I got to work a little while later. Did all the routine stuff. Helped a few customers here and there. It was a pretty normal day really. Too normal actually. The entire day Bree had been giving me her signature glare. I tried to confront her about it but something always came up. A customer, a spill, Mike coming in unexpectedly… MIKE COMING IN UNEXPECTEDLY?!?!
“Uhm, hello Mr. Twain!” I said awkwardly
“Ah, Cole! How goes the shop old sport?”
“Everything’s fine here sir! Yup, no trouble all day!”
“Glad to hear it, glad to hear it. Now, where’s Breanna? There’s something I need to speak to her about.”
“Yes, Breanna is in the back, I think, I’ll g get her, sir!”
“Yes, you do that.”
-Mike link-
“Subject M-0 is en route to subject M-1 now ma’am.”
“Understood, agent Twain.” Said a familiar voice. “Be sure to inform her fully of our proposition.”
“Fully? Ma’am I-“
“Use discretion agent. Tell her what I’ve told you to tell her. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
-End-
I rushed into the storage area of the store to find Bree sitting down, wiping tears from her eyes as she heard me walk in.
“What is it Cole?”
“I… er, Mike’s here. He um, said he needed to talk to you about something.”
“Fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”
I walked out wondering what that could’ve possibly been about.
“She’s on her way, sir.”
“Thank you, Cole, that’ll be all.”
I returned to my duties and tried to observe my boss as stealthily as possible. Bree came out shortly later and the two of them walked outside to speak. Bree’d pulled herself together a lot in a short amount of time. That was pretty impressive seeing as she was a blubbering mess a few seconds ago. She finished talking with Mike, shook his hand, then walked back inside.
“What was that about?” I asked
“None of your damn business.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I SAW YOU LAST NIGHT COLE! I saw you kiss Lara then head up to her apartment!”
“You don’t get to be upset! Even after you kidnapped me and held me against my will I’ve tried to be there for you! I killed a man for you! What we have… had it’s just not there anymore. I’m sorry.”
“You should be. I’m leaving Cole.”
“What?”
“Mike just offered me a position at our sister store out west.”
“You’re switching coasts?!”
“Cole, I need this. I need to get away for a while.”
“Fine. Whatever. Go.”
The rest of the day we spent not saying a single word to one another. We clocked out. I locked up. And we went our separate ways. I wouldn’t see Bree again for some time after that incident.
I drove back to the apartment after clearing my head for a little while. When I walked into my place I was surprised. No Lara, no Bree, nobody but me. For the first time since this whole thing started I was alone… or so I thought.
I walked into my bedroom and lay down on the bed. I was just so tired of it all.
-Lara’s apartment-
“Hey, I think I’m going to go check on Cole.” Lara said to Oliveria
“Why? Camera 12 show’s he’s fine, resting up after a long day at work. See?”
“Yeah but with that whole Bree thing I’m sure he’s going to be a bit upset. Y’know?”
“Hmm, I see your point. Fine. I’ll go.”
“You?”
“Why not me?”
“Well, no offense sis but you’re not the warmest person.”
“We need him to conserve his energy, Lara, if he keeps using his powers he’ll burn himself out. Can you imagine what my boss would say if he found out we killed subject M-0?!”
“Probably “Focus on subject M-1”.”
“Point taken. Still, he’s practically family. Just let him sleep.”
“Ugh, fine.”
-End-
I woke up several hours later in the middle of the night. Screaming in terror. I was sweating purple sweat. As if that wasn’t bad enough I was tiny, again. I knew it’d be painful but I forced myself to grow back anyway. Surprisingly this time it didn’t feel painful at all, it felt nice. I took a shower, washed my sheet’s, and went out for some fresh air.
“Cole? What’re you doing up so late?” Oliveria asked from across the hall
“Oh, hey Ollie, I was just getting some fresh air.”
“Everything okay?”
“Y-yeah.”
I wasn’t sure if Lara had told her sister of the events we’d been through at that point so I wasn’t sure what to talk to her about.
“Come inside, Lara’s knocked out and I made some arroz con leche. Waaay to much for just me.”
“I’d love some, thanks!”
Ollie and I talked for hours on end about what was going on in our lives. Apparently she was working for some big company in New York now. “Essex” I think she said it was called. She’s one of the leading scientists on some top secret project. I almost wanted to talk to her about the ooze. See if she knew anything about what was happening to me. I decided against it. We talked for a while and before I knew it the sun was rising.
“Wow! We really talked the night away!” she said
“Heh, looks that way.”
Lara got up as we were talking and was heading out to go jogging again. She gave me a seductive wink then headed out.
“Well I guess that’s my cue.” I said
“I’m leaving tonight to head back to the lab. We should talk again soon. But for now shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”
“Yeah, I should. I’ll see you around Ollie.”
“Bye Cole!”
-Aside-
“So what was that about?” Lara asked Ollie
“Oh, nothing, just talking with an old friend.”
“If you say so.”
“Last night he had a terrible nightmare. I sent in the sweepers to collect samples of his sweat. Apparently the sweat he produces while asleep is identical to the base formula for the serum.”
“Interesting. What was the nightmare about?”
“Well…
-Cole’s dreamscape-
I was small again. Smaller than I’d ever been before. I was walking along some slimy surface. It was pink and covered in thousands of bumps. I was in a room. A hot and humid room. I knew where I was… or at least what I was on. I turned around to the rooms opening and saw my reflection. I saw more as the mirror moved further away.
“Hello, Cole.” Bree said.
“Bree… what… what are you doing?!”
“I’m saying goodbye, Cole. To you and everything else here. But to you especially.”
“Bree… stop this… please!”
“Good. Bye. Cole.”
“NOOOOO!!!!!”
-End-
“That bitch really did a number on him.” Ollie said
“I can’t even imagine.”
“And you’ll never have to, sis. Take care of Cole for us.”
“Will do, sis, will do.”