Fibre Mortem: Rhesus Factor

15

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Reese peers at me, waiting. His tools for breaking in, in his palms.

"I'm more than sure, there's a reason this is hidden. I have to know," I flash the light at the knob to give him ample light to work with.

He mutters as the tools start clicking, metal against metal, "Your mother should have named you Curiosity or Cat."

"Ha, very funny. I haven't died yet jackass."

"That's because you have nine lives, Princess." he gives one final turn and the door pops open.

"Oh I could kiss you," I step forward but he stops me. There's a look in eyes, hunger? I don't know but I do realize what I've said, and I instantly feel bad. Now I know he's hurt.

"Before we go in, whatever is back there, we can handle it okay?" He brushes his finger to move a strand of my ornery hair.

I can't explain it, but I know I should feel comforted by this, but I don't. My stomach lurches and I don't know if I can trust it. This is Reese we're talking about. I trust him with my life. I have no reason to be on guard now.

I smile, trying not to let that feeling get to me. Reese turns and I follow. Turns out it was a stairwell which is a little creepy considering we're supposed to be the bottom floor. The basement of this establishment.

Reese attempts to lighten the atmosphere around us by joking but I'm too amped up to reply, instead, I listen and try to place chuckles here and there where I'm supposed to, I can't help but think my father has some kind of god awful experiment down here that we don't know about. I shudder at the thought.

It isn't until we're looking around that I'd wished it were some sort of nightmare, or maybe this is a nightmare because this is worse than what I thought. I'm staring at cryogenic storing units. Of course, the smaller tables appear to be what may have been the start of it.

Now, now they've moved up into full size, human-sized, freezing chambers. They aren't exactly high-tech, not like what you've seen in movies. They aren't completely clear, there are what appears to be small windows, maybe for peeping in on their subjects but it isn't like that movie, oh what it is it-- Resident Evil. That's the one, where the zombies there look impossible, even for our apocalypse.

Reese was right, though, I'm curious and tonight...I know it won't kill me, but it might as well have.

I look into several of the tubes and see people. No one I recognize, but there's a reason they're in here and while I'm trying to figure it out I notice that Reese has stayed behind and gone quiet on me.

I look to him and he looks guilty, I don't understand why, it's not like he knew about this place. "Reese?"

He looks up at me, pleading in his eyes.

"Did you know about this place before I asked you to come with me?"

He nods but doesn't want to meet my gaze further. I'm not upset by this, but I do wish he'd told me about it. I'd have wanted to come down here and see what was going on.

I get to the fifth unit and that's when I lose my shit. My palms sweating, my heart racing. I can't believe what I'm seeing, or better yet, who I'm seeing. Now I know why Reese didn't want to tell me and why he'd been acting so weird.

I drop the flashlight. My hand barely grazes my mouth in shock, "I look so much like her now. It's funny. I'd held on to memories of her, but I'd forgotten what she looked like, almost."

Reese is there in a flash, trying to pull me away but I turn and smack him. Angry, "How could you!? You knew the entire time she was down here. You bastard. You aren't at all who I thought you were and if she wasn't in that tube, my mom wouldn't condone whatever the fuck this is between us!"