Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series

“Talon! I can explain!” I lift my arms trying to get him to listen. He shakes his head hard his eyes filled with battling thoughts.

“I failed, I didn’t protect you, and now you’re turning into one.” He says shaking his head a tear falling as he battles himself.

“Talon! Look at me!” I try to get him to listen as I slowly stand, flinching with the movement of my injured arm. Talon steps back lifting his sword up again.

“I can explain everything.” I try to explain. I honestly have no idea how to explain what I am. Talon just shakes his head tear falling over him. My heart breaks seeing him so distraught. He thinks I’m going to turn.

“Talon, the bitten usually turn within an hour right?” I begin speaking calmly. Talon just nods his head as he wipes his face free of tears.

“Okey, we will wait and in thirty minutes when I don’t change I’ll explain everything.” I negotiate. Maybe if he sees I’m not turning this will be easier.

“What do you mean when you don’t turn?” He asks out harshly and confused. I take in a deep breath and try to think of the proper words.

“There’s a reason I’m on this mission.” I try to start. Talon nods his head.

“You know the cure.” He recites the same thing they all believe.

“That’s true but if it was a simple formula I would have told someone. I don’t know some formula for the cure.” I begin again. Talon just squints confused.

“What are you talking about?” He asks and so I start from the beginning. The only way it’s not as confusing.

“Just listen okay?” I say patting the air to coax him to listen. Talon nods and I let go of an unsure breath. This is going to be a long night.

“Sit down, I’ll sit down here and I will explain,” I say trying to calm him. Talon doesn’t move so I back up against a tree and slide to the ground. After a moment he sits across from me, the fire between us.“Talk.” He says sternly as he sits down. My thumb rubs y wrist as I start.

“When I was a child I was in the outer wall’s, visiting my aunt one night-” I start but Talon interrupts.

“What does this have to do with the forsaken?” He demands. I had never seen him so angry and stern, it scared me more than the forsaken. I swallow and speak up.

“I’m explaining,” I say and he just nods slightly letting me continue.

“One night a forsaken got loose just outside her house.” I swallow deeply. The pain of that night is still fresh in my mind.

" The window was open and the forsaken got into the house. It attacked me, bit my shoulder a few times before the guards could get there.” I say. To prove my point that it’s true because I can see the skepticism on his face. I pull down my collar to my shirt revealing the scars from that night. His eyes look over my shoulder slightly softening. So I continue.

“I was taken to the medical center and locked up as they waited for me to change. I got pretty sick for a few days, but then I got better. For a week they waited for me to change. When I didn’t, they did every test to see why I didn’t turn into one of those things.” I look down feeling more scrutinized and insecure than I have for weeks. I lick my lip and clear my throat unable to look at him.

“They did every test, every single one was perfectly normal except my blood. The woman who first took my blood died minutes later after taking the sample. My blood is twice as dangerous as the forsaken. If someone touches it they turn.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t let anyone touch you after the rock fall.” He fills in and I just nod glancing up at him. Sadness fills his eyes as he looks at me. I hated it. I liked that I was seen like everyone else but now he will see me as some weird science experiment.

“We found out that my body was able to fight off the mutated virus that turns everyone else. My blood was mutated, hence the eyes. For the past few years, the Director has provided me with needles to find a cure. but since it’s a mutating virus it’s never been stable enough to make a cure. A year ago we found out that the damage I took that night as a child has slowly been killing me. the virus destroyed my immune system, slowly mutating it over the years. So as a last-ditch effort to find a cure I’m going to ground zero to get the primordial strain.” I explain. I left it to go quiet to make sure he understands. Then I continue.

“I have to take the original virus and place it in my bloodstream. The two viruses will effectively attack one another. Hopefully meaning that my body will have fought off both strains. My blood will be filled with antibodies that can create a cure to both strains.” I finish and take in a deep breath watching his face. Talon just looks at the fire probably trying to understand what this means.

“So, you survived one virus but it’s been slowly killing you. So you need the other virus to stabilize it and you. If you get the other virus you will be able to heal and your blood with be have stabilized both viruses allowing the doctors to take your blood and create the cure?” He simplifies. I just nod and give him a hopeful smile. That dread feeling fell on me when his eyes move to my face, the sad realization filling his face.

“You said your dying?” He asks. I just nod. I didn’t need to say yes.

“And you have to inject the virus that killed most of humankind into your body, and hope you will survive it just as you did with the mutated strain?” He clarifies. I nod again, this time I can’t say yes because he understands. His eyes are sad as his mournful voice says the last haunting words.

“If you survive. We’re taking you to your own death.” Our eyes connect as I push away the sad tears. It’s hard enough knowing this but it was easier to pretend that isn’t the case. I was just another one of them and now... I’m the person they are helping to kill. It broke my heart that he had to know this, I didn’t want any of them to know that they are helping me kill myself. It’s an undeniable truth that one more person must carry.

Talon stands up and grabs his first aid pack, tossing it over to me. I begin washing out my wound and patching it up. I hiss as I wash it out when Talon speaks up quietly.

“They sent you knowing this?” I look over slightly startled. his face is screwed up in deep thought. I turn back to wrap my wound.

“yes,” I say quietly.

“Who else knows?” He speaks up again. I bite off the wrap and fold it in. My wound is cleaned now and I place the rest of the first aid in the bag.

“My father, the Director, My uncle, Clare, me... and now you.” I recite out all of those who know It’s a death sentence.

“No one else can know.” I finally say look at him. He furrows his brow confused.

“Why not?”

“I won’t spend my last days being looked at like a monster on her way to die,” I say more harshly than I had meant but it’s the truth. I don’t want the last people I see to look at me the way he is now. Like a dying child with their words mournful and fake niceties.

“Okey.” He finally says after a few quiet seconds. In his eyes is a kind of comfort I haven’t felt from anyone but my uncle.

“Okey,” I whisper back. We just look at one another the sad truth reflected in our eyes over the warm heat of the fire. That’s when I make another promise, my first is that I’d die out here if we don’t find the virus but the other... Is that the last days I have will be my own. I will live the way I want to before I die. I promise myself this as that small ember grows into a small fire in my chest.