“Evening.” The man continued to walk and still didn’t look at her. “That shouldn’t have been so hard, Christine. You know I didn’t let the others get that many chances. Some died after the first activation their bodies were so frail. The others seemed like they were telling the truth, but they didn’t answer my questions, so I released them into the pile. Christine, would you like to be released into the pile?”
Christine coughed. “No.”
“No, I wouldn’t either because the only way that device holding you up there will ever release you is if you’re dead. You’re probably wondering if I have some way of turning it off and I don’t. I truly don’t. You are going to die, Christine. When you do, you will be released. How much pain would you like to endure before you die?”
He spoke like he was reciting a speech from memory. This obviously wasn’t a new ritual for him. She couldn’t tell if he took pleasure in the torture or not. Some people were sick enough to really enjoy this kind of thing, but he gave no hint of his emotions and kept up his march around the pile.
Panic and fear seized at her when she thought of dying here, but she quickly focused on what Jenn told her. The soldier would not defeat them. She was not alone. The memory gave her strength. She was growing tired of being afraid. Fear had all but consumed her from the moment she woke, and if she was going to die, she would not die a coward.
She looked down at him and smiled. “I bet you’re fun at parties. Can you do any other voices with that thing? You should try something other than ‘flat-faced dick head with no personality’. Is there another setting you can try? Go into settings and tap on voices…”
The pain returned with great intensity. Don’t scream. Her back arched and her muscles went rigid. Christine tried to count the length of time in her head. At 45 seconds, she was beginning to lose concentration. At 50, everything went black.
Christine
“Charles, would you be a dear and bring me my cup of tea, please?” Jenn said softly as she and Charles sat together on a cream-colored loveseat in what Christine thought must be their first apartment together.
Yes, in fact, it was their first apartment together. Somehow, the memory was there for Christine in the back of her mind. It was a strange sensation, recalling somebody else’s memories. There were flashes of other memories in her mind. She could feel them there, but knew they weren’t hers. They were Jenn’s and were just as inaccessible to her as her own memories. She probed at them, trying to see what secrets hid behind the wall in her mind, but the barrier stood as solid as ever.
The room contained the love seat with two plain wooden end tables, a small square coffee table with a glass top, and a small flat screen TV on the wall above an inset gas-burning fireplace. The floor was covered with worn gray carpet. There were a few pictures in frames on one of the walls, arrayed in a collage with different frame styles and shapes. The picture in the center was of the couple holding a paper certificate out in front of them, the word marriage prominently displayed. The background looked like an office of some kind. A courthouse, she thought. It was just like Jenn. Christine had heard of weddings, extravagant parties meant to celebrate a marriage. It didn’t seem like something Jenn would do. There were one or two more pictures of them posing at different locations. One in a forest of pine trees – Christine smiled at that, recognizing the woods from a previous dream – and the other of the couple celebrating in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. They looked exceptionally happy together.
Christine assumed the last dream took place at Charles’ parent’s house and they were obviously wealthy, but this apartment was not luxurious at all. It seemed they were making a go of it on their own without money from his parents. The dots between the courthouse wedding and the apartment connected quickly for Christine. They didn’t want a big wedding, but his parents did, so Jenn and Charles just went to the court house and got married there. This angered his parents and they stopped giving him money. Christine doubted Jenn would take money from anybody, anyway. Christine didn’t know why she knew all that to be true, but she did. She recalled it like she lived it. It was the first time she recalled any of Jenn’s memories without being shown them in a dream first. She smiled, taking it as a positive sign. Maybe her mind was making progress.
Jenn was laying on her back with her head propped on one side of the chair and her legs extended to the other side. Charles sat beside her as he watched TV, her legs on his lap. Jenn was covered with a small blue and white throw blanket. She, of course, had a book in her hands. Charles was watching a sappy romance movie on the TV- a guilty pleasure of his Christine recalled through Jenn’s memories.
“Are you being lazy?” Charles asked without looking her way.
“Yes,” Jenn replied quickly, smirking.
“Perhaps my brilliant wife would like to invent a way for that glass of tea to magically appear in her hand, because that’s the only way it’s going to happen with your legs trapping me.”
Jenn raised an eyebrow and stared at him out of the side of her eye, then looked back down at her book. “Perhaps I should.”
“You know, when you’re a fancy scientist in a few months, with people fawning all over you, maybe you can have one of them bring you your iced tea. I, as a thankless stay at home husband, will have to get my own refreshments.”
“Oh, stop it! You’re looking forward to it. Don’t be an idiot.” She snapped, only slight irritation in her voice.
“I cannot confirm or deny that statement. I will say, that, hypothetically, if I really am looking forward to it and wouldn’t have it any other way, I still reserve the right to complain about it because that’s what men do. We’re not truly happy unless we have something to complain about. We have to have some obstacle to overcome and tell everybody how terribly hard it is. Oh no… I’ve said too much.”
By the time he was done talking Jenn had that bright smile Christine had begun to really appreciate. Christine wished she could emulate it somehow. What did it feel like to bring about happiness just by smiling at someone? Had she ever been able to do that?
Jenn rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re a dork.”
“That may be true, but …” he paused as if in deep thought, “I don’t have a comeback for that one. Oh, alright, you win. Just give me a second. I’m burning up under your legs, anyway. I think my legs have melted. Let me check.” He peered around her legs, wrapped in the blanket, to his own. “Yup, they’re gone.”
Jenn raised her legs - just a little - to allow him to squeeze out from under them. She chuckled as his head got stuck under the throw blanket.
When he finally emerged he said, “That was easy, and without legs! Amazing.”
Jenn swung her legs around and brought her feet to the floor. “Never mind, I have to use the bathroom anyway.” She tossed her throw aside and slowly got up from her seat, using the chair arm for support. Charles moved to help her up.
Christine gasped, her jaw dropping straight to the floor. Jenn was pregnant. Very pregnant. Her belly bulged out like a beach ball. She had always been thin, which made the change in her body shocking. She certainly wasn’t as petite as she had been, but her arms and legs were still fairly thin. It looked like most of her weight was around her prominent belly.
The torture she was enduring in the real world flew from Christine’s mind in the wake of her excitement. She wanted to hug and congratulate Charles and Jenn. Frustration flooded her gut at the fact that she couldn’t. Would she be able to touch Jenn when this was all over? Be a part of their lives? Christine’s heart swelled at the thought.
Jenn waved Charles away from helping her up. “I can get up. Goodness.”
“You can, but I don’t want you to fall forward on the coffee table. I like that table.” He smiled at her and she punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“You’ve just forfeited your right to name the baby after that comment,” she said, walking to the bathroom
He scoffed. “Hardly! One month after she’s
born, like we agreed. I won’t give in.”
“Whatever,” she said and sighed, still smiling. “The name I picked is better anyway.”
Charles covered his ears. “I don’t want to know! No spoilers! Besides, you have no idea what name I like so how would you know yours is better?”
“Magic,” she said as she closed the bathroom door behind her.
The scene shifted to a hospital room.
Christine
The room was spacious, designed to be comfortable and calming. The walls were painted a soft blue and the floors were dark laminate wood. The large window in the back of the room gave a pleasant view of an open field and hills. A winter snow raged outside, the wind blowing the flakes in wild whorls of ice. Snow drifts piled up in the field and on the window ledge. There were cars in the parking lot far below the window, half buried.
Christine appeared in the doorway. The silence of the room pressed on her from all sides. She walked in slowly, not knowing what to expect. Jenn lay on the bed under a thin white sheet. Thicker covers were bunched up at the end of the bed, which Jenn must have kicked off because she was too hot. There was an IV in her right arm and a blood pressure monitor strapped around her left arm. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful sleep. Christine watched her chest rise and fall, longing to share the feeling of ease Jenn was so obviously experiencing.
“I’m not asleep, Christine,” Jenn said softly. She opened her eyes and gave Christine a weak smile.
Christine walked over and sat in a chair beside the bed, curling her legs under her and propping her elbows on the bed. Words escaped her as she looked at her friend. Jenn was going to be a mom! Christine smiled so big, her cheeks ached.
“I know. Crazy isn’t it?” Jenn said. “I honestly never dreamed this would happen to me. I was always so absorbed in learning how to use my powers, reading books and trying to learn everything I could. There was always more to discover. I would go days at a time without talking to another person. All I thought about was cramming my head with as much information as I could. I wanted to know it all. I never thought I would meet someone that would put up with me, but Charles was so kind. So amazingly kind.”
Christine looked up at the screen displaying the contraction sensor information. The graph was spiking, but Jenn gave no indication anything was happening. Christine looked at her, concerned.
Jenn looked at the monitor, then back to Christine, and smiled. “I had to have an Epidural. When each contraction came I had a very hard time controlling the energy stored inside me. I blew out all the lights twice, but the worst was when Charles was filling the bath tub for me - it’s supposed to help with the pain - and a bad contraction came. I had to release a lot of energy so I created a wormhole in the tub and all the water drained out. Charles couldn’t figure out where the water went. The poor thing. I have no idea where I sent it. It could be in space for all I know.” She chuckled.
Christine laughed with her. She could imagine Charles back there, walking around wondering if he had actually turned the water on or not. It felt wonderful to know him and Jenn so well. To care so much about another human being. Christine marveled at the emotions these people brought about. Being a part of their lives, even if it was only in her head, was the most exceptional thing she had ever experienced. She knew it to be true even without having access to her own memories. Whatever happened at the end of it all, she wanted to continue to feel this way.
“Anyway, I had to release all the energy I had stored. It’s all gone. I couldn’t risk doing something crazy or hurting the baby. I got an epidural to make sure I wouldn’t have any terrible contractions again just in case. The medication also makes it hard for me to absorb more energy.”
Christine raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.
Jenn nodded her head and smiled. “Yes, I know, Christine. I can’t lie to you. I also got an epidural because I’ve never felt anything like this pain.” She huffed out a long breath. “It’s more than I ever imagined. I don’t know how women do it without the medication. I almost had a panic attack. Charles was the best, though. He kept me doing the breathing exercises and he would distract me when it got bad. He’s out in the lobby talking to his parents. I’ll let him back in when we’re done talking.”
Christine didn’t know what to say. Tears threatened to spill over and she dared not open her mouth, afraid it would break the dam. Jenn was going to have a little baby. She was going to create a new life. Of all her abilities, this was the most powerful.
Jenn sensed what Christine was thinking and wiped a tear from her face. They both giggled and Christine wiped both her eyes to hide the tears welling up.
“I’m glad you’re here, Christine. I’m glad I can share this with you. I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else.”
Christine wiped her eyes again and paused before responding.
“I... I am too. I’m sorry, Jenn. I don’t know what to say. I just don’t know how to react to this. I’m so happy for you and Charles. He’ll be a great father and you’ll be a wonderful mother. I just can’t imagine being in your position right now.”
Jenn sighed and tried to shift herself in bed. She laughed when she wasn’t able to move herself. Her head fell back against the pillow and she closed her eyes to rest.
She spoke again before she opened them back up. “Christine, I’m not perfect and my plan may not work, but will you promise me something? Will you promise to stick with me no matter what happens next? No matter how bad it gets. I’ll make the same promise to you. I won’t give up on you. You won’t be alone. I swear it.”
Christine leaned back in her chair. She stared ahead, looking at the snow through the window. Reaching over, she placed her hand a few inches from Jenn’s, careful to stop just short of touching her.
“We have no choice at this point but to follow your plan. We do have a choice about how we treat each other. I promise I’ll stick with you till the end. I’m with you not because I have to be, but because I want to be. You won’t be alone either.”
Christine vanished. The scene shifted as Jenn caught a glimpse of Charles walking through the door, holding a glass of tea for her. She smiled at him as best she could.
Christine
Christine opened her eyes and was greeted with several repetitive short shocks of pain. None lasted for more than a second. Don’t scream. The pain stopped.
“Christine, you blacked out for a few seconds there. I hope you’re okay. Do you need anything?” The soldier was still walking around the pile of corpses as he spoke. There was still no emotion in his voice. No anger or frustration. Just nothing. It was as if he was bored and reading from a script, going through the motions.
Christine looked down at him. “No.” She spat.
“I’ve noted that you needed nothing. This is good.” He walked around several more times as Christine waited.
She scowled at his obvious attempt at building tension. Pain is bad enough, but the anticipation of the pain could be maddening. This time, she would wait him out.
She counted twenty-seven laps around the pile before he spoke.
“Are you not curious who I am? The others demanded to know. After the third one asked who I was I cut off his feet. Christine, would you like to know who I am?”
“No.” Christine was disgusted, but she hid it. She just stared at the man.
“I’ve noted that you do not want to know who I am. This is good.”
The pulsing pain returned. He activated the pain in quick bursts, turning the device on and off erratically. Don’t scream.
Christine knew he was trying to keep her off balance. He still hadn’t asked her a relevant question. If he thought this would soften me up so I’d cave in and answer all his questions later, he has another thing coming. Christine smiled. He wouldn’t get to her. She would not allow it.
He ended the pain and spoke again. “Dr. Jason Angelo was very willing to help me. He told me everything I wanted to know about this facility and what goes on he
re. In fact, he told me everything he knew before he was even in your position. I liked Dr. Jason Angelo very much, so I gave him a chance to run and escape. He was afraid, but he agreed to my proposal. I told him to run and he did. Before he reached the door, I shot three bullets through his stomach and intestines. He wasn’t fast enough. Not nearly as fast as you.” Christine scoffed at the mock compliment. “It was unfortunate that he was quite old and frail. I really liked Dr. Jason Angelo, but I had to punish him for trying to escape. I felt so bad for him that I gave him one more chance. After all, he had helped me so much. I told him that if he could stand up for five seconds I would give him one of my MedKits - they are quite powerful - and I would release him.”
He stopped talking for several laps. Anger and frustration slammed up like a brick wall inside Christine. Everything he said was repulsive. She wanted him to just stop talking. She was quite sure he actually wanted her to feel these things, so she kept her face a mask, hiding the riot of emotions running through her. Christine was growing more and more disturbed with the man. He was obviously capable of doing anything to her, but, as of right now, she was powerless. Her only hope was to drag this on long enough for Jenn’s plan to work. Whatever that was. She cringed at the thought of how long it might take.
“Oh, how the poor man tried to get up,” the solider continued. “He tried and tried and tried. He was so weak, you see. All he had to do was stand. The floor was so slick with his blood that he couldn’t get any traction to pull himself up. It was very frustrating to watch. He wouldn’t stand no matter how many times I hit him. I liked him very much, so I gave him some extra time to stand. He still wouldn’t. Eventually, Dr. Jason Angelo stopped moving and expired. His last words were garbled so I don’t know what he was thinking at the end. A pity. I really liked him.”
Christine closed her eyes, squeezing the handles of her restraints so hard her hands hurt. Her emotions were running wild. She wanted to scream and fight and vent out feelings. She hated the soldier, longed for his death. He was evil and didn’t deserve to live. She took several deep breaths and tried to keep herself calm. Her emotions, on the edge of spilling over, had to be kept in check. She must resist his manipulations. She must.
The Harmony Divide- Never Alone Page 6