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Jonathan knew Wifies was suspicious.
The words ’Don’t Trust Wifies’ replayed over and over in his mind as Wifies held the sharp blade threateningly over Spidey. Spidey was bleeding, heavily injured beside the other as Jonathan’s grip tightened helplessly around his gun.
The gun he had out didn’t even have bullets. It was empty, he had already wasted two shots earlier. He was bluffing, going into this blindly, no proper gear, barely anything that could help in a hostage situation involving someone he cared about. If he tried anything, Wifies would stab the kantana into Spidey and Jonathan couldn’t risk that. He already received a warning.
Wifies flicked the blade, unhesitant, towards Spidey once more, causing her to shout and stumble away. Her arm had a nasty gash that ran from the back of her hand to her elbow. It wasn’t even just her arm that was hurt, she was bleeding at her head. Jonathan took a step forward and Wifies whipped his head back at him, glaring coldly as he pointed the katana threateningly.
“Stop, stop— I’ll drop the gun!” Jonathan waved.
He dropped the gun to his side but Wifies still didn’t relent. Wifies tilted his head, apathetic at the display in front of him.
Jonathan picked it up again and threw it over to Wifies.
“Here you go! Take it!” Jonathan yelled, throwing the gun, unwilling to see Spidey hurt even more.
Wifies’ gaze was calculating as he took a step over to grab the weapon quickly to his side. Spidey was still severely injured and was probably as stressed as she looked— messy hair shading over her face and her eyes to cover up, cuts everywhere. He had to play this carefully.
Before Wifies could touch it, he suddenly froze, pupils snapping to pinpricks.
Jonathan tensed, ready for another card up the other’s sleeve. Spidey seemed to think the same thing, tensing despite being the most injured out of all of them.
Wifies’ hands flew to his head, to his mouth—then to his stomach all in quick succession, and before the two knew it, Wifies promptly crashed to the floor.
Wifies face looked a little green as he tumbled, blade clattering to the floor. He clutched over painfully, expression finally changing to something that wasn’t emotionless or cruel throughout this entire thing. ”What the fuck—” He gagged as if nauseous. “What did you guys do?”
Wifies tilted his vision up at Jonathan’s widened stare, before turning his glare at the hostage beside him. She held her hands up in innocence, expression turning perplexed at what happened to him despite still being wounded.
Jonathan and Spidey awkwardly watched as Wifies trembled on the ground like a leaf. With each passing second, Jonathan sneakily took one step closer to Spidey and grabbed onto her protectively.
“Is he infected?” Jonathan asked, confused. Spidey shook her head in disbelief.
“No, I don’t think so.. I would’ve noticed. We would’ve notice.”
The guilt of 4C’s death still laid fresh in their minds despite it happening long ago. They had to push forward—for the best friend they could’ve had. For the best friend they couldn’t keep.
“Urgh..,” Wifies grunted, still hugging his stomach as Jonathan poked a stick at him from his inventory cautiously. He slightly turned at the stick poke. Spidey scrambled in their combined inventories for anything that could help her bandage up as Jonathan protectively stood in front of her, separating Spidey and Wifies.
Wifies was still groaning and quivering on the tiles. His hands shakingly strayed to his abdomen.
Jonathan and Spidey blankly watched as Wifies let out a string of curses, face pale before his eyes weakly squinted at the audience he momentarily forgot was still watching.
“What— do you want,” Wifies spat out bitterly, though the effect of it diminished at the gasp he let out, reminding them he was still in pain for an unknown reason. Although Wifies had lacerations, none of his veins pulsed strangely in the way that would’ve happened would he be infected.
Spidey was the first to ask her question. Jonathan let her as she stayed with Wifies longer than he did. He still wadn’t used to the abrupt personality change from Wifies, only seeing him twice— once at the beginning of this entire situation and the second, right now.
“Why do all of this? Why— why me?” Spidey asked, still standing slightly behind Jonathan. He felt his heart surge at Spidey trusting him again. It felt so long ago when they last stuck together, backs entrusted to each other.
Wifies no longer clutched himself tightly in discomfort, but his hand still stayed hovered over as he lay pitifully on the cool floor.
Wifies’ dull and haunted eyes stared straight at her but she didn’t break eye contact. Surprisingly, it was Wifies first as he turned to stare at the ceiling. Did whatever was bothering Wifies stop or was he still in numbed pain?
Wifies tiredly replied, “Why would I tell you?”
Spidey’s heart cracked at what could’ve been a friendship. Despite this all, she still felt bad.
She whispered, “I feel a bit bad leaving him here. Can’t we do something?”
Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows as Wifies’ eye ticked at their conversation.
“Spidey, he literally attacked you.” Curse Spidey and her ability to see the good in such an evil person.
Spidey and Jonathan abruptly jumped back as Wifies’ body twitched again, gripping on as if his life was on the line.
“We should go..,” Spidey hurriedly said, stiff as she held onto her bloodied arm and tugged Jonathan away. The two ran off to the direction of the elevator, desperate to get out of the suffocating room that Wifies held them in.
Wifies mashed his teeth together in frustration as his vision became blurry. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake.
His stomach was doing flips, stomach burbling and bursting with burning fireworks, and discomfort traveling everywhere throughout his body but not enough for him to pinpoint at a specific place. Waves of signals crashed into his brain as whatever was happening in his stomach pinched even harder into his gut. He bit his lips as the urge to cry and scream out to relieve the pain poured into his brain. The feeling was surreal and excruciatingly painful.
Wifies closed his eyes, shutting it all off.
When Wifies woke up, he was inside an experimentation room. His blurry line of sight could barely make out the person in front of him. They had white hair, familiar lab coat, and scrubs from the mannequins he passed by earlier.
‘I let them get away,’ Wifies thought, distant and sour.
He could hear the other person trying to shake him awake ever since they felt his eyes slightly move open.
When Wifies’ vision cleared, he could clearly see the person in front of them. They looked like a doctor? Or a scientist? He doesn’t recognize him as part of the M.O.O.N. organization. There was also a compress placed on him. Wifies slightly lifted his hand to his tender abdomen. The other must’ve seen his passed out body subconsciously clutching onto his aching midriff like his life depended on it.
“—found you passed out on the floor,” the other said.
Wifies coughed as he reached out and grabbed onto the other’s sleeve.
“Who.. are you.?” Wifies croaked out. He knew who he was, he just wanted to ask the question anyways. The other’s name was Saps, but everyone called him The Doctor. He observed and remembered everything clearly but he wanted to ask it for himself. It would be suspicious for a person he never talked with, to know his identity.
Something flashed in Saps’ eyes before introducing himself. Saps looked like he was under a lot of stress too, interesting enough. Weird to help a stranger but maybe Saps’ heart also wanted to help humanity. He's heard rumors of the cure, that this man wanted to help people. He's heard all sorts of things circulate around this man.
“I’m Saps,” the other introduced. “What happened for you to look like this and who are you?”
Wifies thought of Spidey and Jonathan. Thinking about it deeply reminded him of a friendship he used to have. Wifies looked away.
“Don’t worry about it,” Wifies finally responded, voice monotone. “I am Wifies.”
Wifies was still in the lower facility. The agonizing pain from before was also gone. He still didn’t know what happened— some type of insane cramp curled up in his body at that time and he instantly fell, colliding with the hard ground despite his pain tolerance.
He wanted to go on his own, but he had a feeling that this guy would watch over him, most likely out of concern and suspicion. It was annoying. Wifies had already heard that Saps has lost important people already. Was that why he was always alone all the time?
Saps helped him up to his feet while his legs wobbled. The other didn’t seem to mind but Wifies’ face scrunched up.
“I’ve never seen you before,” Saps crossed his arms as Wifies leaned on the wall. “What are you doing here?”
Wifies stared at Saps, unblinking. If he looked closer, he could see faint green particles around the other. Either Saps was infected or he just drank something— a green potion most likely.
“..Nothing,” Wifies eventually said.
Wifies couldn’t say anything. That would be considered betrayal. The reason had to stay buried in his heart, locked up so tight that it was painful just to admit it out loud or properly acknowledge it. The spyglass stayed hidden in Wifies’ inventory, untouched by time from arrival with Spidey to the present. He even remembered letting Spidey borrow it, thinking of her as them. How could he have thought of Spidey as them? How stupid. Was Wifies stupid?
Wifies heart grew cold, ice fraying the edges. He was disgusted.
‘I will never tell anyone,’ Wifies resolved in his mind.
Never.