The Love Interest

by Cale Dietrich

  Dyl dives forward with his arms outstretched. He flies through the blue light, his arms wrapping around the man’s frail torso. The light flashes red as they both sail out of the column. They hit the ground and roll once.

  “Get off me!” cries Dr. Scheinman. Dyl pushes him away and stands up. The scientist remains on the floor.

  The Stalker is standing in the middle of the room, rigidly upright, but motionless. It’s now totally black.

  I tilt my head to the side and step toward Dr. Scheinman. “You were controlling them?”

  Tears fill his eyes. “They are not lesser for having to be controlled by me! They are the future.”

  “They’re puppets,” I say. He winces like I hit him. “Just big, scary puppets.”

  I recall the Nice’s head being cut off. I imagine this man’s hand squeezing, doing the deed.

  “No!” he screams. “They are genius brought into this world! They are perfection! They are mine!”

  “Shut up,” says Juliet. She walks to his computer. “And tell me your password.”

  He glances at me, then says, “It’s Layla. It’s my—”

  “No one cares,” snaps Juliet, putting her gun down on the bench. She types the password and the screen lights up. The sound of her fingertips hitting the keys is the only sound in the room.

  Juliet leans backward and puts her hands over her mouth.

  “What is it, Juliet?” I say.

  She looks up. “I can’t access the files. It scanned my fingerprints and came up with an error message. It says the control program can only be operated by Dr. Scheinman. He’s the only one with a clearance level high enough.”

  What does that mean? Why does she look so sad?

  “I don’t get it,” says Dyl.

  Juliet is shaking. “It means that that man”—she looks down at the doctor—“is the only person on earth who can control a Stalker.”

  “Of course I’m the only one,” says Dr. Scheinman. “Do you think someone as smart as I am would trust the world’s most secretive spy organization? I did this to keep myself safe. If they could get rid of me, they’d do it in a heartbeat. I made sure that…”

  His voice trails off as he realizes what’s about to happen.

  I turn to Juliet. “Hand me the gun, Juliet.”

  His face falls.

  Juliet shakes her head. “Caden—”

  “Just … just give me the gun, all right?”

  She picks up the gun and passes me the handle.

  I grab it and she meets my eyes. “Your thought is right,” she says. “It has to be done. It’s the only way to stop them. Getting rid of him will save so many people, Caden. It needs to be done. If you can’t do it, I will.”

  The scientist is on his hands and knees, whimpering. Don’t think about it. He runs his fingers through his thin hair. He looks so small and weak, groveling on the floor. He reaches into his wallet and pulls out a photograph. It’s beaten and tattered, and the corners have yellowed. It’s of a woman holding a baby girl.

  I aim the gun at him. Can I do this? I don’t know if I can, but I know that I must. I failed Trevor, and I need to keep the others safe. This will destroy me, but I must do it to protect them. If someone is going to be ruined it must be me.

  It has to be me.

  It has to be.

  “Please,” he whimpers. “I have a—”

  A gun goes off. I look down and see blood welling above the doctor’s heart. He gasps, then falls face-first to the floor. A red circle of blood appears on his back.

  But I didn’t pull the trigger. How? I look up and see Natalie aiming her smoking gun at him.

  “He took more from me,” she says. “And I can survive this. You probably couldn’t. You’ve done so much, Caden, but you’re not the only hero in this story. So let’s play to our strengths, huh? You tell us what to do and I’ll deal with anyone in our way. Okay?”

  “You’re right,” I say. My brain is all over the place, but I need to focus. “Okay, Juliet, you have to blow up the Stalkers. Just in case we were wrong.”

  Juliet runs toward the Stalkers at the back of the room. When she reaches them she slides her hand into her backpack and pulls out a bomb. She places it on the floor, then starts tinkering with the wires.

  Dyl is standing to my left, looking at me. “He deserved it, Caden.”

  I look down at the broken body at my feet. “I know. It’s just, you know. He was still a person.”

  He places his hand on my shoulder. “I know, man. I know.”

  “Guys,” says Juliet as she walks toward me. “The bomb is ready to go. Should I detonate?”

  We all nod, and Juliet presses her thumb down. With a roar, a huge whirl of purple and black appears, devouring the army of Stalkers. The whirling color snaps them out of existence, leaving only a few mangled, smoking parts.

  “Now what?” asks Natalie.

  Everyone is looking at me.

  I have one idea, and it’s risky. But it is what a protagonist would do.

  I clear my throat. “There’s one last thing. But you guys, don’t do this if you don’t want to.” I look at my friends and know that they’re going to follow me, so I smile. “We’re going to end this once and for all.”

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Trevor’s body is still in the hallway.

  Natalie’s eyes fill with tears at the sight of him, but she keeps moving.

  The guard is also in the spot where he died, slumped against the wall with his head leaning forward. There’s so much death here, and I’m leading them back through it. I didn’t keep Trevor safe and I didn’t kill the scientist. I can’t make any more mistakes.

  We jog forward.

  Once we’re all inside the elevator, Juliet presses the button marked 1. The elevator zooms upward.

  “We’ll have a funeral for him,” says Dyl. “When we’re free.”

  “For both of them,” I say, thinking of the scientist. I remember the guard. “No, for all of them.”

  The elevator stops and the doors open. A guard is standing in the middle of the hallway. He gasps and reaches for his baton.

  “No!” cries Juliet. “You moron! Why are you here?”

  He steps forward. Natalie raises her gun.

  “You,” I say with a jab of my pointer finger. “It’s four against one. And we will kill you. If you want to live, I suggest you play dead or get the hell out of our way.”

  He drops his baton. It clatters against the concrete. “Fine. Please don’t hurt me.”

  As we approach, I reach out and grab his wrist. The lights on my glove flash, and his body stiffens. He falls against me. I lower him to the ground, then advance toward Craike’s office. I press the card against the screen and the panes of glass separate.

  Craike is slumped against the glass bookshelf beside his desk. His eyes are closed and his legs are stretched out in front of him.

  “His computer’s there,” I say, pointing. “Juliet, can you figure it out?”

  She nods and walks across the room to the laptop. She steps over the fallen Stalker’s massive body and then leans forward to stare at the monitor. Her fingers tap against the keys, filling the room with a clicking sound.

  Natalie is eyeing Craike warily.

  I make my way over to her. “I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for what happened in the lab.”

  “You’re a lot of things, but you’re not a killer, Caden. Killing him would’ve destroyed you. Me, well, I just wish I’d made him suffer a bit more. So you don’t need to thank me. To be honest I’m glad I’m the one who got to make him pay for everything he’s done. I—”

  “Hey, guys!” interrupts Juliet. “I’ve found it! I—”

  A static hum fills the air, and a grid of red light appears just in front of the desk. Juliet looks up and realizes she’s trapped. I turn to Mr. Craike. His eyes are now open, and he’s holding a silver pen. Or at least it looks like a pen. His thumb is pressing down on one end.
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  Using his free hand, Craike reaches into his jacket and produces a gun. He aims it at Juliet. My mind flashes back to when he greeted me at the gates. He had two guns. One in his hand and one strapped to his hip. I took the first, but I forgot about the second.

  I raise my gun. I’m out of bullets and he probably knows that, but I need to do something.

  “Drop it,” growls Craike.

  “Okay,” I say. I bend my knees and place the gun on the floor. Craike’s arm is shaking and his grip on the gun is going slack, like he’s struggling to keep it upright. From that, and the way his eyelids are drooping, I guess he’s only a few minutes from passing out. I just need to stall him. I rise and lift my hands above my head. “It’s over. Just put the gun down and—”

  Craike barks a harsh laugh. “It’s not over yet, Caden. There’s something you need to know before you can call it a day.”

  A gun goes off. The grid of light sends out sparks, then returns to normal. Natalie is holding her gun, aiming it right at Mr. Craike. She shot at him. It was a good plan, but with the barrier up, he’s untouchable.

  “As I was saying,” says Craike, “you can either listen to me or I can kill Juliet. It’s up to you.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” I say. “She’s too important.”

  “She’s nothing now! She knows about us, so she’ll never trust anyone again. And if she doesn’t tell anyone her secrets, I’ll never get paid. Because of you, she’s disposable. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you. I have something to tell you about Dylan.”

  I turn and look at Dyl. He’s standing with his arms crossed. What could Craike possibly know about him that could damage me? What else could he be hiding?

  “You’ve got nothing,” says Dyl. “You don’t know me.”

  “Look at me, Caden,” says Craike. “I want to watch as the horror sinks in. Look away and I’ll shoot her.”

  I suck in a breath, then turn and look at him.

  “We were never going to kill Dyl. Do you think we would waste resources unnecessarily? We just transport the unchosen Love Interests to another country, wipe their memories, and have them try again until they’re picked. Your whole crusade has been for nothing.”

  He’s lying. He must be. He always lies. I study his face, taking note of the twinkle in his eyes and the width of his smile, and realize he’s telling the truth. He’s doing what he always does, destroying an empire with a perfectly aimed piece of information. Everything that brought me here, everything I’ve done, was to save Dyl, and he wasn’t even in danger. People have died because I’m a gullible fool.

  “That was beautiful,” says Craike. “Remember how stupid you’ve been while you grieve.”

  He turns the gun on Juliet and pulls the trigger. His hand goes limp and his head lolls. He’s unconscious. He held on just long enough to do the unthinkable.

  Juliet smacks the floor, her body alarmingly limp. I rush forward and crouch down in front of her. I can’t touch her because of the barrier, but I get as close as I can.

  “Juliet?” Did he hit her? It’ll be close, but …

  A circle of blood appears between her chest and shoulder.

  NO NO NO NO NO.

  It’s my fault it’s my fault it’s my—

  Her eyes open and she takes in a deep breath. She’s okay. Using her right hand, she props herself up and inspects her wound.

  “Juliet,” I say, “you need to get to the pen and bring the barrier down. Then we can get you out of here.”

  “Oh my God, you think I don’t know that?”

  I shut my mouth. With a grimace, she drags herself forward, moving toward the pen. She pulls herself forward another inch, then collapses. Come on, Juliet, get back up. You’re almost there. Her arms are shaking, but she manages to pull herself a bit closer. With a desperate lunge, she grabs the pen. She presses the clicker at the top and the barrier fades away.

  Natalie and I rush forward. I reach Juliet and bend down beside her. Natalie goes straight to Craike. He’s unconscious, but she takes the gun from his slack hand anyway. Then she grabs him by the hair and smashes his head into the bookshelf. She pulls it back, then smashes it in again.

  I wrap my arms around Juliet and stand up. She’s surprisingly light. Her cold fingers scramble against my shirt, but her grip is weak. A clean hole is ripped right through her shoulder, and her shirt is wet with blood. Maybe I thought too soon; maybe she’s not okay.

  She looks into my eyes and her eyelids flutter.

  “Juliet!” I say. “Hey, stay with me, okay? Listen, I love you. All right? I love you. It’s okay. I love you.”

  Her eyes close.

  “Juliet!” I can feel her breath on my neck. She’s not dead. Not yet, at least.

  “We need to move!” I cry.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  The camera feed shows the Love Interests flooding into the hallways. The guards that are on duty are quickly outnumbered. She did it. Juliet freaking did it.

  “Caden,” says Dyl. “What do you want to do now? Don’t lie to me.”

  I never will.

  “It’s awful,” I say. “But I want to leave right now. Juliet doesn’t have much time. We can find a way to save the others later.” I look down at Juliet. “I can’t let her die, Dyl.”

  “She won’t,” he says. “The wound is bad, but she won’t die from it. The fact that she’s still breathing means the bullet missed all her essential organs, which is good, obviously. We have enough time to save the others. Caden, she won’t die. You trust me, don’t you?”

  “I do,” I say. “So we’ll do it.”

  “Is that really what you want?”

  I nod.

  He smiles. “I believe you.”

  “Good. The key is in my pocket. I’m not putting her down, so you’re going to have to do it.”

  He moves to my side and slides his hand into my pocket. He pulls out the card, then places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Thanks, Caden. Let’s move!”

  He releases me, then we run through the doorway. Natalie joins us.

  We reach the elevator; Dyl presses the button marked 2 and the doors close. The elevator descends. Juliet is shivering. Finally, the doors reopen.

  Standing outside is a group of about thirty guys. They’re all crowded around the door, each one pressing forward. They’re wearing the same clingy sky-blue shirts that are burned into my brain. The memory of the cold, silky, constrictive feel of them makes me shiver.

  “You saved us!” cries one, a big guy. The sleeves of his shirt have been cut off to reveal his huge biceps. I look up. Oh wow, it’s Robert, the Bad with the massive back. His eyes are watering. “We’re free. Come on, guys, clap for them!”

  They begin to clap and cheer. Their faces contort into smiles, an expression that feels like a punch to my gut. Trevor. Juliet. Was it worth it to let them get shot so these people could smile? Was it really?

  “Come on!” I say.

  They rush forward and fill the elevator. I’m pressed to the back. Dyl places his hand on my shoulder again. His palm thumps with every heartbeat. Boy, he has a strong heart. The strongest I’ve ever felt. I focus on the sound. Each individual beat. His heart is still beating, so it’s going to be okay.

  We reach the top level and the door opens. Two guards descend, their batons raised. One boy’s face cracks under the black metal, but another takes his place. He shoves the guard to the floor and everyone pounces on him, kicking and clawing. The other guard screams, high and loud, as he’s dragged to the floor. The crowd settles, leaving the guards a bloody mess.

  I turn to Dyl. His bottom lip is trembling and his hands are balled into fists. His eyes are brimming with tears. He can’t die. Not Dyl.

  “You need to go,” I say. “So does Juliet, and Natalie. Dyl, if you take her, I can go back and …” My eyes flick down to the boy’s body. His forehead is crushed inward like a dropped boiled egg, revealing fragments of skull and brain. That could�
��ve been Dyl. Or Juliet or Natalie. “I need to free the others. It’s what Juliet would want.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “There’s no way you’re going back in there alone.”

  “You’ve done enough,” says a deep voice. It’s Robert. His hands are in his pockets. “Give me the key, I can take it from here. The four of you can go and I’ll free the others.”

  “Great plan,” I say. “But I can’t trust you—you seem too keen.” I pick the boy standing beside Robert, a boy with curly red hair and the beginnings of a beard. He’s clearly a Nice. “Will you go with him, just to make sure he doesn’t try anything?”

  He nods. Dyl hands him the key card.

  “Then go!”

  They spin and run to the elevator. The rest of the Love Interests are sprinting toward the massive open door. Juliet is in my arms, Natalie is to my left, and Dyl is to my right.

  “Ready?” I ask.

  We run.

  We pass through the open door into the cool night air. The sky is navy and the air feels charged. We reach our car. Natalie climbs in first, then, gently, I lay Juliet down on the backseat so that her head rests on Natalie’s lap. Dyl gets into the driver’s seat. Once I’m sure Juliet is safe, I climb in and sit on the passenger seat.

  As I buckle my seat belt Dyl turns to me. “Caden, do you want to go for a drive?”

  I picture him back on the roof, sitting beside me, looking into my eyes, asking me the same question. Back then, the prospect of driving with him was exciting. A tiny taste of freedom, of rebellion. I look through the windshield and the world is so large and so vast. I can go anywhere. Now we’re really driving, now we’re actually free.

  It’s not exciting.

  It’s exhilarating.

  “Don’t make this a big thing, Dyl. Just drive.”

  He plants his foot on the accelerator and the world blurs away.

  EPILOGUE

  ONE YEAR LATER

  I roll over, tilting my head to focus on the soft sunlight that’s streaming in through my bedroom window. I can see my garden. It’s small, and admittedly not much to look at, but it’s really important to me. The simple and repetitive task of maintaining it clears my head when things get bad, which used to be quite often. Those episodes feel distant now, though. How long’s it been since I last had to use it? I don’t know exactly, but my garden is practically all weeds now. I take that as a good sign, and I smile.