Coma (Paranormal Romance) (28 page)

~*~

“
Being deeply loved by someone gives you
strength,
 while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

–– Lao Tzu

September came sooner than I wanted it to.
Majority of people travel to Antarctica in late October when summer
starts, and stay there till February. Only the bravest 200 stay
during winter. Each year, about 1,200 people come to McMurdo
Station at the same time, stepping over each other, so we scheduled
our trip to an earlier time to avoid the crowd.

Saying goodbye to Mom and Dad at the airport
took the last ounce of self control I had left in me. I was leaving
them forever, aware that they thought it was only temporary. Guilt
and sorrow mixed together made it that much harder. When my flight
was called, their faces showed sadness due to my departure, and
happiness that my dreams were coming true. Guilt prompted me to
tell them the truth right then and there. If anyone deserved to
know, it was them. But reason told me to hold on, because they
could never accept what was really going on. It was best to do it
this way. They'll get used to my absence, and then it won't hurt as
much when I fake my death.

To take the edge off, Zack came up behind me,
and pressed his palms against my loosely hanging hands, giving me
the strength to wrap things up. I hugged my parents one more time,
then started toward the plane with an aching heart. I let the tears
run their course; there was no point in hiding them anymore.

“Call us when you get there,” I heard Mom say
behind my back. My throat clenched. I raised my hand to confirm
that I heard her, and kept on walking.

Sophie and Ethan were already on the plane
when Zack and I boarded. It was a private jet sponsored by Zack's
acquaintance—the self proclaimed philanthropist that sponsored my
Antarctica endeavor—and he was comfortably reclined in a seat,
talking to Ethan.

“Michael,” Zack patted the man's back.

“Hey,” Michael turned around, smiling. He was
an older guy in his thirties, wearing slightly different garb than
us, but the same type of booths. His auburn hair was neatly combed
to one side, his face slightly chubby, and a set of almond shaped
brown eyes.

“This is Lyra,” Zack motioned toward me.
Michael stood up to shake my hand. He wasn't hovering, so I guessed
he defrosted himself for this occasion.

“Your cryoboxes are safely boarded,” Michael
said, sitting back down. “Get your seat-belts on; we're ready to
take off.”

Zack and I made ourselves comfortable, and
locked our seat-belts. A few moments later, the plane took off,
sending pain straight to my gut. It was over. My old life ceased to
exist. Zack squeezed my hand, gazing at my eyes, reading me like a
book.

“I'm okay,” I answered his unspoken question,
struggling to keep my breathing at a steady rate.

“Right,” Michael interrupted our moment.
“Let's get you something to drink.” He motioned for the flight
attendant. She took our orders, and then disappeared behind the
curtain. “What did Zack tell you about me?” Michael asked, still
looking at the moving curtain.

“Not a goddamn thing,” Ethan narrowed his
eyes, “He was quite secretive when I asked him about you,” he
averted his gaze toward Zack showing resentment.

“I let that part to you,” Zack said to
Michael, chuckling.

“Fair,” Michael smiled. “It's obvious that
I'm not with TGA,” he pointed out his outfit, grinning.

“You're with the Elders, that much is
obvious,” Ethan stated, “Our opponents,” he added for Sophie and
me. I looked at Zack, confused, but he just smiled.

The flight attendant returned with our
drinks. When she went away, Michael continued, “My wife is from
your time,” he motioned toward Ethan and Zack, “Well, sort of. She
was born in 2120, but still within your reach. Zack helped me
reconcile with her the last time we changed history,” Michael's
eyes were shining full of tears. “She's no longer with us. Perished
in the newest end time.”

Zack patted Michel on the shoulder, “So
sorry, man,” he turned to me and added, “She was only 36.”

I gulped.

Michael smiled briefly, and then continued,
“If it weren't for Zack, we wouldn't have had two more wonderful
years together.”

“I wish it could have been different,” Zack
replied, reaching for my hand, entangling our fingers tightly.

“It was more than I could have hoped for,”
Michael smiled, blinking away moisture in his eyes.
“Considering—”

“Why are you with the Elders?” I interrupted,
making all heads turn toward me. “If it weren't for them, you'd
still have your wife. I don't understand.”

“It's a high price to pay, but we believe
that one day all our loved ones will come back to us if we get it
right. My wife knew it would be the end of her, but she supported
our cause till the very end.”

“That's blind faith!” Sophie jumped in,
frowning. “You don't know if it'll work, and you sacrificed your
wife.”

“It's not faith, dear girl. It's science,”
Michael chuckled, “Many Elders have paid the same price of losing
their soul mates. I'm no different. You don't really think we would
pay the ultimate price based on a hunch, do you?”

“It sounds like you would,” Sophie snorted,
folding her arms in front. Ethan smirked as if he shared her
opinion.

“Michael,” I interrupted again, so his eyes
left Sophie and moved toward me, “You said soul mates. Does that
mean you're all unbreakables?”

“Not all,” his eyes sparkled, “But many of us
are. That's why I said it was the ultimate price. Once you've felt
that kind of love and connection, you know how much it hurts others
that have lost it, so you do everything you can to help them get it
back.”

“Oh, you two are screwed,” Ethan chuckled. If
stares could kill, Zack's would have ended Ethan on the spot.

“You're unbreakables?” Michael's eyes
widened.

“We are,” Zack replied, casually. “I wish I
had known how it felt back when I helped you.”

“It wouldn't have changed a thing,” Michael
snorted, then turned to me. “Congrats. It's the biggest reward, and
the biggest punishment.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat.

~*~

Calling Antarctica a hostile place didn't
even come near to what it was. We landed in McMurdo, nicknamed
Mac-Town by local residents, immediately feeling incredulous cold
biting into our bones. We were told that we were lucky to come at
Condition 3 weather. If that was nice weather, I wondered how one
and two looked like.

Michael went to the office in one of the
buildings to get us settled in while we waited for our luggage. He
came back rather quick with three sets of keys and a woman. She
explained how majority in McMurdo were settled in one of the brown
three-story barracks called dorms, but first-timers, such as us,
were housed in a blue barrack number 155.

She took us to the main square, actually a
big parking lot, showed us all those brown dorms, and then pointed
out the blue one as our new home. She said it was the central point
in Mac-Town that was also a galley, had a post office, ATMs,
library, store, and many other things. After pointing out some
other centers of interest such as the fire department, coffee shop,
and medical center, we were free to go to our rooms.

As Ethan and Zack were invisible, Michael had
to bribe the lady to get us three rooms. It was impossible to get a
room without a roommate in this hostile place, but as we came
early, it was still doable until other scientists arrive in late
October. To our surprise, freezing cold was replaced by rather
pleasant temperature in the dorm. Walking upstairs and down the
halls, the first thing we noticed were numerous recycling bins.
Apparently, recycling was a must here.

Zack unlocked the door to our room, allowing
me to take the first glance of our new home. It was a confined
space with two beds, a small desk in between, a sink, and a
wardrobe. The only window in the room had aluminum foil plastered
on it, and a black blanket instead of a curtain to keep the 24/7
sunlight out. Quite depressive.

I sat on one of the beds, looking at the old
phone on the desk. Zack dropped our bag on the floor, and sat next
to me, squeezing me tight.

“You are so brave,” he said, kissing my
temple.

“Or foolish,” I snorted.

“Why foolish?” He searched my face for
clues.

“Seriously, what was I thinking? How long can
I keep this charade going? I'll have to be dead for them
eventually.”

“That's why I said you were brave, my love.
This will at least give you time to come to terms with it, and for
them to get used to your absence,” he tried to smile, but it came
out crooked. Loving him gave me the courage to make a decision, but
keeping the charade going wasn’t brave or courageous. It was merely
a delay of the inevitable. It was lying to myself, and I hated
it.

My parents were left under the impression I
was going to stay at McMurdo the entire time. They would be getting
an email before we left McMurdo informing them that my research had
led me to another place. A place without any communication, out in
the field, sleeping in a tent—that's what many other scientists
did, anyway. Zack and Ethan had said it would be a perfect cryobox
place, because no-one would accidentally discover our hideout in
permafrost. Even thought that was true, I felt uneasy about being
buried there.
If something malfunctions, I'm screwed.

I made my first phone call to my parents.
They were happy to hear from me, and for their sake, I pretended
everything was roses, and that it was just as I imagined it. That
couldn't have been further from the truth. Hearing their voices
invoked the pain I had left behind on the plane. Fighting to keep
my voice steady, and to prevent tears from bursting, I pressed my
nails into my palm as hard as I could. After my phone call ended, I
stared numbly at the damage, smoothing my palm over four deep nail
imprints that drew some blood.

Zack took my hand in his and placed a kiss on
the injury. “Do you want to connect?” He offered his hands. I shook
my head.

“No,” I sighed, “I'm thinking this wasn't
such a brilliant idea. I'm just prolonging the pain. The
inevitable.”

“Maybe,” he squeezed my shoulders, “But it
would hurt even more if you knew they were mourning you right now.
You’re not ready for that.”

I swear, my heart must have stopped upon
hearing the word
mourning
. A knock on the door jump-started
my heart again.

“May I come in?” Michael asked from the
door.

Zack looked at me for permission, and I
nodded, “Sure,” Zack said.

“Cryoboxes are unloaded. We have to get them
in,” Michael said, sitting down on the opposite bed.

“Okay, let's go,” Zack eagerly stood up,
reaching for his jacket.

“Actually,” Michael scratched his chin, “I
thought you and Ethan could do it while I walk Lyra through her
busy schedule for tomorrow,” he watched Zack expectantly, holding
his breath. Something was wrong with that picture, but I couldn’t
put my finger on it.

Zack hesitated for a moment, glancing at me
and Michael, then said, “No problem,” and went for the door. As
soon as the door had closed behind him, Michael stood up and
started nervously pacing through that confined space between two
beds. A long minute had passed without him uttering a word, and
then, faster than I could grasp what had taken place, he had a
knife under my neck. My insides twisted into a tight knot, fear
sending my already weakened heart into cardiac arrest.

“Get up,” he growled, jerking my arm. Those
almond eyes were flaring with hate—something he managed to hide
from us for over 24 hours. My chest wanted to explode from fear and
confusion. I swallowed carefully, feeling a sharp, cold blade
wrinkling my skin as I did, digging deeper into my larynx. “NOW!”
He jerked me off the bed, ushering me toward the door. “We’re going
for a walk. If you so much as make a sound, I’ll kill you on spot.
Understood?!”

“Yes,” I whispered, praying to God that my
legs would move. The fear was paralyzing.

“Open the door,” he ordered, nudging me
toward it.

With the knife already piercing my skin, I
couldn’t lower my gaze to find the knob, so I patted the door with
trembling hand in pursuit of it. That must have irritated him, so
he let go of my arm for a second, and swung the door open in one
forceful move. Zack’s petrified gaze met mine. I didn’t even manage
to blink, and Zack’s hand had already grabbed Michael’s knife,
slamming his hand against the frame. The knife fell down. Zack’s
other hand pulled me out in the hall, and I came crashing down on
my knees, my head banging against the wall.

“Get Ethan!” Zack yelled, his fist colliding
with Michael’s jaw as he spoke.

Still dizzy from the impact, I got on all
fours, screaming Ethan’s name, then straightened up, and ran toward
their room. I caught a glimpse of Ethan opening their door, then in
an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind my back, at our
room’s entrance. I ran back there, and stopped at the door. Zack
was sitting on Michael’s back while Ethan was tying the bastard’s
hands with a rope. Guys rolled him over, and Sophie pushed me aside
to get through, handing Ethan a roll of duck tape.

“How did you know?” I asked her, open
mouthed, pointing at the tape.

“Zack had a bad feeling, so he had us
prepared just in case,” she said, joining me at the door, leaning
against the frame.

Michael was successfully restrained, heavily
bruised, and roped on the floor as if he were a calf on rodeo. Zack
grabbed our unpacked bag, and locked the door behind us.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, tilting my head
to the side to see my bleeding neck.