No Blessed ✓

The Offer

"It would be very easy." Mark Koenig mused as he looked down at the city below. Cars crawled in and out of his vision like scrambling ants and the wind caressed his body softly, threading its spectral fingers through his coarse hair. "It would be very easy to jump down and end the madness my life has become."

He was on the highest floor of the building, ten dizzying floors above the ground. If he jumped now, an instant death would be guaranteed.

The thought was enticing - he would finally be free - and he stepped closer to the railing, close enough to place his hand on top of the cool, metal barriers.

"Don't even think about it."

Koenig shrugged at the command, an airy jig of his shoulders and turned to meet the gaze of his long-time friend, Sean Bishop.

"Sean."

Sean nodded at him, his empty brown eyes scolding Koenig thoroughly. "We got ourselves into this mess together. If you're going to die, you are going to do it after we've resolved this problem."

Koenig looked away, clasping his hands behind him wearily. The warm touch of the setting sun was not comforting in the least, it only reminded him time was running out, time he could not afford to lose. "I was told Volunteer 117 died as well."

Removing his glasses, Sean cleaned them before putting them back on. A grim look outlined the features of his face. "Julia's pain sensors amplified in output just before they went off, so we can guess her death was not a merciful one. I already have the name of a potential Volunteer."

Sean sorted through the papers he had brought with him, and handed over a few to Koenig. "His name is Mikel Ark, a promising programmer who graduated a few months ago from the Revere Institute of Technology, the man who created Dominic."

A slight sound of disbelief left Koenig at the information and while he looked through the papers, Sean continued his briefing. "If you approve it, we already have a faux position opened in the department for him. Depending on whether he accepts it or not, he could be in No Blessed before next week."

Koenig looked at the grinning brown face imprinted in the paper before him, knowing what he was about to do. This man, Mikel, looked younger than his daughter. "Contact him. Seeing as he is recently graduated, he will not hesitate to accept our offer."

He dropped the documents on the glass table between them and faced the railings again, guilt weighing down on his mind. This had been the status quo for so many months, yet he had not gotten used to the remorse that assailed him each time he approved yet another death. "His family?"

"He has a strained relationship with his parents and has an older brother he calls infrequently." Sean's tone was curt as he rearranged the documents in his hands. "If he were to go missing, there is little they would be able to do to find him."

"I see. I only hope he will succeed where others have failed."

Koenig devoted his attention to the city's nightlife as it slowly came alive. The sun faded gloomily, spreading a thick coat of darkness amongst every inch of land, as far as the eye could see.

Each day, he watched it to remind himself. He watched it so he would not forget the burden that bored down on his shoulders. If one of the Volunteers did not switch off No Blessed soon, he doubted there would be a planet left.