pointing to the ceiling and the sky beyond, “but you know that already. Gardenia I could have written that letter myself,” he moved in closer to her.
“No, this isn’t right,” she gently moved him aside and walked back to her ratty green chair, standing behind it to create distance from him.
It was Travis. But she couldn’t be sure how it was Travis. And that made it all wrong. It made it dangerous for them both.
“You shouldn’t be telling me this,” she paused, “I mean, I’m glad you’re telling me this. But not like this. We have to figure out what happened to you.”
“Well, after I graduated from college I got recruited by the CIA. I did a lot of stuff for the government. Stuff I can’t really talk about,” he paused his alive eyes searching hers, blankly but trustingly.
“I understand Travis,” she followed his eyes, letting him know she was safe to talk to.
A part of her wanted to fall down on the ground with shock. There he was the boy she knew her whole life but something was terribly wrong with this picture.
“After, my promotion, they kind of owed me those government spooks…So, I cashed in. I asked them to reassign me to a new project in Cotter. Only, I ended up duped. I couldn’t tell anyone I was here. I couldn’t tell you.”
“What project Travis?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he laughed.
“Try me.”
“They actually got some crazy looking dude from the Amazon, some tribe leader, said he could raise people from the dead.”
She grabbed onto the chair. It was becoming clear.
“Travis, I think you died. Do you remember?”
“I was sent to do surveillance on the Amazon man. I watched him day and night. He stared at me a lot with wild red eyes. I wasn’t in the room when he raised the man from the dead. But I was in the line of fire. You see, they wanted to clean up all the evidence of their dirty deed. They wanted to kill everyone who knew about Project Lazarus.”
“Project Lazarus?”
“Appropriate huh?” He sneered.
“Yes, so they killed you.”
“Yeah, the guard came down the hall and methodically knocked us off one by one. I heard shot after shot and by the time he got to me it was too late. The bullet ripped right though me. This guy was a cleaner, he aimed only for the heart. He didn’t miss. It was too late to pull a weapon. The bullet killed me Gardenia, I know it did. But when the Amazon man raised the man in the room I think something unexpected happened. You see, after I got up from the ground, I could feel the bullet hole,” he pulled back his military jacket to show the blood and the hole in his shirt.
Gardenia winced.
“”I watched every other man shot that day get up. I don’t know where they went. I just ran out of there. I hid out for a long time. I was completely off the grid. My intensive CIA training came in handy. I was invisible.”
“I’m so sorry Travis,” Gardenia said, listening to the story.
“Then I came here. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. They’re probably looking for me Gardenia. And I’m going to leave now. I needed to see you again.”
He started for the door.
“Wait,” Gardenia rushed to him, “let me help you. We can sort this out together.”
“No, you were right,” he paused softly to look into her eyes, “I’m not supposed to be here. I should be dead. This can’t be. I don’t want them to find you.”
He reached out to hug her and she reluctantly let go.
“You know it’s the right thing.”
She nodded.
“They’ll be coming for me,” he told her.
“And when they do?” She asked.
“I don’t think I’ll be alone. Gardenia, there are more of us. So many of us.”
She stared at him in horror. Those words “So many of us.” How could
“No, this isn’t right,” she gently moved him aside and walked back to her ratty green chair, standing behind it to create distance from him.
It was Travis. But she couldn’t be sure how it was Travis. And that made it all wrong. It made it dangerous for them both.
“You shouldn’t be telling me this,” she paused, “I mean, I’m glad you’re telling me this. But not like this. We have to figure out what happened to you.”
“Well, after I graduated from college I got recruited by the CIA. I did a lot of stuff for the government. Stuff I can’t really talk about,” he paused his alive eyes searching hers, blankly but trustingly.
“I understand Travis,” she followed his eyes, letting him know she was safe to talk to.
A part of her wanted to fall down on the ground with shock. There he was the boy she knew her whole life but something was terribly wrong with this picture.
“After, my promotion, they kind of owed me those government spooks…So, I cashed in. I asked them to reassign me to a new project in Cotter. Only, I ended up duped. I couldn’t tell anyone I was here. I couldn’t tell you.”
“What project Travis?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he laughed.
“Try me.”
“They actually got some crazy looking dude from the Amazon, some tribe leader, said he could raise people from the dead.”
She grabbed onto the chair. It was becoming clear.
“Travis, I think you died. Do you remember?”
“I was sent to do surveillance on the Amazon man. I watched him day and night. He stared at me a lot with wild red eyes. I wasn’t in the room when he raised the man from the dead. But I was in the line of fire. You see, they wanted to clean up all the evidence of their dirty deed. They wanted to kill everyone who knew about Project Lazarus.”
“Project Lazarus?”
“Appropriate huh?” He sneered.
“Yes, so they killed you.”
“Yeah, the guard came down the hall and methodically knocked us off one by one. I heard shot after shot and by the time he got to me it was too late. The bullet ripped right though me. This guy was a cleaner, he aimed only for the heart. He didn’t miss. It was too late to pull a weapon. The bullet killed me Gardenia, I know it did. But when the Amazon man raised the man in the room I think something unexpected happened. You see, after I got up from the ground, I could feel the bullet hole,” he pulled back his military jacket to show the blood and the hole in his shirt.
Gardenia winced.
“”I watched every other man shot that day get up. I don’t know where they went. I just ran out of there. I hid out for a long time. I was completely off the grid. My intensive CIA training came in handy. I was invisible.”
“I’m so sorry Travis,” Gardenia said, listening to the story.
“Then I came here. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. They’re probably looking for me Gardenia. And I’m going to leave now. I needed to see you again.”
He started for the door.
“Wait,” Gardenia rushed to him, “let me help you. We can sort this out together.”
“No, you were right,” he paused softly to look into her eyes, “I’m not supposed to be here. I should be dead. This can’t be. I don’t want them to find you.”
He reached out to hug her and she reluctantly let go.
“You know it’s the right thing.”
She nodded.
“They’ll be coming for me,” he told her.
“And when they do?” She asked.
“I don’t think I’ll be alone. Gardenia, there are more of us. So many of us.”
She stared at him in horror. Those words “So many of us.” How could
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