The Immortality War || The Avengers

Chapter Three: Sixty-Seven Years

Music is "Home" by Zayde Wølf.

Picture is Tatiana Maslany as Emma Barnes.

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CHAPTER THREE: Sixty-Seven Years

The next day, I take the long way to work. Though my usual route has me walk past the Eiffel Tower, this time I take time to stop and marvel at it. It stands taller than the other buildings, a striking feature of the Paris horizon. Looking up from underneath it, I can see the different levels of metal. The way the sun hits the structure in the dawn, turning it orange, is a sight I will never forget.

I get a cup of hot tea from my favorite cafe along the way to work. With the hot cup in my hands, I pay the cafe worker. Smiling, I say, "Merci. Bonne journée!"

The cafe worker smiles, wishing me a good day as well as I head out the door. Along the way, I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm being followed. I've had this feeling all week. Yet every time I turn around, there's no one there. Thinking it my imagination, I continue along my route, sipping my hot tea along the way.

The rest of the morning goes on the same. The ten year olds in my English class are learning the difference between active and passive voice. The children in my history class are researching King Louis XIV of France. Everything is completely normal. I stay late after classes to grade a few papers, talk to my fellow teachers about an upcoming exam, and then head to the market at five o'clock.

While sifting through the dark, leafy greens, my phone buzzes in the back pocket of my work pants. I pull it out and read Grant's name on the front. "Hey," I greet, a smiling forming on my face.

"Hey! I just wanted to let you know that I already ate with Pierre and Frank and that I'm heading home now."

"Good, I'm almost done at the market. We'll get home around the same time."

"Okay, Mom. See you in a few."

"See you soon, Grant." I hang up the phone, finish shopping, head home with grocery bags in my arms.

Once inside, I place the bags onto the counter with a sigh. Evelyn doesn't move from her dog bed in the corner of the living room. This is unusual for her. I turn to her, giving a concerned expression. "Evelyn? Are you all right?" I bend down on my knees to pet her floppy ears. She remains still, a soft whine slipping out. "Did you eat something to give you a tummy ache?"

Evelyn closes her eyes, drifting off to sleep. I scratch her neck. "All right. You sleep then." I get up, beginning to unpack the groceries. "Where's your brother? I called him, and he said he would be home about the time I was." I pull my phone from my pocket. "Better call the kid. He might've gotten distracted by an old book store or a monument on the way home."

As I stand in the silence of the kitchen, I hear the creak of the floorboards coming from my bedroom. I place the phone down in silence, reaching for my handgun in the kitchen drawer nearest the front door. I hold it low and tip toe over to my bedroom entrance.

Peering inside, I see a man in a black trenchcoat and eye patch. I scan for weapons in an instant, but his gun is still in his holster. His skin is dark and his head is hairless.

I lift my weapon, pointing it to the intruder. "That's the thing about creaky floorboards," I say in a serious voice. "Only the people who live in the house know where they are." I aim the gun so it will do the most damage without killing the man if worst comes to worst. I can grab Evelyn, my to go bag under the stove, and make a break for it. "Who are you and what the hell do you want?"