EMERGENCE

Aaron sinks into the couch as Elizabeth closes her book to look at him.

“How’s Dominic?” Aaron asks.

“He’s asleep now. He wanted you to read him a bedtime story” Elizabeth replies. “Honey, is there something going on?”

Aaron sits up and looks directly at Elizabeth.

“What do you mean? Nothing is going on.”

“If you say so.” I know this behavior, she thinks. You acted like this when your mom’s secret of being an alcoholic came out to the rest of us. “You can talk to me about anything,” she says.

I know, Aaron thinks. Just not this thing. I don’t want you to get hurt.

***

Aaron comes home late from work every night. The subtle changes in Aaron began to emerge two years ago, but Aaron wouldn’t say why… Not even to his wife. She couldn’t figure it out. She still can’t. A love, once grand and full, now customary and flat. Aaron once had vibrant skin. Now it has become dull. His eyes are dark like his mothers were on her deathbed. Elizabeth looks into his eyes and sees an abyss of secrets. What isn’t he telling me?

“I am going to bed. Leftovers are in the fridge. I made your favorite tonight,” Elizabeth says. Aaron reaches for her hand but is left untouched by her gentle grasp. As she passes him, a wave of heat from the fire she sat next to brushes over his face.

What should I do? Aaron thinks. He sinks further into the cushions. His dry fingers pinch the bridge of his nose as he stretches them across the top of his eyelids. They are sweaty. I have gone too far, haven’t I?

Aaron stops in the doorway of the bedroom at the end of the hall. The room is lined with blue wallpaper. Sailboats of different sizes and colors line the ceiling. A little boy lies on the bed sound asleep. He looks so peaceful, Aaron thinks. I want him to stay innocent forever. He closes the door and begins to walk back down the hall. His hand drags across the wall. As he reaches his bedroom door, he pauses. Lord, he thinks. Please, don’t let my son make the same mistakes I have. Help him to put others over his selfish desires.

***

“Aaron, you’re late!” A tall, slender man, Dr. Keres, comes from around the corner of the laboratory. He has a sharp jawline and shaggy, black hair. His voice is deep and menacing. “Today is the big day. The day we find out if the injection is working. The patient is waiting for you.”

Aaron and Dr. Keres walk down an empty hallway. Nothing but white walls and gray tiles. The AC keeps the building cold. Too cold, Aaron thinks. The man stops in front of a metal door. He gestures Aaron to go inside. Aaron fixes his white lab coat and takes a deep breath. He enters the room.

“Julia, good morning. How are you doing today?” Aaron says. A girl sits in a chair in the middle of the room. Her hair is black. So black it makes her skin look like paper. Her eyes were gray and dry. The girl stares at Aaron. He looks at the slender figure. Nothing. Aaron turns to the girl. “Do you know who your parents are?”

“P-parents?” The girl, apathetic, continues to stare at Aaron.

“Ah, yes. One moment.” Aaron exits the room and closes the door behind him. Dr. Keres grabs his shoulders with enthusiasm.

“Aaron! Did you not see what I just saw? The treatment is working!”

“Treatment? Is that what we are calling it now?” Aaron scoffs as he folds his arms across his chest. He scratches his wrist against his name tag. “Dr. Fleming,” it reads.

“Why, yes, that is what we are calling it now. Do you know why? Because we are helping these people. Hell, with enough success in our trials, we will be helping the human race!” The man grunts as he acknowledges the lack of thrill on Aaron’s face. “You just keep doing what you do best: that is, running these trials.”

When Aaron first agreed to being a part of this experiment, he was full of passion. “We are going to create the ‘perfect’ society,” is what the fat man had told him. “Wouldn’t you want your son to grow up in a perfect world? Don’t you want a perfect family?” Aaron was hooked from the start. He loves his family. I’ll do anything to give them the life they deserve. As the trials went on, Aaron gradually realized the inhumane nature of this experiment.

Aaron sits alone in his office. He is holding a file in his hands.

“Julia Robins; Female; Age 15; Hair color brown; Eye color blue”

Her eyes were once deep blue, Aaron thinks. What have we done?

What have I done?

***

“Daddy!”

Dominic comes running towards Aaron as he enters the house. He wraps his arms around his father’s knees. Aaron extends his hand and pats the boy’s head. He brushes through Dominic’s soft curls and his fingers submerge beneath the dark brown nest. “I missed you, daddy,” Dominic says, his face still rubbing against Aaron's slacks.

“I missed you, too, buddy. Isn’t it time for bed?”

“Mommy said I could wait for you tonight since it’s my birthday.”

Aaron’s heart freezes. It sinks. His chest feels heavy and his eyes are sore. It’s my son’s birthday, he thinks. Tears fall down his face.

“I love you, Dom.” He bends down and embraces the little boy. “I love you so, so much.”

“Daddy, why are you sad? Birthdays are happy times.” Dominic looks at his father and puts his hand on Aaron’s cheek. “I will catch the tears for you.” Aaron picks up Dominic and carries him to his bedroom. He reads him a story and tucks him into bed.

Elizabeth is already in bed. She must have heard me come in, he thinks. The room is dark and the window is open. She always liked sleeping with the window open. She looks peaceful. He closes the bedroom door and goes to the kitchen.

He sits at the table. It is tilted from when he ran into it one morning and dented the thin metal leg. Tomorrow we begin stage two of the trial, he thinks. He rubs his eyes, his vision now spotty. The eyes of Julia flash in his mind. Deep blue, fading to gray.

***

Aaron wakes up with his head on the kitchen table. He sits up, causing his back to crack. He checks his watch which left an imprint on his cheek. 5 AM, he reads. I might as well get to the lab and prepare. In the same clothes from the day before, he grabs a piece of bread and leaves for the laboratory.

“Early today? If you’re as excited as I am, then it makes sense,” Dr. Keres says.

“I don’t think I am as excited as you are, Dr. Keres,” Aaron replies.

“You better get excited,” Dr. Keres gestures Aaron to lean in. Aaron does - reluctantly. “I took the liberty of coming in early and asking her a few questions. She doesn’t remember anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.” Dr. Keres grins.

“Wow,” Aaron says as he rubs his brow, stretching his elbows towards the ceiling.

“Wow, indeed. Anything she knows is what we tell her. We can teach her how to behave, what to believe. That perfect society we have dreamed of, where everyone does and believes the same, where we have consistent routines… It is finally coming true!” Dr. Keres laughs and struts his way around the corner, out of sight. That perfect society, Aaron thinks. I’m starting to wonder: how perfect can it be if they have no control of it? No knowledge? Is it perfection? Or is it just a smokescreen? A façade.

The blaring of the alarm interrupts his thoughts. The sirens echo throughout the space, bouncing off of the walls. “What is going on?” Aaron shouts to no one in particular. Several men enter the main room from various locations, each just as confused as the next. Dr. Keres comes running into the room, heading straight towards Aaron.

“Someone has entered the building. Armed. Killed two of the men at the front entrance,” Dr. Keres says.

“Killed? What the hell?” Aaron goes towards the hallway leading to the front entrance.

“Wait! Aaron, are you mad? This person is armed and dangerous. You could be killed. Come on, out the back.” Dr. Keres starts to head towards the emergency exit, but Aaron doesn’t move. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Dr. Keres screeches.

The alarm stops. The building is silent, but the ringing is persistent within everyone’s ears. The sound of footsteps becomes louder and louder until they stop. Aaron turns towards the hallway behind him and sees a woman standing there. She is hunched over, her hair full of matts and twists, like tangled yarn. A gun clenched in her right hand, aiming directly at Aaron.

“You,” the woman says while pointing the gun at different men. “Which one of you has Julia?” She stares at Aaron and refocuses her aim on him. Her left hand dangling by her side. “WHERE IS BY DAUGHTER?!” She screams. Aaron looks at Dr. Keres. He is frozen. Aaron turns back towards the woman.

“Ma’am. Please put the gun down. We can answer any questions you have, but only if we are alive,” Aaron says. He has both of his hands raised by his ears. The woman begins to slowly lower the gun.

“My daughter, Julia. She has been missing for two years. She is here. I know she is here. Why did you kidnap her?! Tell me! Now!” Tears are streaming down her face.

“Daughter? Kidnapped?” Aaron turns to look at Dr. Keres. But before he has any time to register what is happening, a loud bang sounds, temporarily deafening Aaron. He falls to the ground, covering his ears. He looks up, expecting Dr. Keres to be dead, on the ground, drenched in blood. Shot by the woman. But Dr. Keres was alive. Dr. Keres was holding a gun. Eyes wide, Aaron turns around only to find the woman lying on the ground. A single hole in her forehead, blood pooling beneath her.

“You… You,” Aaron struggles to speak. He stares at the lifeless body in front of him. He whips his head around to look at Dr. Keres, who is standing with his arms raised, gun still pointing where the woman’s head was. “You killed her!” Those words echo throughout the space. No one says anything. The other men in the room are frozen.

“She was going to kill me,” Dr. Keres says.

“She was lowering her gone! What the hell is wrong with you?” Aaron says. He stands. His footsteps echo throughout the room as he walks up to Dr. Keres and hits the gun out of his hand. The metal clanging on the floor is almost piercing. “Dr. Keres,” he whispers. “Why did you kill her?”

“She knew too much,” Dr. Keres says.

“What?” Aaron asks. The woman’s words flash through his mind

‘My daughter, Julia. She has been missing for two years. She is here. I know she is here. Why did you kidnap her’

“Julia,” Aaron says. It’s as if he is staring through Dr. Keres in the hallway behind him. “Did you kidnap her?” He looks into Dr. Keres’ eyes. “You told me she was orphaned. That she didn’t have a home. But you kidnapped her, didn’t you?”

“I lied.” Dr. Keres stares back at Aaron. “We needed a subject. She was perfect.”

Rage fills every vein within Aarons’ body. He is furious. Without thinking, he swings his fist into Dr. Keres’ cheek, knocking him to the ground. The other men in the room intervene. Some run to Dr. Keres to help him up, others run to Aaron to restrain him.

“You bastard!” Aaron yells. Two men raise Dr. Keres to his feet. He dusts off his pants and adjusts his lab coat.

“You best be careful, Dr. Fleming. This is still a confidential experiment.”

“No! I refuse to work for you anymore. You have gone too far.” Aaron struggles to free himself from the grasp of the men gripping him.

“I have gone too far? You were the one who put the injection in Julia’s veins. You and I are very much alike.” Dr. Keres is grinning.

“Shut up. I didn’t kidnap a child.” Sweat began to run down Aaron’s face.

“But you did! You are a contributor to this experiment, after all.” Dr. Keres begins to laugh. Aaron knows he is right. He has no words left to speak. Aaron drags his leg up and kicks one of the men holding him in the groin. He grunts and falls to the ground. He brings his fist into the other man’s gut. Without hesitation, Aaron grabs the gun he had hit to the ground and runs for the exit.

Opening the door, the brittle air attacks Aaron. The gun becomes cold against his dry skin. He sprints through a field of grass towards the parking lot. He makes it to his car and looks back to see men running after him. He reaches his hand into his pocket only to find nothing. My keys, Aaron thinks. I left them in the lab. The men get closer. Clenching the gun tighter, Aaron continues to sprint. He doesn’t know where he is going, but he is running away from the lab. I have to tell someone. But what do I tell them? What are they going to do? Aaron’s thoughts are running far faster than his legs. He starts to feel weak, but the adrenaline keeps him moving. He runs into the city, among buildings and traffic. It is still early, so there aren’t many people walking around. He runs into an alley and hides behind a dumpster. Falling to his knees, he gasps for breath. Elizabeth. Dominic, Aaron thinks. Fear rises within him. I’ve put them in danger. Aaron checks the alley to see if any of the men followed him in there. Clear. He gets up and runs to the end of the alley. Looking both ways, he sees no one in sight. He throws his lab coat in a trash can and hides the gun under his shirt. He whistles for a taxi. Aaron gets in the car and tells the man where to take him.

I have to get home, Aaron thinks. I need to get my family somewhere safe. Anywhere but here.

***

Aaron anxiously opens the door. Where are they? He thinks. “Elizabeth?” He shouts. No response. He stomps up the stairs and down the hall. “Dominic?” The room is lifeless. Aaron punches the door, leaving a hole in it. “Damnit!” He runs back down the stairs. Once he reaches the bottom step, he comes to a halt. Beneath the table was a note. Slowly, Aaron walks towards it. His knees crack as he bends down to grab it.

Aaron,

I can’t believe you never told me. Now I have to die because of it.

Pain fills his chest. Like being drowned he felt as though he was going to suffocate. He drops his head and hands to the floor and begins to weep, leaving the note on the table. “Why? Lord, why?! Not Elizabeth! My love...” Through the sobs, Aaron doesn’t notice the front door close.

Bang

Aaron falls on his side. Blood begins to pool beneath him, dying the carpet forever. Dr. Keres crouches down next to Aaron’s body. He puts his face right next to Aaron’s head. “Rather convenient you live so far down the road from anyone. Who’s going to come looking for you? No one.” Dr. Keres stands and takes a notebook and a pen out of his pocket. He writes, Dear world, I’m sorry I had to end it like this. I just couldn’t live any longer. He places the note in Aaron’s cold, lifeless hand. He also places the gun under Aaron’s shirt in his other hand.

“Alright, boys. It’s time to go ahead with the trials.” Dr. Keres tucks his gun into his belt, removing the silencer before doing so. As he and the two men with him begin to walk towards the door, they hear a rustling from behind the couch. Dr. Keres motions one of the men to investigate. He pulls the couch out to show a little boy. He has tears and snot running down his plump cheeks as he trembles.

“Where is my mommy? She told me to hide back here but she didn’t say when she was coming back,” Dominic says.

“Hey there, buddy,” Dr. Keres says as he kneels down in front of Dominic. “Don’t you worry... We will take great care of you.” The grin on his face was scaring Dominic. Dr. Keres extends his mouth into what he thought was a smile. In reality, it was a menacing grin. He reaches his hand out. Hesitantly, Dominic takes it. The two of them get up and walk to the front door. Before leaving, Dr. Keres pauses to whisper something in the man’s ear. Dominic looks back and sees the body on the floor, about three feet away from him. He sees the blood and the note in his hand and the note on the table. He doesn’t recognize the body as his father. He reaches his hand out and grabs the note on the table. He can’t read, but his curiosity leads him to place it in his little pocket.

“Take him to the car,” Dr. Keres says to one of the men. He and Dominic walk outside. The other man stays behind with Dr. Keres.

“What do you hope to gain from taking another child? Don’t we already have a subject?” The man asks. Dr. Keres widens his grin.

“Yes, we do. But doesn’t another one sound fantastic? Even more possibilities! And this child is perfect. What kid would want to remember any of this? We can give him a better life. He won’t even know it.” The two men shake hands and walk out of the house.

***

“Date: Unknown

I hate this place. I know I’m only thirteen, but I’m allowed to have opinions. I feel like I’ve had to grow up so fast. And I can’t help but wonder where my real parents are. They keep saying that, eventually, it won’t matter. They keep saying I will forget everything and my life will be perfect. I don’t know, it just sounds stupid. This place is also very boring. Every day they give us this nasty drink. They keep saying it’s supposed to make us stronger. I just think it tastes gross. I have never left this building. The only other person I know besides the scary guys is Julia. She seems perfect. She never argues or has an attitude. She just does everything she is told. They keep telling me she is going to leave soon. But I don’t want her to go. I feel like I am starting to forget every memory I have. All I seem to be remembering is what happens to me in a day. It’s like yesterday never happened. My head hurts all the time, too. Crap, I gotta go. It’s time for our daily lesson. I’ll probably just forget whatever they tell me. Bye!

Oh, one last thing.

If there is one thing I do remember, it’s that my name is Dominic.