Doki Doki: My Life With Monika

Chapter 9: Sayonara, Nathan... 's Legs

Well, this is the part of the story that reaches the climax, so bare through this with me. It was Monday. I woke on the couch, under the blankets. I guess Monika must've done that. I heard a noise in the kitchen, and saw Monika making breakfast.

"Good morning, Abe-y," she said cheerfully. "I made breakfast."

"So I see," I observed. "Thank you, Monika." she smiled sweetly.

"You're gonna need your energy for college today," she told me. "I've heard it's gotten very difficult." I smiled. Ever since Monika had come into my life, I finally felt happy. No, happy isn't the right word. Content. I was content. So I ate breakfast with Monika, then left for college.

During chemistry, my professor, Mr. Nielsen, came over to me. His face was grim.

"Abe, I need to talk to you." he sounded calm, which means he's either very angry or worried. I looked at him curiously.

"Am I in trouble or something, Prof. Nielsen?" I asked. He shook his head, so I knew that he was worried.

"The police are here to see you," he said. "Something's happened at your house." Immediately, I snapped to my feet.

"Monika! Is she okay?!" My voice was loud enough to get the entire class looking at me. Prof. Nielsen grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Calm down, son," he said. "Your roommate's fine. It's your friend Nathan that's in danger." I got super confused right then.

"Nathan? What's he got to do with this?" Prof. Nielsen gritted his teeth.

"I suggest you hurry to the police," he advised.

...........

The police had raced me down to hospital as fast as their squad car could carry us. They led me through a maze of hallways, until they finally stopped and led me into a room where Nathan lay on a bed. He looked pretty bashed up, and had a nasty black eye. My home group was gathered around him, and Monika was in there, too, crying. Nathan looked up, and smiled painfully when he saw me.

"Hey, Abe," he wheezed. "How's it going?"

"Uh, okay?" I stammered. "Nathan, what's going on? Why are you in here?" Nathan sighed.

"I was at your house," he confessed. "I was checking up on Monika, making sure no one had broken in." I looked at him.

"Okay," I said, "And she put you in the hospital?" Nathan shook his head no.

"No, it wasn't her. It was," he paused for a moment, like he was trying to figure out a way to break the news to me. "It was you." My mouth dropped when I heard that.

"ME?!" I roared. "That's impossible! I've been at college all day!" Monika spoke up.

"He looked like you," she said. Her voice was shaky. "When it first stepped in the door, I thought it was you, too. But you were wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, which I've never known you to do."

"He tried to attack Monika," Nathan groaned. "I tried to defend her. Then he got me pretty good." Then he coughed and fell silent. I looked at Monika.

"What did 'I' do to him?" I asked her. She wiped a tear away.

"Nathan and whoever it was struggled for a few minutes, then it knocked Nathan on his face and it... it..." she burst into tears. Mav, who was the most in control of his emotions out of any of us, spoke up.

"He stabbed him, Abe," he sighed. "He pulled a knife and stabbed him. The doctor says it's pretty bad." Nathan sat up again. I noticed his legs weren't moving along with the rest of his body. One look at his face told me all.

"You can't walk, can you?" I asked him. Nathan smiled weakly.

"I'm going to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life," he sighed. "But I did get some more evidence for you. I stashed it in your mailbox for safe keeping." I nodded. Greta looked at Nathan in confusion.

"Information about what?"

"Never you mind. Abe, I have a request." I leaned in to listen to Nathan. "Make him pay," he whispered. Then he passed out from exhaustion. Monika started crying all the harder. So did my home group. But I couldn't cry. I was too angry. I knew fully well who Nathan wanted me to take down. And he better hope that he was just an ink synth. Because I was coming for Craig. And hell was coming with me.