The Lingering

by Brown, Ben

  “I understand. You will be careful won’t you, Pete.”

  “Careful’s my middle name.”

  “I’m not joking.”

  Fairclough smiled and squeezed her hand. “I know you’re not. This assignment will be the safest one I’ve had in years. In fact, most of the guys we’re hunting are just money men. There are a handful of real tough guys, but we’ll treat them accordingly.”

  “So, will you ever go back to working with The Lingering?”

  He shook his head. “No, they’re a thing of the past for me, and if your research works out, they’ll be a thing of the past for us all.” He held his glass aloft. “To the cure.”

  Kathryn Bartholomew clinked her glass against his, and said, “To the Cure.”

  Chapter 36

  Location: Heathrow airport, London

  Date: 8th January 2014

  Time: 5:22 a.m.

  The pair stood staring at each other. From time to time, one or other of them would check their watch, but for the most part, Fairclough and Kate just stared at each other in silence.

  Finally Kate blurted, “Well, this is awkward.”

  “I told you not to come. Goodbyes at airports are always awkward,” said Fairclough as he eyed his watch again. “I feel like everyone’s watching us, I hate it.”

  “No one’s paying a blind bit of attention to us, Pete.”

  “I said, ‘it feels like everyone is watching us’. I know no one gives a damn about our little goodbye, but I still feel very self-conscious. I’m just not good at public displays of affection.”

  “So should I go?”

  Fairclough looked at her and shook his head. “No, don’t go. I’ve never really had anyone to say goodbye to before, and it’s taking a little getting used to. Why don’t we get a coffee? At least then we can sit down while we stare at each other in silence.”

  Kate laughed, “Good idea, there’s a Starbucks in the main building.”

  After two coffees and a piece of cake each, Fairclough’s plane finally got called. The two hugged, and Fairclough turned to leave.

  “Pete.”

  He turned back to her. “Yeah?”

  “You do know how much you mean to me, don’t you?”

  He turned back to her and took her hand. “Kate, you’re my family now. Nathan and I were well suited to be friends, neither of us had any one. Now I have you, and well … it makes coming home a worthwhile thing to do.”

  Kate hugged him again and kissed his cheek. “Please take care.”

  “I will. I’ll call you when I can, but don’t worry if it’s months between calls.” He turned and looked at the loudspeaker as his plane got called again. “I have to go; I’ll see you as soon as I get back.

  Kathryn Bartholomew watched as her friend entered the departures lounge, then she turned and walked away.

  Chapter 37

  Location: Kathryn Bartholomew’s flat, London

  Date: 14th September 2014

  Time: 6: 21 p.m.

  “Chris, could you get that, I’m busy with the potatoes.”

  Kate heard her boyfriend open the front door, followed by hushed voices. She poked her head out of the kitchen and stared down the hallway towards the front door. Her boyfriend stood talking to a tall young man with cropped hair. Both men looked in her direction, and suddenly fear filled her stomach.

  “Whoever it is, Chris, tell them we’re busy.”

  “Honey, he’s here to talk to you.”

  She shook her head as tears threatened to overwhelm her. “No, I’m too busy. I need to get these potatoes done …”

  “Honey, this man’s name is Todd Jefferson, he’s here about Pete.”

  She could feel her legs beginning to fail, and both men dashed to catch her before she hit the floor.

  Chris passed her a cup of tea, and then passed one to Jefferson. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Kate’s hand reached for the man she loved. “No, Chris, please stay.”

  Chris looked at Jefferson, and he nodded. Kate shuffled to one side in her armchair, and Chris squeezed in beside her. She looked at her unwanted guest, and gestured for him to begin.

  “Pete and I were assigned to each other as partners. I’ve only been in the field for a few months, so the powers that be, thought it best I team up with someone more experienced. At first, Pete treated me like his errand boy, but after a while, he started to treat me like his partner. We went on four missions together, all of which went smoothly. After the fourth mission we were allocated a few days of R&R, so we headed to Rome.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Kate as she dabbed at her eyes, “what countries were your missions in?”

  Jefferson rang his hands, and replied. “All I can tell you is the last one took us to Italy.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I don’t know why I asked that. I mean, it’s hardly important now.”

  “Would you like me to continue, or do you need a minute?”

  “No, please continue,” said Kate as she passed her cup to Chris, who in turn placed it on the coffee table.

  “As I said, we were in Rome. We decided to head out for something to eat, and maybe a few drinks. We were heading down a small side street, just off the Via delle Carine, when we heard a woman screaming. We found her slumped in a doorway, covered in blood. We did a quick recce of the area, and Pete sent me to get help. He stayed with her and tried to stem her bleeding.

  “Anyway, I reached the end of the alleyway when I heard a struggle behind me. The guy who had attacked the woman had been hiding in one of the buildings. He took Pete by surprise and stabbed him in the neck. I was still carrying my weapon, and I managed to put a bullet in the attacker’s head.

  “The knife severed Pete’s jugular, he didn’t stand a chance.”

  Kate suddenly felt confused. “Wait, what are you saying? Are you trying to tell me Pete died as a result of a random attack?”

  “Well, actually, the knife wound did end his life as a human, but I killed him.”

  Kate leaped to her feet. “What?”

  “We had an agreement. If either of us got wounded to the point it would cause the change, then we would finish it before the change could happen. Neither of us wanted to join The Lingering, so I kept my end of the bargain. I put a bullet through his skull.”

  For several seconds Kate just stared at him. Finally, she approached the distraught Jefferson and took his hand. “I went on a mission with Pete once, and we all made the same deal. Thank you for having the strength to follow through. I don’t think I could’ve done it if I were in your shoes.”

  Jefferson got to his feet and reached into his pocket. “He wrote this and gave it to me when we first met. He told me to give it to you if anything happened to him.”

  He handed her a small brown envelope.

  She took it and smiled at him. “Thank you, Todd, this means a lot to me.”

  Jefferson looked at his watch. “I really should be going. I’m truly sorry for your loss. Pete was a great man.”

  She nodded. “Yes, he was. Chris, could you show Todd the way out, then could you give me a few minutes?”

  Chris got to his feet and kissed her cheek. “Just yell if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  Kate sat back in the armchair and opened the letter.

  Hi, Kate, well I guess if you’re reading this, then I’ve bitten the big one. I just wanted you to know, that getting to know you saved me when I needed saving the most. When I lost Nathan and Lucien, I just wanted to hurt the world. But you helped change that feeling. You went through hell on that mission, but you never let it turn you bitter, or hateful. Instead, you focused on doing good, and on making a difference. You inspired me to do the same.

  You helped to pull me out of the darkest place I’d ever been, and for that I will always love you. Continue doing what you do, Kate. Continue making a difference to this shitty world. I never had a sister, or a daughter, but I consider you to be both. I’m proud of you, and I’m pr
oud to have known you.

  Love,

  Pete.

  Kate clutched the letter to her heart and began to weep. How could someone who’d faced so many of the world’s horrors, been killed in such a meaningless way? It just didn’t make sense. But since when did the vilest things ever make sense? Shit happened, and people died. It had been that way since the beginning of time, and it would never change.

  Epilogue

  Location: The presentation of the Nobel Prize for medicine, Stockholm

  Date: 21st October 2031

  Time: 1:32 p.m.

  Kathryn Bartholomew brushed a greying strand of hair from her eyes, and looked out at the audience. Her gaze fell on her husband, and she smiled. Then, with a large inhalation of air, she finally began her acceptance speech.

  “It’s been ten years since the last case of The Lingering, and I still give thanks to those who made its eradication possible. You see, my part in the discovery of the cure is no larger than anyone else’s involved. I’ll admit I spent countless hours doing research, and even more hours developing the cure, but the real sacrifices were made by others; others who will never get a chance for awards and accolades, others who placed themselves in harm’s way to ensure the future of humanity. The men I talk of were not scientists, or scholars, they were warriors.

  “Many of us here in this beautiful hall rarely, if ever, have to come face to face with the world’s true horrors. We may research things that are terrible and horrific, but it’s from the safety of our labs. By and large we live safe lives, isolated from the nightmares that lurk in the world’s shadows. If ever we do venture into the field, it’s with guards, food and warm accommodations. However, the four men who made the cure possible had no such luxuries. They faced the nightmares, and they kept us safe from them.

  “The men I talk of made up the team which escorted me to Australia. Thanks to them, the first sample was gathered from an ancient. These men had guarded the world from the horrors of The Lingering for decades. They protected the clean from infection, and they did all of this in complete anonymity. No longer will I allow their names and sacrifices to go unspoken. We here now live clean of The Lingering, and that precious gift is owed to my friends.”

  For several long seconds she stared out at the spellbound audience. Her speech, clearly not what they expected, held them riveted.

  “Joss Miller, known simply to his friends as ‘Dallas’, was the first to die obtaining the ancient’s sample. He died at the hands of The Lingering. He allowed his guard to slip for a second, and it cost him his life. A momentary lapse cost him everything, and that’s simply not fair. He was young, vital and funny. He was a good man, a brave man, and he is missed.

  “Nathan Archer, the team’s leader, died next. He sacrificed himself to ensure the success of the mission. He knew his fate, but he never once shied from it. When it came time for him to face The Lingering, he did so on his own. He did this because he knew his death would help to save the lives of millions, and it has. His dedication to his team, and to me, will live with me for the rest of my life. He was a great man, and he is missed.

  “Third to lose their life was Lucien Bouchard. He didn’t die at the hands of The Lingering, but the mission killed him just the same. The loss of so many of his friends, and the cost of the mission weighed heavy on him. He carried me in his arms when I needed carrying. He made me smile when I needed cheering. He sheltered me from his pain, and as a consequence, he died alone. That valiant man, who had faced more than anyone should have to face, took his own life rather than go on. He placed a gun in his mouth, and ended his pain. He is missed.”

  Kathryn looked down at the podium as tears began to fill her eyes. She cleared her throat, and then held her head high.

  “The last to lose his life was Peter Fairclough. He was Nathan Archer’s oldest friend, and he took Nathan’s death really hard. In spite of this, he always made sure I was okay. He always made sure I had a shoulder to cry on. He and Lucien rescued me from Westbourne, but he saved me from myself. You see, I had issues of my own after Australia, and he helped me through them all.

  “He joined the team rounding up the feeders, and because of that, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He died as a result of a random attack, but he also died because of the feeders. He was my closest friend after the mission. I loved him like a brother …” Her voice cracked. “… and I miss him every — single — day.”

  She reached for the glass beside the microphone, and her hand shook as she sipped at the water. Finally, she put the glass down and continued.

  “I want my award to go to these men, because without them there would be no cure.

  “Their example carried me through my toughest hours. Their sacrifice spurred me on when I felt like giving up. Their humanity made me want to succeed in finding the cure. They are the reason our children will die with dignity. They are the reason we are all here today. And they are the example we should all aspire to. They gave us everything, and expected nothing in return. They are true heroes. Thank you.”

  The applause started, a ripple at first, then a great torrent of sound. Then, one by one, the audience got to their feet and began to cheer.

  Kathryn nodded, and thought of her friends. She wished they could be there with her, but most of all, she wished they were still alive. She missed them all, and she would never forget them.