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A Face in the Crowd (761 hits)

Category: UberMadness! Entry
Labels: bestofsteve

Rating: 2 on 3 reviews (Rate this item) (V)

Submitted by Steve's House of Pancakes? (View user info) at 2005-08-08 23:15:29 EDT

This post was an official UberMadness! entry. Click here to view the original matchup.

Murdoch stood from his desk when Orion entered the room. He smiled at the golden-haired young man and moved around his desk to greet him.

"Good morning," Murdoch said, leaning against the front of his desk. "You're looking well."

Orion raised an eyebrow at the welcome. "You're never this happy in the morning. Something's up."

"I can be happy, Orion," Murdoch smiled. "Today is a special day, so I think I have the right to be happy."

He picked up a file off of his desk and handed it to Orion. Murdoch settled back against the desk, stroking his short beard in amusement. Orion took the file and held it for a moment before opening it. It was just a piece of paper with the name of a city written across it in bold type. Seattle.

"Seattle?" Orion asked, narrowing his eyes.

Murdoch's smile seemed to brighten with pride. "It's your first solo assignment."

Orion's face shifted from confusion to disbelief. The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile and he laughed nervously. He looked from Murdoch to the large glass doors along the side of the office. Curtains covered the glass, but the sun still shone through the dark green fabric. Orion looked back to Murdoch and grinned, trying to hide his trepidation.

Standing from his desk, Murdoch shook his head. "Some how, I thought you'd be more excited to be on your own."

"Were you expecting a cheer?" Orion replied with a grin. "I have more restraint than that."

"Oh?" Murdoch asked. "Since when, rookie?"

Orion narrowed his eyes in a mock glare. Murdoch laughed at the look. He put his hand on Orion's shoulder and gently directed him towards the glass doors.

"You've been a good student and you do work well on a team, but you won't always need a babysitter," Murdoch gave his friend's shoulder a slight squeeze. "Ready?"

As if on command, the doors swung open and both stepped out onto the office's balcony. The sudden wind caught the material of their long white robes and whipped them back. Below them, a busy Seattle street streamed with life. Orion pulled the material of his robe close to his body and stepped towards the edge of the balcony. He rested his elbows against on the gold rail and peered over the edge.

"Pick a face from the crowd," Murdoch said, moving to stand next to him. "And we'll go from there."

Orion frowned, anxiety easily winning over his excitement. "How will I know?"

Murdoch didn't reply. He just stood and waited with a grin on his bearded face. Silver streaks were starting to show in his beard and in the rest of his dark hair. Orion knew they'd always been there, but he had never really noticed them before.

Orion looked out at the crowd. Each person blended into another. It was hard to pick one, but Orion quickly drew upon his training and saw what is unseen. Blue. The life energy of a person is blue, spreading through the body like a pond of clear water. Orion looked for changes in shade. Some were a darker blue. Others were lighter. Some, the ones he was looking for, were tinged with gold. Whispers of gold and orange tinted the inner energy of some of the people on the street. Orion quickly picked out the people who burnt in the sea of blue.

"Him," Orion pointed to a young man awash in orange. He was relatively young with short dark hair and very plain features. He looked healthy. Nothing visibly wrong with him. "What about him?"

"Forty-eight hours," Murdoch replied.

Orion swallowed his question of how and nodded. He picked out another one, a young woman with short dark hair. "Her?"

"Three hours."

"Three hours?" Orion looked back at Murdoch in surprise. "That's not enough time for anyone."

Murdoch shrugged. "It's enough time for some. If you don't decide on her, some one else will take it. Some of the other Walkers like the quick ones. We prefer your first solo assignment to be a day or two, but you're good at what you do so you have your pick."

Orion sighed, staring out at the street. "It's so much easier when some one picks for you," he trailed off, eying the crowd like a bird searching for hidden prey in long grass. "Him. The first one."

"Gut instinct is always the best," Murdoch put his hand on Orion's shoulder again. "Take a breath and be ready."

Orion closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He took a deep breath in, tasting the air of the city. This was one of his favourite parts of the job.

He stepped off the edge of the building and into the final days of another man's life.

--

Bobby breathed out. A strange sensation settled around his chest and he stopped walking. He closed his eyes and tried to collect himself. When he opened his eyes, the sensation trickled away to nothing. All he was left with was the ghost of a feeling he wasn't certain ever existed.

He shrugged and kept walking. He had eaten lunch at a small deli not far from his office, so maybe it was food poisoning. The food wasn't that good, but it wasn't that bad either. He'd been eating the same ham and cheese sandwiches for two years from that place. He really didn't feel the need to change unless they made him sick.

He got back to work and went right back into it. He worked as an assistant at a law firm. He filed things and did research. He worked behind the scenes on lawsuits that dealt mostly with property matters. The firm wasn't that big, but he hoped it would be a start for his career.

Since he started, he simply just stood in the background and let life flow around him.

He worked late that night, finishing a project with his fellow assistants. He didn't realize it was after nine until some one made a comment about missing the ten o'clock news if he didn't leave right away.

That's when he remembered his dinner plans with Charlotte - at seven.

He didn't phone to apologize. He finished what he was doing and started home, knowing that he would make it up to her later. Charlotte was a very forgiving person and he put up with so much that she had to give him some leeway. She didn't work. If he didn't, then they'd have nothing better to do but sit around all day and make pots or write poetry.

Their relationship wasn't built on a strong foundation. It was to the point where he was waiting for her to get fed up and leave him. He was too good of a person to kick her out.

She was sitting with her back to him when he walked in the door. She was reading the paper at the kitchen table, not bothering to look up when he entered.

"Charlotte?" He said, slipping off his shoes.

She turned and gave him a small, sad, smile, "Hi."

Orion nearly dropped the shoe in his hand. For a moment, Orion took full control of Bobby and just stared at her. Normally, he just watched, letting the body and mind go through its motions while the soul was already gone. He was just there to record the final memories and send them onward. That's what a Walker does. They walk in the shoes of those about to die.

But Orion couldn't just watch when he saw her again.

She'd cut her hair. It was still a soft auburn shade, streaked with blonde. It hung at her shoulders. She looked thinner, but not from exercise. Her face looked worn and far older than her 26 years. She was wearing one of his old sweaters. All that time and she still had his things. There was something sad about her. She looked tired and frustrated at Bobby's tardiness and the whole situation.

"Bobby?" Charlotte's soft voice snapped him back to attention and back to being Bobby. "Is something wrong?"

He knew he was breaking rules. This was his first solo Walk and he was already toiling with his past. But he had to hold her again. He needed to feel her warm against his chest and pretend he was still alive.

She stood from the table and he crossed the floor and gathered her into his arms. He pulled her tightly and tried to memorize the sensation. She still had the scent of warm chocolate. He promised himself it was only a momentary lapse. But with her in his arms, he felt the contempt start to built towards the man whose shoes he stood in. This Bobby didn't deserve his Charlotte.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm so sorry, Charlie."

Charlotte stiffened for a moment, then shrugged within the embrace. "It was just dinner, Bobby."

Orion slowly took a breath and let her out of his arms. He nodded, "I know."

He quickly cleared his throat and apologised with his eyes, "I'm still sorry. I'll make it up to you."

Forcing a smile, Charlotte shook her head. "It's okay, Bobby. It's not the first time. It probably won't be the last time. I picked us up a movie. We can watch it in bed if you want."

"Yes," Orion said, taking one of her hands. "I'd love that."

Charlotte eyed him before stepping away. She was floored by his remorseful mood. Had this man never apologised to her before? Did he show no interest in what she wanted? She turned away from him and started tidying the kitchen. They both got ready for bed and climbed underneath the covers. Orion held her as she fell asleep to the movie on the television screen. She had rented 'My Best Friend's Wedding.' They had watched it at least fifty times when they were together and Orion used to hate it with a passion. Now, he found himself wondering why she was watching 'their' movie with another man.

He closed his eyes and saw the reminder of what he was there to do. He had less than 36 hours before Bobby would die.

He had to get out. He couldn't leave her again. If some one else did it, he wouldn't have to hurt her anymore.

'I can't do it.'

Murdoch heard his call instantly. 'Just a little while longer, Ori. I can send some one to help if it's getting to be too much.'

'No. I...I know her. The man's girlfriend...she was my wife.'

Murdoch was silent, but Orion could feel the iciness of his displeasure crawl across their mental link. Finally, Murdoch responded. 'I'm bringing you back.'

Orion opened his eyes. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of Murdoch's office floor. Murdoch was sitting at his desk, angrily flipping through a folder filled with various papers.

"You lied to me. You said everyone you knew was already dead," Murdoch looked up, disappointment and anger shining in his eyes. "This is why the waiting period is so long, Orion. We bumped you up because you said there was no one left. We don't need Walkers tracking down old loved ones or, worse, having to Walk as them, knowing they're going to die."

Looking down at his hands, Orion shook his head. "I thought she was in a coma after the car accident. Or that she went...elsewhere."

"She almost did," Murdoch said quietly. He frowned, closed the folder and stood again. He walked over and knelt across from Orion. The younger man had his head down, blonde curls hiding his eyes. He seemed to be frozen in place. Murdoch reached out and lifted his chin.

"I like you, Orion. You approach this whole task with enthusiasm and energy. Everyone around his is so tired of dying over and over again that it's getting difficult to find new people. I don't want to lose you," Murdoch paused, his anger slowly starting to fade. "But if you don't accept this assignment and complete what you've already started, you'll have to find something else to do with eternity."

Orion turned away, "Don't they know already? I overstepped. I took over. That's against..."

Murdoch waved a hand to cut him off. "I noticed something was wrong. I thought it was just jitters. I took over observing you. I didn't know it was this serious until, well, now."

"You want me to go back, even though you know I'll just take over?" Orion asked, finally looking at his mentor.

"I trust you, Orion," Murdoch stood and offered Orion a small smile. "Just don't step too far."

"I don't want to disappoint you," Orion confessed. "I just don't think I can handle this on my own."

Murdoch shrugged. "It's a part of what we do, Ori. You'll find yourself falling in love with strangers too. It hurts to leave them, but you learn. You adapt. You'll never disappoint me if you keep learning. Now, it's time to wake up."

Orion closed his eyes and when he opened them he was alone in bed. He sat up and looked at the clock on the bedside. It was nine o'clock. Just over 24 hours left. Bobby was late for work. But work didn't matter today. He'd been given a chance to spend another day with her. Murdoch was looking out for him and left him in the situation to learn from it. He didn't want to live with the regrets of not taking the opportunity to be with her, even if it was just for a little while.

He wandered out into the kitchen where Charlotte was flipping through an old book. She was wearing a pair of tattered jeans and an old t-shirt he'd bought her when they were on vacation four years ago. It was faded and washed so many times holes were beginning to form.

She looked comfortable, at least.

"Morning," she greeted warmly. "Are you skipping out on work today?"

Smiling, Orion pulled out the carton of milk from the fridge and poured himself a glass. The confidence at his decision to stay grew with each second he was near her. "I decided we'd go to the zoo today."

Charlotte laughed. "Bobby, you hate the zoo."

"Yes, but I know you love it," he smiled. "Get ready and we'll leave at ten."

Orion took Charlotte to the Woodland Park Zoo. That's where they met almost seven years ago, in front the birdcages. He took her down memory lane, letting himself walk down old paths he'd long forgotten about.

After the zoo, they went to the park by their old house. He'd proposed to her on the swings. They bought ice cream and he listened to her talk. She was reluctant at first. Bobby never listened. But she quickly opened up and started telling tales of her art classes and the things she'd made in pottery that week. He had always tried to listen when they were together in his old life. He rarely succeeded, but he could tell that Bobby didn't try half as hard to see Charlotte smile.

They went to a movie and went home, content and tired. Orion just enjoyed living again. The simple things that he used to take for granted were what he was now trying to memorize.

It was late. He held Charlotte's small body as they lay together on the couch, watching Conan O'Brien. Charlotte would laugh from time to time. Each note of laughter made Orion want to stay in that moment forever.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Charlie," he whispered against her neck.

He felt her stiffen against him. She suddenly sat up and glared at him.

"Bobby, what's going on?" she frowned in doubt. "You take the day off work and spend it with me, doing things that my husband used to do. At first I thought you had just actually listened when we talked about my husband. Then I started to think it was all just a big coincidence. Now...now I don't know what to think. Is this your way of breaking up with me? Waiting for me to fall in love with something you're pretending to be?"

"But you were happy, Charlie," Orion was scrambling, trying to collect his thoughts. "If you weren't enjoying yourself, you could've said something."

Charlotte sighed. "Orion used to call me Charlie. That's the third time you've done it. What is going on, Bobby?"

Orion finally sat up. He met Charlotte's eyes in the low light and studied her face. His eyes drifted along her body. It was the first time he noticed the scars on her wrists. He gently traced the jagged line down the length of her arm. She pulled away and stood from the couch.

"Char..."

Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. She turned and stared at him again. She searched his face. Orion hoped she wouldn't find what she was looking for.

But then she did.

A strangled gasp escaped her mouth. "Orion?"

Orion dropped his head. He chewed on his bottom lip, not wanting to look at her again. But she reached out and took his hand. He looked up and saw the smile on her lips and tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I can see your eyes," she whispered in awe at her discovery. "You have his eyes."

He gently took her face in his hands. He brushed away her tears and frowned. "I never meant for this to happen, Charlie."

She just stared at him, watching his eyes as he searched for words to say. She pressed her lips to his. For now, he didn't need to find any more words.

--

He woke up with her in his arms the next morning. He closed his eyes and bitterly noted how much time he had left. Six hours. He'd slept away most of his time. He should have told her that he was just going to leave again, but he knew it would just break her heart either way.

They'd made love that night. He tasted every inch of her skin like it was the first time. He kissed every scar, wishing he could heal the ones inside. She was never meant to end up with some one like Bobby. And thanks to something higher, she wouldn't.

"Ori, are you awake?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes."

"Why are you here?"

The question hung in the air like the dagger above his head. Orion finally sat up. He rested against the headboard while Charlotte put her head on his chest. She looked up at him and waited for his answer.

"Some of us are allowed to walk in the lives of others. We earn the privilege. It's like a job. The time we're allowed to spend varies, but we're always called home when the task is over. When I died two years ago, some one was in my place," He paused. "You remember everything because you don't realize there's something higher inside you. I'm breaking so many rules being with you. We're not supposed to take over like this."

Charlotte narrowed her brown eyes. "Bobby is going to die?"

Orion looked away. He glanced at the clock on the bedside. Time was slipping away from them both.

"I'm sorry," he quietly replied.

Charlotte sat up, fisting her hands in the covers. "You're going to leave me again? How could you do this to me again, Orion?"

He didn't look at her. She had the right to be angry.

"I blamed myself for the accident," she said, her voice soft and distant as she pushed her anger down inside herself. "I blamed myself over everything else. I took your life. I took away the only person in the world that made me happy. And now you're telling me that they knew I was going to hit that other car? That some one up in heaven knew your number was up and did nothing to change it? There was some angel inside of your body that didn't tell me to stop the car. That's not fair. It's not fair to have no control over whether or not we live or die."

"We're not angels, Charlie. We just do our jobs..."

"No," she snapped. She quickly composed herself and looked at Orion with tearing, pleading eyes. "Fight it. Stay with me. You can change whatever is going to happen and we can be happy again."

Orion met her eyes. There was nothing he could say that his eyes didn't already tell her.

Charlotte stood from the bed. Her shoulders were rigid with anger. He watched the frustration on her face, knowing that he had felt the same things when he first discovered the destiny of all people. There was always the slightest element of some free will in every death, but every person had a destiny. It's just hard to know whether one is fighting or playing into it. Charlotte couldn't accept that Orion was just going to give up on her.

She glared at him as she took a deep breath.

But some one else breathed out.

Orion felt it. A shiver coursed through his body when he sensed another presence in the room.

"You shouldn't have told her, Orion," Charlotte's voice spoke, but some one else was creating the words.

"Murdoch?" Orion shook his head, feeling the dread crawl through his body. "Why are you here?"

Murdoch shrugged, apologetically. "You know why."

"What happens to her?" Orion asked, anger starting to rise at the intrusion. "How long have you known?"

Frowning, Murdoch sighed, "The suicides are the hardest to give away."

Orion stared blankly at Charlotte's body. He felt a part of himself start to drift away from reality. He slowly stood and picked up his clothes. He methodically got dressed, while Murdoch stood in the middle of the room. Orion wanted to beg for Charlotte's life. He wanted to fight for her. But, just like he couldn't change Bobby's fate, Murdoch couldn't change Charlotte's.

"She knew it was you in the kitchen that first day, Ori," Murdoch said. "That's when she decided to kill herself. I kept out of it as long as I could, to give you time alone. But I couldn't wait any longer."

A pause hung in the air before Murdoch sat on bed. He opened the drawer and pulled out a small box. He lifted the lid and brought out a razor blade.

"You should probably leave now," he said.

Orion stood in the doorway of the bedroom. He slowly crossed the room and knelt next to her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and turned away.

He knew she was already gone.

--

Orion wandered the streets, trying to forget. He just kept walking, losing track of time.

He should have refused to come back. He should have turned away and accepted that he'd never see her again. That was the right thing to do. Instead, he was greedy and took the chance to spend one last day with her. She had died for him when she should have lived. She didn't have to play into their game.

He had completely forgotten about why he was there until he heard the click of a gun and the sensation of the barrel against the back of his head.

"Give me your wallet," he heard. The man was obviously deranged to rob him in broad daylight. He'd shoot him no matter what he did. Orion let his shoulders slump and accepted this was how Bobby would die.

He turned and faced the mugger. "I don't have one."

"What?" He snapped. "Give me your money, man."

Orion shook his head. "I don't have any. I don't have anything," He slowly looked down. "Just do it already."

"Do what?"

"Hey! I'm calling the police!" Some one shouted from across the street.

On instinct, Orion's head snapped in the direction of the shouter.

He felt the bullet before he heard the shot.

Bobby breathed out.

And Orion breathed in.

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in the middle of Murdoch's floor again. Murdoch was at his desk, putting things into a box. He looked up when he felt Orion's presence and gave him a small smile.

"They didn't agree with my methods on dealing with this case," Murdoch shrugged, putting a pile of folders into the box. He picked up a picture that sat in the corner of the desk and studied it before speaking again. "Can't say I blame them."

"You knew," Orion said. "You said 'pick a face from the crowd' but you knew I'd pick him."

Murdoch frowned, "I didn't know." He slowly shook his head and pointed up, "But He did."

After putting the lid on his box, Murdoch picked up his things and started for the door.

"I'm just a face in the crowd myself, Orion. We all are. No one notices us and they're not supposed to. The point of living is to hold the illusion of free will. Everyone does what he or she has to do because they think it will bring happiness. No one really realizes that there might be something greater going on and how powerful we really are," Murdoch paused and reached out to open the door. "Nothing is ever random, Ori."

Murdoch met Orion's eyes and smiled. He held the door and drummed his free hand against the wood, "Now go home, there's some one waiting for you that won't like you being late."

"What?" Orion frowned. "How..."

He shrugged. "Let's just say I've got friends in high places."

Murdoch winked as he walked out the door.

Orion sat by himself for a few minutes before standing. He straightened his robes and brushed his hair out of his face and behind his ears. He closed the curtains on the glass doors and turned out the lights.

It was time to go home.

Maybe he'd found his way to spend eternity.

User Reviews

Submitted by darko (user info) at 2006-06-24 03:03:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2

As do I

Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-11-12 19:16:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 0

I love this story.

Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2005-10-27 11:16:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2

Horray for the elite 8!

(Congrats on getting to the final.)