“It has a number of uses, but the first thing that comes to mind would be a CO2 scrubber.”
“A what?”
“Used on ships, in bunkers and the like, as part of an oxygenation system to keep the air breathable. Why?”
“Just curious,” I said with a thoughtful nod. “Thanks.”
They filed out of the room and I turned back to Lily who stared at me with something in her gaze that I couldn’t decipher.
“Hello, Lily.”
“Hello, Ryan.”
“It’s been an interesting trip but not as interesting as yours I don’t think.”
“Interesting isn’t a word I’d use,” she said and winced as she shifted uncomfortably in the chair.
“You’re hurt?”
“We?”
“Yes. You, me and our baby.”
Epilogue.
I walked through the silent town, my thoughts tumbling over themselves as I contemplated the news I had received. I was going to be a parent. A father.
A novel concept, and one I was certainly not prepared for. It would mean a significant adjustment to my thinking. Lily had patiently explained that she would understand if I had no interest in raising the child and I had laughed.
Who else would I trust to raise it?
A child. My child. Our child.
I shook my head, bemused at the thought. It was not something that I had ever considered to be an option and as such had never contemplated such a thing happening. It would be a challenge but one I would relish, I thought with a smile.
Two of my minions approached. Dressed all in black with their shrouds covering their faces, they would be a common sight around town for the foreseeable future. Shahid was still at large but she would be dealt with in time and I was pretty sure that Lily would be convinced to let me kill the colonel.
“I did say you were a clever bastard,” Isaac said as the barrel of the gun was pressed against the back of my head.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I admitted. “Let me guess, you killed the two I sent to follow you and stowed away on the ship?”
“See, you keep showing how clever you are.”
“So,” I said with an easy smile as the other person, Dawn I guessed, removed my knives. “What do you plan to do now?”
“Well, mate. You asked who ‘they’ were. Well, now, you’re going to find out and trust me when I say they are going to have a lot of questions about this nice little island you have.”
“I’m sure it will be an interesting meeting, but I’m afraid that I have things to do here so will have to decline the invite.”
“Like you have a fucking choice,” Dawn said as she stabbed a needle into my neck and the world faded to black.
Note from the author.
Thank you for reading this story and, as always, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Whatever comes next, it will surely be interesting and I hope you are as excited for the journey as I am.
As always, you can find irregular updates here: https://www.facebook.com/KillingtheDead
Regards
Richard