Heat

by Elizabeth Caroline

  I clenched my teeth, concentrating all of my effort into holding my glare towards him, but my body almost didn't want to obey. My eyes threatening to look back to Jason or to anywhere but Q. He had always been a bully, but I had never had a reason to truly feel afraid of him. That day though, as he looked at me with his steel grey eyes I knew that a simple burn on the hand wouldn't stop him from getting what he wanted.

  “Please Quinton!” R said “He's going to die.”

  “He's fulfilled the purpose he was created for.”

  “Then let me take him.”

  Quinton sighed heavily and leaned against the door he had closed behind him. “This is a research facility, not an adoption centre. I won't have you involving other people and jeopardising our work.”

  “Please Quinton. I'll do whatever you want.” R said, as she stood in front of him pleading almost desperately. Q didn't care, he grabbed the bun at the back of her hair with such a force that her whole head snapped backwards causing her to tumble to the ground.

  “I don't need your help any more. We've already found two perfect matches for surrogates and 25 and 26 are already under development.”

  “25 and 26?” I repeated, “You're making more babies?”

  “Ah, you do still speak!” He said as he walked over to the other side of the cot. “I thought you'd lost your voice.”

  “The babies?” I said trying to disguise the fact that my voice was trembling “You can't just keep making more babies and allowing them to die.”

  “I can do whatever I feel necessary.”

  R was still sitting on the floor, whimpering in the most pathetic way I could never have matched her in that instant with the same lady who used to walk so elegantly through the facility, her head always raised high. “Just let her take the baby. I'll help you with your research.”

  Quinton gave me a wry smile “The truth is, you've out lived your usefulness Claudia, just as John had.” he slowly pulled a small pistol from a harness under his jacket.

  “You killed him, didn't you?” I said holding my hands up in surrender.

  “I did what I needed to did.” he said, his free hand pulling the cords that were connected to Jason free from the machinery “I always do."

  The anger and fear soared through me, both igniting nerves as they raced. J had been my friend and guardian for the years I had been at the facility, but Q callously confessed to his murder as though he was speaking of an out of date text book he had disposed of.

  "Don't” R screamed, finally getting up from the ground and lunging at Q as he pulled at the tubes that were connected between Jason and the machines.

  The beeping of the machines, which seemed to be a lot louder than I remembered, eventually became a long monotonous screech, piercing my ears. Jason, oblivious to the commotion that was taking place around him, was still watching me, his face peaceful.

  His eyelids suddenly fluttered, as a louder, more explosive sound echoed through the room, causing even my own body to jump.

  R slumped forward over Q's shoulder, a small wave of heat rising from the pistol he now had in his hand. He shot her. My mouth dropped as she fell, heavily to the floor.

  “That was meant for you.” he snarled, raising the pistol again.

  I felt the rush of heat before I heard the bang, my hands shooting up defensively in front of my face. I waited, with my eyes closed, expecting the bullet to hit me, but it didn't.

  “You've learnt some new skills I see.” Q said, with more repulsion than fascination in his voice. The air around me heating as I moved, forming an invisible wall of heat in front of me.

  I opened my eyes slowly, unsure of the meaning of his words. Q still stood before me, his face mean and glaring, his gun pointing forward, but his image was no longer clear, a thick haze, shimmered around me. I made a force field? I wondered, my own confusion clear in my face. He pulled the trigger two more times, but both bullets hit against the wall of heat and fell to the ground as the bullets before them. A sense of victory filled as the bullets fell to the floor. Q couldn't hurt me anymore!

  “I've waited a long time to meet you again.” I said, hoping I looked more confident than I felt. “And I promised myself I would make you pay for what you did to J.”

  “Pff, please Claudia.” He said, his voice mocking. “I know you feel you're a big girl now. After what you did at Wendell's, I bet you felt you were finally living life on your own terms.” He slowly walked around from behind the cot as he spoke. “The truth is,” he continued, “You're still just a little girl. You don't have what it takes to avenge John. You're just as pitiful as he was. Why do you think we never bothered looking for you?”

  “You didn't need me anymore” I said meekly, that essence of newly found confidence rapidly leaving me with every word uttered by Q.

  “No, we needed you. Why do you think we created the babies?”

  I shook my head. He was standing in front of me now, his tall frame almost blocking the low glow from the bulb on the wall behind.

  “The problem was .. we didn't want you.” Each word came out of his mouth clear and slow.

  “No.” I whispered. That wasn't true! How could I not be wanted by the facility? They even took in strays from the local dog pound sometimes.

  I stared at Q as he seemed to tower above me, small girl I once was cowering inside me. I hated him, and I had hated the facility for so long. But it was all I had to call my home, why would they not want me? The weight of his words weighed down on me forcing me back to the night I returned to Mrs Maple’s house. I don't want you any more, she had said. The last of the air left my lungs and I gasped rapidly hoping to catch a breath, hoping to stop the sobs from escaping. As if picking up on my train of thought he continued.

  “Yes.” Q said. “Mrs Maple didn't want you, we didn't want you. Even your sweet, dear John didn't want you?”

  The shimmering walk that had surrounded me disappeared as the heat drained out of my body leaving parts of me numb and cold. “You're lying.” I said.

  Q sneered at me as he tucked his pistol back into its harness and pulled a long pair of black gloves from his pocket, pushing his hands into them. “No, Claudia it's true. Number 24 had to be fathered by someone, didn't he? And I'm sure your dear friend John would have told you of an important aspect like that if he wanted you to hang around.” he said as he walked forward slowly.

  I shook my head violently. J couldn't be responsible for Jason, he probably didn't even know about him. “Stop it, you're lying.” I shouted as I threw my hands up over my ears, watching Q as he moved closer and closer, unable to draw upon any strength which would allow me to move. My body was frozen, my chest heavy and tight.

  “No Claudia. I'm the only person who's always been honest with you. I don't feel the need to lie to useless, unwanted orphans just to make myself feel better about the work I do.” he was standing directly in front of me now, his eyes still as cold and unyielding as ever. My lips trembled as my eyes filled with tears. I felt so small and weak; I wanted to apologise, I wished I could make up for whatever it was that made him hate me so much but I didn't know what I had done. He lifted his hand up and gripped me tightly around my neck. My fingers trembled as I tried to grab onto his hand.

  "Nobody wants you anymore Claudia." He laughed, “I think it's time you quit, don't you?”

  No, I wanted to answer, but my voice was no longer available, my vision blurred again but this time by tears as he squeezed tighter and I felt my eyes closing.

  “I do hope you stay with us.” A voice said. Veronica? How did you get here?

  “I guess what scares me is that something bad would happen to the people I care about the most.” I heard Solomon saying quietly “You know you're included in that right?”

  I don't understand, I thought. How did you both get here?

  “I don't want you to go Claudia.” Charles said “I can't lose you.”

  My eyes bolted open. They're not here, I thought. They're at home waiting fo
r me to return. They want me to come back, I know they do!

  The heat that had left my body rushed back through my veins filling every muscle and cell, sparks triggering on each of my nerves until I felt the flames flickering in the palms of my hands.

  "They do want me." I screamed, grabbing Q around his own neck, my feet rising from the ground as the air around me heated up too.

  Q let out a loud growl as the small flames burnt his neck. He quickly released his grip on my neck, instead grabbing hold of my hands trying to free himself from my grasp. I continued rising from the ground, Q ascending with me.

  Q began to panic, his legs kicking wildly, almost catching me a few times. He let go of my hands and swung his fist at me, but he was too slow. I blocked his hit without even moving my hand, a wall of heat placed firmly between me and him. He swung several more times but each hit bounced off the wall.

  "You're wrong!" I said "I'm not unwanted." Q's face contorted into a painful grimace, low grunts coming from him as his mouth slowly moved in an attempt to speak.

  "Let me go." he said after loosening my grip slightly. His voice was low and croaky. "Please."

  My own heart swelled in my chest. Charles voice playing in my mind again. There are some mistakes that we make in life that we can't turn back from, and they eat us up from inside.

  With a great sigh I released my hand from around his neck, allowing him to fall back to the ground. He hit the ground fairly hard but was already back on to his feet within a few seconds.

  He stared at me, his grey eyes dark and wild, one hand tenderly rubbing the burn around his neck and the other hand rummaging through the opening of his jacket finally pulling out his pistol and then pulled the trigger two more times. My hands shot forward to generate my force field again with such a force that the bullets didn't simply hit the wall and fall to the ground, they rebounded back in the direction they came from, the heat from my motion carrying them forward at a speed unnoticeable to Q until they hit him directly in the middle of his head.

  Q stood still for a moment, his eyebrows ruffled in confusion until he fell to the ground his face landing flat on the floor. His body jerked violently before coming to a stop, leaving his body awkwardly twisted, with his knees curled up into his stomach, a thick pool of blood building up around his head.

  "Q?" I said, unsure myself what had just happened. "Q!" I walked over slowly and pushed the shoulder that was still raised up off the ground with my foot until he rolled onto his back. His face was covered with the blood that had been leaking from the wound in his head but I could clearly see his eyes, which were still open, staring back at me. He's dead? I thought, clasping my hand over my mouth to withhold a scream that was attempting to escape. I hated Q and had wanted him dead for such a long time, but now seeing it, and knowing that I had been responsible for it, I wished I had been given a different option.

  How am I going to explain this? I thought, still short of air. He shot the gun at me, I was just defending myself. I gasped desperately, my vision blurred once again.

  Nothing made sense in that moment. The whole room spun in all directions at once. My legs trembling as I stumbled forward and grabbed hold of the cot.

  "Jason." I gasped, rubbing my eyes frantically to clear my vision. His eyes were closed now, although I could make out a slight rise and fall of his chest. What do I do? I thought. Considering for a moment if I should take Jason back home with me.

  "Claudia?" I heard R's weak voice coming from the other side of the cot.

  "R? I thought you had died." I sobbed as I ran to her side expecting her to rise and continue our mission, but she didn't move. "Regina?" I said.

  "Claudia. Take Jason and go." she said, with a weak, almost breathless voice.

  "I can't go without you. I don't know what to do."

  "Take him to the hospital ... please."

  She was right, he needed to go to the hospital, but I wasn't going to leave her. I threw the bag she had been packing over my shoulder and scooped Jason up into my arms. I wouldn't have been able to carry her and still give Jason the attention he needed, but I could control the air around her, I had realised that much when I lifted Q from the ground. Using all the concentration I had, I heated the molecules surrounding her body, making sure not to heat her up as well, and watched as she slowly lifted from the ground. Then without looking back to Q, I walked out of the room and made my way back to the exit.

  We had been in the room longer than we had expected and the corridors were no longer empty. A hum of voices flowed through the corridors, possibly from workers coming to attend to the electricity. Without waiting to see who it was I opened the first doors I came to and shot fireballs into them, catching alight any equipment that was present. Immediately alarm bells began ringing. Hoping I had given myself enough of a cover I picked up my pace.

  I made it to the exit without any opposition and once clear of the building I started running as fast as I could only slowing down when I finally reached Regina's car. Everything feels so wrong, I thought, leaning over the bonnet of the car for a moment to catch my breath. Just Yesterday I was sitting down in the schoolyard talking with Solomon and now I am escaping from a research facility with a woman and baby, and worse than that I was responsible for someone's death.

  “R,” I called as I helped her into the backseat “How do I get to a hospital?”

  “Head west.” she whispered, her small hand loosely grabbing my arm. “Quinton lied about John.” she said, “He was never told about the surrogacy program.” Her eyes flickered on me for a few seconds, confirming I had understood her message and then closed.

  "Thank you." I said softly, a single tear falling from my eye. I had no reason prior to that day to like anything about R, but using her last amount of energy to ease my doubt over J wouldn’t be forgotten.

  Finally I got into the driver’s seat. I couldn't drive and I had never had a lesson, but it was the safest way to get them to a hospital so I didn't have much of a choice. I tried to think back to Solomon, when he had first passed his test, his movements were very cautious and deliberate making them quite easy to recall. Press down on the brake pedal, start the engine, move the gear stick into drive, release the handbrake, slowly release the brake pedal and the press down on the acceleration pedal. “Slowly!” I shouted as the car lurched forward, I quickly removed my foot from the pedal and tried again.

  It took a few starts before the car started to move in a semi decent way, I turned the car and drove back down to the highway, bearing west and then followed the sign posts until I reached the first junction. The hospital appeared as soon as I turned in from the highway. It wasn't a very big hospital, but the A&E department was visible just beyond the main car park.

  “Come quickly. A woman's been shot.” I shouted at the first nurse I found and pulled her along behind me. Her pace quickening until we were both running back to R's car. I didn't need to say much more to her once we reached the car, she immediately took over, giving them a quick assessment before running back into the hospital, eventually returning with a handful of nurses and porters pushing two stretchers.

  “What happened to them?” The nurse asked.

  “I don't know.” I lied.

  She looked down at Jason as they pushed him into the hospital. “Is he your brother?” she asked.

  I opened my mouth firstly to say no, but the resemblance between Jason and I was too strong. So I simply nodded, “Different mothers.” I quickly added.

  “Don't go anywhere. We'll need you to fill in some paper work for them.” she said before following behind the stretchers. I followed, not sure if I should still be there, but wanting to know what would happen to them.

  The reception was empty except for two boys who looked like they had been in some kind of fight. One leaning forward, his bloody nose smothered with a handful of tissues. The other boy sat upright, leaning arrogantly to his left with one, t-shirt wrapped hand cradled in his other. Every so often he would unwind the t-shirt
and gaze, almost triumphantly at his swollen hand. His friend, who seemed to have received the worst of their fight would roll his eyes and shake his head before mumbling, "I'm not going out with you again."

  Various nurses came and asked me the same questions over and over again. My name, Jason's medical history, and the circumstances I had found them in. Not knowing what to say, I had simply feigned a crying fit each time and asked how Jason was, repeating the question until they grew tired and walked away.

  One or two hours passed before a doctor finally came to speak to me followed by two police officers were accompanying him.

  "You must be Jessica?" One of the police officers said, addressing me by a fake name I had given the receptionist.

  "Yes," I answered.

  "I'm Dr Theobald." he said, extending his hand to shake mine. "I'm sorry to have to bring this news to you, we really did do the best we could for your step mother, but unfortunately she recently passed away."

  "No," I gasped, my stomach turning over rapidly. "I thought you would be able to save her." I had hoped they would at least have given her some time and hadn't expected the news of her death so suddenly.

  "What about my brother?" I asked.

  "He's very critical, but we don't actually know what's wrong with him." he lifted the chart he had closer to his face to read the contents, "He's given some very strange results on some of the tests we ran on him. Do you know anything about his medical history?"

  "No." I answered, "I don't live with them, Regina called me today to say he was very ill so I came out to see them."

  "And how did the gun wound happen?" the officer asked scrutinising me carefully.

  "Her new boyfriend I think? He was against her bringing Jason into the hospital." Not that much of a lie, I thought.

  "Hmm," he said looking over to his partner, who nodded to him. "My name's officer Riley. I'd like to ask you a few questions please?"

  "Okay." I said.

  "The doctors have said they found strange bruises and injection marks on your brother. Do you think there may have been any foul play on Miss De Giorgio's boyfriend's part?"