CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31

TIME CARMINGTON

HORACE WAS THOUGHTFUL about his father's promotion to Director of the CIA, as a close friend of his father's billionaire William Johnson came to him one night without warning:

— Well — said Horace helpfully — my butler said you wanted to speak with me, Will? — It must be very important for you to come here in person, it is not every day that I have the honor of your visit.

William smiled amiably — which was extraordinarily rare on any occasion.

— New times are approaching, my dear Horace, I would say on the eve, I believe faithfully that you will be of the utmost importance to us.

— Sorry, sir... I don't think I quite understand what you're getting at.

The butler enters with a tray with two cups of coffee and places it on a small table between them, bows discreetly and then leaves the library.

— I'm sure you're an ambitious young man, Horace, and ambitious young men most of the time tend to be successful, and I like successful people.

— But I don't see what I can serve you for.

— I need you to go into a place that only people like your father have access to.

— But that's a federal crime...

— Who will judge if it's a crime or not me, I would never accuse you of something when you favored me, my greatest quality is to compensate those who deserve it.

— My father might lose his job...

— You can take his job.

HORACE CANNOT sleep that night, that sentence kept ringing in his head:

You can take his job... You can take his job...

Horace, unlike his father, was not an ambitious person, or at least he didn't appear to be, but he liked the power that the family enjoyed.

The relationship that Horace had with his father wasn't wonderful, but it was friendly, there was mutual respect, one didn't invade the other's space, maybe that was the secret to the success of that "almost relationship".

Despite being a simple person within a family of powerful politicians, Horace's dream in life was to be the Secretary-General of the UN, and that was exactly what William woke up to between them, as Horace dreamed of making a fairer world, more human, where everyone could have an opportunity.

DINNER HAS NEVER BEEN as silent as that day. Horace stirred his soup, but he was completely unhungry. His father followed the same ritual.

His mother broke the silence.

— How was your day, dear?

They both looked at her, but Horace realized she was talking to his father.

It took a few more seconds for Richard to come back to reality.

— Of course, honey, it's all right, just tired, lots of problems to solve, that's all.

— Oh! It's fine, so...

Elaine looked at her son and he smiled.

— I didn't do anything that interesting today.

Isn't list three interesting things you've done in life — said the father dryly after taking the first spoonful of the soup that was still warm — let alone in the day.

— Fuck you — shouted Horace.

Richard smiled.

— This is the first time I've seen him do anything... but you know, once a bum, always a bum.

Horace in a quick game grabbed the vase from the table and when he was going to attack his father, his mother grabbed his arm, but the anger was so intense that he threw her to the floor.

Richard had barely blinked in the face of all the racket that was going on at the table, he continued eating his soup and didn't even notice that his son had left the dining room.

HORACE WAS PACKING his bags when his cell phone rang:

— Hello... that... of course, I'll do that...

Horace knew exactly what he would do, he would take revenge on his father, he would put all the blame for what he did on him.

JUST AS William had spoken, the doors practically opened automatically for him, no one interfered with his entry into the secret nuclear sheds.

The silence of the place was deadly.

Horace swiped his father's card and opened the last hangar, he expected a large crowd to take over the place, but he was alone and the fate of the world was in his hands, he had at that moment the power of life and death of billions of people in your hands...

The mechanisms weren't as complicated as he'd imagined, and the map of operation was perfect.

The first feeling that Horace had was that he was being watched by someone, he heard footsteps behind him and he was breathing heavily, but he had no time to waste, he would humiliate his father at all costs.

The key that was in the instruction envelope fitted perfectly into the slot in the center of the panel, now all that was left was to press the button.

His hand was sweating cold and something he couldn't explain what it was seemed to be trying to stop him. The red button flashed indicating that everything was ready to go.

For the first time in his life, Horace knew what it was like to be tempted by the devil.

He pressed the button and all that followed was pure, utter chaos.

The world was never the same after that decision.

THE LIGHTS RUNNING UNDER THE DEAD GAZE of Horace Carmington, the son of the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States of America.

The voices were far away and there seemed to be a certain urgency from the people around him.

— We can't lose him — shouted one of the doctors — Mr. Willian just called the director saying that it was to save him at all costs.

— Easy to say — muttered one of the nurses.

As much as Horace wanted to form any thoughts at that moment, the circumstances around him didn't allow him to come back to reality, it wasn't pain he felt, it was something so unthinkable that he was anesthetized from pain by pain itself.

— We need a miracle, doctor — said the nurse.

— Miracles don't exist anymore, Paul — said the serious doctor — if you want to survive in this new world, you're going to have to get used to it.

The nurse's face formed an expression more worrying than he wanted to show.

This is the new world, and for the monster that I am, I fit perfectly into it...

— Look at me, boy — said the doctor sternly — your uncle told us to take care of you, and if you die, we will die, do you understand?

The doctor slapped Horace's face a few times and he awoke slightly from his trance, after which he nodded.

— Good boy…

Good boy? I killed more than half the population of the planet… yes, this is the new world, in this new world I am a good boy, I am the Savior of this planet…

Horace's eyes wanted to close, but the doctor was constantly tapping his face to keep him awake, but all Horace wanted was to be far, far away from it all, a place where regret wouldn't consume him inside.

I'm a weakling... I survived the Omega Virus, but I should be dead, I'm a coward...

The doctor put on the breathing apparatus and Horace felt much better.

Before he lost consciousness he listened.

— I don't know how, boy, but you have to survive, make me believe that there are still miracles in this world...

HORACE'S EYES opened slowly, the light was too strong, but comforting at the same.

Horace found himself on a beach paradise.

Soon after, he saw a figure unlike anything he had ever seen, it was a man dressed in a kind of tunic, he had long hair and a very beautiful face, especially his captivating smile.

As incredible as it may seem, the pain had disappeared, especially the one inside him.

The man sat facing the sea and started writing in the sand before asking him a question:

— Where are the men who accuse you?

— As?

— Where are your accusers? — From the look on your face, I assume you're being accused of something very serious, perhaps something terrible...

The man went back to writing in the sand with an expression on his face as if he were dreaming.

— There are no accusers, almost everyone in the world has died, I'm one of the few who survived.

— I've heard that speech before, have you heard of Elias? — He was a man from a small town called Thisbe.

— I think not…

— An interesting figure, however, fickle in what he believed, had the same questions as you.

— And what happened to him?

— It's gone…

— Sorry but…

— Horace, you weren't supposed to be dead, from the beginning I knew everything, Simon rejected me three times before the rooster crowed, the man who ate beside me at my last meal among mortals betrayed me with a kiss and for thirty pieces of silver, the equivalent value of a slave, imagine, a king sold for the value of a slave. Another friend only believed I was alive after putting his finger on my wounds, but I don't worry about those things...

— I killed more than three billion people — he placed a lot of emphasis on the referred value.

— If you hadn't done it, someone else would, just like Judas, someone would have to betray me, Peter denied me three times and that didn't make him a defeated person or bad character, nothing in this world happens without the permission or will of the my dad.

— But…

— I forgive you, Horace, if it brings you any relief.

Horace's face took on a lighter expression and he realized the dream man was smiling with satisfaction.

— I don't see the point.

— You will accomplish many good things, the future of our world my father is leaving in your hands, you are the only one capable of accomplishing this, I believe it will make your heart happier with it.

Horace was completely silent thinking…

How will an assassin restore order to the world and save humanity from chaos?

— You'll know what to do when the time comes.

I doubt…

The man stopped writing in the sand and walked towards Horace. He realized that the man's fist was bruised.

— There is no reason to have doubts and no time for it.

Horace looked at what the man had written in the sand and it was written:

If you will and will listen to me, you will eat the best of this land...

HORACE OPENED HIS EYES AND saw the doctor's watchful eyes, but mostly his smile:

— Welcome to the world of the living, boy… you saved our lives.

— Sorry but…

William Johnson entered the room and hugged him.

— It's great to see you, son...

— What happened?

— Thanks to you the world is being born for the future, welcome to my future.