Never Forget - Mono X Six - Little Nightmares

34 - Mono

I woke up in the second room of this shitty hotel in a cold sweat. My dreams were a weird fever night terror of shadows and disfigured faces. My head was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears. 

I tried to ignore it but I already know that my morning was going to be as good as a morning of a guy possessed with parasites can be. As it was still blue hour and my room cloaked in darkness, I laid awake thinking about all manner of things. But mostly the fact that Six had saved me. Maybe she's serious maybe she has changed. It still felt so hard for me to accept that idea. 

I mean if it was true, I needed to know, why did she do what she did? 

Later I got up, throwing on a robe since hospital gowns are not my preferred method of clothing taste, and brewed myself black coffee in the kitchen. Gabby came into the kitchen soon after. "Well enough to drink coffee?" she asked. 

"Well enough to ask me stupid fucking questions?" I drank way too quickly but I wasn't craving sustenance only that refreshing bitter taste of liquid the same color as my soul. 

"Sounds like you're feeling yourself again." She sighs. 

Six came in and she looked like shit- well actually she looked great. She just groaned, "Give me that." she snatched the coffee pitcher from me. 

"What's up your fucking ass this morning huh?" I let her have it, with a glare. 

"Oh fucking god?! What is up with you two? We were all having a nice morning!" Gabby snaps at us, I feel her eyes pierce into me accusingly and I have to look away." 

"She's a bitch." I shrug. 

Six slammed her coffee cup on the counter, grabbing me by the collar. "Listen here you piece of shit, after all I've done for you to stick my neck out for you, you could at least give me one fucking thank you. I won't put up with your shit!" 

I feel my face turn red, "I-"

"Enough." Gabby sighs, "Let's focus on the plan." 

Six slinks away from me, while all I can think about is everything but the plan after her little stunt. How is there that much bite in such a tiny woman. I say nothing while I can practically feel Gabby's frown. 

"What plan?" Six sighs finally. 

"Obviously you're no scientist, so we can't just make the anti-cure..but I think I know a few people that can help us. They were trying to formulate an anti-cure long ago before the Thin Man family took over Pale City and interrupted their efforts. The formula was almost complete but it is missing a few ingredients they were never able to get. If we can just get to them maybe we have some sort of shot." 

"I don't know if you know this, but this three man squad is sort of on a time crunch lady." I sigh, "I'm going crazy. I'm only a ticking time bomb before I turn." 

"I know, so we are leaving today." 

"And how exactly do we find these friends of yours?" Six says. 

My eyes quickly linger over her. Part of me longs to not hate her. But how? After everything can we really just go back to the way things were? I almost can't see anything between us any other way. God I can't focus on anything they're saying.  

"There's an abandoned radio tower we need to journey into the quarantined side of Pantone. Most of them went into hiding, we used to use it to communicate. There is no way they wouldn't still have the radios in the lab." Gabby said. 

"If you're a ghost why can't you just poof there?" I ask annoyedly. She gives me another signature glare. I'm surrounded by bitches and raging estrogen.  

"It doesn't work like that." She tells me, I wait for her to elaborate but she doesn't so I drop it. 

"What do you mean by quarantine zone?" Six asked. 

We soon find out. After a few hours of driving, we got out of the van. Two gates with big yellow and black hazard signs with bold red letter's greet us with; QUARANTINE ZONE DO NOT ENTER as the place's warm welcome. 

"Well, we're fucked." I light a cigarette to calm my nerves. I didn't tell them that the whole car ride here the voices of the parasites were telling me not to go. I assumed it was best not to listen to what they want anymore. 

"Can I have a hit?" Six asks, I nod and we pass it back and forth with each other. I pretend not to notice the lipstick stains and pretend that I don't feel all tingly inside when we passes it back to me. 

"Okay it's in and out, no fucking around." Gabby said, "I have no idea what's behind these walls anymore." 

"What's the story of this joint huh?" I ask, the buildings were even worse than Pale City was a few years ago before I took over as Mayor. The place had clearly been left to rot. Behind the chain link I could see trash littering the streets. On the outside the chain link was barred, wood attached to the gate and heavy cinder blocks pushed to keep it closed. The chain link was high and on the top was maximum prison security barbed wire. 

I knew immediately something terrible must have happened here. 

"It's the control zone, all the unlucky people affected by Todd's product were sent here during it's stages of development. Come help me with this guys. I think we can push the fence in." 

Me and Six share a look before coming over.