Chapter 8:Lucas

Chapter 8

Lucas

He shakes my hand. I notice Elektra smiling in the corner. The strange thing is...she has dad's smile but mum's laugh. It is so strange how like them she is. I have always looked more like my uncle with hints of my father. She's so different to what I expected, I'll admit. Then again, I'd never thought she would grow up but wow. I never wanted her to grow up in this world but she's here and...there's something wrong. I just have this feeling and I can't shake it. Jason is just a little...too protective of her.

“Okay, so this is the family...well, most of us. Danny and Sam are still out on a hunt so they should be back soon. I scouted the location myself and it seemed promising. They should be back promptly unless ...something goes wrong,” I address, shuffling towards Helene.

“Nothing will go wrong. My husband, he worries about everything. His brain does not work with his body most of the time,” Helene interjects, looking down at Alfie.

“Well, yes. In theory, it should be fine but there are no guarantees. Yeah, they are the best hunters out of all of us. Helene can't exactly do much in her condition at the moment. It's best that there is at least one person here in case...crap should hit the fan in any way. You are both able to hunt, right?”

There is a pause. Elektra looks forward, giving a slight nod. Jason is staring at her, with a look I can only relate to concern.

“Yeah, obviously. I few weren't good, we wouldn't still be here. Whatever you need us to do we're willing, aren't we dear?”

Yeah, she is most definitely my sister. Jason puzzles me. He keeps just staring at her as if there is a secret that they are not willing to share. I have no right to ask yet. Yes, none. If they wanted to tell me anything, they would've done by now. It's okay, I have the time to wear them down.

The back door swings open. Uh oh. Uh oh, that cannot be good. He only opens the door like that when he's pissed. I can hear him march over: I'm for it now. Something went wrong, I bloody knew it.

He practically dives at me, forcing me forward. I grab a hold of his arm and push it against his chest. God, he's red faced. Yeah something definitely happened, that has been established.

“You f*****g wanker! What the hell was that? “Oh yes, it's fine. No, no chance of any encounters”. You're a liar, Lucas! I can't believe this, you-”

“Danny, leave 'im. He couldn't have know. Hordes ain't exactly predictable,” Sam interrupts, pulling Danny off of me. I can't get used to be being defended by a fifty year old woman but, she's anything if not effective.

“He knew. He f*****g knew. That's why he didn't come with us: he didn't want to risk his own skin. Oh, but he's willing to sacrifice us for absolutely f**k all,” he yells, practically shouting in my face. There is about two centimetres between us. I can feel droplets of saliva land on my face.

“What do you mean?” Helene inquires.

“Go on, loverboy. Tell your missus. There was never anything there, was there? We got trapped in the middle of a horde for absolutely nothing. Nothing. Zilch. Bupkis. Go on. Admit it. You didn't find anything, did you?”

“Danny, calm down. Okay, there may not have been the surplus I had suggested but there was stuff there, I swear. It was worth it. It was really worth it. I am really sorry,” I admit. It was worth the risk; I was certain of that. He knows I would never risk the lives of my group without reason. I do not need this right now.

“I knew it. I bloody knew it. Yet, I went along with it because I guess I'm just a bloody moron. F**k you, Lucas,” he mutters, shooting me a death glare.

“Excuse me. Hello, do you mind?” Elektra interjects as she shuffles towards him. No Elektra, of all the things to do, that is the most stupid thing she could do. He doesn't believe in discrimination. If he is cornered, he will lash out. He's injured Helene once. After that, I broke both of his arms. No one harms my family like that and walks away unscathed. Especially not my pregnant wife.

“Excuse me? Who the f**k are you? Lucas, you been collecting strays again? Word of advice, little girl. Stay out of s**t that doesn't concern you, okay? When you get involved, that's when you get hurt, comprehende?”

He moves right into her face and shoves her, his finger digging into her chest. She glances down and her breathing becomes rapid.

“Oi, wanker! Who the f**k do you think you're talking to? Little girl, seriously? That's the best you have? And I will get involved when you start attacking a person in front of a kid,” she chides, inviting him into a dance with death.

“I said, back off b***h!” he pushes her which makes her stumble backwards. Jason rushes to prevent her falling. Once she finds her footing, she whispers something to Jason to which he shakes his head.

“Danny, this is between me and you. Leave her out of this. Leave my sister out of this,” I swallow and continue, “that is my sister, Elektra, and you just tried to hurt. Not a wise move. If you want a fight, we take this outside because I will not have violence in front of my son.”

Danny flicks his head between me and Elektra. Something doesn't quite look right. She's going to strike in a minute. Jason is holding her still, his arms around her shoulders. He knows her a lot better than I do: if she's is going to go off on one, he would know.

“Next time, don't rely on a b***h to fight your battles. F**k this s**t,” he concedes, marching off. I wonder if he ever falls off with his high horse with an ego and attitude like that. He is a grade A prick. Only a child storms off like that. Even Alfie, a nine year old boy, doesn't do that. Then again, he wouldn't. My autistic child.

“I apologise for him. He is a dick but...he's good at the one thing that matters: staying alive. As much as I hate to deny it, that man would sacrifice himself for any one in a heart beat. Does that make him a good person? I don't know,” Helene avows. I can only imagine how this looks to outsiders. Sam wipes the beads of sweat from her forehead and waltzes over to Helene. Sam is the best medic I know, one of the only people I trust. She delivered Alfie. In the middle of a field. We were tempted to name him Heathcliff but that moment passed. If there's one person I trust with the life of those I hold most dear, Sam has earned that accolade.

Alfie begins rocking again. I rush over to him. I find it so easy to forget how traumatic it is for him. We've tried to shelter him from those...things out there but we couldn't protect him from the inevitable human conflict. I hold him against me and try to soothe him again but I can't. I can feel him shaking...like a chihuahua. Helene walks to the side and caresses her bump.

She's concerned. She told me that the baby isn't kicking. It hasn't kicked for a few days which is never a good sign. It can't happen again. We have lost so many babies; Alfie was our first child that survived but he wasn't our first baby.

“You need to rest Hel'. Stressed mummy, stressed baby. Come on,” Sam takes a hold of Helene's arm and leads her to the corridor. I should go and check on her but...Sam will tell me if there is anything amiss and Elektra is not looking great either. I can't cope with this right now.

“So...uh....nice kid?” Jason mutters. A short pause. This is awkward. Nice kid? What is he? Some kind of car? I understand it's difficult to make conversation but, for God's sake, did he have to force it like that?

“Seriously? Jace? Nice kid you have there? I apologise for him, he never was fantastic at conversation. Even Linda says...said...that,” Elektra states, dejected. She sits down on the floor and wipes her forehead. Jason shakes his head and glares at me. I guessing she hit some kind of nerve, within Jason and herself.

“Thank you. Alfie is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I guess I hoped that Marcus was still alive, and with you, so he could see he had a grandson. In a few months, he would have had two grandchildren...Then again, I guess the world isn't exactly a 'wish granting factory' as some have so eloquently phrased it.”

Elektra glances up at me. She exhales.

“He was attacked by Risers. It's the weirdest thing but I had had no idea what they were. I had never been exposed to it. It was brutal: so quick and calculated on their behalves. I was so close to getting all of my answer and...next thing, he was choking on his own blood, crying out for his own breath. Each breath he took, he grew colder.”

Jason bends down to face her and hugs her. He squeezes her and I hear her begin to sob. I detest feeling so powerless. I also detest seeing someone in pain and feeling so inadequate to act. She's my sister; I should know what to do. It is supposed to be a natural instinct that I should have but I don't know what to do.

I'm glad she found him. She trusts him which means I should at least attempt to form some kind of bond with him. He has more of an instinct to protect her than I do; how fucked up is that? She's my sister, my father's daughter. Then again, I was never my father's son.

Jason seemed to be more of a son than I was. Eleven years can change familial dynamic but...you never can be entirely sure.

I always knew his stubbornness would be his demise. He thought he could live with Risers and study them with no ill effect. It was always about the pursuit of knowledge with him. He thought that if he could extract the correct data, he could cure the world...or at least, protect his family. He couldn't even protect himself or mum. The difference between me and dad? I would never allow anything to damage my family. I would never destroy them as he destroyed us. Thank god Elektra cannot remember her childhood. There was nothing innocent in our lives during that time.

Elektra rocks back onto her knees and wipes her eyes. Jason tugs at a piece of rag in his belt and rips it. He hands it to her and she takes it, without questioning it for a second. She blows her nose and rises to her feet. Inhaling and exhaling, she composes herself, brushing hair out of her eyes.

“I'm sorry. It's just...just...it haunts me to this day. Whenever I close my eyes, I see his face. I see the blood. His blood seems to stain my skin; for weeks after, I would keep washing my hands. The colour would never seem to go and even...even the smell seemed to linger,” Elektra explains, imploring my sense of understanding. I nod. I want to understand what it feels like to have lost a father. It sounds sick, and maybe it is, but I can't grieve his loss because I never saw him in that way. Maybe if he hadn't used my mother as a punching bag when times got tough. Hell, even if he had even been a father to me in any way.

“Elektra, can I show you something? Jason, would you mind keeping an eye on Alfie for a few minutes? Just need a bit of sibling bonding time. Is that okay with you, Elektra?” I ask nervously.

“Okay, yeah sure. Jason, try not to traumatise the child while I'm gone,” she jokes, handing him the rag back. He makes a gesture of disgust at the piece of cloth which makes her laugh. I beckon her to follow me to the back room. I take a hold of the door handle. Crap. She's not going to be ready for this but, if she is going to be a part of this unit, she needs to be well aware.

Project Lazarus.

There are a few fresh specimen, chained to the walls. We have re-enforced restrains to ensure no unexpected catastrophes should occur. The specimen extracts seem to still be fresh and ready for inspection. Elektra backs out of the door, gazing at the shelves upon shelves of human brains. Of course this is disturbing for those who do not understand its purpose.

“This is project Lazarus, Elektra. Sam and I established this about...5 years ago in order to try and target any potential abnormalities. In short, to find a cure. In all honesty, it was stupid. The amount of them out there...well, it makes a cure completely redundant but we didn't know that then. We found exactly what we wanted: an abnormalities that seems universal among the...Risers? Isn't that what you called them? Anyway, take a look at our most recent specimen. Don't worry, she doesn't bite...anymore.”

“Uh...okay. Yeah, that's what we call them. What exactly do you call them?” she asks, edging towards the cadaver on the table.

“The dead. There is no point in giving them identities. They aren't a species. I guess we could try that name. Risers? Okay. Go on, look at them,” I gesture towards the top of the cranium, “ just quickly.”

She peeks at the head. Gazing between me and the body. She places her hand on the side of the surgical table. She grabs a bit of the skull, which was still attached, which causes other parts to splinter. She picks the bits out of the cranium. She withdraws her hand, after noticing the growth. She turns head; her eyes 'flit' from each section.

“What the f**k is that?”

“Project Lazarus,” I chime.

“That is not what I asked,” she snaps back.

“Okay, okay. We discovered it about four years ago. Sam knew what to look for. I'm not a surgeon, I don't pretend to be, but she's a fantastic teacher. It took us a while to locate the legion but we found what we were looking for. It's a fungus. We think that it sustains some kind of function in the brain stem. Any questions?”

“Two, at the moment. This is common in all of them? You have identified this as a link? The fungus is definitely what does it?”she inquires, looking up at me.

“Yes, every single one. We haven't seen if the fungus is present on a living brain or if it is some kind of growth residue after brain death. We don't dissect people who haven't died: people do see that as slightly unethical. You said you had two questions?”

“Yeah, god give me a second,” she pauses, “why did you chose to just tell me? Jason is a part of this group too. We come as a kind of package deal. He deserves to know that what has been happening as much as I do.”

“Elektra you are my sister, my blood. Plus, Jason and I...it's complicated. We never got along when he first joined the group-”

“What happened? Did he make fun of you? Break your Action Man? Mess up your Barbies?” she mocks, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“More like tried to alienate Dad against me and being an overall little s**t. I understand it has been ten years, he's grown up, but I can't forget the past. I'm glad he found you but it will take me a while to get to know him-”

A loud bang interrupts me, stopping me in my tracks. What the hell was that? Oh god, Jason must have done something to piss Danny off. Please don't let that be the outcome: Danny will knock 'seven shades of s**t' out of anyone who taunts him.

We both run into the main corridor. Elektra lurches forward. I hold her back.

“Stay here. If things go sideways, you stay right here. Don't try to intervene,” I command. It takes her a moment but she nods, sighing. I jog forward.

Jason is lying flat on his back. The fragments of a vase s lie beside him. Blood pours from an open wound on his nose. Danny darts forward, his fingers searching for Jason's eye patch. Alfie has forced himself into a small ball in the far corner of the room. Danny lands a punch right on Jason's mouth; I can hear the crack of his jaw. I don't know who to go to. They are men: if they want to fight each other, that is their prerogative. The thing I do not appreciate is them taking out their aggression in front of my son.

Before I can react, Elektra sprints past me. She clasps Danny's collar. Jason murmurs something but it seems incomprehensible. I can't react. I feel frozen to the spot. Danny turns his head slightly and braces himself. He elbows her in the stomach, winding her. Elektra lands on her back. She looks like she is in shock, clutching her abdomen.

Danny stands up. He doesn't do much but take deep breaths.

“Next time, control your b***h of sister Lucas and next time, keep that pretentious f****r out of my way,” he warns before he storms out, back into his little hovel.

Jason breathes heavily before rolling over, spitting out a mixture of blood and teeth. He crawls over to Elektra. She looks shocked. I can hear her breath. Small, sharp breaths. I marauder over to her.

“Are you alright Elektra? Jason? I swear he will be dealt with. He acts with his fists. Sam can deal with your nose and mouth in a minute. I am so sorry,” I concede, trying to maintain my composure.

“Of course she is not alright, she's pregnant,” Jason sneers, his words unintelligible due to the continuance of blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

What? Of course. Of course I knew. I have seen that kind of expression: when Helene was losing the last baby. Oh god, why did I let her intervene? She gave me all the signs: clutching her stomach; intense morning sickness and mood swings. She couldn't have given any more indications if she had been actively trying. I am such a bloody idiot. A stupid, bloody blind idiot.

Elektra just shoots daggers at Jason, turning away from him.

“I'm fine. I'm absolutely f*****g fine, okay? Yes, I am pregnant. Do I feel like I am being knived from the inside? Yes. Oh god!” she says, gritting her teeth to conceal a scream of pain. She curls herself into a small ball, gripping her stomach. She rests her head against her knees and yelps.

“Hold on, I'll see if we have anything for the pain. Jason, with me now,” I instruct, extending my hand to him. He looks to Elektra, but decides to accept my offer of help.

I offer my shoulder to support him but he rejects that offer. I make sure we are out of hearing range when I speak next.

“Now, I'm going to try to be delicate. Is the baby yours? Did you...impregnate my sister. I just...just have to know so I know how to proceed. She is carrying my nephew or niece which would make you...family.”

“No. No, I would never...well, that sounds awful. No, I am not the father of her baby. We are not like that. It does not matter who the father is. The only thing you need to know is that he is dead, or he had better be,” he replies.

I don't think it's wise to push him at this point in time.

Author's Note

what do you think?