Misunderstood Monsters

Chapter 2: John

Dr. Collingwood screamed and, without thinking, bolted to the opposite side of the pitch-black cell like a frightened rabbit.

I'm already dead, aren't I?

She could hear 096's voice. Any second now, it would run at her and kill her. She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself. Any second now...

Soft footsteps padded towards her. They were slow, deliberate.

God, please let this be quick.

The footsteps stopped. Then there was the noise of plastic sliding on concrete. She opened tentatively one eye, still keeping her gaze on the ground.

Lying there on the ground in front of her was her keycard.

Gathering her courage, she picked up her card, safely tucking it away in her pocket before looking around. SCP-096 was sitting on the ground in front of her a few feet away, hunched over and nervously wringing its hands.

Wh-Why didn't it kill me? I looked at its face. And why did it give me back my keycard?

Gulping, she decided to try and talk to 096.

"Um... h-hello?"

096 raised its head ever so slightly, just enough so that it could see her, then quickly put its head back down. She thought she saw its lips move, but couldn't hear it say anything, if it did.

"S-Sorry, I couldn't hear that."

096 looked up again. This time she could hear an incoherent mumble.

"Could you speak up please?"

The creature's shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh and it looked up for the third time.

"Hello," it whispered shyly, just loud enough to be heard. Its voice was soft and gentle and unmistakably masculine, sounding neither young nor old. It was hoarse as well, as if 096 hadn't spoken in a long time. The creature had a strange accent that she couldn't quite place.

"So you can talk."

Seemingly a little braver, 096 scooted just a little closer.

"Just because I-I don't talk doesn't mean I can't," he whispered.

Now Dr. Collingwood could make out the details of the creature's face. 096's face was thin and gaunt, his pale skin stretched tightly over bone. His pale lips were downturned into a permanent frown and his eyes had a sad, resigned look.

"Do... do you have a name?"

"Y-Yes. My... My name is John. W-What's yours?" John was still acting quite shy, but at least she could hear him clearly now.

"Dr. Collingwood."

A half-smile, partly amused and partly rueful, tugged at John's mouth. "Oh. Billy talks about you all the time."

Her eyebrows shot up. "You know Billy?"

"Y-Yeah. He was my only friend up until I got captured by the Foundation."

Dr. Collingwood was about to reply when footsteps cut her off. Lawrence's voice boomed out, calling her name.

"Molly? Molly! Where are you?!"

Dr. Collingwood sprang to her feet. John picked himself up as well.

"Well, looks like I have to leave," she said softly.

"That... might as well be for the best." John's voice was a whisper again. "I'm sorry, but I... I think it's better if you don't remember this."

"Wait, wha-"

The last thing she could recall from that moment was what seemed like a mass of solid steel hitting her in the jaw, the world tilting, and everything going black.

She couldn't even remember hitting the floor.