The Eighth Day Jackson Porter

Chapter 1 Death's Clock

For those of you who dont know, my name is Lincoln, but most people call me Link. I am Carolines only child, and Im sixteen years old. My mother played the biggest role in my life out of anyone. She inspired me, loved me, cared for me. She taught me all the basics in life, told me of all the important places she has visited, showed me some amazing sites. She took me to football, basketball, baseball, and soccer games whenever I wanted to go, and even when I didnt. She introduced me to some people who have shaped me into who I am today. She told me I needed to be a good person, and then demonstrated how I could be one. I loved her. She was in my life. She was there when no one else was. I could tell her about anything, problems with friends, people I hated, girls I liked, and she always seemed to have the best advice. When I got in fights at school, she would be the first mom at the office, ready to defend me unless the case proved otherwise. She would stick up for me, run into the principals or coachs office whenever something went wrong, like when I got the heap of a problem that wasnt mine. People didnt like to mess with me much because of my mom. I like that. Hopefully it will still stay the same way. But they all loved her nonetheless. My friends would always come to her if their parents werent there for them. If they had problems at home they knew they could come live with us, because my mom told them so. She was our taxi driver until we were old enough to drive, and sometimes we would all lie about our cars being broken just so she could give us a drive somewhere. Thats how awesome she was. Whenever someone called my mom overprotective or a jerk for always being the first to the front office, my friends would jump in and beat the guy up. We loved her.

And then life took its toll, and I got the phone call. I was at a big party with all of my friends, and we were all sitting in the same room watching a movie. It was on vibrate, my cellphone was, so I didnt notice it till about the fourth ring. I took the phone out of my pocket and answered it. When the news reached my ears I couldnt speak. I couldnt really do anything. I handed the phone to my nearest friend, Jonny, and when he got the news he told everybody else who was near us. And we all cried in that little room, our sobs drowned out the volume of the television. And now Im here, reading this to you, telling you of the kind of person she was. You had to know her. She was my favorite person. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I wanted to be the kind of parent she was. I wanted the children I hopefully will have one day to know her, to take on her example. I wanted her to be there when I got married, at the hospital when my first kid arrived, on Christmas morning to watch the children open their presents. I wanted her to be in my life forever. But death does not allow that. It has no clock. It waits for no one. It does not love. If she were still alive today, we would not be here. We would be at home preparing to go to her annual Christmas Eves Eve dinner in Old Saint Annes Church House just down the road. We would be singing, and dancing, and eating, and socializing amongst each other, waiting for the play of Jesus birth to start. We would all be happy. But she is not here, so we will not be. Mom, if youre listening, I hope you know that every single one of us here loved you, and countless others. You will be missed greatly, and we will think about you all the time. I dont blame you, Mom, for leaving me, and I really, really hope you know that. You made my life greater than it could have been. You gave me memories that will stay with me forever. You

taught me lessons no other person or institution could have. You were my mom, my one and only, and you will forever be imprinted on my heart. I love you.

4 days earlier... Nighttim! The woman named Caroline stepped out of her car and onto the cold gravel beneath her. The moon was high in the sky and it was late enough that the street-lamps had been shut off, abandoning the road in complete darkness. She looked around for a moment, as if she could see anything at all, and began walking quickly down the lane. It took her but a few minutes to reach what seemed to be her destination. A visible chainlink fence blocked the pathway, the sign posted on the front expressing that trespassers would be fined if caught. She reached forward slowly and tapped her finger against the gate. A light sprung on, illuminating her entire figure. She didnt move, didnt even seem to notice. Thirty full seconds passed before there was any sign of movement. A man stepped forward from behind the fence, took one glance at her, waved his hands at a nearby security camera, and opened the gate. Before either could say a word, he had let Caroline through, shut and locked the gate, and began walking down the long, dark tunnel that laid before them. Caroline, he said in a low voice. The man was tall, taller than most. His black hair was unkept and drooped over his eyes, obscuring any identifiable feature of his face. We have been expecting you. He smiled at her, and placed his hand on the hilt of the gun that was strapped to his side.

She caught his movement out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing. Instead, she spoke, her voice low and annoyed. How is it? Coming. Coming? The state he is in is beyond any I have seen. He hasnt slept in a week and he has been muttering to himself like hes gone insane. Weve tried to help him but its like he cannot hear us. Im worried, Caroline. He could be doing something wrong. Hes not doing anything wrong, she replied in a confident tone. He was picked for this job over you and I. Last time I checked, that means the government has put their full trust and faith in him. If they believe he is right for the job, then so do I. But Caroline. If something were to go wrong, if one step on the blueprint was handled with, the world could end. This device is highly unstable and- I know! snapped Caroline. Ive heard this speech countless times before, do not even attempt to begin to educate me on this matter. I am completely aware of the consequences if it were to go wrong! She stopped, they had reached a door. The man she was with reached into his pocket and brought out a small, plastic object with a button in the middle. He pressed it quickly, and the door opened with a hiss as dense, compressed air spilled out from behind it. Caroline was the first to walk through, the man followed closely behind her. They did not say another word as they strode down the many hallways and doors the building possessed. It took them nearly fifteen minutes of walking before they finally reached their destination. Desmond, open the door, ordered Caroline.

Youll become just as worried as I am when you see whats behind it. Just open the door, boy. Desmond shrugged his shoulders and tapped eight, random numbers into the keypad by the door. A small beep resounded through the air, and Desmond pulled the door open. Caroline hesitated before entering, scared that what Desmond had told her could be true. Slowly, she set foot inside of the room and, after a deep breath, looked over at the table that was only feet away from her. Hes mad, she thought first. And then, Hes made progress. His black and gray hair was straight up upon his head, caused so by the electricity he had to handle. His white lab-coat was stained with multiple ingredients and colors, just like his hands, which were busy at work on the silver, rectangular object in front of him. A panel on the back of the box was open, exposing red, green, and white wires that frayed out in all different directions. Saunter in hand, he continued working on the wires. Melting many of them together at a time. Once, he acknowledged Carolines and Desmonds presence by waving to them, but it was only for a second, and then he was back to work. Every few minutes, he would mutter something unintelligible to himself, stop, and continue operating on the device. Hes doing well, Caroline stated calmly. Desmond eyed her suspiciously. Well? Hes bloody mad! Border-line mad? Yes. But mad? No. Hes working, hes very involved. Hes sure in what hes doing, and thats all we need.

No, Desmond argued. What we need is a complete, one-hundred percent accurately built controller that wont destroy the world. Thats what we need. Caroline! I beg of you! Dont let this continue on. He needs sleep, he needs help. He can turn back to it in a few days. We dont have a few days! she was almost yelling. Almost. We have thirteen days! Barely! A second wasted is a second gone. We made need that second. Then put someone else to work on it while he sleeps! b Desmond suddenly recoiled when Caroline slapped him in the face. He clutched his cheek, the red handprint clearly visible through the spaces in-between his fingers. There was one second of silence - even the scientist had stopped his work to see what was going on - before Caroline was back in Desmonds face, his shirt wrapped around her fingers. Her voice was no more than a whisper, but it was filled with warning and threat and it terrified Desmond. The government has faith in him, Desmond. They believe in him. Now, if you want to challenge their judgement, they have the authority to fire you from this job, and Id be happy to tell them that you are unsure whether you want to participate in this act of patriotism. Desmond was silent. He stared wide-eyed at Caroline, surprised at the sudden fury she had unleash. Caroline knew Desmond had not seen her like this before. Just for dramatic effect, she leaned in close to his ear.Dont test me, boy. With a quick shove, she sent him sprawling to the ground, his long hair obscuring the raw slap-mark that had yet to fade. The scientist shook his head and mumbled something like, Wannabe philanthropists. Think they can do whatever they want...

Caroline ignored the scientists comment and, giving Desmond one last look, approached the scientist casually. Charles? she asked. Charles looked up, heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes, and smiled. Caroline." "Yes, Charles. I am here. Now, you need to tell me how this project is coming along. It's vital to everything we've ever worked for." He spoke quickly. "It's coming along fantastically. The blueprints are so precise, all I do is what the blueprints tell me to. I barely even have to think while building it." That worried Caroline. "Yes, Charles. But how far are you with it? Fifty percent done? Sixty? Seventy?" Charles laughed slightly. "It's too hard to tell. I am through with a good majority of the blueprints. Say, seventy percent. But some take longer than others. I may be one day from being done, or I twenty-seven. It's too...unpredictable." "Will you be finished in fourteen days?" Charles looked up at her, curiosity molding in his features. "Twelve, at the most. Is New Year's really that close?" "It is, Charles. It's come upon us at a fast rate. If you do not finish this device on time-" "It will be another ten-thousand years before it is possible." Caroline nodded her head. "Yes. Another ten-thousand years. We will never have another chance like this again. We need you to finish this device. We need very badly for you to finish it. Please, Charles, you must finish it in fourteen days."

Charles put a finger to his chin, thought for a moment, then began tinkering with the small controller once again. "Good." Caroline turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She counted down the seconds, five, before she could hear the footsteps of Desmond falling towards her. "Yes, Desmond?" "I'm sorry, Caroline, for arguing with you. You were right about Charles, he isn't mad, he's just very set on this project. Very..." "Determined." "Yes. Now, Caroline, I must ask where you're going. I thought you were going to stay and improvise Charles' work?" Caroline stopped, turned and faced Desmond. "I'm going home to my son. I've already been gone too long. He'll be getting back from his party soon, and it's our annual movie night tonight. I can't miss that." "Okay," Desmond agreed. "Be back tomorrow to check up on Charles. He tends not to listen to me." "Good-bye, Desmond," she said as she walked away. "Be safe, Caroline!" She ran back to her car, eager to return home to see her son. He had no idea she was going to be gone tonight, so if he arrived early and she wasn't there, he'd ask questions she could not answer, and she hated lying to him.

As she drove down the empty street, she practiced with herself in the rearview mirror just in case. She imagined Lincoln sitting on the couch, turning to her when she opened the front door and asking, "Where were you?" "Just took a drive. It got a bit stuffy in here." She saw it, in her eyes, the lie. She couldn't risk that. If Lincoln suspected anything, if he said anything then.... "Just took a drive. It was getting stuffy in here. How was the party?" This time the lie was faint, and the change of subject would sure throw him off guard. She really hated lying to Lincoln, but sometimes she had to. Sometimes it was for his own protection. That's what she had to tell herself, that's what kept her from telling him about the time controller, the organization she worked for, Hellease. That's what kept her from -" She didn't even feel the impact of the semi-truck crushing her. While she had been staring in the rearview mirror, thinking about her son, she had drifted off the side of the road. Five minutes later her son Lincoln picked up the phone and knew.