Artificial Heart

‘I can’t believe this,’ Scott said, hands tight around the wheel. The bright sun was glaring and he slapped the car’s visor down. He glared at Emily. ‘I thought you said they were fine.’

’They were fine! I’ve known them for years. They were eager to help.’

‘Of course they were eager,’ Prisha grumbled. ’Everyone’s eager to help me.’

Emily grimaced. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Lucky you lied,’ Scott said.

‘Not lucky for my sister,’ Prisha snapped. ’And you told.’

‘At least I told the right people.’

Emily turned towards her window. She looked on the verge of tears.

‘What the hell are they going to even use her for?’ Scott punched the wheel.

‘The same reason why I’m in hiding—answers!’ Prisha’s heart leapt in her throat. ‘What’ll happen when they discover she’s not me?’

‘They wouldn’t hurt her!’ Emily exclaimed tearfully.

‘They kidnapped her!’ Prisha snarled.

The wheel spun expertly through Scott’s hands as he took a sharp corner fast.

The shopping centre was busy. How they managed to even kidnap her without anyone noticing was a mystery. Scott parked and they all hopped out. It was a warm, bright day. Prisha was still sweating a little from her run—and mystery sickness.

‘Stay with me!’ Scott snapped, seizing Prisha’s wrist before she could race away.

They found Emily’s car almost immediately. It was shut up tight. Nothing amiss. Parked between a black SUV and a blue Ute. A woman walked by, pushing a trolley. Prisha’s heart deflated.

‘Keep close to my side,’ Scott told Prisha.

Emily unlocked the car with her spare keys. Prisha’s hands were shaking as she pressed them up against the rear window, looking inside. Again, nothing amiss. Emily briefly searched the car. She looked close to tears again, pale, as she closed the door shut.

Prisha raked her trembling hands through her hair. ‘This is all my fault. I should have told the truth.’

‘There’s no point in lingering here,’ Scott said. ‘You two go back home. I’m going to drive to their house.’

‘No, you won’t!’ Emily cried.

‘No way! I’m coming!’ Prisha exclaimed.

‘You need to call the police!’ Emily said.

’I am the police. Besides, what about Prisha? They’ll find her.’

‘There are more important things now,’ Prisha said. ‘Call the police.’

’I can handle it.’

‘Scott, listen to her,’ Emily said. ‘Someone could die.’

‘That’s stupid. They wouldn’t kill her.’

’Scott, I was always going to be discovered,’ Prisha said. ’It was only a matter of time. This is that time.’

He slowly shook his head.

‘We got the pictures up—that was the main thing. They all know the story. It doesn’t matter.’

’You still matter.’

‘I’ll be fine. What are they going to do? Kill me?’ She laughed nervously.

‘Maybe. Or hurt you. Or hide you. Or they might shut you up. Never to be heard from again.’

They—she still didn’t know who they were. She suddenly had an image of a darkened room with an old man sitting in the shadows, a lit cigarette between his fingers, wreathed in smoke.

Dumb. This wasn’t the X-Files.

She took out her phone.

‘No!’ Scott made a swipe for it. Prisha yanked it away. He lurched for it again.

‘Scott!’ Emily cried.

Prisha stepped back, tripped, and they both tumbled to the ground. The phone clattered to the pavement. She scrambled for it. Scott was closer, snatching it up and slipping it into his pocket.

They were drawing attention now.

‘Hey!’ came a cry. ‘Are you okay?!’ Two men were watching from the front of the shop. More people were stopping to look.

Scott yanked Prisha to her feet and dragged her over to Emily’s car. ‘We’re fine!’

Emily was flushed as she yanked open the rear door. Prisha braced her foot up against the car with a yell, using her body weight to push Scott back. He stumbled into the car behind him. Emily grabbed Prisha’s leg. Together, they shoved her into the backseat. Scott climbed in after her.

‘You drive!’ Scott called to Emily.

Emily slammed the door and hurried to the driver’s seat.

Prisha flung herself towards the door. She opened it but Scott yanked it shut. He sat on her, crushing her beneath his weight.

‘Get off!’ Prisha screamed.

‘Move!’ Scott yelled.

They reversed with a screech, turned and roared through the carpark.

‘Are you nuts?’ Prisha screamed. ’What are you doing? Kidnapping me now?’

‘We can’t give up yet, Prisha. There’s still so much to know.’

‘I’ve told you everything. Get off! You’re heavy!’

He pulled away and Prisha sat up. The car was racing down the road. Emily locked the doors.

‘You haven’t told me everything,’ Scott panted, red-faced and wild-eyed. He looked deranged. ‘You’ve told me nothing at all.’

‘What about my sister?!’

He shook his head.

‘What about my sister?!’

‘We can’t just leave her behind, Scott,’ Emily said quietly.

‘Once they find out she’s not who she is, they’ll let her go,’ he said.

‘You don’t know that!’

‘And then what?’ Emily said, her voice trembling.

‘We get the hell away from here,’ he replied.

‘No we’re not! I need to find Renee! Emily, open the fucking doors! This is totally crazy and you know it! Stop the car and OPEN THE FUCKING DOORS!’

Emily’s grey eyes met hers through the rearview mirror. Her hands tightened on the wheel.

Prisha lurched towards her.

Scott yanked her back. ‘Don’t be stupid. We’ll crash.’

He crushed her up against the door. With a groan, Prisha heaved him away with all her strength.

‘Jesus, you’re strong,’ Scott grunted as he struggled to push back.

He managed to twist up her arms and grab her wrists in a grip that was shockingly powerful.

‘Let go!’ Prisha screamed.

His iron grip was burning. His weight made it hard to breathe. His eyes had a hungry, brutal look to them. The veins were sticking out all over his arms and his face was flushed as he struggled to keep her pinned. He no longer seemed like a regular nice guy anymore. Big. Intimidating.

Dangerous.

It seemed to take forever to get back to the house. Scott still held her captive but no longer so tightly, Prisha breathless and limp against the door. He was glaring towards the front. Every so often, he would glance towards the back, as though expecting to find someone following them.

Emily was very quiet but her shoulders were tense and she had her eyes fixed to the windshield.

‘You’re not going to be able to force me to do anything, you know?’ Prisha said. ‘What are you going to do? Sling me over your shoulder like a caveman?’

‘I’ll do what I have to do.’

‘You’re crazy, Scott. I thought you were normal.’

‘You thought wrong. Thank God.’

‘I can’t believe this. I trusted you.’

’You should trust me. I’m doing this for you.’

‘Bullshit! You’re doing this for yourself.’

‘Whatever,’ he snarled. ‘I’ve had enough.’

They pulled into the street leading to the house. It was quiet. Emily stomped on the breaks.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ Scott hissed.

The two of them froze.

‘What?’ Prisha looked between the seats. Her eyes widened. Two police cars were parked in front of the house, blue and red lights whirling. A police officer was leaning up against the side of one of them, swiping through his notepad.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. A black sedan with tinted windows was parked on the curb further behind, looking very spick and span and odd on a street used to Utes and tractors and small trucks. The officer went over and spoke to the driver. Prisha looked towards the house. A shadow passed behind the sheet covering her window.

‘What should we do?’ Emily breathed. ‘What about Troy? And Freddy? Will they arrest them?’

‘We need to turn around,’ Scott said. ‘Go down the next street and make a loop. Drive natural.’

‘Drive natural,’ Emily murmured to herself.

Scott shoved Prisha’s head into his lap. They were moving again. Steadily. They turned a corner. Scott seemed calm, his hand heavy against her head. Prisha could hear Emily’s breathing.

‘Fuck!’ Scott bellowed. ‘Go!’

Emily accelerated and Prisha was flung backwards in her seat. She glimpsed another black sedan—or perhaps the same one—as they roared down the street.

‘Jesus, Em!’ Scott cried as she swerved around a parked car, just missing its mirror. ‘You’re going to get us killed!’

‘Shut up!’ Her knuckles were white around the wheel.

‘STOP’ Prisha shouted. ‘Just STOP!’

Scott turned to look behind. His eyes widened and his face drained of colour.

‘Holy Jesus!’ Emily cried.

‘Just stop, Scott! They’ve got us!’ Prisha shouted.

‘Shut up!’

There came the sound of sirens. Emily floored it. The car roared. It swerved. Emily screamed. Scott yelled. Prisha grabbed onto the door handle and shut her eyes as they banged up on the curb. A bang. A shudder. A horrible crunch that Prisha felt through her whole body. She slammed into the seat ahead.

Then they were still.

She snapped open her eyes. Scott turned in his seat, eyes maniacal in his pale face. Emily wasn’t moving in the front, slumped over the wheel. The windshield was cracked. The airbags hadn’t deployed. She was breathing.

‘Run!’ he snarled, throwing himself into the front to unlock the doors.

The locks sprang open and Prisha shoved open the door. She ran, leaving Scott following in her wake. She could hear his thudding footsteps. It was a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood with no one around. Houses. Sleepy dogs. Abandoned bikes braced up against fences.

The sirens were very close. Prisha raced ahead with a speed that was surprising. She turned a corner and saw trees up ahead. The sirens were screaming. They sounded like they were just behind her. She glanced over her shoulder but couldn’t see Scott.

She was alone.

She should stop. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t make herself stop.

Alf—he felt so far away now. Physically. Emotionally. Like a different lifetime.

Her breaths came in panting gasps. Her thighs were aching. The air was wheezing in her throat. She reached the safety of the trees. She slowed to a jog, then a walk, grabbing her chest as she gasped. The trees closed in around her, blocking out the heat and the sun and the loudness of the sirens.

There came the sound of distant thudding. It was several moments before Prisha realised what it was. She looked up. ‘Jesus Christ.’

A helicopter.

She couldn’t see it through the trees and no doubt they couldn’t see her either. Was it really for her? Surely not. Surely she was being ridiculous.

She looked over her shoulder again but Scott remained nowhere to be seen. She hoped Emily was okay. She hoped her sister was okay.

Sweat dripped down her arms and down her chest. Her thighs felt like tree trunks. She really needed some water.

What the hell was she going to do now?