Death and All His Friends

Side Effects

Key Nineteen: Side Effects:

There are the side effects to deal with. Allen is starting to feel them firsthand. First, there were the nightmares. Last night was just one example. There are several more.

Tyki flashed a light over the angel's eyes.

"Hm..." he said. Road stood behind him.

"Well?" she asked. The doctor turned to her.

"It's just the side effects of the brainwashing," he said.

"What?" Road asked.

"His first time in the machine, yes?" Tyki asked.

"Yeah," Road said.

"It's normal doing the first use," he said. "It dies done over time."

"How long will that take?" she asked. Tyki took a moment to think.

"Hard to say," he said. "Days, weeks, sometimes a month or two." His niece frowned.

"That long?" she asked.

"It depends on the angel," Tyki said. "We'll have to see with him."

The whole time they talked, Allen sat there in a daze. He can hear everything they were saying. But was it coming though? How far gone is he?

There is nothing there anymore. He's going to have another session today. The angel hasn't been sleeping well. There are the nightmares. That is step one. Then there isn't any response to the world around him. Sometimes, it doesn't feel real.

Road gently smacked him on the cheek.

"Hey!" she said. "Hey!" Allen looked up at her in a daze. His mistress frowned. There still needed work to be done. However, there might be some problems.

"How many sessions does it take?" Road asked.

"That would depend on what you are going for," Tyki said. The other monster frowned. There had to be a better way. That's when she thought back to Aizen.

"Tyki," Road said.

"Hm?" her uncle asked.

"What about Aizen?" she asked. The doctor looked up at her.

"What about him?" he asked.

"Isn't there anything you can do with him?" his niece asked.

"Like what?" he asked. Road shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "Just do something."

"Now you know that you can't rush the process," Tyki said. Road frowned and puffed up her cheeks.

"I know," she said. "But can't you think of something?" The doctor thought about this for a moment.

"I can't promise you anything. But I will see what I can do," he said.

The nightmares are back again. Allen can't move in bed. He stared up at the ceiling. But he is not alone. The angel tried to move his eyes to the right. Nothing. There was nothing there. He looked to the left. Nothing there either. Road wasn't even in bed beside him. Allen's stomach turned.

No. No, no, no, no.

Something cold crawled across his skin. The angel dreaded looking down. Something was on his arm. Then it moved across his torso. Allen had to tell himself not to look down. His heart thudded against his chest.

No. Don't do it. Don't do it!

Another crawling sensation went up his arm. More joined along his skin. Allen was screaming in his mind, but he couldn't move his body. He started breathing heavily. The angel gulped.

This isn't real. This is all in my head. I am dreaming. I am dreaming! This is a dream!

Sadly, he just had to look down.

Red and black snakes crawled all over his body. Allen couldn't move. He couldn't scream out. They all kept moving on him. One snake looked up at him.

No, no. Stay away. Stay away from me!

"He's screaming again."

What?

A sharp pain ran through his body. Allen took in a deep breath. His body began to relax. Warmth washed over his body. His heart rate began to slow down. The snakes slowly began to disappear. Soon, they were all gone. The warmth still remained. Allen felt himself sinking back in again.

Ah! This feels... This feels...

His mouth slightly opened. His cheeks flushed red. A little bit of drool ran down the corner of his mouth. The fear and panic he felt earlier became an afterthought.

This... This feels... This feels...

Amazing!

There was one more thought that crossed Allen's mind before he drew his eyes closed.

I want more.

Allen was taken to the top floor. Road shoved him into the machine for another session. This time, she set it to be stronger.