Experiment 103

This is everyday life.

I opened my eyes, my ears ringing from the bullets. And somebody had screamed...but I couldn't remember who or why. 

I heard the sounds of someone running over. My vision swam dizzily. I'm gonna close my eyes.... 

"Ohmygod...Ohmygod. .." Kristen was hyperventilating next to me. 

"Kristen are you okay ?!" And again, I opened my eyes reluctantly. 

Kristen didn't have a nick on her. She was curled up in a ball, her eyes clenched shut. But she was fine, ish. 

My sudden panic and guilt turned to annoyance. "Seriously Kristen, the way you sound, you could be dying, and yet you're-"

Blossom's voice interrupted. "Warren! Are you okay? " I heard Blossom run over, but didn't bother to turn and look at her...that would mean looking at it again...

Blossom, your timing is bloody brilliant...Please, choose the worst moments to ask stupid questions. 

Got beat up. Jumped out of a moving car. Got shot at.

"Yup, fit as a fiddle." I scoffed, cracking my neck as I moved it side to side. 

Blossom had some sort of response to that, one I didn't bother to actually hear. I heard her breath in deeply as now no doubt she had stumbled upon the pool of blood and other brain parts that now constituted Gary's head. 

I followed her eyes...  clenching my jaw as I saw it again. 

Gary. Dead. Lying in a pool of his own blood.

"He's dead! " Kristen wailed. And just like that, she ruined the moment. Typical Kristen. 

"You really gotta wonder where the hell he got his gun.  I mean, we threw him out of a car.  And yet, he winds up next to his hand pistol. " I looked away, stomach-churning...I need to stop trying to be a goddamn badass and staring at stuff I can't stomach. 

Just looking at the red puddle was making me sick. 

Blossom didn't say anything. She just walked over to a big tree, snapped off a branch, and started digging. Burying anybody that was dead was kind of her thing . Which for an experiment that escaped a creepy lab and has powers wasn't that bad of a thing. 

Kristen had gotten up sometime, tears were streaming down her face.

I can't get the picture of Gary out of my head.  Which sucks, beacuse he never really looked that good. 

"Come on, " I muttered, dragging Kristen behind me. We had to find Ryu, our enigmatic leader.  Who just bloody let us deal with everything, while he "chillaxed".

"Warren, he's really dead. " Kristen sobbed. "He -"

"Obviously he's dead Kris, he freaking shot himself in the head. " I snapped. Then I sort of glanced back and saw her stunned face. And then I felt guilty because Kristen hadn't asked for this. She went to a posh school in Belleville, California, where she'd had a boyfriend and a psychopathic sister. Then we kidnapped her and took her far away to threaten her family. "I'm sorry. " 

Kristen scoffed and tugged her hand out of mine. "Shut up. I don't care, about what you have to say, okay ?! I was only sorry for Gary. Knowing you , I'm suprised you aren't making sick jokes. " She wiped at her eyes furiously and walked ahead of me.

Then it was quiet. All the way back to the clearing where our camp was. Or used to be...

Kristen groaned when saw the deserted clearing. "Ryu ?! Ugh, did you leave us, you deadbeat? Hey ! Where are you? RYU! KAT ?! Greta, where -?"