Avivorous (Noha ElNashar, Visionaries)

Avivorous

“Laura, they have arrived!” A shout erupted in the control room, making everyone jump at its intensity. They all stared at him, making a blush creep its way to his face. “Sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He said sheepishly, awkwardly scratching his neck.

To relieve him of his embarrassment, a woman, Laura on the other side of the room got up and made her way to him, shaking her head in the process and trying to suppress her laughs. “Okay, Andrew, calm down; I’m here. Show me what you’re talking about.”

Andrew zoomed in to the heap of bodies lying down on the grass as Laura bended over to see what was on the screen. There were four figures lying beside each other in such uncomfortable positions that she knew they would suffer cramps for days following their wake. They looked so much alike. Laura had no doubt they were siblings. Before she could ask Andrew about them, the screen changed, showing a girl with jet black hair lying down, her hair covering half of her face. The strand of hair covering her nose and its movement into and out of her nose was the only indication that she’s alive. She caught a movement in the somewhere beyond the girl; when she focused on the sky beyond, she could see a helicopter flying away.

“This is one of ours,” Andrew said, pointing at the helicopter. “It’s the one that got them there.”

Laura took a seat beside him and scratched her chin like she always did when she was immersed in her own thoughts. She tried to think of where “there” is, but she came up blank. All she could see were asphalt roads and a stretch of green land far in the distance. A park maybe. She looked up at Andrew and asked, “Why are they in different places? I mean why is she dumped on the road and the others, as I recall, in the woods? Why not just put them all together?”

“That, Laura, is something only I can answer,” A loud voice entered the room, slamming the door behind him. When he walked in, everybody stopped talking. They were, in a way or another, like deer caught in a headlight.

Laura stood up and smoothed down her shirt and walked up to the muscular man who walked in, taking in his askew lips, the glasses that rest on his hooked nose, the way his hands never stopped scrabbling notes in his leather notebook. When she was right next to him, he took his eyes off the notebook and stopped writing. He smiled at her and leaned to kiss her cheek. Before she could speak or ask him anything, he said, “I am doing something, Laura. Something huge! It is both rewarding and worth taking all the risks.”
He led her to a seat and stood in the middle of the room, watching as each person turned their seats away from the screens and centered their attention on him.

“What I am doing is an experiment. A test. I like to call it Avivorous for personal preferences. But I can promise you all that if we work together, we will reap the rewards.” He announced in his bossy demeanor that he adopted whenever he wanted the crew to do something for him.

Laura raised a hand and said, “Could you tell us what exactly is that experiment about, Marcus? And what is it that you expect of us?”

Marcus clapped his hands enthusiastically and said, “It’s really simple! All you have to do is watch those people make their way through the abandoned city I have dumped them in--” Laura could feel coldness creeping its way through her body. Something about how Marcus was so excited to perform an experiment on humans felt extremely repugnant. “But,” Marcus went on. “Our role is not just watching them. Andrew, you’re responsible for telling them about the experiment and what they’re supposed to do to yield the best results.”

Andrew was about to interrupt when Marcus put a finger up in the air signaling for him to be quiet till he’s finished. “Laura,” His eyes met hers and softened. He smiled as he said, “You monitor their behaviors and actions and report them to me. And I, with help from Candice, will study them and come up with what I need.”

“And what might that be?” Andrew asked with a hint of sarcasm that Marcus noticed but chose to let go.

Just then, a red-headed girl with a messy bun and a lab coat came in, holding pamphlets and another stack of papers that had the word “Avivorous” written in bold ink on them.

“This,” Marcus motioned at the papers as Candice, the redheaded girl, started to distribute them. “Contains everything you need to know about the experiment. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some other things to tend to.”

And with that he left.

Andrew looked up from the stacks of paper he was holding and his eyes rested on Laura. “Before you read those papers, why do you think he’s doing this?”

Laura stayed silent for a second then shook her head and said, “Well, he’s your brother. You ought to know him best.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow at her and said disbelievingly, “Oh yeah? Well, you’re his fiancée. What about that for knowing him best?”

“Well, I guess Marcus isn’t open with anyone.” She said with finality in her voice that made Andrew drop the subject and start reading what was written on those papers. And, as they both read, they started to know why Marcus never told them about that experiment. Because if he did, they would have killed him first before allowing him to carry on such a transgression.