CHAPTER 10
FREE WILL
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I heard Deena's footsteps on the stairs leading to my bed. Because of the risk of contagion, the room had been evacuated and now the girls slept in the apartment next door, but I was never alone. With proper precautions, Deena and Agatha took turns at my bedside. Those footsteps were heavy as if she was dragging herself without strength. I turned my head laboriously until my tired eyes caught a glimpse of her silhouette beyond the sheet hanging from the ceiling. She pulled it down gently and sat down next to me. He was sad and his eyes were red, even behind the mask he was wearing.
"Hi”, I greeted her, hinting at a smile.
"Hi”, she replied in a whisper, her gaze cryptical.
"What have you been up to today?", I asked. I didn't care, but talking usually helps to distract and I absolutely needed it. My fever was burning inside me all the time and my brain seemed several sizes bigger than my skull. After a few moments he tried to answer.
"We found an old general store and found ancient radios and cell phones. But they don't work because there is no electricity around. I also picked some fruit, like every day”.
"I hope you're eating. You don't want to get sick too”.
"Oui, I am eating. Asif had a clever idea, we built with stones a kind of dam on the beach and there we then throw pieces of leftover meat. Catching fish with our hands inside that pond is not difficult; once they are inside we close it and catch them. You should see how happy he is now that he eats fish every day. How...how do you feel?".
"Oh great. I'm getting better it seems”, I lied. "I'm a big strong boy, I always bounce back”. It was a bad lie actually. "I heard you guys talking down the hall. Did Hank come back? What did he find?".
"Nothing, it's okay”, she replied. She was a bad liar, too. "You just get some rest. You'll see that we'll fix everything”.
"I'm sure you will”, I replied, ushering in one of the most memorable awkward silences of my life. Deena never made eye contact with me the entire time she was with me. She got up after tucking me in and left. She descended the stairs much faster this time, almost running. Hank certainly hadn't brought good news. Maybe he hadn't found a hospital or a means of communication nearby.
I hadn't moved from that bed for days except to go "to the bathroom", or rather behind some trees nearby supported by good Asif, yet I felt worn out and tired as hell. But that wasn't why I lost consciousness.
I realized that the light had gone down in the room. I noticed the doctor leaving and another figure approaching my bedside. She pulled back the curtain and stared at me seriously with her sky-colored eyes.
"Hi Daith”, Christelle greeted me. She sat down comfortably and took to staring at me.
"Is there... is there something you need to tell me or... is there a particular reason holding you back?", I asked annoyed by her standing there looking at me.
"Deena failed and so I decided to take responsibility. That's why I'm here”.
"What... what was she supposed to do?", I asked confused.
"She was supposed to break the news to you but wasn't able to. She overestimated herself for once”.
"I guess that's bad news”, I concluded. Christelle was impassive.
"Daith, Hank discovered several interesting things on his trip. The first is that we are on an island and the second is that the only humans here are us. There are no populated settlements anywhere and no means of communication either. They are spending hours scanning the sea for ships and stacking wood for signal fires. A boat is also under scrutiny, as other islands are within sight”.
"Great. Do we know what island?".
"No. There are street signs but they are illegible, the paper is all rotten and indecipherable. I'm sorry Daith. The doctor says there is hope but she thinks you won't make it. There are no hospitals or medications. You only have a few hours left. I'm sorry”, she continued. She looked sad but the truth was that her face showed no emotion.
"Why did you send Deena to tell me that?", I asked. "It was cruel”.
"We didn't send her, she insisted on it. She didn't tell us why, but I know. She wanted to say goodbye in the best way. I understand her... I couldn't say goodbye to Erik”. I was interjected for a few moments. I hadn't told her any more about him. "Did you think I didn't know anything? I know, I forgive you”.
I was frozen to hear her say that sentence. I still hadn't told her anything about the fate of my fallen academy friend at Hobson's Rock.
"How long have you known?", I asked in amazement.
"I read your mind in the Navajo's cell. I hated you for that”.
"I didn't know how to tell you”.
"So, you have some idea of what Deena must have felt when she came here”.
I suddenly found myself on the other side of the fence. How I hated that feeling. That empathy that bound me to others. That humanity.
"She's going to try again. Could you take off your mask, at least for once? Would you? At least for the last time”.
"The situation is... really that bad?".
"Agatha thinks so, yes”.
"Fuck”, I cursed. "Just like that, without the slightest honor? Killed by a rat disease... fuck it... John was right all along, I'm pathetic”.
"Then fight Daith”, she said giving me one last smile. "Fight to the end. Show that you are no less. Fight and live”.
I was terrified, worried, agitated, annoyed. Pervaded by a terribly strong mix of emotions and clogged with dozens of thoughts that cancelled each other out. I hinted at a response by moving my head, then Christelle slowly stood up and passed beyond the veil. She disappeared and I returned alone with my agony. That girl never ceased to amaze me. I would never have been able to do something like communicate to a person that her end had come with such coldness and at the same time make her feel as alive as I felt at that moment. That was the way it was, I was going to die. The idea had been with me forever but I certainly had never thought of ending in such a pointless and slow way.
Although it was just a role for Christelle, I was the one who was concerned about protecting the girls. My brother was on the loose and I was certain he would find us sooner or later. At that point, surely Hank would have tried to cut a deal rather than resist him, ending up trading them to save his own skin. How was I going to protect them when I was dead? How was I going to protect Deena? I thought about many things until exhaustion took over and I ended up unconscious again. I woke up several times at different times, sometimes seeing someone very blurry, sometimes feeling like I was alone. I was getting worse.
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Hank and Jake dug a grave in secret, preparing for the worst. After two days of agony, young O' Farrell died of an infection without Agatha being able to do anything to save him. They buried him resignedly without too many tears or ceremony. They gathered in front of the grave, laid him down in a black sack and covered him with earth and stones. Only Agatha shed a few tears for the poor pilot, who now lay underground in an anonymous grave near an unnamed town in a forgotten land. Nevertheless, Hank smiled. When Deena asked him why, he replied that for someone who had lived among the rocks and dust of the colonies, being buried in such a place was a huge privilege. A coffin or a tombstone was little compared to the wonders of nature that would surround him during his long sleep. So it was that Deena smiled as well, placing a flower on the mound of white stones.
He came to tell me about what had happened as he fed me some kind of mush consisting of shredded meat, water and chopped fruit that I could eat without even chewing.
"I've always wondered if you make this stuff”, I said suddenly.
"If that's a criticism you're about to make, know that your illness won't save you from my wrath, Lieutenant Daith Lester”, she said in a tone somewhere between serious and playful.
"I'm not afraid, I'll accept my fate... this stuff, Miss Deena Dumas...”, I said in a goliardic tone trying to smile. "It's brilliant. It sucks but I couldn't survive without it. Thank you”.
She gave a smile and a grimace. "I am gladly offended by these unfair praises of yours”.
"Gladly?", I repeated, making a show of my astonishment.
"I heard that from Christelle”, she said with some embarrassment. "Did I use it wrong? Your SAI translates languages for you but I have to do it myself, sometimes I don't know what the English word is for the French one I'm thinking of, or I forget to speak English and French comes out”.
"You used it well”, I smiled. Silence descended again and it was awkward this time as well.
"I'm sorry I hit you”, she said. "You were just worrying about me. Because of the fasting, I even missed my period this month”.
"I deserved it. I was insensitive and overbearing”, I admitted. "I was wrong to put my hands on you. I'm not very good with people”.
"Bien sûr que non! You suck at people!", she exclaimed suddenly. "You're a idiot Daith! Not in the sense like Asif... you're immature that is! You're abusive, you never listen, you don't care about other people's feelings! You always keep to yourself and never say what you feel, you don't admit your feelings and weaknesses and you always lie! You don't give a damn about the consequences, on yourself and on others of all the conneries thatcomes your way! And yet... and yet...”.
"Got a few pebbles off our shoes, huh? I deserve it”, I sighed. I could barely follow what Deena was saying to me.
"... and yet... I...”.
I couldn't feel anything. I lost my senses.
I was getting closer and closer to the end, so much so that Agatha could not continue to feed Deena's false hopes with "maybe" or "hopefully". That night my screams woke up all the occupants of the house and Agatha together with the two girls immediately came to my rescue. The doctor pulled back the cloth and was shocked to say the least. She saw me writhing in the blankets as if in the throes of a violent epileptic attack, with drooling at the mouth and totally white eyes. I was panting violently and moving in spurts, occasionally letting out a high-pitched scream. He tried in vain to immobilize me, even with the help of Christelle. Deena watched in shock and panic, totally helpless. I was literally burning, as if my body was burning from the inside.
I went on for some minutes in that state, then suddenly I was crossed by a convulsion more violent than average and I vomited a whitish mush. I turned in the opposite direction of the vomit and froze. The spasms gradually ceased and I became immobile again. As the minutes passed, I stopped panting. My eyes slowly returned to their normal color. My breathing became so imperceptible that the doctor, alarmed by these unexpected and unknown reactions, placed her ear on my chest. After a few long moments, she raised her head and with her gaze downcast pronounced her diagnosis.
"It's gone”, she said defeated.
Yeah baby, get ready for a long line of failed deaths. Because while at the time I considered myself simply lucky, today I'm really starting to think John was right.
Deena told me that she screamed in pain and came crying to hug me. The doctor used all her strength to stop her.
"No! It's contagious, don't do that”, she kept repeating, and it wasn't until Asif arrived along with the rest of the group to back him up that they managed to get her downstairs. Hank looked at Ag and encouraged her with a caress.
"You did everything you could”.
"You're right”, she replied without at least seemingly losing her edge. "I could have saved them both, with the proper equipment. They were unlucky”.
It was Hank who closed my eyes by passing his hand over my face and it was also him who covered my face with the blanket. They all left for the ground floor. No one slept that night as Christelle tried to console Deena. At dawn Hank and Asif came out, went to get their shovels and
began to dig. They created a pit near the pilot's grave of the same size and went to gather stones to cover it. At about nine o'clock in the morning Jake helped by Asif and they took me to the hole inside a black plastic bag. Waiting for me, besides the ghostly pit, was the rest of the group. Deena was hugging her friend in tears. I was thrown not very gently into the pit by Asif, who received a slap on the neck from his boss and a glare from him.
"I think we're going to have to say something this time”, Christelle proposed.
"What?" asked Asif.
"He was... or Gods... he was...”, groaned Deena between sobs, fighting back tears, "J'ai été stupide...”.
"Breathe, come on”, Christelle squeezed her.
"It wasn't the end he would have wanted”, Hank said. "You snotty little son of a bitch, you wanted to end up spliced in glory on some battlefield with a flag in your teeth, huh? That's bad luck, son. Wait, I almost forgot”. He dove into the pit, opened the sack slightly without allowing others to see inside, and tore off something. He raised his hand and handed Deena a small shiny object. "You'll need to hand this to the soldiers as soon as you see them, if you see them at all. It's one of his dog tags, one we leave on him. I don't think it's going to be exhumed anytime soon if we're here for months more”, the man explained. "They'll have proof that he's dead and they'll come looking for him”. Deena grabbed the object and read my name, serial number and blood type etched into the aluminum. She stopped crying and held the tag between her fingers, staring at the black bag where I lay motionless. He wiped his eyes with his other hand and continued to stare at the hole.
"No”, she said suddenly. "You're wrong. He really wasn't like that. While he might have given that idea, I...”.
Christelle smiled at her. "You always saw the good in him”.
"How did you get that one?", intruded Agatha noticing a recently healed cut on Christelle's right arm. She looked at it for a second, then downplayed it. "A protruding nail”.
"Perfect, now I'm risking a case of tetanus...”, she sighed.
Hank returned to the charge with his rancor. "Girls, what do you know about cadets? I know something about them... Those guys only have regulations, duty and propaganda in their heads”.
"Daith was different!", cried Deena. "He had his own weight to carry...”.
"Different”, the mercenary repeated dismissively, shaking his head.
"Well, let's start covering it up before it starts to stink”, Asif proposed as gently as he could. He and Hank grabbed their shovels and began throwing dirt into the pit.
"He moved!" cried Deena suddenly. Everyone took to staring at her full of pity.
"No, it's just the dirt falling on the plastic and making it move”, Hank explained patiently.
"No I'm telling you he moved!", she insisted.
"Come on Deena stop it”, Agatha scolded her. Hank kept throwing dirt into the hole; on my legs, chest, arms and head. The dust violently entered my nostrils, causing me to sneeze suddenly.
"Cheers”, Asif replied as he continued to work.
Silence fell. Deena quickly freed herself from her friend's grasp and dove in, violently ripping the bag off. Her shocked gaze filled my view.
"I'm going to be an asshole”, I coughed, "but I really have to tell you. This funeral really sucks”.
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"That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any fucking sense!", repeated Hank, talking to himself while staring at me in shock.
"Yummy, is there any more?", I asked as Deena brought me more meat.
"What can I tell you Hank? No pulse and no breath! I don't know what…”, Ag justified himself.
"Is there more water?", I asked. Deena ran to get it from the pot used to boil it.
"It's a zombie”, Asif suggested. Jake hit him with a rock.
"Maybe you misheard doctor and were still breathing”, Christelle concluded with a strangely satisfied air. "That can happen without proper tools”.
"No no! What do you take me for? His heart was stopped and he wasn't breathing and he was stiff!".
"Taisez-vous! He's alive, isn't he? Who cares about the rest?", interjected Deena annoyed by the comments but at the same time over the moon.
"You owe us explains!", exclaimed Hank.
"I'm not even curious why I owe you anything”, I dismissed him hastily stuffing another piece of meat into my mouth. Deena arrived with a new jug full of water, placed it at my feet and kissed me on the cheek. I reacted with a childish grimace. She was smiling like I hadn't seen her smile in days.
They stood in silence staring at me eating in disbelief, confused and impatient. I took my time, I hadn't eaten decently in days and I felt as empty as Asif's head. After pouring into my belly the last sip of drinking water available, the questions started to bounce back to me and I decided to answer them in the most precise and concise way I knew.
"No idea”.
"No idea?" asked Agatha.
"Which of the two words did you not understand?", I asked sarcastically. "One minute I'm agonizing up there and the next I'm waking up in a black bag with dirt in my nostrils. Stop”.
"It'll have something to do with his regenerative skills, won't it?", speculated Jake. "This kid is a freaky federal experiment”.
"I had never recovered from an infectious disease before but it is possible”, I said trying to cut that speech short. "I'm sorry I worried you. I really thought I was going to die, I wasn't fooling you, I swear. If you think I know everything about my... abilities, you are sadly mistaken. Besides, I can't even master them for real. Unlike Charon, I suffer them, not control them”.
"Now you're going to wash and put on your stinkin' clothes and get in the car with us in search of some means of communication”, Hank ordered. "Or a boat. Whatever freak of nature or federal experiment you are it seems the emergency is over, somehow. There's no use asking at this point. You're alive and well, eating our food so get back to work”.
"I'll go with you”, Deena said.
"No! Not at all! He stays here for observation! Cured of leptospirosis by a miracle? You could be contagious! No way!", Agatha wisely objected. "And you Deena stop being so close to him!".
"We're going to burn the clothes I brought in during my stay and the blankets. I’m fine”, I said clarifying my immovable position.
I did as good old Gage said, cleaned up and wore my old uniform again, except for the coat. After eating, we left in the jeep in five people: me, Deena, Hank, Jake driving and Asif in the mood for adventure. We drove along the road beyond the town that stood a few kilometers from the resort for many more kilometers and I saw for the first time a side of the island totally different from the one I had admired so far. The west side was low and flat, uniform, unlike the east side which was mountainous, humid and very high above the sea. We arrived at a small town on the coast, smaller than the one where we usually stayed, and began to search among the ruins. We found radios, car batteries and solar panels, along with other materials that we loaded onto the off-road vehicle.
Before leaving, we decided to rest and spend the remaining afternoon on the flat, sandy beaches on that side of the island. So it was that I went off on my own, tired and thoughtful, towards a beautiful clear beach not far from the village.
The warm air, a full stomach and my health finally in order encouraged me to do some exercise. All those days spent brooding had drained my mind. I took off my shirt and shoes, feeling the graininess of the warm sand between my toes.
I closed my eyes, filled my lungs with the breeze, and began repeating from memory some movements I had learned as a child when I studied JKD (Jeet Kune Do) as my first approach to martial arts. Trying to be present to myself in each movement, I moved my arms and legs slowly and steadily, feeling my body and trying to understand what condition I was in. I was skeptical about spirituality and yet I couldn't help but feel a certain energy as my body moved, seeking the perfect balance of breath, movement, and the beating of my hearts.
Emptying the mind took a lot of effort. I was amazed at that new aspect of my journey. I had never seen so many people worry about me as I did at that time, never had anyone cried like that at seeing me in pain or smiled with joy at seeing me healthy. In the midst of that clear expanse, I began to feel alone. I understood the difference between appreciating loneliness and being a victim of it. Maybe something in me was changing.
I changed my attitude and delivered vibrant, decisive blows to the air. No more wavering. I performed the only form that I remembered well by heart since then, the one called the Five Gates, putting in as much strength and speed as I could. I imagined a clash, I imagined John parrying my every move, following my every move trying to be stronger and faster than him. Not even in my mind could I defeat him, I thought he was so strong.
Deena's cheerful and full of life voice called my name, far behind me over the silent melody of the wind and waves. I exhaled a big breath of air, closing the form and bringing my hands to my sides. I smiled without turning around. As always, I didn't want to show her my being and I wore the usual mask again. I turned around slowly, until I could slide my pupils on the perfect contours of that harmonious and sweet face, that lately always smiled every time she looked at me.
"What are you doing here alone?", the girl asked, her gaze lit by the fiery rays of the dying sun.
"Getting the rust off”, I said hastily, snapping my sore neck after days lying in bed.
"I don't see any rust”, he said squaring me from head to toe with an expression that embarrassed me.
"Yeah, well that's it, just two shots in the air, to stretch”, I said hoping to get back to training.
"Très chouette! May I look?", she asked.
I was in the open field with no obstacles to shelter me for miles. Saying no would have made no sense. "Sure”, I said tensely. I could forget about emptying my brain again like before.
"More than watching, I'd like to learn”, she marveled.
I looked at her bashfully. "Weren't you the one who hated violence?".
"Sure”, she confirmed. "I didn't see any of it. Nor perceived it really”.
"Oh, no?", I asked pleasantly surprised. "Well, you're right. Violence is just a side effect when it comes to martial arts. I'm surprised you caught it just by looking”.
"So?", she asked impatiently.
"Well, you don't learn in five minutes”, I observed matter-of-factly. "I'm not a teacher, I wouldn't even know where to start. Could you just copy and observe my movements for today and that's it? Posture, mostly. Maybe later I'll think about how to actually teach you something”.
"Okay”, she said hopping to my side. "I'm ready master!".
"Uhm, fine”, I said with less than half her enthusiasm. Deena's presence was something I quickly got used to. The tension I was feeling left quickly and I went back to feeling only the breeze, the warmth of the last rays of sunshine and the waves. As in the beginning, I slowly executed the entire form, exaggerating a little the width of the movements to make them more readable to Deena. I performed everything with my eyes closed, thinking only of my breath.
Upon completion, I looked at her turning my head. I was amazed to see that she was in exactly the same position as me, with excellent posture.
"Okay, I'll show you again”, I said. This time I performed the form at the same speed but watching the girl's movements. It looked like a mirror. Deena performed the form with me without making any mistakes.
"Not bad”, I commented surprised. "You're good at copying!".
"Merci!", she smiled. "I also have good memory!".
"Oh yeah? Show me!", I challenged her.
Deena took up the provocation and proposed her execution. In front of me the girl performed the form as I would have performed it myself, maybe even better. I couldn't believe it. I just told her "again, faster", and then "again, put strength in the strokes!", and the result did not change. No mistakes and constant improvement.
"How was it?", she asked with a satisfied look and a few drops of sweat on her forehead.
"Not bad”, I said masking my amazement. "You did in fifteen minutes what a kid does in a couple of months”.
"Do you think I’m ready to punch?", she asked.
"A few punches, huh? Well, a little sparring might be an idea. Let's see. Tell you what, try to imagine using the movements from before in a fight. I'll propose a counter form to the one you learned and we'll see how you do, kung fu genius”.
"I think I get it”, she said getting into position. I raised an eyebrow, sighed and did the same. Slowly, I simulated a blow to the face and she parried it with her hand. Then it was she attacked again slowly and I showed her the parry.
We slow danced like that for a few minutes, realizing that she understood the concept perfectly. I decided to play a little, proposing to her to increase the speed. She laughed happily and immediately tried to hit me in the face with a punch without force but with speed. I dodged it by a whisker and stood looking at her more and more impressed.
"Okay, not bad”, I laughed. "Take that!" We played that way throwing kicks and punches executing parries and dodges. Always with a smile on our faces, panting from exhaustion and sweating into the sunset.
Caught up in the heat of the moment, I slipped a shot a little harder. I was about to worry but Deena had it under control, expertly deflecting it to the outside of her guard.
"I'm in if you want to get serious!", she challenged me excitedly.
"Come on don't joke now”, I called her back to order. She ignored me and began to load up more strokes. "Hey, what the fuck”, I laughed without taking her seriously. The sparring now felt like a real workout. Deena was landing clean and all in all strong blows for her size, while she was clearly parrying my blows that while far from being at full power were no longer just strokes.
She stunned me with direct blows to my face, then surprised me with a kick to the shin that made me lose my balance and kneel on the sand.
I looked at her completely dumbfounded and she laughed in my face. "Damien said it! Make him focus on his fists and he'll forget his legs!".
"He said that?", I asked pretending not to remember. 'And you know how to exploit it already after half an hour?'.
"Yeah! Maybe I'm a valuable training partner you say?", she asked satisfied.
"Let's see! Get ready beauty, here I come!", I exclaimed and went back on the attack. This time I took it almost serious, always with the appropriate eye on her. I wanted to get some innocent revenge and put that lucky newbie to sleep. But I couldn't hit her.
I increased and increased commitment strength and speed but strangely enough I couldn't hit the mark. Deena parried and dodged my every blow and there was no way to put her in difficulty. As I increased the stakes, she spontaneously adapted and without realizing it, Deena and I were fighting for real on that beach wrapped in the last rays of sunshine, dripping sweat and lifting sand.
The girl landed a precise blow with excellent timing towards my jaw managing to get through my guard. It was an instant. I perceived the threat as real and without being able to control what I was doing, I burst into her guard and landed a fully loaded punch against her side, breaking her breath and causing her to collapse to the ground. Perhaps for a moment I even tapped into the serum.
"Oh shit!", I exclaimed bringing my hands to my mouth quickly realizing what I had done. "Fuck me I screwed up! I'm really sorry... sorry!".
Deena groaned, panting from the pain and exertion of the fight. "You wanted to prove your alpha manhood? Let me get this straight...”, she complained annoyed.
"No Deena really, it was a spontaneous reaction! I'm so sorry!".
She groaned as she sat up and massaged her ribs. She looked at me in pain but satisfied. "Well?".
"What? Well what?", I asked still worried and embarrassed.
"Am I strong?", she asked, smiling.
I smiled back, relieved that the incident hadn't compromised her health and serenity in that moment. "Wow”, I told her with sincere admiration. "I told you that already! You'd be a sight, with a gun in your hand!".
"I really want to spare me that”, she replied, exhaling with satisfaction. "But I don't rule out that I'd like to learn about that too. It won'tbe too late, will it?".
"Absolutely not”, I reassured her. "I'm the one who started too early”.
"May I ask when did you... the first time you…”, she asked shyly. I understood what she wanted to know and accommodated her, albeit not lightly.
"Four years ago. Fourteen years old”, I said.
"So soon?", she looked at me shocked. I didn't appreciate that sympathy-laden look. "Bite”.
"Everyone has their own. What were you doing at that age?".
"Me? I was running away from the police…”, she confessed to me, embarrassing herself in a funny way. I burst into a hearty laugh that infected her and made us both feel better.
"It's nice”, the girl replied as she looked into my eyes.
"What?", I asked, returning the look.
"Seeing you smile sometimes. I really like that”.
I blushed, fortunately protected in appearance by the sunset. The sun disappeared completely behind the waves and the colors of the evening began to dominate the sky.
"There is something I wanted to give you. I've been jealously guarding it and hiding it all this time, even in Diĝir-ga-šum. Don't ask me where though”, she said mysteriously. I admit I was a little curious as to what her secret hiding places were but I went along with the request. "I wanted to give you this. I hope you like it, I bought it for you in Rouen", Deena said pulling out from a pocket of her shorts a small black package, improvised surely with some waste paper collected on the island. I took it with a suspicious air and opened it. I pulled out a rather bizarre man earring. It was all black metal and made in a D shape. The initial was tied to the hook of the jewel by a chain about an inch long. I looked at it puzzled: it was hideous, at least to me. How many things had she managed to buy in just 15 minutes in Rouen?
"The D is for Daith”, said the girl hoping I would put it on.
"I could tell”, I laughed through gritted teeth, that I had sensed her intentions.
"What are you waiting for, put it on, right?", ordered the girl who was beginning to get irritated.
"A well here... I... I... I don't have an earring hole, I can't put it here”, I tried to justify myself.
"Que stupide! I didn't think of that... I can make them for you! I made my own!", she proposed.
"Hell no you… uhm!", I blurted out half-heartedly. "Better put it off until we get back to civilization, what do you say? I wouldn't want to get another infection, who's going to hear Ag”.
"Of course”, agreed her a little disappointed.
"Well... Thank you”.
"Huh?".
"Thank you for the gift. It's a very... nice thought?", I said trying my hardest. 'Be nice you can fucking do it,' I thought at that moment.
"Yes”, she laughed. "It is”.
The mask fell off, light and fragile. I began to smile spontaneously in turn without realizing it.
I decided to sit on the ground in the sand and lay down intertwining my arms behind my head. Healed I was but I still felt exhausted after what was for all intents and purposes a real fight.
"Wait”, she said. She went to sit behind me, took my head and laid it on her lap. I had neither the strength nor the will to resist. I stretched my arms out to my sides and listened to the ocean breathing. An enormous sense of tranquility spread through my body like a beneficial serum. I felt my muscles relax and my mind become lighter. She ran her hand through my hair and I could imagine her smiling softly, even though I didn't dare look at her.
"I'm glad you're alive”, she whispered softly.
"Me too”, I replied. The first stars were now clearly visible, immortal and bright in the high night sky.
"Do you forgive me?", I asked inexplicably.
The answer came after a few seconds. "From being a stupid, exhibitionist, framed, childish nitpicker exalted turd? Oui. But only because you saved my life. Besides, I like your abs”.
"I can't find the connection between any of your motivations”, I said. We both burst into laughter.
We stayed like that, motionless, for a long time. I had never felt so good but I was still trying to keep my wits about me. I had managed to survive, I was still breathing and Deena was there with me. And for the first time, I admitted to myself that it made me happy.
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"Watch out or they'll see us”, Hank whispered.
"I've got them in my sights. Anytime you want, I'll knock them both out”, Jake replied. Darkness had now descended on the island. Jake and Hank were hiding behind a bush, looking at the beach in front of them. The jeep was parked behind them and Asif was ready to leave at any moment.
"I'm going. I trust you”, Hank said, then came out of his hiding place and headed for the beach under Jake's gaze. He walked until he reached the two of them: it was dark but you could still tell they didn't have two pretty faces. As soon as they saw Hank they became motionless and one of them pulled out something from the back of his pants. But Hank shouted something and he stopped. They stayed talking for a few moments, then the two men followed Hank towards the Jeep. Jake followed them with his eyes as far as he could, then he got up and without being seen climbed onto the roof of a nearby building, from where he could get a good look at the situation of the negotiations. Asif turned on the Jeep's lights and a gas lamp found in the store fixed on the car's roll-bar. The three stopped and began to discuss.
"So you own that field outside of town”, Hank asked.
"I hope you didn't serve yourselves with our... vegetables”, said one of the two Hispanic-accented men.
"Absolutely not. You've got a lot of nerve to go into farming right here on Terra”, Hank resumed.
"We've been doing this for years. This island is... or rather was a place forgotten by everyone. Who the fuck are you? Tourists?"
"No, we're castaways. We're... distant colleagues man, if you know what I mean”, Hank chimed in.
"Ah, sure and maybe you've got hot stuff too”, the man inquired.
"No, just our heads for now. We've been stuck here for many days and could use a ride and maybe the name of someone who can get us a shuttle”.
"You have a lot of demands for a broke guy. What would you pay for a shuttle with?".
"I don't have much to offer here on Terra actually but away from Sol I have my own supplies. Gems”.
"You will not come out of this with talk and promises, scum of the Dominions. You have found our camp and you are also poor... your adventure ends here”.
"It's two against two... you love risk”, Hank threatened him.
"I have other men on the boat”, the criminal explained.
Suddenly a loud bang was heard from the roof of a building, almost like a cannonade. Jake had killed one of them.
"Boss, three are coming from the beach”, Asif said agitatedly.
They stood motionless, staring into each other's eyes. Then the unknown men reacted by going for their weapons. Hank and Asif were quicker: the bullets began to whistle and both men fell to the ground, one of them dead. Hank grabbed their guns, ordered Asif to close the lights and they hid, waiting for the three to get to the car. They never got there, because before they even left the bank, a violent gunfight broke out, then nothing. Hank rushed in followed by his inseparable companion and was confronted with two dead bodies and a wounded man. He pointed his gun at the head of the only survivor sitting on the ground.
"Good thing you guys showed up. If not, he would have noticed that I have no shots”, I said smiling under the moonlight. Not far away an old fishing boat had been moored offshore and a dinghy was tossed back and forth by the waves.
"Nice work Daith”, complimented Hank, "Where's your friend?"
"He's going to the car”, I said.
"Asif go to her and keep an eye on the survivor”, the man ordered and Asif snapped.
We had finally found everything we needed. We finally had hope. We were finally going home.
We threw the two survivors up onto the roof where Jake had been lurking and, without any help, we waited for dawn, staying alert all night. Deena fell asleep next to me and only Asif managed to get to sleep. Hank, Jake and I stayed awake keeping an eye on the surroundings. There could have been others, although according to what the two prisoners told us, there were only five of them on board the boat.
At dawn Asif woke up and went to the jeep to get some supplies for breakfast while I was in charge of lighting the fire. After a few minutes of Asif and I waiting, we suspiciously went back to the roof to see why no one was coming down. I found Deena on the stairs waiting for me worried that Hank had told her to get off the roof. Something was going on up there. I asked her to stay there and ran up the stairs with Asif. Once at the top, I noticed the interrogation that was taking place. Hank was
asking the questions and Jake was making suggestions by roughing them up if they couldn't answer.
"What the hell are you doing?", I asked shocked.
"Just two questions, getting acquainted”, Jake replied.
"This is illegal”, I sentenced. "Stop it!"
"Are you a soldier? Help us!" one of them begged. They were pale and weak from their wounds and drubbing.
"I'll take them into custody and assume command of their boat”, I said. Hank didn't seem to take me seriously. "Now tell me, what were you doing here?"
They did not respond. From the standpoint of the
law, they had the right to do so.
"Okay, no harm done, you'll still get grilled once you're in town”.
As soon as I finished speaking, a frightening bang filled the air. We all instinctively ducked, Asif even threw himself to the ground. I stood up and looked towards the shore; I couldn't help but curse heavily. The fishing boat had blown up and now all that remained was a pile of fiery wreckage floating on the sea troubled by the detonation. "What the fuck is this?!" yelled Hank going to grab one of the two by the jacket and lifting him off the ground.
The man snickered before answering, "It's an anti-cop device. After eight hours of not being reset, the timer explodes into a thousand pieces, erasing all evidence. Now we're stuck here with you”.
Deena emerged from the doorway and ran towards me. She watched in shock as our hope sank in flames.
"You're useless now”, Hank concluded, dropping the man who fell back to the ground. "Jake!"
The order was clear though not direct. Jake drew his gun. I knew immediately what they wanted to do, so I took Deena in my arms and stood in front of her so she couldn't see. Two shots and two thuds, then both criminals stopped breathing.
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