Heritage

Heritage (Chapter 40)

Chapter 40: Ethan

I step out on to the balcony of Damien's home as the sun rises in the distances, painting the beach his home rests on with an orange-yellow glow and casting the unforgettable warming feeling that I could only ever experience while on Earth.

Nothing else ever compares, in all the years I've spent out in space, the sunrise on Earth is the greatest feeling in the world.

"So this is what a sunrise on Earth feels like huh?" A voice says behind me.

I close my eyes and smile "Welcome back to life son," I reply to Leon.

Leon walks up beside me, looking like my son again. He smiles and closes his eyes, taking in the sunlight.

"Sixteen years...I hardly remember this place anymore dad," He says in a low tone.

"That's what makes it so beautiful when you return son. You can leave for as long as you want, but once you come back to this planet, it's still your home in the end. This...the beauty you see before you, aside from the buildings and pollution, is part of why I choose to fight for Earth for so long," I explain.

Leon opens his eyes and looks at me, a more serious expression crossing his face.

"I saw her dad, the little girl. I don't know if it was my mind playing tricks on me, but she...seemed almost...like a haunting spirit," he says.

I smile slightly.

"Funny how she works that way huh? You know, even after I was cured and we got the hell out of that place, that bitch still won't leave me alone. I don't know if it's just the infection, bad memories, or her bitter soul deciding to haunt me; but for whatever reason, I can never seem to get rid of the damn memories she put into my head. Every other night, they flash through my head: war, genocide, murder, rape, death, over and over again. You know it's bad son, when you're so used to seeing such images that you're still able to sleep soundly in your bed. Thing is, I knew that little girl before those damn scientists contorted and deformed everything that she was. Little Katie I called her..."

A small smile comes over my face "She was a hell of a little girl son. Most kind-hearted little thing I had ever seen. I could never say no to her either, it was always 'one more Mr. Blake, one more' I practically adopted that child on Andromeda. And when they took her...those scientists were lucky I didn't kill all of them. And...when they carried her...limp body... from the lab...it took everything...everything in my will not to slaughter them all. In all honesty, I loved that little girl, like she was my own blood. Her parents were gone, so I figured maybe once I got out, I'd just adopt her. But because of those bastards she never got to see those days. And then the irony...of having to dream of the thing she had become every single night of your life, now that's...that's beyond bad luck. You escaped it while you could son, and I thank God that you didn't have to suffer such a fate as I do..." I finish, small tears rolling down my face.

Leon looks at me and places a hand on my shoulder. "All these years, I've wondered...why...why you were tormented so badly by the memories. I feel like I can understand you now father, in some way, I'm able to understand you on a level that no one else can. I don't know why, but she showed me, among all of the other images, what happened to everyone on the Zeus. It was like I was there and watching everything that was happening. She made me feel your pain, your fear, your anxiety, everything. It was an experience I will never want to do over again, but it gave me true understanding of what really happened to you," Leon explains to me, sounding as if his whole life were enlightened.

"That little girl works in mysterious ways, and let's just hope that wherever she is, her soul is at peace and...normal," I respond.

Leon smiles and nods his head in agreement. "So...what's next dad?"