Half Life

Death March

Danny walked to his death with integrity and purpose. The armed guards around him would have been surprised if you told them that the boy knew what was coming. His eyes were dry, his head erect, his steps firm. 

They lead him through corridors and hallways. Scientists and officers moved out of the way as the procession passed them. 

Danny savored every lungful of the cool clean air as he walked. Every breath seemed more precious than the last, knowing that they were numbered. The light strips along the top of the wall seemed to glow more vibrantly than ever as his eyes strained to take in every detail of their surroundings. Muscles moved in harmony with skin and bone, propelling him onward. His heart thumped in time with his footsteps. 

Danny knew he should be afraid. Death was something that haunted everyone and everything. The need to keep the heart beating for as long as possible was the instinct of every living thing. But now, in this moment of movement and life, he didn't feel fear. 

They reached the end of a hallway, which was sealed with a large metal door. Two of the guards swiped I.D. cards in unison to disable the massive lock. Danny took a deep breath, a quick glance back at the white light of the hallway, and then entered the room. 

It was surprisingly warm and dimly lit in the new room. A single padded chair sat in the center. No other furniture or decorations were in sight. The guards escorted Danny to the chair. He hesitated at the edge of the seat. Once he sat down, there would be no getting up again. 

A guard began to move towards him, presumably to force Danny into place if need be. Danny glared at the helmeted man, his green eyes flashing eerily in the semi darkness. 

"I can do this for myself," he announced, settling into the comfortable seat. He didn't resist as they secured his arms and legs to the seat with the attached restraints. What good would it do them? Why waste any of his precious energy or time in pointless struggles? Danny leaned into the chair, letting his senses soak in everything at once. All the small noises sounded clearer, more musical. The colors looked beautiful and deep. 

The door slid open one final time. Danny knew who it would be before he raised his head to look. 

Spectra. 

She held a single long needle in one of her delicate hands. There was a strange look on her face. A mixture of satisfaction and pity. 

"Hello Daniel," she greeted quietly, coming to stand next to him. 

Danny said nothing. He had nothing to say to this woman who held his death in her hands. 

"Are you comfortable?" she asked. 

"Extremely," Danny replied shortly. 

Spectra reached over him and brushed a stray hair out of his face. He shivered at the touch of her hand on his skin. 

"I'm sorry it had to come to this Daniel. I tried to persuade the general that this was not the best way to go. But he is a stubborn man. So this is what must be done. You understand, don't you dear?"

Danny just looked at her. He wanted her to remember this moment. So that maybe, years form now, she would look back on it and feel the shame that she should.

"Very well. Is there anything you'd like to say? Anything you want?"

"I want my family back," he said coldly. 

Spectra gave him a small smile. 

"You'll be with them soon Daniel. Just close your eyes and relax. I'll give you a sedative first to help you sleep. And then it will all be over like a bad dream."

The needle entered his arm, the sedative flowing into his blood like sunlight into water. The dim room wavered before his eyes. 

Danny blinked slowly, his vision and mind beginning to cloud. A strange peace settled over him. He had lived longer than almost all other Halphas. He had had a good life. He had loved. He had been loved. Faces and voices began to rise from his awakened memories, long gone family and friends blurring together with the security and Spectra's sickeningly sympathetic face. 

Green lights began to flash around the room. Wavering screams and yells began to echo through his ears. Were those from his memory? A crack of gunfire cut through his lazy fall into sleep. 

Something was racing around the room. Blurred outlines of it flashed in front of his eyes. There was a glow of red eyes and red blood in the dim room. Spectra let out a piercing scream as something snatched the needle from her hand and plunged it into her neck. Danny tried to fight the sedative, to find out what was happening. But it was dragging him under. The sounds garbled together, the room fading to blackness. 

The last thing he felt was a pair of hands grab his own. 

And then everything was gone.