The Deathless Trilogy

3.16. Seed of Hate

I wander the hall after lights out. I can't go to sleep, but I'm too tired to get any work done, and as much as I love my mom, I can't bear to see her with her new metal parts again. It's selfish, I know, but my heart needs a break before it gives out.

Movement from the patio catches my eye. Did I just see Mitchell?

I lift the walkie from my belt to my lips. "General Kazemi, I need you on the patio, over." I start into a sprint, running down the hall of labs and bursting onto the patio.

Mitchell appears even more spear-like than ever with his arms shackled behind his back and Celia gripping his shoulders to lead him toward the balcony. What is she doing?

"Celia, stop," I shout. She turns her head and I see tears streaming down her face.

"He wants to die, Isla, and I want him to die too. No one gets hurt."

"You're not the one to decide that, sister," I say as gently as I can.

"Please, Isla," Mitchell says.

"Shut up Mitchell," I say. "You don't get to talk. Just shut up."

"See? He wants to die," Celia says, pushing him closer to the balcony.

"Celia, stop... You will regret this in the morning. It will haunt you, no matter how much you hate him. We will give him a trial, like we should. He'll be found guilty, and then we will decide his fate as a whole group."

"No," Celia says, shaking her head. "Step up," she orders Mitchell and he does as she says.

"Stop," I shout just as General Kazemi shows up. "General, stop her. She's trying to kill Mitchell."

General Kazemi lifts her gun from her side and points it at Celia and Mitchell. "Release the prisoner, Celia."

Celia bursts into tears. "But he killed Nina. He hurt me and stole my spear, and then he used it to kill Nina." I can barely understand over her cries. "He has to die for what he did to our sister. It was my spear—it was my fault—but I can fix it."

"It was no one's fault but Mitchell's. Let him be tried for what he did," I say. I hold out my hand. "Come here, Celia. It's okay. You can still fix this by giving him a trial."

"Gunther wanted me to kill you," Mitchell says.

"Shut up," I insist.

"I did what I had to do to keep myself from coming after you by killing Collins instead, but I'm losing control. As long as I'm alive, I will have urges to kill you, and I won't be able to stop them." His voice shakes as he talks to me. "Just let me die, and you won't have to worry about me anymore," he says.

I resist the urge to tell him I never worried about him in the first place. I only ever despised or pitied him. But I decide to give him some mercy.

"Mitchell," I say, "you were a brilliant scientist. I will miss the man you could have been."

"Me too," he says. In the moonlight, his jagged face seems even more piercing, yet a softness fills it as he breathes deeply. Tears collect in his eyes and his cheeks puff with air. "My brain is telling me to kill you. To run over there and ram into you."

Celia pulls him closer to her, and General Kazemi cocks her gun.

"Please, Isla," he continues. "I can't kill anyone else. Let me die."

"Celia," General Kazemi says, "slowly walk away from Mitchell. I've got him. I don't want you getting hurt."

Celia bites her lip, but doesn't budge otherwise.