still alive. Another ten minutes would pass, and then he would become frustrated at the fact that I just wouldn’t die already.
Dr. Roberson cocked his head to the side and frowned. “You don’t like the idea of being immortal.”
I looked down at my hands again. Although his statement was true, I felt guilty for feeling this way. Obviously, he was very proud of his discovery of eternal life. Now here I was, allowing him to feed me and give me a place to stay and take care of me, and I wasn’t completely on board with his amazing discovery. I was sure he felt offended.
“Immortality is not for everyone. It is something that should be earned. An offering that should be given to people who deserve it. A person who has done wrong in their life, things that cannot be forgiven such as murder or acts of violence, should not be given a second opportunity to live. But a person like you…or Ian or Maddi, a person who deserves to have a future, should have the chance to live it out. You all were threatened to be taken out of this world much too young.”
“But what about Estelle? She was already so much older.”
“When I approached Estelle regarding Serum Z, I was taking my chances. I wanted to find someone who was nearing the end. And it just so happened that she wasn’t ready go.”
Well, she was now.
He came to sit next to me. “Living forever isn’t about living forever, Grace. It means that there is a prospect of doing every single thing we ever wanted do in life, and then some, without the threat of having it all taken away suddenly.”
I had a gnawing feeling that Dr. Roberson was trying to convince me. “But, what if that person doesn’t want to live forever? Is there a way to end it, or are we just stuck here?”
I didn’t know why I was so against a never-ending life. I wasn’t a very religious person. It wasn’t like I knew for sure or even truly believed that there was a heaven up there for my soul to fly up to. I didn’t know if there was a golden gate where you stood in line and waited to enter before you could meet the Creator of all things.
But it just didn’t seem like it was the natural order of things. It didn’t seem right. What could you possibly do with hundreds and hundreds of years under your belt? You would have seen and done everything you possibly could before it just got too boring. Or worse. What if you ended up alone because you were the only one out of your friends and family, the people that you truly cared about, to have Serum Z in your bloodstream?
He slid his glasses closer to his face. “A subject injected with Serum Z could live indefinitely, provided that the subject does not come into contact with flames or combustion, or machinery, tools, and anything that could cause decapitation.”
His answer was so textbook, but I understood exactly what he was saying. “So in other words, if I catch on fire or someone cuts my head off, then I’m done,” I confirmed.
“Yes.”
“So, I can get shot in the heart or choked without dying?” I could suddenly feel the grip of Eric’s hands around my neck.
“Essentially, yes. Your heart will stop from the bullet, or you could stop breathing from strangulation, but after a minute or two, your heart will start beating and you will start breathing again.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, and then realized that I was fresh out. He stumped me. I didn’t know what to think. I was the alien in a science fiction film. The boogeyman in a horror movie. The jerk chasing after you that just wouldn’t die, no matter how many times you shoot him with a shotgun. I was freaking Jason from Friday the 13 th !
“You should really go get some rest. It’s getting very late,” he said as he moved over to the door to open it.
I stood up, thoughts of my immortal future reeling in my mind. I began to walk out of the door back toward my room when I felt a slight tug behind me.
“Grace, don’t forget your IV stand.”
I turned
Dr. Roberson cocked his head to the side and frowned. “You don’t like the idea of being immortal.”
I looked down at my hands again. Although his statement was true, I felt guilty for feeling this way. Obviously, he was very proud of his discovery of eternal life. Now here I was, allowing him to feed me and give me a place to stay and take care of me, and I wasn’t completely on board with his amazing discovery. I was sure he felt offended.
“Immortality is not for everyone. It is something that should be earned. An offering that should be given to people who deserve it. A person who has done wrong in their life, things that cannot be forgiven such as murder or acts of violence, should not be given a second opportunity to live. But a person like you…or Ian or Maddi, a person who deserves to have a future, should have the chance to live it out. You all were threatened to be taken out of this world much too young.”
“But what about Estelle? She was already so much older.”
“When I approached Estelle regarding Serum Z, I was taking my chances. I wanted to find someone who was nearing the end. And it just so happened that she wasn’t ready go.”
Well, she was now.
He came to sit next to me. “Living forever isn’t about living forever, Grace. It means that there is a prospect of doing every single thing we ever wanted do in life, and then some, without the threat of having it all taken away suddenly.”
I had a gnawing feeling that Dr. Roberson was trying to convince me. “But, what if that person doesn’t want to live forever? Is there a way to end it, or are we just stuck here?”
I didn’t know why I was so against a never-ending life. I wasn’t a very religious person. It wasn’t like I knew for sure or even truly believed that there was a heaven up there for my soul to fly up to. I didn’t know if there was a golden gate where you stood in line and waited to enter before you could meet the Creator of all things.
But it just didn’t seem like it was the natural order of things. It didn’t seem right. What could you possibly do with hundreds and hundreds of years under your belt? You would have seen and done everything you possibly could before it just got too boring. Or worse. What if you ended up alone because you were the only one out of your friends and family, the people that you truly cared about, to have Serum Z in your bloodstream?
He slid his glasses closer to his face. “A subject injected with Serum Z could live indefinitely, provided that the subject does not come into contact with flames or combustion, or machinery, tools, and anything that could cause decapitation.”
His answer was so textbook, but I understood exactly what he was saying. “So in other words, if I catch on fire or someone cuts my head off, then I’m done,” I confirmed.
“Yes.”
“So, I can get shot in the heart or choked without dying?” I could suddenly feel the grip of Eric’s hands around my neck.
“Essentially, yes. Your heart will stop from the bullet, or you could stop breathing from strangulation, but after a minute or two, your heart will start beating and you will start breathing again.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, and then realized that I was fresh out. He stumped me. I didn’t know what to think. I was the alien in a science fiction film. The boogeyman in a horror movie. The jerk chasing after you that just wouldn’t die, no matter how many times you shoot him with a shotgun. I was freaking Jason from Friday the 13 th !
“You should really go get some rest. It’s getting very late,” he said as he moved over to the door to open it.
I stood up, thoughts of my immortal future reeling in my mind. I began to walk out of the door back toward my room when I felt a slight tug behind me.
“Grace, don’t forget your IV stand.”
I turned
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