Infinite Testament (34 page)

Stephen walks down the street. On both sides of him
are enormous, lavish mansions. He turns his head and sees his parked
rental-convertible. Campbell flashes him a thumbs up and smiles
idiotically, causing Stephen to grin.

As he walks toward Lisa’s house, he sees the street and
remembers the way it crunched up as the Earth rumbled before being blown to
bits. He looks up at the streetlights, visualizing the way they crashed
onto the pavement, causing a wave of cement to knock him over. He looks
across the street from Lisa’s house, at the spot where Lisa fell over and
stared at the bright flash that eradicated her. Stephen looks at the spot
where he desperately yelled her name, hoping only to see her
smile
.
It’s a haunting feeling as Stephen walks around the place where he once died.

Stephen digresses and approaches Lisa’s front door.
Her house is big but pales in comparison to the castles that surround it.
Stephen rings the doorbell. A friendly tune echoes throughout the
house. Stephen paces and his mind races. Who is he kidding?
She’s probably not home. She’s probably not even in the state.
She’s probably off filming some new blockbuster film. This isn’t Lisa
Binsby, the charming girl he used to date, this is
Lisa Binsby
, famous
movie star.

As Stephen gazes across the street, he hears the creak of
the front door open. He turns around. Looks. There she is:
Lisa Binsby. Stephen gazes into her green eyes. Her brown hair
flows to her shoulders. She is just as he remembers: small nose, perfect
teeth, freckles on her cheeks. Unconsciously, Stephen radiates a smile at
the face that existed only in his memories.

The two of them are frozen in time, stuck looking at each
other. Neither of their souls can quite comprehend the situation and an
intense disbelief overcasts them both. It dawns on Lisa: she’s looking at
Stephen. As she stares into his blue eyes, her legs grow weak.

Stephen breaks the silence, “Hi.”

Lisa tries to force a smile but her confused emotions won’t
allow it. She simply responds, “Hi.”

The disbelief gradually flows away from Stephen.
“Well, I just happened to be in the neighborhood. And I heard that you
live here, so…”

Lisa becomes confused. She lives in a gated community.
How could he just ‘be in the neighborhood’? And how does he know where
she lives? Regardless, her insides are trembling at the thought of him
being here. “Why don’t you come in?” Lisa steps back from the front
door and allows an opening for Stephen.

“Oh, uh, sure. Thanks.”

Lisa guides him to the end of a long hallway, landing them
in a large family room. The ceiling shoots high above and windows that
cover the far wall reveal a beautiful view of the valley below. Lisa
offers her hand toward one of the couches. “Please, take a seat.”
Stephen nods politely. “Thanks.” He obliges to her request and
lands on the soft couch.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thanks.”

Lisa, despite the other couches to choose from, sits
directly next to Stephen. Good sign. Hopefully. Stephen tries
to get a read from her face. But it’s hard to determine anything; she’s
completely composed. Her green eyes gently look at him, offering no
clues. On the inside, though, she is facing a hurricane of
emotions. She is thrilled to see him. Her heart sings a ballad of
joy but her head confounds with confusion and regret.

Stephen asks, “How is Paul?

“Paul?” she asks, puzzled.

“Paul Higgins. You’re going out with him right?”

Lisa giggles. “No. Where did you hear that?
I’m filming a movie with him next month but… I’ve never even met him.”

Stephen stiffens up. Stupid move. “Oh. My
mistake.”

Lisa says, “I see you on TV all the time. For that
discovery you made.”

Stephen forces a smile. “It wasn’t just me.
Vince was there… and Natalie. Anyway, I’ve seen most of your
movies. You’ve done some great work.”

Lisa nods, uninterested in her career. She catches
herself leaning toward him. Not too closely, but enough to make things
uncomfortable. She scoots back a little and looks into Stephen’s eyes to
try and catch a glimpse of him. When he catches her looking, she darts
her eyes ahead. She tries to avoid gawking but the temptation is too
great. All she wants is to touch him. To hold his hand. To
feel him against her.

The room is deathly silent. All Stephen can hear is
his thoughts and the sound of his heart begging to tell her everything.
The desire to hold her. To see her
smile
. There’s nothing he
can do about it. Because she probably doesn’t even feel the same
way. But he came all this distance. From the end of the world and
back, and now, he has a second chance. Stephen looks at Lisa. Into
her eyes. It’s a place he used to lose himself in. With the light
of her eyes shining on him, he finally tells her.

“I should tell you the truth, Lisa. Why I’m
here. I didn’t stumble here. I came looking for you. A
strange thing happened to me when they sky went dark. I went to the end
of my life. I saw my death.” Stephen pauses, knowing how crazy he
must sound. Nonetheless, he continues, “When that time comes, you see
your life and you see what you’ve done. Everything flashes before your
eyes. You see your accomplishments; you see what was important to
you. And you can smile and be thankful for everything. The chances
you’ve taken. The places you’ve gone. But when you finally realize
your time has run out, when that finally sets in, the things you’ve done aren’t
enough. The blank spaces in between, the failures… they dawn on you.
I saw what I screwed up. What I thought was important… it wasn’t. I
was wrong. It became clear to me. Life isn’t about what you
do. It’s about who you’re with. As I died, I began to pray. I
didn’t know who I was praying to or if anyone would hear me. But I prayed
that if I had one more chance, if I could just do it again, I’d make it
right.” Stephen bowed his head, nearly in tears at his
proclamation. “My prayer was answered. Now I’m sitting here, next
to you. Because the only thing that ever mattered to me… was you.”

Lisa’s eyes strain as she stares into Stephen’s.
Suddenly, a distant vision plays in her mind. She’s at a bar. With
Paul Higgins, her boyfriend. Stephen is there, sitting far away.
She goes to talk to him. But he’s gone. Now she’s outside her house.
The world is shaking. The sky is yellow. She falls. She looks
in the distance, with the world ending, and only one thing fills her mind:
Stephen.

Lisa remembers. Vaguely. The only aspect of her
original life she can remember is what involved Stephen. Because to her,
it was most important.

Lisa looks at Stephen and declares, “I love you.”

Her statement plows into Stephen’s heart. He smiles
and lets out a sigh. He takes her hand and curls his fingers through
hers, whispering, “I love you.”

Their longing for each other culminates as Stephen gently
takes her face and brings her lips close to his. With their eyes only
inches apart, they stare deep into one another. After long years of being
apart, Stephen’s eyes regain the light that abruptly went out and died when
Lisa left him. She could literally see the marvel of light brighten in
his eyes. Feelings of warmth swirl inside her. Finally, after an
eternity of waiting, Stephen kisses her soft lips. As they inch apart,
Stephen and Lisa take their time, gazing into each other’s eyes and treasuring
their second chance. As Lisa finds herself lost in the light of Stephen’s
eyes, she
smiles.
The sight brings tears to his eyes. He
tries to compose himself but after all he had been through to see her
smile
again, his emotions are hard to contain.

Their reunion is cut short by a knocking at the front
door. They both look down the hall. Stephen looks at Lisa and
nonverbally asks, “You expecting anyone?” She gives a quick
headshake. Must be Campbell, Stephen figures.

Outside, Campbell sits in the convertible. His seat
is leaned back and he relaxes, enjoying the summer sun hitting his skin.
A faint ringing fills the air. A cell phone? Campbell looks around
but can’t locate it. He climbs over the driver’s seat and peers between
the seat and the door. There it is: Stephen’s cell phone. Campbell
answers it. “Hello. Jay Campbell.”

“Campbell, it’s Bruce. Where’s Stephen?” Bruce
sounds ecstatic and out of breath.

“He’s over at Lisa’s. I’m waiting for him.”

“Go get him and Lisa and get out of there!”

Campbell perks up. “What? Why?”

“Just do it! We’re on the way!”

“Who’s on the way?”

“All of us! We all have to get out of here now!”

Campbell senses the urgency but is filled with
uncertainty. “Tell me what’s going on, Bruce!”

“There’s someone going there to kill Lisa!”

It’s all Campbell needs to hear. He doesn’t need to
question the authenticity of Bruce’s claim; he could tell it from the urgency
in his voice. Add to that the craziness of events lately and there’s no
reason to doubt it. Campbell tosses the phone near the gas pedal and
leaps out of the car. With all his might, he sprints toward Stephen and
Lisa, leaving the ELPIS box behind.

Lisa opens the front door. Stephen, waiting on the
couch, peers down the hallway to try and catch a glimpse of the visitor at the
door. With Lisa’s back blocking him, he can’t see much. He can hear
faint voices but can’t make out any words. Lisa lets out a yelp and
stumbles to the ground, landing hard on her back. Stephen dashes off the
couch and runs down the hallway. Whoever was at the door is no longer
there.

Stephen falls to his knees and bends down to face
Lisa. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Lisa isn’t okay. Her face is pale and she’s in an inordinate
amount of pain. Stephen, in total disbelief, shakes his head.
“No. You’ll be fine. Let’s get you to a hospital.” Stephen
slides his hands under her back, about to pick her up.

“No,” Lisa utters. Stephen backs off. She
slowly pulls her shirt above her stomach to reveal a deep, bloody circular
wound on her abdomen. It buries deep within and Stephen can see clear
into her stomach. The sight frazzles him. “No. No… you’ll…
you’ll be okay,” he says, not quite believing it himself.

Lisa pulls on Stephen’s neck and brings his face close to
hers. As he rubs his face against her cheek, Stephen lies next to her and
holds her in his arms. Lisa struggles to say, “Thank you for coming,
Stephen. I thought I’d never see you again.”

Stephen sniffles as he gives up on holding his tears
back. Lisa joins him and starts to cry. But not out of
sadness. She could have lived her entire life and never seen him
again. But now that she sees him, for just a few minutes, it brings her
the joy she always wanted. The joy she always prayed for.

Lisa could feel her life slipping away. A bright
light shrouds her vision. Not ready to go, she pushes it away.
“Stephen, listen.”

Stephen smears the tears away from his eyes and stares into
her majestic green eyes. Lisa continues, “I’m sorry I left you. I
was afraid. I was… young. I didn’t know what I was doing.
You’ve given me meaning, a reason to live. And the fact that you came
back for me… makes me happier than you’ll ever understand.” Lisa looks
into his blue eyes and
smiles
. Suddenly, she convulses and coughs
uncontrollably. Stephen can do nothing but watch her endure unbearable
pain.

Stephen leans in and brings his lips close to hers.
She closes her eyes and they kiss. Knowing it could be their last moment
together, both are overwhelmed with an inescapable sense of melancholy.
As Stephen kisses her, he feels her lips lose their sense of touch; they have
fallen limp.

Stephen backs away. She lies perfectly still.

Lisa Binsby is dead.

A terrible sickness befalls Stephen. His face
contorts and he covers his mouth, fearful he will vomit. His other hand,
shaking uncontrollably, rises to his face. Stephen slowly stands up,
staring at the love of his life.

Campbell runs to Stephen, yelling, “Stephen! We need
to get out of here!” Campbell stops in his tracks when he sees Stephen
standing over Lisa’s limp body. Stephen, face full of despair, turns to
Campbell.

Campbell asks, “What happened?”

Stephen silently walks past him, every step more painful than
the last. Campbell steps forward and glares at Lisa’s body.

Stephen’s insides feel like a raging fire with gasoline
pouring on top. His entire body trembles as he stumbles into the
street. He stares at the spot across the street where he once saw Lisa
die. Stephen holds out his hand as if she was there again. “Lisa,”
he utters to himself. He made it back all this way. And
inexplicably, she was taken from him again. What difference did it
make? “What difference did it make!?” he screams. At least before,
he didn’t have to think about the possibility of living his life without
her. He died when she did. Now, she is plain gone, and with it, any
chance of ever reuniting.

Stephen’s body tenses. He stares at the sky.
“You son of a bitch.” Stephen takes a deep breath and unleashes a savage
yell, letting out all of his breath and all of his might. He breathes
heavily and falls to his knees. He buries his face into the cement and
cries. Unrelenting, Stephen lets it all out. His sinuses congest at
the immense pressure forcing the tears out of his eyes. He pounds his
fist into the cement as hard as he can, striking pain deep into his arm.
Again, he strikes the unforgiving surface. He lies on the ground, mired
in his thoughts. After several minutes, he starts to relax. All of
his energy, all of his lust for life, is gone.