Monster

Chapter 2: We are alone

It was a full moon tonight. That was what Cole noticed as she leaned against her car while looking up at the night sky. She had stopped at McDonald's that was a block away from the Life Foundation offices and waited for Dora by the parking lot which was the place they had agreed to meet.

Cole looked away from the stars and her eyes were immediately on the approaching Nissan that parked right next to her Porsche. Dora got out, looking as nervous as ever, as she approached Cole and greeted her with a nod.

"Evening Dora." Cole greeted.

"Oh uh...good evening Ms. Winters." Dora greeted with a nervous smile.

"Cole's fine, formalities are really not my style." Cole said.

"Oh okay, Cole." Dora said with a nod but then she furrowed her eyebrows when noticing Cole's glossy eyes and disheveled hair "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Cole snapped to which Dora flinched at and Cole sighed as she spoke in a calmer tone "I'm fine."

Dora nodded slowly as she looked around "Uhm...shouldn't there be a cameraman with you as to record this information?"

Cole took out a tape recorder from her pocket and placed it on the hood of her car as Dora looked on in surprise and Cole smiled sheepishly "Budget cuts."

"T-this was a mistake, I-I should go..." Dora said as she walked towards her car and opened the door to the driver's side but it was suddenly slammed shut and Dora fearfully leaned against it with Cole putting both her arms on either sides of her, trapping Dora between them and causing her and Cole to be face to face.

"Alright listen Dora, I didn't contact you to waste my goddamn time. You came to me because you know whatever's happening with the company you work for is wrong and I might be the only person who doesn't give a rat's ass about bending the rules to expose the truth. So please work with me and I promise that no one will know that you were involved in all of this and Carlton Drake will be exposed for the manipulative snake that he is, okay?" Cole asked as she stared into Dora's eyes.

Dora considered her words and after a few moments, she reluctantly nodded as Cole nodded as well and backed away.

"Now, make sure the budget cuts can hear you clearly." Cole joked as she pointed the tape recorder at Dora and turned it on "And don't worry, I'll edit it to make your voice unrecognizable."

Dora sighed as she opened the backseat of her car and took out a few files, placing them on the roof of the car.

"Overpopulation and climate change. Those are two things that we as humans cannot control." Dora started.

"Yeah, okay." Cole nodded along.

"We are literally a generation away from non-inhabitable earth and Drake is using his personal rockets to scout real estate up in the stars-" Dora continued but Cole interrupted her.

"Dora this is a very interesting story and all but we don't have all night and I'd really appreciate it if you just hurried this little pitch along." Cole said with a cheeky smile.

"Drake sent a ship on a recon mission and on the way back they found a comet." Dora explained.

"A comet?" Cole asked and Dora nodded.

"On board computers detected the presence of life, millions of organisms...and we brought back some specimens." Dora explained as she pointed at the files.

Cole chuckled as she shook her head "Wait are you seriously talking about aliens?"

"Yes, but we refer to them as symbiotes." Dora said unamused.