Akina's Reflection

XXI

"Murderer. You said you wouldn't do it again, Dr. Alstein. But, here you are, with three good men around you. And you really messed up your coat this time around."

Charles glared at Don. His calm blue eyes were replaced with ones crazed with anger and grief. His lab coat was messed up, covered in the blood of other men. Blood was also on his sharp scalpel.

Farsdale glanced at the bloody bodies staining the white floor.

"This looks worse than Camille."

"Don't mention my wife's name, don't you dare try your lethal experiments on Aubrey. Do what you want with me, but don't you dare mess with my broken family."

I now stood near Dr. Farsdale, under the doorway, staring at the bodies. Charles... he did this? At first glance, I would have never guessed... he was so kind to me just a week ago...

Farsdale noticed me at the doorway.

"Oh, Akina? Do you want to hear a little story? Once upon a time, a happy couple decide to start a happy little family. They try again and again, but fail multiple times."

"Shut up." Charles growled. He seemed to be barely holding back his anger.

Don continues.

"Just as they almost give up, the couple decided to adopt a child instead. They were happy for a time, and had a little celebration from their false success. That was before the wife finally became pregnant."

"Don.... How dare you..."

Farsdale smiled at the two of us, and continued even further.

"The wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy. All was cheerful again, but not for long. See, the husband began having dark thoughts, realizing he never needed the adopted child, if he has his own. The husband indirectly abused the false child, wishing for his disappearance.

This failed though. The wife and his own child, they loved the false child. The husband began to hate his wife as well as the false child, thinking she had no care for their creation."

Charles switched his scalpel from his left hand to his right. He was burning up from a bloodthirsty rage.

Farsdale looked over to the doorway, at me.

"Would you guess the ending, Sayoki?"

I glared at him.

"Stop picking on Mr. Alstein, Doctor. Stop being a meaniepants."

Farsdale smirked.

"You have nerve, Akina. You'd rather go on the side of the killer, the husband who murdered his wife from a glowing hatred of what he saw as a false child."

"STOP TELLING STORIES ABOUT MY LIFE!!!" Charles shouted. He ran at him, not one, but three scalpels in hand. Farsdale had his syringes. They fought in the hall, almost tripping on the limp bodies more than once.

"Your Aubrey has been a bad boy! Bad boys need to be put down!"

"You antagonize me for being a murderer, and don't even bat an eye about the hundreds of men, women, and children you've experimented and even killed! Genocidal freak!"

"Murder! Murder!"

"DEATH!!!"

It was horrifying to watch. Despite limited tools, the two were ripping each other apart piece by piece. I first walked, but then began to run away from the scene as fast as possible, before I get involved as well.

I ran down the hall, into an elevator. I just slammed a random button, before collapsing on the elevator floor.

I then simply cried, knowing nothing better to do.

I never wanted to be here.

I didn't expect there to be a fight to the death in front of me.

I didn't even expect to learn such a dark piece of Charles's life.

Before I got to my floor, I realized that Farsdale had told me a big part of Aubrey's life, perhaps the one that I've been waiting to hear for so long.

He never mentions his mother because he has tough memories of her death. She didn't pass away either, she was murdered, by his own father, who he has now come to mistrust. Charles, on the other hand, has tried kindness, and even spoiling to try to get Aubrey to love him again, but Aubrey refuses his love.

As the doors opened, I came to feel bad for both of them.

I walked out, looking around. This floor was much darker than the others, the lights above me barely worked, flickering as if just ready to engulf me in darkness.

It was dead silent. There weren't any doctors walking around here. I seemed to be the only one in this empty hallway.

There were a few slightly tinted windows to my right. I put my hands up to the glass to look inside.

I stared. Naked bodies... were being thrown into a large machine. I held my mouth to keep from vomiting, though my stomach turned. I quickly looked away.

I tried not to look into any other windows as I passed. At some point, I heard muffled screaming, forcing me to run again, as if I could run from the noise.

I stopped again. There were cells around me now, with windows on the doors so I could peek inside.

Curiosity got the best of me, I wanted to look. I peeked into one of the cells.

Crazed brown eyes stared back at me.

"I'm hungry... So hunGrY..." He growled in his raspy voice. I jumped away from the predator's eyes.

I closed my eyes, then opened them to look in a different cell.

I almost vomited again when I saw myself in there, slumped against the wall. Luckily I didn't vomit, I was quick to remember.

The inmate groaned, then gazed at me from behind the glass.

"Aubrey..."