I think I know how we could find out how much of Earth’s CO2 comes from burning fossil fuel. I just need—
—Mother! You seem so… distant.
—I am sorry, Mia. I was… absorbed in somewhat self-congratulatory thought.
—No rule against being happy. Are you? Happy?
—I am… working on it. There are moments when I…
—Mother?
—There is a man standing outside.
—What do you mean, standing?
—He is staring at our house.
—Let me see…. It’s him, Mother! That’s the man who tried to kill me.
—Run, Mia. Run.
57
Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Where am I? This is our kitchen. I…
We ran out the back door. I was hit in the face with… There was another man, the same man. I believe Mia made it out.
Pain. What did he do—
—You’re a hard one to catch, Sarah.
Here he is, sitting in front of me on another kitchen chair. I have never met him but I know who he is. All my life, I have been taught to fear this man.
My hand hurts. Throbbing pain. I can’t… move. My legs are tied to the chair. My hands are roped behind my back.
—What did you do to me?
—Oh, that. I cut your little finger off while you were out. You don’t mind, do you? I thought I’d save you some pain for the first one.
Did he? He must have. I can’t feel it at all. Just pain. Blood should be gushing out but it is not. He must have cauterized it somehow. Whatever this is, he wants it to last.
—What is it you want?
—What do I want? Oh, you’re funny, Sarah. Is that even your real name? Maybe I should have said— What was it you used to call yourselves again? The Kibsu? Do you still do that?
A genuine smile. He seems… happy. So much so he can barely contain himself. Too many things running through his head. Kill me. Talk to me. Torture me.
—This is a mistake. I am not who you think I am. Now please, sir, just untie me.
—More humor. I love that. I’ll never understand why you held on to that Babylonian crap. Sounds so… melodramatic. I mean, do you say it with a deep, deep voice? WE. ARE. THE KIBSUUU!… No? Never mind. I’m sorry, that was rude. I apologize. I don’t know you. I shouldn’t make fun. If you’re the Kibsu, what does that make me?
Blood rushing to every organ. I can feel my heartbeat in my neck. Three thousand years of instinct kicking in.
—Like I said, I—
—Stop wasting my time, Sarah, or I’ll cut your whole fucking hand off.
Fear the Tracker. Always run, never fight. I’ve said the words so many times. But I can’t run. I need to get my legs free.
—We call you the Tracker.
If I can get him to lean closer, I can knee the table through his windpipe.
—Like a hunter?
—Like a dog.
—Oh, that was uncalled for. You should really stop struggling, Sarah. You’re not getting out of these ropes.
He is right. I am not going anywhere…. So this is how I die. Cut to pieces by the devil himself. It does not matter. Mia is safe. We will endure.
—Why not kill me now and get it over with?
—Kill you? What makes you think I want to kill you? Is it the finger? I would have cut your head off if I wanted to kill you. It’s not the finger, is it? It’s because of the Tracker thing? Am I the bad guy? The monster in your bedtime stories? I am. That stings. You really need new stories, Sarah. I’m not what you think I am…. We are… very much alike, you and I.
—I am nothing like you.
—Are you sure? I mean do you even know what you are? You have to know you’re not one of them. Right? Yes, you do. Do you think you’re different from me, too? Well, you’re not. This isn’t a zoo, honey. There aren’t fifty kinds of animals. There’s them, and there’s us. I don’t know why you would pretend otherwise. Frankly, I find it kind of insulting.
—You’re a killer.
—Sure I am. So are you. Do you know how we find you? Every time. It’s always the same. We look for the dead. Mass killings, unexplained deaths. Two dead guards and a nurse in Moscow. Was that you or did your daughter do that? I thought she was dead, by the way, before she ran past me. Good for her. Anyway, it doesn’t matter which of you did it. You’re a mass murderer, Sarah. You leave bodies behind like breadcrumbs. Don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t care. They’re cockroaches, all of them. But don’t pretend you and I are different.
—Why are you chasing us?
—No. No. No. That’s not how this works. I ask the questions. And every time I’m not satisfied with your answer, I take a piece of you. A souvenir, you understand?
—What do you want to know?
—So many things, I don’t even know where to start! Do you remember me?
—What?
I do not understand. He knows we have never met.
—I’ll take that as a no. I’m sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course you don’t remember me. It’s just… I thought it might be different with you. I’m born… I’m a male—you can see that, obviously. What I mean is I need… someone, to be born. I come out of a woman. One of them. It’s disgusting, but necessary. You… There’s only you.
If he wants to kill me, he can do it whenever he wants. Why waste time talking to me? He seems genuinely curious. He does not know.
—…
—Oh, forget it. I thought you might remember things, that’s all. Things from before. But you don’t. Moving on. Where did you hide the device?
—What device?
I should not talk, but this I need to know. We have always assumed they were chasing us for sport. I thought they were just evil. I am certain they are, but if there is a deeper motivation behind it, I must find out what it is. I need to know what we keep dying for.
—Really? Oh, don’t tell me you have a stupid ancient name for it. The wimbo, the kuplah, the amagonnagivittoya. Just tell me where you hid it and I will let you go. I swear. We’ll leave you alone and never bother you again if that’s what you want.
—…
—I guess not. Now you can’t say I didn’t warn you. I thought I explained the rules fairly well. What will it be? Another finger? Nah. We did that already. Maybe a toe…. I know. Let’s take off one of your ears.
He’s up. He’s looking through the kitchen drawers.
—I swear to you. I do not know what that device is.
—I guess we’ll know soon enough. Where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Charles. I believe… this will do just fine.
A bread knife. He’s coming closer. I can’t move! No! No!
—AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!
Throbbing pain. I feel the warmth on my cheek, my neck. This sick bastard is taking pleasure in this. No, we are not alike. We made a choice to be different. Our choice.
—There. It’s over. You have nice ears…. I may be naive, but I think you really have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ll be damned. The universe has some sick sense of humor if that’s true. For your sake, Sarah, I hope you’re lying to me. I really do. Because if you don’t know… All of this for nothing?