Page 60 of Monstrous Truths


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We work tirelessly side by side, with new monsters coming to help us wade through all the research. Some refused to come, which I understand. I told Cato’s brother to only invite those who are okay being back in the lab. Some are still hesitant and confused, so I help by giving orders.

It seems to get them moving, and I smile at Cato as we fall into a routine.

Something from the notebook bugs me, though, so I take blood samples from those who are willing, including Cato and myself and even his brother, and start to work through the notes as we wait.

When I see the blood results and look back at the notebook, I know the truth.

I know what I was missing.

It shocks me, which I didn’t think was possible anymore. “Cato,” I murmur. He moves closer and peers at his blood and then at the notes I’m pointing out. “Do you know what this means?”

“My blood is changing,” he murmurs as I nod.

“Adapting,” I whisper. “But it’s more than that, so is mine. It’s as if being around you is…changing me too.” I look up and meet his gaze. “They didn’t just create monsters, they are trying to make us compatible to breed.”

* * *

Honestly, what is there to say after that? Cato double-checks my findings, and I start to work through the other notes. It’s always hard to come into an experiment near the end or when it has already been conducted, because you have to work backwards, but I’m trying my best to protect these innocent people.

I don’t know how many hours pass, but it’s not until I hear a noise and my head jerks up that I realise we are all absorbed in our work.

Standing on the stairs is Aria and her monster, Akuji.

Blinking to clear the to-do list in my mind, I hurry to her, wrapping my arms around her in a hug before blushing. She probably didn’t actually want the hug, but there’s something about Aria that just makes me feel safe, whole, and protected, plus she’s my friend. Pulling back, I note her smile and relax. I nod at the monster at her side, not wanting to be rude since he could kill us. “Hey.” I grin back at Aria. “You’ll never guess what we found.”

“What?” she asks me curiously, her eyes lighting up. I grab her hand and drag her after me, hearing a husky chuckle from her monster. I don’t stop until she’s near where I had been working. I shove her towards the microscope, to use it as an example. There’s so much to tell her, but I know Aria likes to see stuff for herself, so I wait patiently as she stares through it, sharing a smile with Cato.

She lifts her head and gives me a squinty-eyed look, a familiar one that means she has no idea what I’m talking about. “Erm, babe? English? I don’t do science. I do guns and knives.”

I feel a blush stain my cheeks, embarrassment filling me. Of course she didn’t understand it. God, sometimes I can be so dumb. “Right, right, sorry! I was analysing Cato’s blood, you know, for fun—”

“Of course, what else do you do for fun?” She grins, leaning back against the table as she watches me, urging me to continue. There are no signs of reproach or boredom. She genuinely wants to hear what I have to say, and it gives me confidence. Aria would never make fun of me, and she would never tell me to be quiet or to talk less. She respects my mind, and that only makes me care for her more.

I need to start with the good news, or at least the fun stuff. “Exactly. Anyway, their blood is naturally mutating. How cool is that?”

Her eyebrows rise. “Very,” she replies, so I launch into the explanation of how we found it out and what it could mean, especially for their healing properties and lifespan. She watches me, but I see her eyes flick to Cato for a moment before meeting mine again, so I suck in a breath and sag, cutting off my ramble as I remember that she probably doesn’t care. I know I’m stalling. I have other things I need to tell her—things we’ve found that shock even me.

“We found something else. I-I swear I didn’t know, Aria. You have to believe me.” I take her hands, imploring her to believe me. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. After all, I work for the people who did this. “I swear.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I believe you, whatever it is,” she promises, squeezing my hands to urge me on and offer comfort. “Tell me.”

I hesitate, glancing at Cato to make sure this is the right thing to do. He already knows, and he pulls me into his side, giving me his strength as well. I don’t know what Akuji sees in my gaze, but he clears the lab until it’s just us.

My eyes go to the floor, unable to look at them in case they blame me. “I’ve been putting together the research from this lab and the…and Cato’s stash. It was hard at first, I don’t understand most of it—Never mind, but…” I blow out a breath and lift my head. “The important thing is what I found. They created the monsters, Aria, by splicing genes and manipulating DNA. There were other failed experiments before…before them. They were just creating them in an attempt to make perfect soldiers, but…they were trying to bond it with human DNA.”

“What are you saying?” she asks with a frown, and Akuji draws closer. Cato squeezes me, urging me to continue, to trust them and him.

“I think, from the research I can see, that they were trying to make humans and monsters compatible to create a new race, a superior race, that they could control. They were trying to extend our lives and make us stronger, faster.” I raise my eyes then to meet her shocked ones. “I have a terrible feeling about why they sent me here. I think they want to continue what they started. They could not only make more monsters, Aria, but more races. They could end the world with this research.”

Aria gasps, her eyes going to Akuji, and I see the information rolling between them like a seamless, silent communication before she turns back to me, her face hard and shoulders back.

“We can’t ever let them get this research.”

She’s right—we can’t.

What started as a mission to a deserted city has now become a life-threatening fight to stop humanity from destroying itself and these innocent creatures in the same breath. Monsters never asked to be created, tortured, and used. All they want is to be left alone, and I’ll be damned if I won’t make that happen.

I might not have known what I was sent here for, but now that I do, I won’t stand idly by. Fuck my future, fuck my job, and fuck the humans.

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