Chapter 02 Emergency Meeting and Foggy Corridor 

*****

(Gael pov)

As I looked at the items inside the backpack, I couldn't help muttering my thoughts.

"Finally, our way out of this hellhole."

Inevitably, this phrase makes me uncomfortable.

Even if I'm not the Gabriel who was tortured and used as a lab rat, or possess all his memories, in a way, I'm still him.

I don't know if Healer realized it, but a relatively large part of his consciousness has given up on everything, wishing only for death.

That's one of the parts to which I was "born". The side of him that has given up on itself.

But with the Inventor it's a bit different, I'm not the part of him that has accepted the current situation.

No, I'm the part of him that refused to stay the same. The selfish side that wants to be just one.

These two sides, the one that wanted to disappear and the one that wanted to be just one, became the basis of my consciousness.

The first step was quite simple, and modestly enough, it was done masterfully.

All I had to do was remove their names, using the justification of "a new beginning" and "I'll be the mediator" and that was it, Gabriel no longer existed.

I confess that I was hasty in creating a real name instead of remaining nameless, but my ego was stronger.

The only problem is... I don't know if I want to destroy these two anymore.

Before I knew it, my goal went from "I'm going to manipulate these two by pretending and simulating emotions" to "We should get out of here and look for our family together".

...I think I've gone through puberty?

Man, I almost became a villain, or worse... an Edgelord.

Luckily I didn't

{"Gael!"}

While lost in my thoughts, I'm pulled back by the Inventor's extremely loud voice in my mind.

"Holy shit, man! Stop yelling!"

{"You little shit... we were talking about something serious, but you're standing there with your ass looking at your backpack."}

I was thinking, how long have you been standing here?

Damn, this is no time to get lost in thought.

("...Gael, are you okay? You didn't answer even when we called you several times. Did you at least listen to what we were talking about?")

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What were you talking about?"

Sighing, Inventor replies.

{"Get in here, we need a new meeting about our short-term plan, since Healer is paranoid again."}

Sighing, I just nod and go back inside the bar.

***

(Bar Cerberus, inside the unhealthy mind)

(3rd pov)

As soon as Gael entered the bar, he noticed the strange air around the two at a nearby table.

Frowning slightly, Gael walked straight past the two, speaking as he walked to get a drink from the back of the counter.

"So? What's with the strange air? Ah! Would anyone like a beer?"

Healer, who until now had an anxious expression, sighs and replies.

"Yeah, I need a drink." 

"Okay, and you, sweetie~?" Still behind the counter, Gael asks in an irritated voice.

"Gael, if you call me that in that disgusting voice, I swear to God I'm going to shove that pool cue up your ass. And yes, I'll take the drink."

"Eccentric~ Relax, bro, I was just messing with you."

Gael approaches with three bottles of beer, placing two on the table before starting to drink the rest.

Besides, nothing goes in my ass, it just comes out."

Sighing as he notices Gael trying to distract the two of them from his strange attitude outside, Healer gets the conversation back on track.

"Right, let's get down to business. I suggest we divide up the tasks for our escape plan."

Noticing the two of them staring at him waiting for him to elaborate, Healer continues.

"First of all, I think I should take over the body to find relevant information, since I have more knowledge and experience to understand and filter the relevant information. Does anyone agree with my suggestion, raise your hand?" Saying this, Healer raises his own hand in favor of the suggestion he himself made.

With expressions of 'I don't want to read a bunch of documents', both Gael and Inventor raise their hands.

"Right, unanimously, it's decided. Gael, write it down." 

With a blank stare, Gael makes notes in the notebook on the table, something he's used to, after all, he's the Mediator of the decisions.

"Next, I think Gael knows how to deal with people more efficiently than I do, and Inventor is too impulsive for this task. All in favor?"

"One moment, Healer." Slowly rising from his chair, Inventor continues. "What do you mean impulsive? Gael is an irresponsible man with sociopathic tendencies who can't be trusted at all." He pauses for a moment and turns to Gael. "No offense Gael."

"No problem, man. I love you too." Gael just shrugs his shoulders.

Continuing, Inventor turns to Healer, who has a tired look on his face.

"How is he, this little shit, more qualified than me? He's an inconsequential venomous snake. I'm sorry, but I'm against it."

Finishing his speech, he sat back in his chair, emptying his bottle straight away.

"First of all, I agree with you. Gael is quite suspicious."

Ignoring the 'Thank you!' and 'Rude!' said almost instantly by the other two, he continues.

"But you must admit that he's quite convincing, something we need when dealing with people with unknown intentions... I think. I'm all for it, aren't you Gael?"

Healer, turning to Gael, who for some reason, is playing with a Rubik's cube, totally ignoring the discussion.

Hearing his name, Gael doesn't even raise his gaze, but replies with a lack of interest.

"I'll ignore the unnecessary bullying I'm suffering and just vote for it."

Waving to himself, Healer announces. "It's decided then. Gael, write it down."

Stopping his hands that were trying to assemble another side of the cube, Gael replies with a simple, "Okay, Captain."

Ignoring the antics of the 'mediator' personality, Healer looks a little worried as he scratches his chin, a mania he usually does in times of stress.

"Now for the tricky part... physical conflicts. I think it's necessary for everyone to have some idea of at least one weapon or how to defend themselves. Does anyone have any experience of this?" He then mutters. "Gael doesn't count."

With a blank stare, Gael replies incredulously: "I'm starting to notice a hostility around here..."

A little embarrassed that his whisper had been overheard, Healer asks just as incredulously: "Do you know how to use a weapon? Martial arts?"

"...No."

Seeing an opportunity to kick a dead dog, Inventor interrupted with an annoyed smile.

"Then please don't interrupt. The adults are talking, child-"

With no chance to finish his provocation, Inventor is surprised with a Rubik's cube against his nose.

Something that quickly turns into a silly fight inside the bar.

***

After the disconcerting moment of immaturity, Healer resumes the meeting.

"Inventor, do you have any experience?"

Stopping for a moment to think, Inventor replies shortly afterwards.

"Well, my combat experience is very scarce, but I know how to pick locks and use a crossbow. Also, during my dark adolescent phase, I learned how to use a spear from YouTube... Is that any good?"

"... That's enough for now. All right, you'll be responsible for physical conflicts, most situations and infiltration. All in favor?"

Answers like "Yes." and "Whatever." were the responses to the topic.

Before the Healer could speak, Gael interrupted: "Don't worry, I've taken notes."

No longer having the patience for something so formal, Inventor finally decided to say what had been bothering him all along.

"All right, isn't anyone going to address the giant elephant in the room? Like how convenient it is that something called <Doom Spirals>, precisely the most suspicious item, is the one we don't know anything about?"

"I think you're focusing on something useless. What difference does it make now? Let's just follow the initial thought of the luck factor and move on," said Gael, with an unusually serious look on his face.

"Actually, I agree with Gael. Thinking about something beyond our comprehension seems like the right way to bring about a tragic end."

Unexpectedly, Healer had the same opinion on the matter, something that frustrated the Inventor even more, but in the end, he accepted this approach.

"All right... Let's bury this discussion. So? What's our plan?"

After that, the three of them spent some time discussing possible objectives, but in the end, 3 things stood out.

Use the Implosion to get out of the cell;

 

Find a map of the facility to facilitate the escape;

Looting the place in search of useful things, such as information and weapons.

Finally, after the indecision, something quite damaging in this situation, was resolved.

It was time to escape.

-----

("...") => Healer speaking 

{"..."} => Inventor speaking 

*

Outside, the body of the former Gabriel, who had been standing with his arms crossed, finally opens his eyes and, without hesitation, reaches into his black backpack with green details and pulls out a vial.

"I'm not going to lie, I couldn't wait to throw this thing..."

Gael, in control of his body, mutters to himself as he looks at the vial with a brightly colored liquid that constantly changes in a bizarre pattern of blue, green and purple.

{"I don't judge, after all I was a bit of a pyromaniac before I was arrested. It's almost like an itch in the back of your mind, right?"}

"Exactly! I knew you'd understand me!"

("... God, why did you lock me up here with two sociopaths? My sister won't be safe around those two... wait a minute, you've already been arrested!")

Ignoring the voices in his head, Gael moves as far away from the door as he can for safety's sake and throws with all his might, something not very significant due to the hunger that everyone tried to ignore, while his eyes sparkle with expectation.

("-I'm not trying- Gael!?")

At the same time as the Healer's shocked voice at Gael's sneaky action and the Inventor's laughter echoed in his head, the vial crashed into the door.

And then... a blinding light came out.

"Fuck!" x3

And because they hadn't expected this development, it blinded all three of them.

A second later, they finally saw the result, a hole in the door in the shape of an almost perfect circle that bizarrely seemed to purposely avoid forming the circle correctly.

"Reminder for the future: get safety goggles."

("Agreed.")

{"+1"}

With no time to lose, Gael exits through the hole, finding an empty corridor, but with a light mist running across the floor.

"Freedom."

***

(Gael pov)

The first thing I can spot is a totally empty corridor with a bit of smoke... or is it a fog? Well, that's not important now.

Apparently our cell is at the end of the corridor, so as I leave, in addition to the white corridor, I see that there are other cells in this place.

4 in total.

Two on the right and two on the left.

Without thinking too much, I slowly approach the nearest cell on the right, with a large number 3 painted on the door.

("Don't be hasty, Gael. We're in a hostile place. Approach with caution, okay?")

{"He's right here. You're making too much noise walking around like a lame horse. Come back, I'll take over"}

'What?

Before I can protest, Healer replies.

("Hmm... All right, fair enough.")

'Damn!'

And just like that, I'm back in the bar, watching a huge monitor on the wall with the view I had outside, with Healer watching everything with a bucket of popcorn between us.

'Fuck, I didn't expect a vote to be taken out of the blue.

Due to our established rules, control of the body is due by vote instantly, as there may be a situation where the 3 may disagree or in an emergency.

"I don't think that was necessary. I was being careful."

Healer, without taking his eyes off the monitor, replies.

"He has experience in situations like this. Being rational here, it's the most efficient."

Sighing at the answer I can't find any arguments to respond to, I give up and go downstairs to watch while I eat the sweet popcorn... ugh, disgusting.

***

(Inventor pov)

<"..."> => Gael speaking 

("...") => Healer speaking 

--

Opening my eyes, the first feeling I get is not the satisfaction of throwing Gael back, but a painful hunger.

Fortunately, for much of my life as a "street animal", hunger was a constant companion, so after a moment, I managed to ignore my body's protest... our body? 

Well, it's my body now.

Carefully, I fix the black backpack with blood red details and slowly approach the wall and try to look through the opening in the door, where Valter's underlings delivered the food.

The sight I see is something I don't think I'll ever forget.

A humanoid being with no skin, only living flesh on its sample body.

Emphasis on "alive", as its flesh writhes while its blood moves like waves across the surface of its body.

In place of fingers and toes, huge claws of bone and razor-like flesh protrude menacingly.

The creature's face is full of deformities, with empty eye sockets and a disproportionately large mouth, with protruding fangs and irregularities all over the mouth.

I feel a chill run down my spine at the mere sight of this disgusting abomination.

Fortunately, I manage to snap out of my trance because of the voices in my head.

<"What the fuck is that!?">

("What a disgusting thing... It looks like a bizarre zombie from the way it moves.")

<"So a blood zombie? Man, I hate horror movies...">

...Blood zombie? Yes, you seem to be quite precise about that disgusting thing.

("Gael, have you ever watched a horror movie? How?")

I'd never thought of that. He knows a lot of things for someone who's technically only been around a short time.

<"Yes and no. He has confused memories of various things, and one of them is movies. It's hard to explain.">

This discussion finally manages to calm me down so that I can slowly move away from the cell, somewhat fearfully.

Finally far enough away, I mutter to myself.

"That was fucking scary. Anyone want to trade with me?"

("I'll pass.") Without any hesitation, Healer refuses.

Gael on the other hand...

<"Hahaha, fuck off, you asshole!"> 

Tsk, what a stingy guy.

Sighing, I express my fears.

"Hey... What are the chances that all the cells have creatures like this Blood Zombie? Or worse, loose inside this facility?"

("...")

<"...">

"...Fuck."

—-----------------------------------------------—-----------------------------------------------—--------------------------------------------

((((((Author's Notes))))))

Well, this was a strange chapter, since I had to redo some parts (even though I wasn't happy with the result...).

This delayed things more than expected, as I had to keep a bandage on my eye for a few days, and the Ferrara Ring from my keratoconus surgery tore the tissue in my right eye again.

In addition, my work takes up a good part of my day.

Anyway, the first paranormal creature made its appearance.

The classic, <Blood Zombie>.

I'll be adding an auxiliary chapter to add information about the creatures as they appear.

That's it, have a nice... midweek? 

Arrivederci~