The Numbered

Chapter Twenty-Five

The wheels slowly crunched over the long gravel drive. Large and elaborate head stones stood erect as far as the eye could see, like sentinels watching over the dead. Finely-cut slabs of grey marble were carved with words of acclamation for the dearly departed. This final resting place was it seemed, for those deemed worthy in life.

The car drove on.

"We won't have very long Hannah," Zeke said quietly. She hadn't spoken since he had announced their destination. "I'm sorry I sprung this on you, but I only found out a couple of hours ago."

Hannah didn't reply. After falling apart on her first day on the floor of her ensuite bathroom, she had successfully, albeit temporarily, boxed off her grief for Shane, deciding to deal with it later.

"Hannah, I also have something else to tell you, well actually to give you."

Zeke reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a sealed, white envelope. He offered it to Hannah and she looked upon it with disinterest.

"Please read this when you are alone and then destroy it immediately. I haven't read it, I don't know what is in it, but I do know that it is important."

Hannah folded the letter and placed it in her skirt pocket and returned to staring out of the window.

A funeral was in process further along the winding asphalt road. It was a large gathering and the people stood around an open grave, draped in a red fabric. A man in a black suit stood in the centre of the crowd, was officiating. Hannah had never been to a funeral before, the Flawed weren't allowed them, but she had heard about them. The Official would start by reading a carefully composed Eulogy describing the life and qualities of the departed. The family and friends would then provide supporting statements to the person's character. A string quartet would play a selection of music detailed in their last will and testament. During the music, the Official would calculate the final SPR for the person who had died and then announce it to the next of kin at the end of the service. If the SPR was above eighty the immediate family would receive their inheritance and their SPRs would remain intact. However if the SPR fell below eighty, the ownership of the estate and all its contents would transfer back to the government. In some circumstances the family might even have their SPRs reduced. "Perfect in life, perfect in death," was a popular saying in Top-5 circles. Just then the crowd of mourners began to clap indicating a successful SPR outcome.

Hannah looked away from the not so grieving relatives knowing full well that Shane's funeral wouldn't hold such celebration. The car drove through a large rusting gate and they said goodbye to the manicured lawns and tasteful planting. They were now on an uneven track, littered with pot holes which ran straight through the middle of a sloping, over-grown field. After a couple of minutes, they arrived in front of old wooden hut with a veranda. The car pulled up and Hannah could see an old man sat in an even older rocking chair. He was wearing light-blue dungarees and a thick lumberjack shirt beneath.

"Ready?" Zeke asked.

Hannah ignored Zeke and opened the car door, not waiting for the driver to open it for her. She stood looking back up at the track they had travelled on. The Charmed cemetery was no longer visible.

Zeke walked towards the old man. "Hey Arthur, how're you keeping?"

The old man went to reply, but began coughing- a wet hacking cough which left him wheezing and gasping for breath. He took a dirty piece of cloth from his side pocket and spat into it and inspected the product of his lungs. Hannah's stomach turned over and she went to turn away from him, but noticed blood on his lips. The old man felt Hannah staring at him and wiped his mouth.

"Over here," Zeke called for her.

Hannah turned and followed as Zeke went behind the hut and continued to walk down a small footpath.