When The Light Goes Out

Chapter - 14

Monique didn't look for anything more from him. They text and chatted over the phone but they didn't meet up in person any more. Maybe she was moving too fast and completely belittled him without even thinking about it. How rude could she be? To not see him anymore was a just punishment. Surely the last thing he wanted was to be treated like a crazy person. It hadn't seemed that way to her but it did to him and that's all that mattered.

The guilt weighed on her for weeks. It was like a stab to the heart every time she thought about it. The time he spent on the phone with her became few and far in-between too. When she text him he didn't always get back to her the same day anymore. Her heart was sinking steadily with each passing day. She had completely ruined her first friendship. Her first real friendship.

The ability to go to work every day and put up with the stress it caused was slowly leaving her. All Monique could think about was Barry. All the time. Sometimes she thought about Terrence, but be was there and would always be as far as she was concerned. Barry wouldn't be and he was slipping away from even then. As she stared up at her bedroom ceiling she slowly lifted her phone over her face.

"I guess I just can't have nice things," she told herself as she opened the last conversation she had with Barry. His texts were also a little weird. "He's probably trying to end it gently by putting some distance between us. Then one day I'll text him and he won't reply. Ever." Her arm fell back to the bed and the phone bounced to the floor. I'm miserable but I don't want to kill my phone because of it. She picked it up and looked over their messages again.

Her stomach was protesting the lack of food that day so she decided it was time for walk to some eatery. It would be quite a walk but as distracted as she was driving didn't seem like a good idea. She put on her coat and a hat just to make herself feel secure. The crappier she felt the more layers she wore and the less she ate. Relationships were a very heavy thing for her. Luckily, she hadn't seen Terrence much the past few weeks either. He definitely would have noticed how lethargic she was.

Walking woke her up a little, but she still only managed half open eyes. It was just too hard. One minute she thought they would be best friends for ever. She thought he was going to be at her wedding! Not that Terrence had proposed or anything...yet. If she hadn't run him off yet then surely he was there to stay. But one stupid, selfish statement and she was without anyone to talk to all over again.

Monique was vaguely aware of her surroundings as she walked into the city. Since her eating habits were practically none existent, she was feeling the walk all over her body. But she could ignore it for the ache inside. A little sandwich shop caught her eye so she settled there for lunch. As she sat waiting at the table her phone rang and she immediately jumped to her feet, slapping all of her pockets because she suddenly forgot where it was. When she found it she immediately unlocked it. A message from Barry sat on her home screen.

Her chest tightened but she tried to calm herself with deep breaths. Barry. As she skimmed over the text she lowered herself back into her seat. It was an address, time and rather specific directions. Though it had been a while, Monique recognized it as the zoo's address. She read it over and over until the server brought her sandwich. The momentary relief of receiving the text eased her just enough to stomach food but she was out of there in five minutes.

The time is later tonight, but I can make sure of where I'm going first. She made her way to the zoo knowing full well that was what the address was to then went home. She had gotten a little too excited and now she was feeling dizzy.

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Monique knew something had been off about him. The text only confirmed her worries. She waited a good few yards away just so she wouldn't seem as confrontational. It was likely that whoever had the light, and she had a bad feeling about who did, already knew she'd be there. It could be safely assumed at this point that Barry was not the one in control.

She watched as pedestrians strolled by. Couples, friends, and some just out for a solo venture walked past her. It wasn't until later that she saw him. It wasn't any of the other alters she met either. He was wearing glasses.

So, some of them have bad eyes too? She watched as he crossed the street, hands in his pockets and a stern expression on his face. Taking a deep breath she casually- or as casually as she could manage to- started to walk towards him. I'm sure he knows I'm here. This is no surprise. Don't show him you're hesitant. Be easy. She tried to calm herself but it hadn't worked by the time she was close enough to force eye contact.

"Hey," she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Barry... You're not him...are you?"

He sighed heavily. "So, you came. I was hoping to break it off without every having to do this-"

"Are you Dennis?" Monique slowly walked toward him with her hands out. "Look, I don't want any trouble, okay? I-I just want to make sure the others are okay. That no one gets hurt."

He turned to her with a frown set in his features. "That's why you'll never understand. None of you will ever understand. You need to leave. Now." 

Monique quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed his arm. "No, I can't. I said I wouldn't leave them. Please, Dennis, don't shut me out. I was just getting in."

He shrugged her off. "You're just like them."

"I'm not! I believe you! I believe that all of you are who you say you are." Monique sighed heavily. "I don't think you're crazy, I just think you're hurt. You came from pain and now you're in pain. I just want to help you. I don't want to treat you like a lunatic, I just want to help you."

Dennis opened the gate and went inside without a word. He didn't even look at her as he closed it. Monique wanted to say something more but her voice was gone. He didn't care about those things. He had some kind of agenda with the others. There was something they were working towards. If only she were better at this communication thing. Maybe she could talk him into letting her in. 

Well, she knew where they were now but it didn't feel like as much of a victory as she thought it would. She was going to have to learn to do something she dreaded. No, not lying. Monique was going to have to learn how to tell people exactly what they wanted to hear