Marionette Strings: A We Happy Few Story

The Joy Ride

Fire is such a beautiful thing. As the orange flames engulf our vehicle, I feel the beauty. Also, the heat. The Jubilator can only do so much to keep the heat out. I stare out the glass dome that's acting as a buffer between the flames and our group. I return to my seat next to Sally, watching Roger as James lays in his lap. Sally, however, is hyper fixated on her bag as she mumbles the same string of words over and over again. I can't tell what she's saying, nor do I try to. The ride is almost eerie. I look across at Ollie as he stabs himself with another syringe.

The flames die down a bit as we enter a smaller part of the facility. Doctor Faraday pulls the Jubilator to a slow creep before stopping entirely. She opens the hood, allowing us to get out. Sally climbs out first, extending her arms for her bag. I grab it for her, handing it to her gently, proceeding to jump out of the Jubilator. I stick the landing, tightening the jacket at my waist. Ollie hops down, joining us. Doctor Faraday walks past us, staring at the corridor in front of us. She rolls up her sleeves, beginning to walk down the hall. Sally and I follow soon after, Ollie trailing us, and behind him, James and Roger.

"How long do you suspect until the fire reaches the Moteline tanks?" I inquire.

Sally looks around, trying to do the math. I respect how long math takes, I could never do it. Sally inhales to tell me her estimate when Faraday interrupts her:

"Thirty-eight minutes and twenty-nine point three seconds."

Sally looks up at her, shocked. I share the same gaze. Down to the decimal. Eerie.

"There's no way you could get it down to the millisecond," Sally scoffs.

"Would you like to make a bet, Miss Boyle?" Doctor Faraday looks over her shoulder slightly.

Doctor Faraday turns back to the front, focusing on her strides. Sally sneers at the back of her head out of discontentment. I chuckle, amused by her. As we make slow progress down the hall, I get giddy. We could be getting closer to Jerry. Or... to some random person I don't know. That makes me feel off. Queasy, even. Sally adjusts the bag in her embrace, I decide to genuinely ask, I've no idea why she has this.

"What's in it?" I ask, pointing to it.

Sally looks down at her patched up bag.

"Gwen," she says softly.

"Gwen?"

"The," she pauses, lowering her voice, "I-n-f-a-n-t."

I nod, knowing what she means. Doctor Faraday lets out a high-pitched "hmmph" and Sally sneers again.

"I can spell, you know," Faraday says in a condescending fashion.

"Inaft? What's an inaft?" Ollie calls from behind.

Sally lets out a laugh and I join her. Ollie, however, is not amused. He runs up to join our sides.

"What's an inaft?" He repeats.

Sally shakes her head, "I'll tell you when you're older."

Ollie stops walking a moment, "But I'm older than you!"

"Exactly."

We continue our route, leaving Ollie in thought. Haworth Labs was always a large place, but this is even beyond my comprehension. Now, the air is still thick from the fire and I can hear a fire in the distance. Not behind us, but in front of us.

"BURN, YOU FUCKER, BURN," a familiar voice screeches.

We all share a look before chasing after the voice. We run, the metal beneath our feet hot coals trying to burn our toes off. Doctor Faraday takes a sharp turn down the hall where the wall labels it the testing center. We all trail after her, Ollie turning a little too sharply which causes him to run into a few trash cans. Roger and James assist him while I continue to run. The heat hits my face like a frying pan. I ignore it, but the farther we go, the more the heat grows. There's a distinct stench of something... burning hair... maybe chicken, but something rancid as well. Faraday walks into a room at the end of the hall where a blindingly bright orange tinge glows. She lets out a loud gasp and I run in after her.