The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden

found it okay now.”
    “I thought I could help you find your way out at the end. You wouldn’t want to get lost in here when the sun is about to set.”
    The sun was nearing the western edge of the horizon. Many believed nighttime was for the dead, that somehow the veil between life and death thinned, and their ghosts roamed free to haunt the living. “How long have you lived here?”
    “Not long, actually.” he said. “Found this place about a month ago.”
    “You ever seen a ghost?”
    “Oh yes,” he said.
    “So why do you still live here?”
    He shrugged. “Where else should I go? My whole family’s dead.” He scowled when he said that, and Grace thought he must have felt abandoned by them. She found herself wondering how old he was. She rarely asked since it was considered impolite. With the exception of old timers, alive before aging stopped, and children, not yet to the point of decaying towards old age, everyone looked about twenty-five, give or take five years.
    “You still got family?” Jason asked.
    “My mom’s alive,” Grace said. “And my sister and some nieces and nephews.”
    “You’re lucky, then. Don’t take them for granted. Come on, let me get you out of here before the spirits come out.”
    Grace didn’t argue the merits of believing in spooks. Just then, she wanted to get out of the cold cemetery and back to her warm apartment.
    Then she remembered she’d have to go back to Sam’s apartment. This could turn out to be a very long night.

Chapter 8
    Since Grace didn’t have a key or the code to Sam’s apartment, it was just as well that he returned before she did. He didn’t look happy, though.
    “Where have you been? I’ve been frantic–worried that th–that someone got you.”
    “That who got me?” Grace asked, though she thought she knew.
    “Nobody,” Sam said. “Matt did not put those bugs in your apartment. He’s sent a team over there to clean it out.”
    “You think The Establishment bugged my apartment, don’t you?” Grace asked.
    “Why would they do that?” Sam looked at the floor as he said that. He was a terrible liar.
    Grace wasn’t too bad at lying when she had to be. “I asked Matt about The Establishment. They were my biggest concern in taking this job. He lied to me, didn’t he?”
    “Grace–”
    “What would happen if I quit? I can return the money first thing in the morning.” She knew perfectly well she wouldn’t survive twenty-four hours if she quit. The only question would be whether Matt’s people or The Establishment got to her first. But she didn’t want Sam to know she knew any of that.
    “You can’t!” Sam’s horror at the idea told Grace everything she needed to know to confirm Matt’s deadly intentions should she not go through with this. “Why would you want to? You knew this would be dangerous when you took the job, but the potential rewards if you succeed! We’ve got a powerful man behind us, Grace, but we need you.” He paused and added, “Would you really quit?”
    Grace saw the disappointment mirrored in his eyes and felt a small stab of guilt. For a split second, she considered telling him everything–about the secondary job The Establishment wanted her to do, about them taking her to the police station–but she just couldn’t. Not then, anyway.
    “No, I won’t quit,” Grace said. “You’re right. This is more important than danger.” She paused and then added, for good measure, “I just got scared.”
    Sam made a motion as if to hug her, but Grace pulled away. “I better head back to my apartment if Matt’s sending a team there. I’ll see you later.”
    She turned to go.
    “Wait!”
    Grace paused, but did not turn. She could feel Sam standing behind her, a little too close for comfort.
    “Have you ever thought, I mean, did you ever regret…”
    “Don’t,” Grace said. She couldn’t deal with the rest of that sentence right now. Without another word, she walked out the door.
    * * *
    Grace