Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > These Immortal Streets
Chapter Twenty Four - FINAL CHAPTER
He just stared at Scarlett for the longest time, trying to figure out what was so special about her. A cure for immortality? There was actually one? And it was in her blood? It was almost impossible, seemed entirely made up, and yet he was the living proof wasn’t he?
“We found out during our….experiments these past couple of months but those other ones, they were too young.” Scarlett spoke so naturally about it. The idea suddenly not so new anymore. “There’s no reasonable explanation.” She gave a small shrug. She had given up wondering about it.
“Other ones?” Jared questioned, his eyes becoming wider with his surprise. Everything was falling on him too quickly. When was he going to find the time to adjust?
Shannon smiled and it was reflected on Scarlett’s lips. “The other ones, yes. But they aren’t important. Not anymore. Only you are Jared. You’ve lived long enough, for all anyone knows you’re the oldest immortal out there! You can help us!”
Jared listened to this heartfelt plea and tried not to let the overwhelming compassion overcome him. “But what do I get out of it? Death?”
Scarlett shook her head. His desperation causing tears to form in her eyes. “Peace.”
The word was foreign to Jared. A fairytale in a children’s book, a fabled myth of created gods, something so out of reach he had stopped imagining it. “Sounds appealing.”
Shannon smiled. He could see through him, Jared sensed that. Shannon could tell that peace was all he ever wanted after so many years of wandering and loneliness. Shannon had a reason to live. But Jared didn’t want to die. Peace came in all forms. He had no desire to die. If he did he was mortal now and therefore susceptible to any form of death there was. He hadn’t known it before but now he did. Now that immortality had been stripped away he felt the need to hold on. At least for a little while longer.
Jared turned his back on the pair and began thinking of a way to break this to them. They were counting on him, Scarlett was counting on him. It was for a baby, an innocent baby. But then these people were dangerous, were they not? How were they fit to even carry a small child? There had been others they had tried this on and that meant that those others had died. What kind of parents would they be?
He saw a small opened box on a table not too far from where he stood. There were syringes in it and in an instant he knew what they were. Full of Scarlett’s blood. The cure for immortality.
“I don’t want to die.” Jared replied, turning around to face them again. “Find someone else, I’m not your guy.”
“Isn’t the hero supposed to full of compassion and honor?” Shannon questioned, that smirk almost permanent on his face.
“Who says I’m the hero?”
Scarlett didn’t say a thing she just watched as Jared walked past her. She watched as Shannon came up behind him and in a swift motion had pulled him away from the staircase. There was a loud sound of pain as Jared fell to the ground and Shannon climbed on top of him. He pinned him down and looked up at Scarlett for approval. Scarlett nodded.
“A life for a life, Jared. That’s all that’s needed.” His voice was sinister, hoarse from his exertion.
Jared felt it before he even realized what was about to happen. The knife plunged into his stomach and blood pooled on his skin. Shannon stepped up off him and took Scarlett into his arms. Together they watched him. Jared’s vision began to blur and somewhere he heard a baby crying. Scarlett looked towards the staircase alert but Shannon wouldn’t let her go. “Not until this is finished.” He whispered and she nodded.
Jared backed away from them. They made no attempt to stop him, after all he was dying. He met the table with the opened box and carefully he shook it. It wobbled until the box fell clumsily into Jared’s lap. He heard Shannon rush over to him in a bit of panic as Jared gripped one of the syringes in his paling hand. A life for a life.
Shannon rushed at him and was met with the needle pricking his skin and Jared releasing the contents quickly before removing his hand. He screamed, more in anger than pain and shot his eyes to Jared. The rest of the viles had been broken. He reached down, drew the knife out of Jared’s stomach causing a loud groan and made his way to Scarlett. She protested, demanded what he was doing. Jared watched blurry eyed and weak. But slowly the pain died away and the ground beneath him seemed to disappear. He lowered his hands, lifted the hem of the shirt he wore and saw only blood but no wound. He was immortal again. But that meant-
He rose to his feet in time to move away from Shannon who swung the knife his way. He grabbed Shannon by the arms and managed to immobilize him to the ground. The sudden spell of mortality had weakened him. Jared saw Scarlett laying there on the ground, in the pool of her own blood. She had given her own life for his immortality.
“No cure now.” Shannon said as if he had won his greatest battle. He smiled up at Jared and let the knife drop to the ground. He knew what was going to happen. Somehow he knew that Shannon would wake up one morning, kill himself and be no more. All this tonight had been a mistake, a day lacking plan and serious thinking. It was written in the mans eyes. Hell it would probably happen tomorrow.
Jared didn’t say anything more. He only walked away and up the stairs. Everything was numb. Everything was undying.
He made his way to the nursery on the second floor where the baby’s cry had come from no doubt. He went in and the crying had stopped. He saw the child laying in the crib looking up at him with tired eyes like it had just awoken - not from death- but from a long nap. He took the baby up in his arms and left the house as silently as when he had so cautiously entered it.
He knew that he couldn’t raise this child. He was the man anymore who could watch a baby grow and teach them things that parents should. He couldn’t live so long only to watch this baby die later on. He would drop her off at the hospital, make sure she’s loved, watch from afar but never get too close. He would never get close to a mortal again. Cliche’ or not there was one thing he knew. He was bound to walk these immortal streets alone.
He just stared at Scarlett for the longest time, trying to figure out what was so special about her. A cure for immortality? There was actually one? And it was in her blood? It was almost impossible, seemed entirely made up, and yet he was the living proof wasn’t he?
“We found out during our….experiments these past couple of months but those other ones, they were too young.” Scarlett spoke so naturally about it. The idea suddenly not so new anymore. “There’s no reasonable explanation.” She gave a small shrug. She had given up wondering about it.
“Other ones?” Jared questioned, his eyes becoming wider with his surprise. Everything was falling on him too quickly. When was he going to find the time to adjust?
Shannon smiled and it was reflected on Scarlett’s lips. “The other ones, yes. But they aren’t important. Not anymore. Only you are Jared. You’ve lived long enough, for all anyone knows you’re the oldest immortal out there! You can help us!”
Jared listened to this heartfelt plea and tried not to let the overwhelming compassion overcome him. “But what do I get out of it? Death?”
Scarlett shook her head. His desperation causing tears to form in her eyes. “Peace.”
The word was foreign to Jared. A fairytale in a children’s book, a fabled myth of created gods, something so out of reach he had stopped imagining it. “Sounds appealing.”
Shannon smiled. He could see through him, Jared sensed that. Shannon could tell that peace was all he ever wanted after so many years of wandering and loneliness. Shannon had a reason to live. But Jared didn’t want to die. Peace came in all forms. He had no desire to die. If he did he was mortal now and therefore susceptible to any form of death there was. He hadn’t known it before but now he did. Now that immortality had been stripped away he felt the need to hold on. At least for a little while longer.
Jared turned his back on the pair and began thinking of a way to break this to them. They were counting on him, Scarlett was counting on him. It was for a baby, an innocent baby. But then these people were dangerous, were they not? How were they fit to even carry a small child? There had been others they had tried this on and that meant that those others had died. What kind of parents would they be?
He saw a small opened box on a table not too far from where he stood. There were syringes in it and in an instant he knew what they were. Full of Scarlett’s blood. The cure for immortality.
“I don’t want to die.” Jared replied, turning around to face them again. “Find someone else, I’m not your guy.”
“Isn’t the hero supposed to full of compassion and honor?” Shannon questioned, that smirk almost permanent on his face.
“Who says I’m the hero?”
Scarlett didn’t say a thing she just watched as Jared walked past her. She watched as Shannon came up behind him and in a swift motion had pulled him away from the staircase. There was a loud sound of pain as Jared fell to the ground and Shannon climbed on top of him. He pinned him down and looked up at Scarlett for approval. Scarlett nodded.
“A life for a life, Jared. That’s all that’s needed.” His voice was sinister, hoarse from his exertion.
Jared felt it before he even realized what was about to happen. The knife plunged into his stomach and blood pooled on his skin. Shannon stepped up off him and took Scarlett into his arms. Together they watched him. Jared’s vision began to blur and somewhere he heard a baby crying. Scarlett looked towards the staircase alert but Shannon wouldn’t let her go. “Not until this is finished.” He whispered and she nodded.
Jared backed away from them. They made no attempt to stop him, after all he was dying. He met the table with the opened box and carefully he shook it. It wobbled until the box fell clumsily into Jared’s lap. He heard Shannon rush over to him in a bit of panic as Jared gripped one of the syringes in his paling hand. A life for a life.
Shannon rushed at him and was met with the needle pricking his skin and Jared releasing the contents quickly before removing his hand. He screamed, more in anger than pain and shot his eyes to Jared. The rest of the viles had been broken. He reached down, drew the knife out of Jared’s stomach causing a loud groan and made his way to Scarlett. She protested, demanded what he was doing. Jared watched blurry eyed and weak. But slowly the pain died away and the ground beneath him seemed to disappear. He lowered his hands, lifted the hem of the shirt he wore and saw only blood but no wound. He was immortal again. But that meant-
He rose to his feet in time to move away from Shannon who swung the knife his way. He grabbed Shannon by the arms and managed to immobilize him to the ground. The sudden spell of mortality had weakened him. Jared saw Scarlett laying there on the ground, in the pool of her own blood. She had given her own life for his immortality.
“No cure now.” Shannon said as if he had won his greatest battle. He smiled up at Jared and let the knife drop to the ground. He knew what was going to happen. Somehow he knew that Shannon would wake up one morning, kill himself and be no more. All this tonight had been a mistake, a day lacking plan and serious thinking. It was written in the mans eyes. Hell it would probably happen tomorrow.
Jared didn’t say anything more. He only walked away and up the stairs. Everything was numb. Everything was undying.
He made his way to the nursery on the second floor where the baby’s cry had come from no doubt. He went in and the crying had stopped. He saw the child laying in the crib looking up at him with tired eyes like it had just awoken - not from death- but from a long nap. He took the baby up in his arms and left the house as silently as when he had so cautiously entered it.
He knew that he couldn’t raise this child. He was the man anymore who could watch a baby grow and teach them things that parents should. He couldn’t live so long only to watch this baby die later on. He would drop her off at the hospital, make sure she’s loved, watch from afar but never get too close. He would never get close to a mortal again. Cliche’ or not there was one thing he knew. He was bound to walk these immortal streets alone.
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