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Mortal - Chapter 18

What is life without death?

By LivPublished 2 years ago 11 min read
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Mortal - Chapter 18
Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Premise: In this young-adult dystopian novel, people can no longer die. But they still feel pain, and suffer--and it's maddening. Because of the chaos that ensued, the US Government created a program to figure out how to kill people. When Garrett, a teenager, falls into a coma for weeks as a result of an experiment, the Program sets its malicious sights on him.

This is the eighteenth chapter of the novel, Mortal. Click here for the beginning of the story. Or, click here to view all chapters.

“Any luck?”

Edward Gild shrugs as he enters the room and lingers in front of me. His eyes droop with exhaustion, and the blue of his eyes are even more prominent because of how bloodshot the whites of his eyes are. His curly hair sticks out on one-side as if he was pulling it from his scalp. I wouldn’t doubt it after what I witnessed yesterday.

“It’s the best story I’ve gotten in years,” he mutters, scratching at his unshaven face, “And it will kill me if I don’t do it justice. Or if someone gets to it first.” His eyes glare at me suspiciously like he thinks I will reconsider remaining exclusive to him alone.

My hands imitate a scale, pretending to weigh my options. Edward’s face flashes with irritation. Fatigue doesn’t seem to be the best judge of a joke. I awkwardly drop my hands to my lap and say, “Where’s Bern?”

“He wanted the day off,” Edward answers tossing his briefcase onto the armchair. “God, I need a drink,” I can hear him gasp to himself.

“Why?” I ask, furrowing my brow.

“Something about feeding pigeons in the park,” Edward says, and when I look at him with scrutiny, he sighs, “I didn’t ask, alright? If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been busy.”

I don’t respond.

Edward tries to smile, “Is…Is there anything you need?” his words are distracted and forced.

I figure Edward will not care whether I need anything or not, so I shake my head solemnly. Gild growls when his cell phone rings, and he digs into his trousers to retrieve it. His eyes narrow as he glances at the screen, before silencing it. “Lucy,” he mutters under his breath. He drops the phone on the table and sighs. He reaches into his bag and pulls out his laptop. The phone buzzes again, shaking the table. I stare at it, seeing Lucy’s name pop up on the screen. Only when the phone dims into blackness, do I turn to Edward, who is heading towards his office.

“Aren’t you…” my voice trails when Edward slams the door shut. I shake my head, troubled. It would seem Edward Gild doesn’t do too well under pressure. I guess I should take it as a good thing, because he obviously wants the best for his story and magazine, and that indirectly means me.

I turn my head slightly when I hear the elevator open. Lucy steps into the room, her face red and eyes incredibly wide with terror. Her hands are pale from strangling the strap of her bag, and my whole body tenses with worry.

“Lucy…” I begin, uneasy, shifting my weight on the couch, “What’s wrong?”

She doesn’t look at me, “Edward!” her voice cracks as she calls his name.

Then I see him. Moving into the room with a twisted, thin smile and hungry dark eyes. The snake with the suit. The Secretary himself.

I jolt from my seat and jump backwards towards the corner of the room. My arms shake as I stare at him, the horror freezing inside me, paralyzing me, even stopping my breath. Of course this day would come. Abel isn’t stupid.

Arthur Paracot bears his teeth at me in a sadistic grin, “Well, don’t stand on my account.”

“Edward!” Lucy croaks again.

Edward steps into the room. Chilling anger excruciatingly evident in his face until he sees him. His expression softens as shock bursts into his eyes. He blinks only once, and the strong emotion disappears. “Mr. Secretary, how nice of you to stop by…”

Arthur Paracot holds out his hand, and Edward takes it quickly, “Well, I came as fast as I could,” he says amicably, “I heard you’ve collected a stray.” His eyes dart to me, and I shiver, bumping into the lamp stand.

“Garrett?” Edward asks, raising an eyebrow. He doesn’t look at me. “Garrett voluntarily left the program.”

The Secretary smiles at him condescendingly. “Shall we sit?” he asks as he lowers himself into one of the arm chairs. Edward shifts his gaze to me before taking the chair opposite of him. Lucy nervously walks past Arthur Paracot and sits on the couch, closest to me. Watching the man warily, I lower myself onto the couch’s arm rest.

“The boy and I have a contract,” Arthur says carefully, crossing his legs at the ankles. “We’ve been supporting his parents, and in return, he lets us study him. You see…” he combs his hand through his hair, “It’s more of job than anything casual like picking garbage off the street. He can’t just leave without a proper notification. And frankly, I think those are very reasonable terms.”

“Sure,” Edward smiles briskly, “For a slave.”

My stomach knots. Does Edward know what he’s getting himself into? Surely he does, I told him everything I know.

“Well the unions seem okay with it,” Arthur smiles crookedly.

Edward itches his chin as his eyes dart around the room. “Mr. Secretary, I mean no disrespect, but there’s no need to play coy. Garrett’s told me everything.” Edward leans in towards him and whispers, “I know all of your secrets now.” And I can tell that he does, in fact, mean disrespect by the cold composure of his words.

The Secretary doesn’t seem to notice—or mind. But he smiles endearingly. I’ve grown to hate that smile. “So you say.”

“Yes,” Edward responds, “Garrett escaped from Project Eden. Of course he was going to tell me everything. Because I can end that disgusting program and your rotten career.”

“Funny coming from you, Mr. Gild,” the Secretary says smoothly, giving the man a wary eye, “You’re entire lifestyle is built from sculpting sleaze into gold.”

“What can I say,” Edward responds wryly, smirking at his words, “I’m an innovator.”

“And you don’t think I am?” Arthur asks, lifting an eyebrow. “I’m trying to leave the world better than I found it. I’m not confident I can say the same for you.”

Edward sits back in his chair, adjusting his silk tie. He tugs a thick curl of his hair away from his forehead.

“You know why I’m here,” the Secretary says gently, “I’m taking the boy back.”

There’s an invisible force tugging at my stomach, and my neck constrains. Lucy laces her fingers through my hand and squeezes. My mind is too muddled with thought to pull away. He can’t. There is no way he could force me out of this building, onto a plane, and take me back to Eden. There’s no way…Can he?

“You wouldn’t,” Edward says bluntly, “If you take him, you’ll expose yourself. You wouldn’t do that.”

Arthur Paracot smiles shrewdly, tapping the point of his foot against the table. My face tingles as the blood leaves my face. Edward’s right. The Secretary would never expose himself. By doing so would expose Eden, the President, the entire government and other world affiliates. He wouldn’t dare. But the Secretary’s no fool. He wouldn’t have come all the way here if he didn’t have some sort of plan. My head spins as I wait for the Secretary to raise a finger and say: ‘Here’s the catch…’ But he doesn’t. He just smiles. And my dread only builds.

Edward glances at his watch. Lucy’s twisting her hair with a finger nervously, her other hand on mine hard and stiff. Finally, Edward speaks, exasperated, “Can I get you a coffee?” his eyes are scrunched with extreme discomfort.

“No, thanks,” the Secretary says curtly, but then adds, “I’d like to speak with Garrett in private please.”

It’s like hard pieces of ice are pressing against my spine. I roll my shoulders trying to escape the feeling, but it doesn’t leave. Lucy tightens her grip on me, but by now, my hand’s asleep, and I don’t feel the increased pressure.

“Why?” Edward asks.

“Come now, Edward,” the Secretary chides, pursing his lips, “I didn’t question your motives when you wanted to speak with him alone.”

The editor watches him stoically for what seems like minutes, but then a breath escapes him and he rises to his feet. “Let’s look at your photos, Luce.”

Lucy glances up at me, though my eyes quickly avert her gaze. Her hand reluctantly slinks away from mine, and she follows Gild into the conference room. I swallow hard as the Secretary turns to me.

“Oh, Garrett,” he sighs, “What did I tell you about being a martyr?”

“Not to be one,” I say stiffly.

“Yes.”

“What made you think you could just…walk away?” he asks me.

“It was Abel’s idea,” I mutter, looking away from him. I inhale deeply before I turn to look him in the eye. I need to figure out what he’s planning before it’s upon me.

Arthur shakes his head slowly with a frown, “I’m saddened. I thought Eden raised you better than that. Better than to blame the poor old man abandoned, slouching in a pool of his own blood, for one’s own mistakes.”

My eyes widen slightly as I clench my jaw, trying so hard not to show him the pain that rips into my chest.

 “Where did you go wrong?” the Secretary wonders aloud, “It…it could have been your parents. Yes, I mean, they’re a bit insane, aren’t they? Just…just like you.”

I glare at him, “What do you want?”

“I want you to come back to the program, obviously. Our scientists and myself think you are a very unusual specimen. You might be the first to become mortal in quite a long time.”

To become dead, not mortal. But I guess to them, it means the same thing. I wouldn’t care if I were mortal. But being seventeen is still seventeen, immortal or not. I don’t want to die just yet.

The Secretary seems to know what I’m thinking, “Believe me. When I was about your age, I didn’t understand the fuss either. But I promise, eventually, you will. And you’ll wish you didn’t have to.”

“You can’t force me,” I say softly.

“You’re right,” the Secretary says, “I can’t. But you’re forgetting what you did when you escaped. Yes, that’s right. You broke a window, stole my belongings. Those are indeed criminal offenses, Garrett.”

My ears buzz. This is his plan. To get me arrested, put me in jail for my crimes, and then once I’m in the system, he can easily scoop me up and drop me back into Project Eden. I drop my head in my hands and fight back the urge to scream. I can’t seem to get away, no matter how I try. My resolve is deteriorating as the minutes roll away into early afternoon.

“You and Edward could of course threaten to tell the world everything if I got authorities involved. But then, I’d just say you’re crazy. And get the scientists back at the program to fix you up a nice file with all sorts of interesting things to say about you…not that it would be much from the truth anyway.”

Arthur Paracot has found the chink in my armor, and I begin to shake. No. No. No. This cannot be happening.

“Or, you can come back peacefully. No one will have to know you were gone. And things can continue how they were. Once we get our results, I’ll even let Edward publish his story because when you die, it won’t matter.”

I am silenced into nothingness. There is nothing I can do. There is a long pause in his words and I expect handcuffs to latch onto me, but instead he says, “I’ll give you a few days to decide how you want this all to play out.”

At this, I jerk my head up to look at him. “Why?” I manage when he stands.

“Spontaneity, I suppose,” the Secretary shrugs and starts for the elevator, but soon stops to look over his shoulder. “Garrett?”

I wait, watching the curve of a smile appear on his lips.

“Since we’ve reached a sort of…surrender, I thought I should be honest with you. Your parents, they…well they have spoken about you.”

“What?” I straighten, and nerves tickle every inch of my body in suspense. “When? What did they say?”

Arthur Paracot’s lip twists, “It was Dr. Long who figured it out first, a couple of weeks ago. But…” his voice trails, and he looks to his polished shoes, “It was their idea.”

“Their idea?” I repeat, confused and disappointed. “What do you mean? What idea?”

He doesn’t respond. And my face boils with frustration, “Paracot!” I growl, getting to my feet, “What are you talking about?” I turn into the hallway, right as the elevator door closes, and before Lucy and Edward swarm me with questions that I’d much rather substitute for my own.

 

Thanks for reading everyone! xoxo, Liv

 

 

 

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About the Creator

Liv

Massive Nerd. Pursuing my MFA in Screenwriting!

IG and Twitter: livjoanarc

https://www.twitch.tv/livjoanarc

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