Infinite Testament

by Greg Ness

  X was discouraged. He commanded to his disciples, “Get him out of here.” X walked away as the blue-robed disciples closed in on him. Nick grew nervous. He didn’t want them near him.

  “You should try her father,” he yelled out. X stopped and faced Nick. His interest was piqued as Nick continued, “His wife died in a car crash and he went kind of crazy. If anyone knows anything, it’s him.”

  X retorted, “I doubt that.” He held out his hand, signaling for his disciples to stop their progress toward Nick. The disciples obediently froze in place. X brought his face uncomfortably close to Nick’s. “What are you suggesting?”

  “Nothing,” Nick said. “Please. I have a wife and a daughter. I just want to get home to them.”

  “How tragic,” X mocked.

  Nick’s mind scrambled, looking for a way out. “Why don’t you get some of her old boyfriends? She wasn’t exactly prudent with who she went out with.”

  X only grew more heated. Nick was unknowingly digging himself in a hole.

  “Sara was always around shady characters.”

  X turned red. “Shady?”

  “She was just kind of… immature.”

  X gripped his staff. He had enough. He twisted the staff and a blade shot out at one end. He jabbed the blade into Nick.

  Nick convulsed forward.

  X taunted him, “Sadly, your family will have to learn to live without you. Good luck in your next life.”

  Nick felt his life slipping away. What had he done to deserve this? Nick was physically impaled, but worse, the thought of his family broke his heart. They would have to live their lives without him. It would be mere minutes before he would die.

  X looked admirably at his work. “Clean this up. Do what you have to do,” he announced to his disciples. The twelve of them watched the scene unfold.

  And one notable disciple watched as Nick’s life helplessly slipped away:

  Bruce Dennett.

  25

  It was only a week after Bruce and Kristen ran into Stephen and Lisa at the fair. And Bruce intended on keeping his promise. He was going to deliver the ELPIS box to Stephen. He had neglected him. He had been a bad friend. But he was just so busy.

  With Sara Ixley.

  He had gone through his entire senior year living with Kristen. He couldn’t screw that up. But secretly, he had been seeing Sara Ixley. Was it wrong? Maybe. But they loved each other. Bruce played the caring boyfriend for Kristen just long enough. Now that the year, and his college career, was almost over, he was prepared to do what he had to do to be with Sara Ixley.

  He was going to break up with Kristen.

  Sara dumped Nick a while back, freeing herself for Bruce. But in an unplanned development during their complicated relationship, Sara fell into another relationship with some other guy. It made things even more convoluted than they already were. And honestly, Bruce felt bad about the whole thing. As much as he loved Sara, there was a place in his heart for Kristen too.

  It was time. Bruce walked into the bedroom. Kristen was sitting at the edge of the bed facing the window. Her back was to him, but he could see her hands covering her eyes.

  “Kristen?”

  Bruce approached her and tenderly put his hand on her shoulder. “I need to talk to you about something.” His mind raced. It wasn’t easy. And it was about to get harder.

  But as he peered at Kristen’s face, he saw she was already crying. Not only that, she had been crying for a while. Profusely. What was wrong? Did she know already?

  “Kristen… Are you okay?”

  Sara looked at herself in the mirror of the bathroom and stared into her eyes. Her dilated green eyes judged her. She looked at her dress. Her ‘boyfriend’, the guy other than Bruce that she had inadvertently connected with after dumping Nick, showered her with compliments. Said she looked great. But she was sick of the lies.

  She rolled up the long sleeves shielding her wrists. Her scars became exposed. For years, she had covered them. Not anymore. This was who she was. Beautiful on the outside, a disaster on the inside.

  Sara hung her head as water ran from the sink beneath her. The echo of the running water filled the walls of the bathroom. It was deafening. But it wasn’t loud enough. Her thoughts banged against her head. It was simply too much. She began to bawl with tears.

  A magnified noise that rang out like a gunshot filled the bathroom. It startled her. The door had opened.

  Sara promptly attempted to gain her composure to avoid embarrassment from the incoming stranger. The girl who walked in was a brunette in a black dress. She had the look of despair in her eyes. How strange. The bathroom was becoming a cellar for it.

  The girl walked in and shot a beeline straight for the sink next to Sara. She turned on the water as the echo in the room erupted with density. The brunette scooped some water with her hands and splashed it onto her face. She grabbed a towel and dried herself.

  She did almost all of this without even noticing Sara. Suddenly, it occurred to her she was there. She jumped with surprise at the realization. Noting Sara’s torment, the brunette asked, “You’re having a rough night too?”

  Sara turned off her sink and forced a smile. “Kind of. My boyfriend proposed to me.”

  The brunette’s face lit up. “Well that’s great! Congratulations!”

  “Except that I’m in love with someone else. I was going to break up with my boyfriend to be with him.”

  The brunette’s face relaxed. “Oh. I see.”

  “I just don’t know what to do,” Sara said. “What’s going on with you?”

  The girl turned off her sink. The bathroom felt like a chapel with its cold quiet stirring the air. “I’m here to celebrate my one year anniversary with my boyfriend. And I just told him my plans to move to Los Angeles after graduation. He had no idea. I broke his heart.” The girl’s eyes flushed as she avoided the tears that were attempting to see the light of the day.

  Sara held out her hand. An introduction was in order. “I’m Sara Ixley.”

  The girl replied, “Lisa Binsby.”

  They smiled at each other. Instead of shaking Sara’s hand, Lisa gave her a hug. In a trying time, a special bond was formed.

  Lisa declared, “I think you should do what’s best for you.”

  “But what if this proposal is a sign?”

  “A sign?” Lisa asked.

  “…A sign that I’m not supposed to leave my boyfriend.”

  The idea seemed absurd to Lisa. How could something be a sign? She’d heard of serendipity before, but to make a major life decision on it? It was hard for her to empathize with that kind of thinking. Lisa stared into Sara’s worried eyes and offered an alternative, advice she had received before. “‘All paths lead nowhere. Follow the path with heart.’ If you do that, you’ll know what to do.”

  Sara smiled. “You’re right.”

  The decision Sara was about to make wasn’t much of a decision at all. She was going to break it off with her faux boyfriend and live happily ever after with Bruce. It was what they always deserved.

  Bruce lowered to his knees to get at eye level with Kristen. “What’s wrong?” He feared the worst. He prayed she didn’t know about his secret relationship with Sara.

  Kristen asked, “Do you remember my friend Sara Ixley?”

  Bruce’s eyes widened. She knew. She had to. This was bad. He put his hand on her knee. “Yes. I remember.” He hesitated to ask but did anyway, “What about her?”

  “She killed herself.”

  Bruce froze. He stared through Kristen. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.

  “What?”

  Kristen sobbed as Bruce turned to stone. He swallowed heavily and his eyes shot around the room. No. She wouldn’t do that. He saw her yesterday. They were about to start their life together. She was excited. It wasn’t true.

  Bruce rose to his feet and walked out of the room. He shut the door behind him, leaving Kristen to lament on her own. His mind raced around as he p
aced. He needed to find answers.

  It simply wasn’t possible.

  Bruce trudged around the family room and grabbed his car keys off the table. He was going to Sara’s place.

  “Bruce,” a voice said.

  Bruce looked around the room. Nothing. He was hearing things. He stepped to dart out of the apartment.

  “Bruce!”

  He knew exactly who it was. He just didn’t want to believe it. It wasn’t the first time a dead person came to see him. He turned around and there she was:

  Sara Ixley.

  “No,” Bruce pleaded. “You’re not dead. Please tell me you’re not dead.”

  Sara’s face dropped. “I’m sorry, Bruce.”

  Bruce dropped his keys. It was too much. He lost control of his emotions. Tears overwhelmed him as he attempted to keep them away. “Why would you kill yourself?”

  Sara tilted her head quizzically, surprised to hear him ask that. “I didn’t. I was murdered.”

  “What? By who? Why?”

  “A man whose name I don’t know. And I don’t know why.”

  Bruce stared at her. She was beautiful beyond his wildest dreams. He loved her so much. So much.

  “What about us?” Bruce’s mind searched for a solution. Only one thing made sense. “I’ll kill myself right now and join you.”

  Bruce sprinted into the kitchen, drifting past the sprawled out furniture. He flung open a drawer and fumbled through the silverware. He found a large knife. Perfect. It would do the trick. He placed the blade on his wrist, not thinking twice about ending his life.

  “Bruce, stop,” Sara demanded, appearing directly in front of him.

  Bruce looked with desperation in Sara’s eyes. The knife rested on his wrist, waiting to pierce his skin. All he had to do was pull with one swipe. His hand froze, not sure whether or not to follow through.

  She smiled gracefully at him. Her wrists turned toward him so he could see her scars. “You can’t make the same mistake I did.”

  Bruce struggled to see her through a curtain of tears. “Don’t leave me.”

  “You’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been. I will always be with you.”

  Sara leaned forward and kissed him. Bruce closed his eyes as his hand dropped the knife to the floor. He grabbed her face and passionately kissed her back. It was his last chance. He wouldn’t let it slip away. The feel of her moist lips energized his soul and tore it apart. Sara put her hands on Bruce’s face, trying her best to not let him go.

  But she had to.

  Sara pulled away. “I will always love you.”

  Bruce tried to smile. But he couldn’t.

  “Just remember, I chose you. You are the only one for me, Bruce.”

  Bruce’s despair morphed into anger. “I’ll find who did this. And I’ll kill him.”

  “No. Don’t concern yourself with vengeance. It will only destroy you.” Sara rubbed his cheek. Lisa’s advice in her direst moment came to her. “’All paths lead nowhere. Follow the path with heart.’ I’ll be waiting for you, Bruce.”

  Sara stepped back. It was time for her to go.

  Bruce shook his head. “No. Don’t go,” he pleaded.

  Sara smiled at him. It was never easy to say goodbye. But suddenly, Sara’s face lit up. She had almost forgotten. “One more thing. I was wrong. You need to listen to Elpis.”

  Bruce was flabbergasted. Huh? How did all these dead people know about his ELPIS box? Was that what allowed him to see dead people? Bruce digressed. It didn’t matter. The love of his life was leaving.

  Bruce boldly proclaimed, “I will see you again, Sara. I love you.”

  Sara smiled and nodded at him. She held her hand out to him. He reached for it. But by the time his hand reached hers, she was gone.

  Sara Ixley was gone.

  26

  Bruce didn’t go to Sara’s wake. He wouldn’t go to her funeral.

  He just couldn’t do it.

  There was no way for Bruce to know what would happen. He might’ve grown angry and sworn revenge. He might’ve become despondent about the love he wasn’t allowed to have. It was best for him to try and forget about Sara Ixley. Again.

  But forgetting a girl like Sara Ixley wasn’t an easy task.

  Bruce panted as he ran down the street. Running had become a medicinal exercise for him; it was an easy way to relieve stress. And ever since Sara died, his stress levels had risen exponentially. Moving on with the rest of his life wasn’t easy, but running was a good way to clear his head.

  Today being the day of Sara’s funeral, he ran extra hard. And extra far.

  Until he came upon a small lake. The area around the water was grassy and sporadically full of people. There was a man playing Frisbee with his dog. A couple was fishing. Children laughed as they ran around and chased each other. This was a happy place, full of life. Just where Bruce needed to be.

  Bruce sat under a tree, shading himself from the summer sun bearing down on the cheerful people around him. Thoughts streamed into his mind as he relaxed and slowed his racing heartbeat. He stared at the water rippling in front of him. Funny thing about water: so quick to give life, so quick to take it away. Thousands have craved water, thousands have feared it. There wasn’t a force quite like it on Earth.

  In his side vision, Bruce noticed someone approach him and sit next to him. He turned his head to see a familiar face. “Pocahontas?”

  The wolf-girl from the forest. Although it had been at least five years since he’d seen her, she looked exactly the same. Like she hadn’t aged a day. She had the same blonde curly hair. Still charmingly attractive. And looking at her now, he noticed that she looked strangely identical to Sara.

  Despite that, Bruce was unfazed and continued to observe the rippling water.

  Pocahontas pointed out, “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

  “I talk to dead people. Nothing surprises me anymore,” Bruce quipped.

  Pocahontas empathized with Bruce. Without the details, she knew about Sara’s death. Pocahontas scooted close to Bruce. Her arm wrapped around him as she attempted to provide him with some comfort.

  “You haven’t aged,” Bruce mumbled. “You look exactly the same.” He stared into her otherworldly blue eyes. “You said you would need my help. I’m guessing that’s why you’re here…”

  “I don’t need your help. Not yet.”

  Bruce’s eyebrows rose with skepticism. “I know you’re not here to say hello.”

  “No. I’m here to tell you to keep in touch with Stephen. He’s going to need you now.”

  “Why does he need me? I just saw him recently at the fair.”

  “Let me put it to you this way. If you don’t… then everyone you know will die.”

  Bruce chuckled in disbelief. Pocahontas’s charm had worn out. “What do you want from me?”

  “I just told you, Bruce.”

  Bruce grew frustrated. “No. I don’t think you did. You haven’t aged a minute. You know what I think? I think you’re dead. A ghost.”

  Pocahontas was amused. “I’m not a ghost.”

  Bruce stood up and walked away. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. He headed for the border of the lake.

  “Bruce!” Pocahontas yelled after him.

  Bruce stood and gazed out across the water. His eyelids slid down and covered his eyes. Blackness. He imagined Sara Ixley standing next to him. Maybe if he focused hard enough, he could summon her back. He imagined her flowing blonde hair blowing in the wind as she looked out at the lake with him. He imagined her warm, innocent smile as they held hands, embracing the life they had waited so long for. All he had to do was focus.

  “Bruce.”

  He opened his eyes, hoping to see Sara Ixley. Instead, he again saw Pocahontas. Bruce scowled at her. She grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry for what happened. We can make sure she didn’t die for nothing.”

  Bruce looked down at their joined hands. Oddly, her hand felt soothing. He looked at her pure smile. S
he had a face that was hard to distrust, especially since she looked so similar to Sara. Her eyes glowed; she was overwhelmingly inviting.

  Bruce asked, “Why does Stephen need me?”

  Pocahontas replied, “There is a bad man influencing him.”

  Bruce shook his head. A bad man. A little vague, wasn’t it? There was no way to know what to believe. He lowered his head and confessed, “Last year, Sara Ixley told me not to trust the girl who gave me the ring.”

  Pocahontas’s eyes grew wide. This wasn’t good.

  Bruce continued, “Sara died last week. I’m sorry, Pocahontas. I want to trust you. But I can’t. And if that means I have to stay away from Stephen Pandora, that’s what I’ll do.”

  Bruce let go of Pocahontas’s gentle hand and walked away. She wouldn’t follow him this time. She was left alone to stare at the peaceful body of water in front of her. There would be no persuading Bruce to her side. Not yet anyway.

  27

  It was two weeks since Nick Castaneda was slain by X. Naturally, an investigation was opened by the police, but nothing was found. As CEO of the Russell Corporation, X’s influence traveled long and far.

  Bruce stood in X’s office. They were high in the Russell Corporation skyscraper in downtown Grand Rapids. The view of X’s office extended far over the city and the surrounding suburbs. Looking out the windows, the buildings below looked like miniatures. Bruce wore a casual shirt, coming straight from work to meet X in his office. X wore a suit and tie. The all-important CEO dressed and looked the part, keeping his long hair neatly tied in a ponytail. It was a far cry from the sinister look he otherwise maintained. The blue robes didn’t come out until night, when they held their meetings deep under the ground of Russell Corporation’s headquarters.

  Bruce said, “I have news for you, Russell.” During the day, under business pretenses, the use of the name Russell was acceptable, as bothersome as it was for X to hear.

  X leaned back in his office chair and perused the monthly sales figures for his company. “What is it, Bruce?”

  Bruce spoke quietly. Even though they were behind closed doors, he didn’t want to risk any of the bustling employees walking by hearing him. “You want to know who killed Sara? I know who we can bring in next week.”