Subject Zero: Mirrors (Book 2)

Chapter 22: AFRAID

Friday, May 24, 1985
2:05p.m.
Norwood's National Laboratory

Third Person's POV
Liam/Zero was walking down a bright, white hallway, limping because of a very visible scrape on Zero's right leg. He finally found a room, one he seemed to be eager to look for, then opened the door without touching the doorknob, wiping the blood from her nose afterward. Dr. Rallane instantly rose his head from the work on his desk when he saw Zero, and stood up.

"...Zero?" asked Rallane, in a quiet voice. "Or..."

Liam had a blank expression on Zero's face. "Both. But don't bother trying to talk to her. She can't speak."

Dr. Rallane just stared at her for a moment, then silently sighed and looked down at his desk. "Let's begin with our reason here today. Take a seat and go ahead and proceed with your comment."

Liam knew what he was doing. He has lived it before. He just stayed silent for a moment before commenting and playing along, "I did something bad."

Rallane nodded his head, understanding. "You knew it was wrong, correct?"

"...Yes," Liam stated honestly.

Rallane instantly asks, "Do you feel sorry for what you did?"

"...I've felt sorry since the moment we made the deal."

The man stared at her for a moment. "That will conclude our session here today," he said while he wore a fake friendly smile on his face. "And don't worry. It will all be gone soon."

The boy immediately looks at him and asks, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dr. Rallane sighed again. "Liam, I know what you've been through."

Liam scoffed.

"You've been framed, betrayed, manipulated... Lonely. But you need to understand that what you are doing to Zero is equally as horrible or even worse compared to what you've gone through, what you're going through." Dr. Rallane furrowed his brows. "She's been abused, she's been uncomfortable, she's been hurt... We use her when she's drained, she's dejected and insecure. She's been lonely her whole life, and while a large part of that is my fault, you aren't making her feel any better. If you don't heal from your scars, you'll only bleed onto people who didn't hurt you."

"Shut up!" Liam shouted. "What do you know? You barely know me, and better yet, you don't know Zero. I don't intend to kill her, I never did, and I did plan on getting her out of that nightmarish place, but I didn't know how. But now she's out of there, yet still trapped." He says in a firm tone, "She is still my friend."

Rallane tilted his head to the side, still looking at Zero. "Really? You're taking control of her mind and body. You betrayed her trust and shoved her into a place where she was desperate to leave, but couldn't because she was powerless in the Mirror World."

Liam stared at him, a shadow of guilt cloaking over him. "Shut up," he whispered.

"She doesn't see you as a friend anymore because of what you've done to her."

"...Shut up."

"She is more afraid than you've ever been."