“What kind of things?” Clive slowly lowered himself into the recliner and leaned in to gaze intently at Tonya. “Tell me. NOW.” Clive had never gotten this aggressive about anything, but since Mayre and himself were hanging in the balance, he was not willing to be nice to keep up appearances.
Tonya seemed surprised at this new side of Clive, but she didn’t make any comment about it. “I can’t tell you. It is confidential between me and my client.”
His beautiful face twisted in anger and anguish. “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil.”
Tonya stood, her demeanor businesslike, “Leave, now. They’re coming soon.” She made a beeline for the door.
“What, no kiss goodnight?” He spat, sarcasm dripping off every word.
She looked back one more time, “I do love you. That’s the only reason why I’m here.”
When she was gone, the heaviness of the empty house descended. Clive proceeded to warm up leftovers and eat hardly any of them as he scrolled through social media. Despite what Tonya and he had shared, he did not trust her. Clive knew that she was just trying to get him out of the way so that the hospital could start mining patient’s mental health data for profit. Somehow, his wife was also wrapped up in this mess. He couldn’t just stand aside.
Not 20 minutes after Tonya had left, Clive heard knocking at his front door again. This time, he was more level-headed and looked at the security app on his phone first to see who was at the door. To his surprise, there were five police officers.
Still thinking he could charm anybody, he walked to the front door and swung it open.
“Officers?” Clive smiled jovially. “Can I help you?”
Three of the police were wearing full metal face coverings but the other two weren’t completely covered. The officer in the middle with no distinguishable features held out a small screen for Clive to read. One quick scan was all he needed to realize that he was being arrested.
“What have I done?” He took an involuntary step backward.
“Please freeze.” Said the automated voice box attached just below the chin of the officer.
“What am I being arrested for?”
“You have the right to remain silent.” Continued the robotic voice.
Clive continued to back up as the officers advanced on him. “I won’t be silent until I know what is going on.” Clive still spoke cordially despite his body being flooded with fear.
The officer droned on as if Clive had said nothing. Dr. Evers realized that his natural charisma was of no use. Over the years, poor policing had driven society to seek out solutions for better law enforcement. The solution was much harder training and uniforms that made officers hardly human. The end result was now hollow, heartless robots.
Clive was backed into his kitchen as he had been read all of his rights. The ceiling fan whipped around rhythmically and the fridge hummed, oblivious to the fear raging in Clive’s body. He wished he had gotten the chip installed so he’d have the option of dulling this feeling. He always had what he wanted and more than enough of what he needed, but this was the first time he felt his life slipping through his fingers.
If his senses hadn’t been on high alert like they were, he was unsure he would have noticed the creeping thing that had seeped under his back door and made its way around the breakfast nook. It was snakelike and rippled like water. Its eyes looked more like a cat’s and the tail curled up into a sharp metal hook. Before Clive had time to think, it made its first move on the lead officer. Despite the reinforced uniforms and Kevlar vests, the hook came down fast and stuck deep in the officer’s thigh.
The distraction was enough for Clive to rush out his back door. He thanked Mother Mary that he still had his wallet and phone in his pocket and that his keys had been hanging nearby. He had barely made it into his car when he saw the officers flooding out the back door. Their guns were aimed in his direction and he floored the gas pedal. The car fishtailed, but when it gained some traction he rocketed forward towards the officers. They dove out of the way and he found himself flying across an open field. In a few minutes, he soared over a ditch and landed roughly on the highway behind his home, feeling a jolt start in his tailbone and radiate up his spine. That was going to hurt tomorrow.
He was certain that the snake-like creature in his home had been exactly what his patient Ophelia had described to him days before. This left Clive with questions and made him wonder if she was truly more sane than he had given her credit for.
CHAPTER TEN
HARMONY REALIZED THAT she kept her conversations mostly surface-level at work. She barely interacted with others and when she did interact she only seemed to make small talk. The few times she had tried getting deep with anybody, they were patronizing about things that were ingrained aspects of her life such as her sexuality, race, or religious views.
“Oh, you’re heterosexual? How classic of you.”
“Of all the identities you could have chosen and you’re straight? Isn’t that boring?”
“I’m sorry you’re half white. Is the privilege awareness training as bad as they say?”
“There’s nothing out there. Agnostic isn’t really a thing anymore since we know most everything now.”
These were all things that had been said to her at one time or another and it generally didn’t bother her until now. There was nothing keeping her anxiety in check at the moment and her insecurities returned like a toxic ex-partner. Her appointment with her therapist was a week away and every time she called the office the secretary stated there weren’t any earlier appointments.
“I’m sorry, I know your anxiety has increased since your Thought Conductor was turned off, but Dr. Rigby said to continue taking the medicine and she will see you in person next week. Do not hesitate to go to the hospital if symptoms become unmanageable.”
Harmony already felt like her symptoms were unmanageable, but she didn’t want to come across as dramatic so she didn’t argue with the secretary. She was just doing her job.
She had spent the days after her meeting with Lyric avoiding him to the best of her ability. However, it was difficult to do in a small office. She sensed that he still was interested in her and she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. She felt paranoid that people were whispering behind her back even though there was no reason for anybody to know what had gone on between her and Lyric.
At one point, during midday on Wednesday, she was at the copier making copies when Lyric brushed past her under the guise of retrieving more coffee. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him bustling around the counter gathering all the necessary things to make a cup. Harmony realized that this was the first time they had been alone in a room together since their meeting. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and her shoulder muscles tensed. Every noise he made felt like a warning signal.
Her fight-or-flight response kicked in and she took what she had copied so far and went back to her cubicle as fast as her legs would carry her. The odor of the coffee burned in her nostrils through her mask and she felt the burning of tears starting at the corners of her eyes. He hadn’t violated her body, but he had violated the privacy of her mind and it made her feel so exposed in the worst ways.
When she slid into her car at the end of another long workday, her phone began to ring. It was her therapist so she answered the call quickly. “Hello?”
“Hello, Harmony?” Dr. Rigby confirmed.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Hi, good. How are you?”
Harmony’s mind spiraled as she tried to find a suitable answer to that question. If it had been anybody other than her therapist, she would have simply said “fine” but this was the same woman who had listened to stories about her overly controlling mother, feeling isolated at work, and her deep fear of being forgotten.
“Fine. What’s up.” She said finally.
“Just wondered if you could make time to come in Friday morning instead? I think I’ve figured out what’s wrong with your chip.” Her tone was even, but Harmony could sense that Dr. Rigby was holding herself back somehow.
