop
around like a fish out of water. He pointed to the
other side of Katie. “Christine, grab her! I’ll get
this side! Hurry, before she flops off the bed.” Christine rushed to her Daughter’s side,
holding down her arm and leg. “What is happening?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
The flopping stopped, and Katie ceased
her screams. They backed away, hesitant to the
transformation that happened before their eyes.
Katie had hair again, flowing like a chestnut waterfall from her scalp. Her eyes were shut, but
the glow of natural skin color covered her face
and then lingered down her ashy skin. Her face
became fuller and thick with life. Jack grinned,
approaching her side once more as her chest expanded and compressed with each breath she
took.
Christine covered her agape mouth.
The ecstatic rush she endured from such a sight
left her near speechless. “She looks—”
Jack cut her off, and finished her sentence, crying, “—beautiful.”
He joined her on the bed, gently gripping her hand. Nothing could compare to this moment he was feeling now, as the warmth of her glow reached to every inch of her. Though, as strange as it seems, she felt cool to the touch. He kissed her hand, and whispered, “Katie,
baby girl. Wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open. A breeze of relief sided with him as her gray eyes filled with
color. It’s been so long; he had forgotten what
color they once were. He didn’t care, however,
because now they illuminated his heart with
hope. He hugged her expressionless face, laughing. “You’re better! Oh, God! Thank you.” Katie growled, pushing away from his
grasp. “What’s wrong, Katie?”
She shook her head, growling as she
hopped out of bed. The force of her pulling out
of bed knocked him to the ground. He yelled,
“Katie,” as Christine rushed to his side. “What did you do to our Daughter?” she
scolded.
He was lost for words, stuttering over
different syllables. Katie ran out of the room by
jumping through her window.
“Go after her!” Christine demanded. He jumped to the window. “I don’t see
her,” he checked the ground beneath the windowsill, “not even a trace of footprints....” “Well, go!”
He swung around, tightening his fists. “How the hell can I go after someone when I have no idea where the hell they went? Or what direction they took? It’s so easy? You go after
her!”
Christine hushed her tone, realizing
there wasn’t anything she could do that would
be better than anything he could do. Unless she
gained the nose of a Doberman, she knew her
only option would to place a missing person’s
report with the police.
After seeing the glistening drops of
worry in his wife’s eyes, he steadily wrapped his
arms around her shoulders. He pushed his
cheek against her temple. “We will find her. We
will. I promise.”
“Are you sure?” she whimpered. “Yes. I don’t care if it takes me forever,
or kills me. I will make sure she is safe.” “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The wooded area, surrounding his
backyard, he felt it was a good place to check. After checking the backyard, he walked
a mile up the side of the road. But, just as he
feared, there still wasn’t a trace of her anywhere.
He stood, hypnotized by the movement of
leaves blowing in the misty air. Dammit, he
thought. What was that green liquid, exactly? His phone buzzed. He checked in his
pockets, reaching inside his coat. The caller ID
read: JANE BRINKS.
“What now? It’s my day off, and I am
really busy.” It was the first time he ever talked
up to her like that. But, at the moment he could
care less. He got what he worked for; his Daughter’s life. Just, he didn’t anticipate on losing her
physically as if he had.
“Whoa, now, is that the proper way to
talk to your boss?”
“I’m sorry. Now, what is this call
about?”
“You need to come to the office. Now.” “Why?”
“Less questions, more driving. Now get
moving.”
The phone beeped in his ear, signaling
she hung up. He didn’t want to go, but this
might be what he needs to find Katie. He went
back to the house, treading through small puddles.
“Did you find her?” his wife, wiping
away tears, stood wrapped up in her cardigan. “No, but I have a plan to,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I have to go. I’ll be back
soon.”
She watched as he pulled away from the
drive. Christine half-expected to see Katie
curled up into a ball, somewhere deep into the
woods, but sighed when she didn’t notice anything. Kids played across the street, running
freely through the rain. She smiled, hoping
someday she could take Katie and splash in some puddles. To give her back the childhood she writhed in pain in, but more pleasant. More laughter is all she wanted to hear from her Daughter.
•••
Jack took a deep breath, while unlatching the door to her office. This is it. I will tell her I quit. No need for me to be here anymore, he told himself. But, he felt the only way he could truly
convince himself is by doing it.
“Finally you are here. We have a problem,” she said, standing by a projector connected to her desktop.
“Uh, well, you mean you have a problem.”
“What the hell is that supposed to
mean?” she said, meeting his eyes from across
the room. She moved her way to him, knowing
what he implied. “Look, you can quit on your
own time. But, unless you want me to tell the
police that you stole top secret government substances from a lab, then I suggest you pipe down
and do your damn job!”
“You know?”
“Oh, yeah. I saw you eye ball that syringe and snatch it up. For your Daughter, no?” “Yes,” he said, biting his tongue. “Well, then maybe you can explain my
problem then.”
“What?”
Brinks clicked on the projector. It showed a map of the town Middletown, Connecticut next to their city of Amherst, Massachus
etts. Several red dots crowded the two cities. “This shows my plan becoming intact. Just one problem: It’s not supposed to be here! Now I know you didn’t mean for it, let alone, I was not very honest about what that green liquid
was. It was meant to be tested elsewhere.” “What are those dots?”
“Everyone that has been infected with
the CBH virus. I am able to track it, because anyone who becomes a Fledge is instantly trackable. Inside the blood of a Fledge is Nano transmitters. They are tiny tracking mechanisms.
When activated, they send out frequency waves
making it possible to track them here with my
Tracking Software. Only I have the equipment
to know if someone gets the disease, and the
ability to know who is who.”
“So, the dots,” he coughed, “are people.”
“They are no longer people.”
“My Daughter?”
“A Fledge now. A blood-thirsty monster
as result of the Cure for Being Human virus.” He slammed his back to the chair.
“Dammit. Why didn’t you tell me?” he
screamed.
“You were never supposed to know.” “Can we save her?” he held out his
hands like a beggar on the streets. Desperate for answers, she told him nothing. She kept her nose in the air, mocking him with her eyes. All
she said was, “No. You gave her a life.”
The word, more piercing than being
shot down by some crush, came out icier than
he had hoped to hear it as. She doesn’t care. She
just wants money, or something. I just want
my baby girl back. With a distraught tug in his
voice, he said, “Please?”
“Nothing can undo what you did. You
may have cured her cancer, but you put your
whole family on a death sentence.”
He squared his shoulders, masking his
pain with a stern expression. “What can I do?” “What do you mean?” The sudden
change in his demeanor threw her off.
“To help enhance your plan. I want to
take this position permanently.”
She grinned menacingly. “I knew you’d
like this job. Just took some time to warm up to
it is all.”
He watched her giggle at her own joke.
“I have to go home.”
Two flickering dots flashed over the
area he resided. Only Brinks noticed it. “I
wouldn’t if I were you.”
Without looking back, he hollered
down the hall. “I’m keeping my family close to
me. Only I can keep them safe.”
She crossed her arms, and retreated
into her office.
•••
S ilence took over the large one-story home as he took a few hesitant steps through the open door. “Christine, are you home? You do know you left
the door open, right?” He waited.
He was soon answered by a soft voice.
“Daddy? You’re home!”
He swung around to the breathless vision of Katie. “Where is your Mother?” She grinned, showing her teeth. He
gasped at the sight of her canines abnormally
enlarged. “Katie, are you okay?”
“Just a little hungry.”
“Christine!” he said, whipping his head
around.
“She’s sleeping.”
A chill ran up his spine. He didn’t want
to believe what happened. But, now, he knew
his partner wasn’t lying. I thought she was joking!
He pulled his gun out. Katie stared at
the barrel with puppy dog eyes. “Daddy, you
aren’t going to hurt me are you? All because I
am hungry?”
“You’re not Katie!”
Brinks stood between them. “Oh, she
very much is your Daughter.”
“You told me she is now a monster!” “Yes, she is. She just needs to be
trained.”
“What do you mean?”
Brinks laughed. Katie jumped on her,
baring her teeth and ready to attack. Jack fired
a shot, hitting her dead in the head. He dropped
to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Oh buck up,” Brinks said, dusting imaginary dirt from her shoulders.
“I should kill you next,” he threatened,
aiming the gun between her eyes.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Shoot.” Without much thought, he pulled the
trigger. It clicked. He pulled it again, hearing a
click after each press on the trigger.
“Ha. I only allowed you to carry one
bullet. Sorry. I’m not dying today.”
“Fuck you!”
“Come on. We need to go somewhere.
At least you won’t be tied down by some family.” He dusted his knees off, rising from the
ground. He put aside his feelings, curious as to
where she wanted to go this time. “Where are
we going?”
“I have a garden to tend to.”
“Really?”
“Really, really.”
He got into the car with her, seeing his
home of twenty years disappear behind them in
the side mirror. More than anything, he just
wanted to forget this entire week.
Chapter 10
Marcel battled with his thoughts. He watched his daughter twirl the locket her Mother gave her the day before she passed away. He feared his only way out was to go within.
His trapped company shared the same silent tone as a slumbering beast awaiting to end its hibernation, in order to pursue in its quest.
The trepidation, in each step they took, paced through his ears. He dreaded the outcome of Calista hearing the truth Agent Brinks so easily covered up. He wasn’t at liberty of saying it, and was forced to play along with her story to cover up the misuse of Project Fledge from those who would not have believed him in the first place.
Calista sat by the window, moving back as her legs began to tingle from the sun. She sighed, watching college students enjoy something she once shared with her Mother; smelling flowers, and dancing in the sun. She heard the rapid breaths Marcel took, breaking her focus. “When?” she croaked.
“When, what?” “When were you first given the instructions for Project Fledge?”
“Heh, well, I don’t remember. Why?”
Calista watched as he tapped his fingers nervously. He shivered as she bore her icy glare deep into his eyes. She turned back to the window, pursing her lips.
“What?” He shook his head, studying her slouched position.
“You’re lying.”
He giggled, shaking his hands. “What? Heh,” he scoffed. “No, no. I’m not. You know I’m getting old. Memory tends to slip my mind.”
“Well, I have forever. So, talk.”
“Two November’s ago. Yeah, that’s right. I remember now,” he said with a slight grin.
“Stop smiling! You know exactly what happened the following month.”
He dropped his gaze to the floor, grimacing, as that fatal day had not yet slipped his mind as he hoped it would. He nodded. “Yes.”
“What happened? Huh?”
Your Mother died.
“Out loud! Say what happened that following month. Say it!” Calista’s voice escalated. It startled the rest of the room.
Stunned, Emily lifted from her chair. She patted on Maddie’s shoulder, ushering her and Nick outside to follow her into the hall. Nick waved them on. “I want to know what happens next.”
Emily bent down to his ear. “Get your ass out to the hall. Now!”
Marcel steadily watched as they shut the door behind them. Without making eye contact
, he sighed. “What’s wrong? Where is all of this anger coming from?”
“Ever since you injected me with that curse I have been able to think a hell of a lot clearer. I find my Mothers’ death to be odd.”
“What do you mean? You heard Agent Brinks say it was a Pulmonary Embolism.”
“Yeah. Or is that what she wants us to believe. I find it odd how she just so happened to die after you began this little experiment.”
“What do you want me to say?” His hands shook. She knows. But, how?
“The truth, dad. What happened? How did she really die? You said it was an accident. But, just what type of accident?” Calista’s emotions ran down her face. Not knowing was killing her. Her Father only met her with a blank and cutting stare. An empty gaze sat her back.
A few moments passed before he answered. “You want to know the truth. I can respect that.”
The crack in his voice startled her less than the surprise of his earnest demeanor. “Yes. Please. That is all I am asking for.”
He paused again.
She glided towards him, hugging him tight. She whispered into his furry ear. “Was she murdered?”
“If only.”
She pulled away, dropping her hands to her side. She scoffed in a way that made him want to run out and join the others into the hall.
He placed his hands in one another. “When I started, I had made at least three batches of this liquid. Your Mother, as you know, was like you. She helped me with it. Heh, even though she only taught High School Chemistry, she believed she knew everything.”
“Yeah, she did,” she said with a halfgrin.
“Too much, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“She loved it so much, she insisted, no, fought me on letter her be the one to test it.”
“Oh what batch number?”
“All three.”
“Which batch did I get?”
“The fourth one.”
He fought back tears. “I couldn’t stop her. I didn’t even do it. Damn, she pissed me off. I told her to wait until I was certain.”
Calista bit her lip. “She injected herself.”
“With all three at once at one hour intervals,” he said quietly. “One thing I loved about her was how much faith she had in my experiments.”
“Why did it kill her?”
“It had a severe adverse effect on her body. Creating clots throughout her entire body.”
“So the Pulmonary Embolism was caused by that?”
He choked on his tears. “Y-Yes.”
Seeing her Father space out with swollen eyes, made her stomach swirl. “It was an accident.”
