Anna Immortal

by Rene Barry

Part 1 appears
in this issue.

conclusion

“Watch your head,” he said as they entered the cabin below.

“What is this?” Anna murmured, still sick and reeling from the gut voice that kept whispering and roaring at her that she was in the midst of madness and should run for her life, but her feet just walked further and further, shackled by her curiosity, into the mystery that was Ishmael.

“Well, it’s dinner,” he smiled. “Sit,” he invited, gesturing toward the simple meal laid out on a small table in the center of the cabin. “And it’s where I tell you everything you need to know.”

The evening waned away as Ishmael filled Anna’s head with a patchwork of the long and bitter road he had traveled and, more so, travailed from the inception of his life. With each smile he gave, Anna’s heart warmed, and she was like a child at the feet of some great storyteller.

But she knew one painful truth — her life would never be the same. When she walked out of those doors, she would be broken and fractured in places that would never heal. The world would make much less sense once the dream was stripped away, and what was happening right now would keep her alone forever.

Alone, she thought. No! Not alone! Not alone!

“Anna, come with me?” Ishmael said suddenly.

Her head snapped up. “W-what?” she asked, but she had heard him. “You keep asking me that. Why?”

“Because I need you,” he whispered.

Anna stayed silent, and then spoke. “Ishmael, you know that cannot happen. We can’t be together.”

“Yes we can,” Ishmael said softly, gazing at her. "Yes we can."

Anna threw her head back and chuckled. “Is this the part where you give up eternity for me so we can spend just one lifetime together?" she mocked, "because I’m not sure I want to be the cause of that.”

“No,” Ishmael said. “Trust me, if I could, I would. But that’s not possible. So this is the part where I ask you to become like me, to leave your mortal life behind and know what it is to never die.”

“What?” asked Anna, shocked.

“That is possible,” Ishmael said. “Anna, if we were to make love, and you were to bear my child, the spirit that you and our child share would make you immortal. You will be one of us.”

Anna sat back in silence.

“Anna did you hear what I said?” Ishmael asked.

“Yes...I did,” she said faintly.

“Do you love me?”

He got no answer.

“Anna?” He leaned toward her.

“No...” she whispered prompting Ishmael to withdraw appearing somewhat wounded.

“... but I could,” she said.

He looked up to make sure he had heard her correctly.

“I could...” she said again, cautiously, and then looked away. “I need... time,” she whispered. “I need time.”

* * *

Her front door clicked softly behind her as Anna wandered into the house. She had been in a trance since she left Ishmael on the boat. Her mind swarmed with everything he had said to her. Did she really just offer to have sex with a complete stranger till she bore his child? She needed a drink, she decided.

I can’t be that lonely and desperate. I’ve got to be losing my mind!

As she reached for the door of the liquor cabinet, something became apparent to her. She was not alone. She turned around and clenched her hands till they grew white. There, sitting quietly on her couch was a man. He did not move but calmly waited.

“My name is Lucius,” he said. “I am a friend of Ishmael.”

“What do you want?” Anna asked trembling.

“You are beautiful,” Lucius remarked. “All through his life you have been beautiful, or at least the many women he believes have been you. And now he wants you. And he has made up his mind to make you his own.”

Anna said nothing.

Lucius sighed. “I have protected my people for thousands of years, Ms Lowe. Such a concept, I know, is too great for you. But let us forget about Ishmael, or me, for a moment. Let us think about what he has offered you. Immortality. Have you thought about it, really?” Lucius asked.

“Do you think the love you feel for him will last when ten years, twenty years from now you find yourself having to hide the truth from your family? Your unnatural youth? You think you will love him when the day comes that you must estrange yourself from everyone that matters to you to protect them? Will you love him when they’re gone and you are the only one that remains to grieve... to grieve the death of everyone you ever loved? And trust me, that day will come.”

Anna stood rigid.

“No Anna, you will hate him, and you will blame him.”

“That’s not true!” Anna said defiantly.

“I don’t question the love you have for him now, Anna,” Lucius whispered, “but what I question is your understanding of us. Sit, Anna.” Lucius gestured to the chair opposite him. “Speak with me. I am not here to harm you. I am your friend,” he whispered gently. He nodded toward the cabinet. “Scotch would be fine, if you have any.”

Anna hesitated, but then poured them both a drink and sat. Lucius began rambling on about his people and the many dangers they had survived. But with every sip of the scotch Anna took, the threads of Lucius’ conversation became more incoherent. The room swooned around her, and her stomach ached terribly. Lucius’ voice boomed in her head even though she knew he was not shouting. The room seemed brighter than usual and flashed in sections before her eyes. Then all went black, and she slumped to the floor.

Lucius got up and stood over her, “Like I said Anna, I would do anything to protect my people. Immortality is just too tempting for any human to resist. I have simply done what I must.” He left the house.

* * *

Anna’s eyes opened to the sound of a monitor beeping. Beth sat next to her bedside, crying.

“Ishmael,” Anna said weakly.

“Who?” Beth asked.

Anna tried to make sense of where she was. She felt the sweat running down her forehead. Beth, seeing her confusion, explained to her that she was in the hospital and that someone had found her at home lying on the floor.

“No one knows who called the paramedics,” Beth said. “When they arrived, they only found you.”

Ishmael, Anna thought with a weak smile. But she noticed Beth was crying again.

“Beth, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Beth fumbled and eventually found no easy way to tell Anna that she was dying. Anna lay in shock.

“Anna!” Beth cried, “Not like this. I won’t lose you like this!” She buried her face in Anna’s arm. “Why didn’t you come to me?” she sobbed. “Why did you have to do this? So many of us need you, love you! I thought you were off those pills. I thought you didn’t need them anymore!”

Anna felt her body weakening by the minute. Beth’s words confused her. But then she remembered everything, and her gut wrenched as she realized Beth thought she had tried to kill herself. Through the narrow slits of her eyes she saw a shadow hovering near the small window in the room’s door. She knew it was Ishmael. She also knew that she did not want to die.

“Beth,” she whispered, “I love you, and I always will, even after I’m gone. I want you to know it will be okay.”

Beth’s tears ran down her face.

Anna reached out to comfort her. “Beth, do one last thing for me,” she said. “Go get me a priest. Do that for me, dear sister. I’ll be here... I promise I’ll be here when you get back.”

Beth wiped at her eyes and nodded. She kissed Anna’s forehead and left the room.

Ishmael quickly slipped into the room as Beth passed him.

He knelt at Anna’s bedside. “It doesn’t have to end like this, Anna,” he said. “Just say the word, and life is yours. David is outside. He will help me get you out of here. Please, Anna. I won’t lose you again.”

“Lucius...” she groaned weakly, “he... poisoned me...”

“I know. I know,” he replied. “But once you’re with me, I’ll protect you. He will never hurt you again.”

Anna stretched her hand out to touch Ishmael. “Then take me,” she said. “I don’t want to die.”

Ishmael pulled out his cell-phone and made a quick call to David. “Do it,” he said and hung up.

A sudden uproar erupted outside. It sounded to Anna like people shouting. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“A diversion,” Ishmael said. “I’m getting you out of here.” Hurriedly, he pulled a dress from the inside of his coat. “Here, let me get this on you.”

Lifting her up under his arm, he snuck her out of the room and towards the elevator. Its doors chimed open. Anna squinted over Ishmael’s shoulder, barely making out a crowd gathered around someone screaming, and hospital staff rushing a gurney into the midst of the crowd.

“What’s happening!” Anna asked.

“Street actress,” Ishmael said. “We paid her and her friend to cause a scene.”

The elevator whooshed down, opening onto the parking lot.

“David!” Ishmael shouted as he felt Anna passing out on him. “Let’s go! I’ve got her!”

* * *

“Anna?” Ishmael whispered. “Can you hear me?”

Anna opened her eyes. She felt a hundred times weaker than she had felt in the hospital, but she forced herself to stay awake. She was on the boat. That much she could tell, as she felt that familiar rocking beneath her and caught the scent of the sea. Someone was touching her.

“Anna, I need you for this,” she heard a voice say. “Stay with me.”

She felt her dress coming off and the warmth of a familiar organ between her legs. She felt Ishmael bringing her up against his chest. But she was slipping now into some dark unknown realm, and she was too weak to care whether it was Heaven or Hell. The motion beneath her grew stronger and more rhythmic, and drained whatever strength she had lingering in her debilitated, cold body.

No child... can’t have a child like this, her thoughts moaned. Not like this... too weak... too tired. Will die... will die... God, don’t want to die...

“Anna, are you with me?” she heard a voice say.

Voice? So distant... so familiar! Where am I? Swimming... No, no, not swimming... not swim F-Floating, yes... darkness... so dark... stomach hurts... my stom... head-head... hurts... yes, it hurts... it hurts...

The darkness reached up like a monstrous blanket over her, and she fell into it, not caring if she was falling into death.

* * *

It was morning when she awoke. Her hair was pressed against her forehead, and her dress clung to her body, soaked from a night of illness and sick passion. She reached out to Ishmael who lay beside her.

At first she was dazed. Then she remembered and reached out to touch her belly. I’m alive, she thought. It has to be there! A child! She reached out to Ishmael.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “You’ve given me a gift that means more to me than eternity. Thank you!” she wept, kissing his hand.

But Ishmael did not respond. She shook him, but he stayed still.

“Ishmael?” Anna called. “Ishmael?”

She heard only silence.

She got up and crawled over to him. His eyes were closed. She pressed his hands. They were cold.

“Ishmael?” she called, shaking him. “Ishmael! Ishmael, answer me!”

The dead silence of the cabin grew louder in Anna’s ear. Only the ocean moved beneath her. She trembled, and slowly let go of Ishmael’s hand, dreading to see it fall limp. It did.

“Ishmael!” she screamed, sobbing.

“He knew the price,” a voice said behind her.

She spun round and knew immediately that it was David.

He walked over to her, and stopped over Ishmael’s body. “He knew the price... to give you life. But he loved you enough to do it.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Anna asked, sobbing.

“He could give you life through a child, eternal life, but there was another way — another we rarely speak of. To make love to a dying human is sure death for any immortal, and all that he was, his immortality, was passed to you. But he loved you enough to do it. Make no mistake, Anna, you made him happier in this one night, than he had ever been in an eternity.”

Anna stared at David, confused, tired... confused. His words lingered... and then finally, she truly heard them... and truly understood.

“He’s dead!” Anna whispered in sobs of disbelief. “He’s dead! He’s dead! Oh God, he’s dead! He’s dead!”

“Anna?” David reached out for her, fearing she would cave in on herself.

“But what about our child?” she pleaded through choked sobs, stroking Ishmael’s forehead. “I know it’s there. I know it! It has to be!”

“Anna,” David knelt over her, “maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. But you’re alive. His life force was given to you..."

“I know our child is there!” Anna screamed.

David got up, realizing that any other words he spoke about the way of immortals or the laws that governed their existence would be too much for Anna at the given moment. Ishmael was dead and now she clung to another life; real or imagined, it was all she had, he realized. And besides, his heart was sinking too.

Ishmael is dead! Ishmael is dead! Oh God, my best friend is dead! His thoughts flooded him. No. No, David. Got to keep it together. Got to hold it together. For her sake. You promised him. You promised...

“He knows, too,” David comforted her. “Trust me, wherever he is, he knows.” He reached out for her. “Come with me Anna. I promised him I would take care of you. And I will. After all, you’re one of us now.”

Anna looked out to the horizon. The sun was rising over the waters, yet all the world seemed lifeless and foggy, and seemed to stare back at her with the same dim resolve of the files on the coffee table. She gave Ishmael a soft kiss on his cold cheek, and then turned away for good.

“So what do we do now?” she asked David, her voice breaking, her eyes weary.

“Who knows? But don’t worry,” David smiled. "We have an eternity to figure that out...”

Open Challenge 283...