Psychosis

Prologue

Everything is burning.
The boy clutches her hand tightly, but the girl is not afraid. She is far away from the flames, watching as the building that long imprisoned her is consumed.
The boy, however, is afraid. He knows that they will come after the girl, if not him as well. She is only a small thing; she cannot be more than four years old.
He tugs on her arm, letting her know that they need to go. The girl does not move. She only stares at the flames.
Then, she asks, "Did I do this?"

They travel through the snow. He thinks that they're in Europe, but she thinks that they're in Japan. It doesn't matter to him either way. He only wants to get the girl to safety.
He knows that will not be easy. The girl will have a heavy bounty on her, and those two will be searching for her. He refuses to give up, though. If he gives up, the girl will die. Those two will kill her.
He knows he does not have much time, but he is still determined to find a safe place for the girl. She asks if he'll always stay with her, and he lies and tells her yes. It hurts him, this lie, but he doesn't want her to worry. Every time he coughs, he covers it with his hand. Every time he pulls his hand away, it is stained red.
He is dying.
He knew he had the Sickness for a long time, but he had hoped that it wouldn't kill him for awhile longer. He needed to get the girl to safety.
In his bag, he carries medicine vials. A folded up piece of paper contains ingredients that cannot be found in this world, and directions that require something that should be impossible. The girl is considered an abomination. She looks human, but she is not--not completely.
He worries that she will get the Sickness as well. But that is what the medicine is for--that, and in case her blood goes black.
The girl does not know he is ill. She is expecting to stay with him for a long time, but that will not be the case. When they finally come upon a large hill, there is a building as large as a castle atop it. He worries that it is another facility, but she assures him it is not. She says she can feel good inside of it.
This is the place the boy has been searching for. This is the place he had overheard those two talking about. It had taken awhile for him to find out its location, but here he is. The boy is frightened.
So he goes with her word and he makes the trek up the hill. Along the way, the girl's eyes flash red, and he worries. He stops and puts his hand to her forehead, and realizes that she has a fever. He takes a vial out of his bag and inserts a syringe. He draws the medicine into it, and then he tells the girl to hold still.
She can't hear him, though. Her eyes are lost, a color between brown and red. He inserts the needle, and she goes limp. But first, she coughs.
On the ground, there is a small puddle. It is pitch black.
He knows he must hurry.
Up the hill he walks, as fast as he can while carrying the girl. He is coughing violently now, and he knows he should stop to rest. However, he fears that if he stops he will not get back up.
He reaches the steps of the castle-like building. He knocks on the door, and then a fit of coughs hit him. There is blood everywhere.
When the door opens, the boy is lying on the snowy ground, surrounded by a pool of red. Red flows out of his ears, his eyes. The man wonders what has happened to the boy, but is not surprised at the sight. The boy looks no older than thirteen, which is not that young of an age to see like that for the man. That fact saddens him. Then, he sees the little girl who lies beside the boy. She is not moving, but she is alive.
So the man picks the little girl up, and he carries her inside. When she wakes, hours later, and the man asks her name, her answer seems to explain everything to the man who was never human.
"Zero-Zero-One."