Immortal

by Kelvin Kelley

It was almost impossible for Jericho to concentrate on his assigned task for the rest of his shift. So much had happened in such a short period of time, that his mind continued to jump from one seemingly unbelievable event to the other. He marveled at how nondescript his whole life had seemed until just a few days ago. And now, the interrogation constantly lingered in his mind, the beach, and the puzzle of mended fence, with no way to get to the beach any longer. And of course there was the impending link with Gabrielle, and the strange events that had unfolded during the mid-day meal. No matter how hard he tried to focus on his task, images of the blue light as it arced from the fallen Guardian’s body repeatedly flashed in his mind. That and the horrible acrid smell of the smoke that came from the Guardian as it burned. It had been so strong in the confines of the meal area, that it seemed to still surround him. They had fled, and had been directed back to their stations, but he hated to be separated from Gabrielle. She had seemed fine, if not a little shaken by the commotion they had witnessed, but he was now sure in his own mind, that the Guardians had been focused on him. Even with all of the other chaos in the room. The memory of the Guardian, with its slight turn of the head towards him, continued to haunt him. He had no doubt now that they watched him even now, but why, he did not know.

  Even on his trip back to his station, again as he passed virtually every doorway, it seemed that a Guardian did not just stand right inside each entrance, but each of them seemed to look directly at him. As if collectively they followed him. Though, he had to concede, once he had reached his own station’s entrance, and had passed by the Guardian there, it did not seem to move, or even acknowledge his presence. As much as he tried to convince himself that it may still all be in his own mind. That it was just a repercussion from his interrogation. He still came back to the immutable fact, that the Guardian in the meal room had definitely turned towards him as he and Gabrielle left. Of that, he had no doubt. And so began his thought process as to why they might want to watch him. As part of his mind blindly worked at his task, another part rolled through all the chaotic events of the last few days, as he tried to isolate what he might have done to deserve such attention. Obviously there had been the incident with Donovan, but since Donovan had admitted his own disobedience and had subsequently been punished for it, it did not seem to make sense that they would still be focused on Jericho. It was as he thought back to the break in the fence and how it was now sealed that he began to wonder if that might be why he was suddenly the object of scrutiny by the Guardians. But it wasn’t like there had been any harm done, he thought. He and Gabrielle had gone to the beach, and were only there for a few minutes. No one knew about it, and nothing had happened, nothing at least that would have affected anyone else or the Guardians. To Jericho, it just did not make any sense.

  These thoughts continued to ramble through his mind as he completed his shift and he made his way out of the factory. Turn by turn, and doorway by doorway, he averted his eyes from the looming Guardians that still seemed to be everywhere. He knew that just be cause he did not look at them, it would not stop the feeling that they were intent in their observations. But at least it allowed him not to have to acknowledge it consciously. He took a deep breath, and let out a sigh of relief once he had finally exited the factory and was on the road back to the village. He stepped carefully to the side of the road through the exiting crowds as they all rushed back to the village. There he waited for Gabrielle. He was thankful that there were no Guardians visible. Soon she exited the factory, caught his eye, and made her way through the traffic to his side.

  “What happened?” She asked.

  “When?” He said.

  “The meal room, you lunk.” She said, as she playfully slugged his arm.

  “Oh that. I’m not sure.” He said, as he took her hand and they merged back into the village bound traffic. “Looked like that guy got an empty tray, and was just trying to get back to the serving wall.”

  “But why didn’t he just go back around?” She asked.

  “Can’t answer that.” He said. “That’s what I would have done.”

  “And those awful blue sparks-”

  “And smoke.” He interrupted.

  “And all those people on the ground.”

  “It was a mess.” He said, slightly distracted, as they kept pace with the tide of people on the road. “Gabby?” He asked.

  “Yes.” She said.

  “They were watching me.”

  “Who was?” She asked.

  “The Guardians. In the meal room.”

  “Watching you. What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Well, not just then…” He hesitated. “But for a while. I’m sure of it now.” He said.

  “I don’t get it, Jericho. Explain.”

  “Every since the interrogation, I’ve felt it. I thought it was just me.” He said, and let his head fall just a bit, as if he was ashamed to even think it at all.

  “Felt what?” She asked. “That they’ve been watching you?”

  “Yeah.” He said, and turned to her as they continued to walk. “And it seems like it’s been happening everywhere.”

  “Everywhere?” She asked. “Maybe it’s just because they are everywhere that it seems like that.” She offered.

  “That’s what I kept trying to tell myself. But you saw it. Today, in the meal room. It was total chaos, fire and smoke, bodies everywhere, and yet just as we were leaving…” He hesitated again, and looked around to make sure that no one paid any attention to them.

  “Just as we were leaving?” She prompted him.

  “Just as we were leaving, it turned toward me.” He said.

  “Maybe it was just observing everyone exiting.” She said.

  “No Gabby. It turned towards me. I know it did. It watched me. They all are!” He said excitedly, as his pace quickened. She pulled back on his arm to slow him back to her own pace.

  “Look, Jericho.” She said calmly. “That’s what they do. They’re Guardians. They watch everybody. All the time. I mean, I’ve never really noticed it, or even thought about it until you mentioned it. But that’s what they do.” She said.

  “I’ve never noticed it before either, but it’s driving me crazy. It’s like everywhere I turn, there they are. Looking at me.” His head dropped again as he thought about it.

  “But if it really isn’t anything different…just that maybe you are noticing it now, then what’s the harm. Have they approached you? Or spoken to you?” She asked.

  “No. Not really.”

  “What do mean, not really.” She asked,

  “One of them grabbed me earlier.” He said.

  “Grabbed you? When?” She asked, the concern evident in her voice.

  “When I first went to my station.” He said. “It was my fault really.” He explained. “I was heading to my station, and they were everywhere, watching me, and I was just trying to get past them all, and I guess I might have started running, and I flew into my station area, and ran right into the Guardian posted there.” He took a deep breath, as he remembered how hard his heart pounded at that exact second. He continued. “It was like running onto a wall.” He said, as he turned towards her. “I guess I never realized how heavy they are. I ran right into it, and it didn’t even budge.” He turned his eyes back to the road ahead. “It grabbed me to keep me from falling.” He said quietly.

  “So it wasn’t really grabbing you. Like it was after you.” She said.

  “No, but-”

  “It was just keeping you from falling.” She said.

  “Well, yeah. I guess so.”

  “Do you think it was doing something else?” She asked. “Besides keeping you from hurting yourself?”

  “No. I guess not.” He answered.

  “Then it wasn’t really after you in any way, was it?” She asked.

  “No. I guess it wasn’t.” He agreed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that they are watching me.” He said.<
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  “But if that’s what they do, I mean, if that’s what they have always done, to everyone, then that’s not a problem either, is it?” She asked.

  “But why does it seem like it’s just now that they are watching me.” He answered. “Why not before?”

  “Well honestly, Jericho, I’ve never noticed it before, but I’m sure they have been. I mean, they’re everywhere, all the time. Why else would they be everywhere except to keep a watch over us. To protect us from ourselves. To be our Guardians.” She answered.

  “But why now?” He asked.

  “Not just now.” She answered. “It’s just now that you’re noticing it. And I’m sure that after having been through the interrogation, you’re just noticing them more than you did before.”

  “I know you’re probably right.” He said, and walked a bit in silence. Gabrielle could see that his mind was still focused on his concern and thought that maybe they should change the subject. That maybe it might help his mood.

  “So.” She began. “When do we apply?” She asked.

  “Apply?” He asked, as he turned his head back towards her as they continued to walk.

  “You know.” She said. “Apply to link?” Her face lit up in a brilliant smile.

  “Wow, I hadn’t even thought about that part yet.” He said, as his voice lightened up a bit as he spoke. “I guess we can do it right after the evening meal. No reason to wait.” He said, as smile spread across his own face now.

  “Should we apply before we tell our parents?” She asked. Her smile faltered slightly as concern crept into her expression.

  “Why not.” He said emphatically. “It’s not like it’s going to be a big surprise to them anyway.” He said, and laughed. “When we tell them, they probably going ask us what took so long?”

  “You think so?” She asked.

  “Oh definitely.” He answered. “I think you and I are the only ones that have been surprised by our decision.” He laughed again, and continued to smile. “Rebecca even asked me weeks ago, what we were waiting for. And my Dad-”

  “Rebecca asked you what we were waiting for? Really?”

  “Really.” He responded.

  “Then tonight it is.” She said. Her voice implied resolution.

  “Tonight it is.” He agreed.

  Unlike the road to the factory, which ended with the plague scanners at the entrance to the factory, the exit road from the factory had no such scanning station at the entrance to the village. By the time they had reached the village entrance, the crowd on the road thinned, and what had been a brisk pace, slowed to a more leisurely walk. They knew that the majority of the entire shift from the factory would head straight to the meal building for their evening meal, so they decided to gradually make their way there, in no hurry to get in line. They discussed if they should stop by the control center to apply to link right away, but decided to stick with their original plan of doing so after their evening meal, as the control center was closer to both of their compartments. As they made their way towards the meal building in a pace resembling a meandering stroll, they held hands, and began to talk about how life would change for them after they had linked. How they would be assigned a new compartment, one of their very own. How initially it would just be them, but soon they would then apply for their first child. And not long after, they would apply for their second. And as they finally reached the entrance line that led into the meal room, they begun to discuss the names that they would give their future children.

  “I really like John.” Jericho said, as Gabrielle looked back to him from her position just ahead of him in line.

  “But Jonathan has such a nice sound to it.” She said. “The way it rolls of your tongue.” She said, and giggled as she stuck out her tongue, as though that explained the process.

  “Yeah, but it takes too long to say.” Jericho countered. “John is short and simple. It’s easy to say.” He said.

  “If that’s the case, then why not Luke? That’s easy to say.” She said, as she stepping forward as the line continued to move. He stepped up behind her.

  “No. Not Luke. I want it start with a ‘J’.” He said. “You know, like Jericho, but just something easier to say.”

  “So does that mean that you think the second child, our girl, that her name should start with a ‘G’. For Gabrielle?” She asked, as she stepped forward again, now almost at the scanners that bordered the entrance.

  “No!” He said emphatically. “Her name should start with a ‘J’ too.” A smile spread across his face, and she laughed, and sweetly hit his shoulder. She stepped forward again, and placed her hand in the scanner.

  “That is not going to happen.” She said, as she laughed, and began to pull her hand from the scanner. “Both of their names are not going to begin with a ‘J’.” She said, as she began to step forward with the line, but realized that her hand was still in the scanner. “What the-” She said as she almost lost her balance. Then her eyes focused on the light on top of the scanner. Though at first she had been too caught off guard to realize it, Jericho’s eyes were now focused on the light as well. The light was red.

  Jericho was surrounded by as the mist began to fall from above, as his eyes jumped from the red light on top of the plague scanner to Gabrielle’s unbelievably frightened eyes. He grabbed her hand and tried to help her remove it.

  “Jericho?” she said, terrified.

  “Be calm.” A mechanical voice said. “The plague has been isolated. You are in no danger.” The Guardian stepped from beside the entrance way and extended his control stick as he moved towards Gabrielle.

  “Jericho!” Gabrielle shrieked. As he realized he could not remove her hand from the scanner, Jericho leapt in between the Guardian and Gabrielle. The control stick touched him in the chest, and every nerve in his body lit up with horrible agony.

  “Jericho!” She screamed now. Her eyes begged him. As the painful currents ran through him, he gritted his teeth so hard, he was certain that they would break. Every muscle in his body tightened and he tried to fight off the impending gloom that already surrounded his vision. The darkness of unconsciousness swept over him, as he felt himself fall. Into the darkness he was swallowed. The last image being that of the Guardian, the control stick extended, as it stood over him. The last sound he heard, was that of Gabrielle as she screamed his name.

  Chapter 12