Monument 14 2.5 - What Mario Scietto Says Read Free

down.
    It’s so hot.
    They’re slowing down, anyway. Put some more water on you. We gotta keep wet.
    Are you okay? Mario?
    Give it to me. I’ll do it. You sit down.
    Mario, drink this. Can you breathe? Breathe through the towel. Good. Good. It’s okay. Just breathe slow.
    Lord, it’s hot.
    Mario, do you think we’re going to die?
    If they’re done bombing upstairs, then everything should cool down. I don’t know why it got so hot. It’s not supposed to. I have a radiation detection system. It’ll tell us if it’s safe to go up. Now let’s be quiet for a minute.
    Mario?
    Mario?
    Don’t go to sleep. Oh, God. Wake up, Mario.
    I’m not dying. I’m just tired.
    Please don’t go to sleep.
    Okay. I’ll try.
    Tell me about Annette.
    Annette?
    What was she like?
    Funny. Lord, she was funny. Had a way of looking at me. She’d cock her eyebrow and I’d know just what was on her mind. She was classy but she never held it against you. From an upper crust family. Manhattan Park Avenue crust Her mother had this ancient sprawling apartment and it was like a museum. Smelled like old varnish. How’d they like it when she and I met—I am not kidding you—on a dude ranch? Not very much. She married me as a rebellious act. Dropped out of Smith. But we got lucky. It was love and it lasted.
    Her hair was this copper color. Like. Oh . . . like chocolate if chocolate was red.
    Don’t go to sleep.
    I’m old. Old people get tired. This is a lot of excitement for me in one day.
    What happened to her?
    She was like you. O. And when the chemicals hit the air, she—Lord, it was awful, she turned purple and started shaking. She was in a wheelchair. Had arthritis that bad and she got up and started clawing over to me, dragging herself along the kitchen counter sideways. I was watching the news, hearing about the leak, and I turned to ask her what type blood she had and she was making her way to me, pure murder in her eyes.
    I tried to talk sense into her.
    Her heart must have gave out on her, because she fell over then.
    I’m sorry, Mario.
    She didn’t mean it. I promise you she didn’t.
    I know. Think of how strong those chemicals must be, if they could make an eighty-year-old lady who loved her husband a hell of a lot try to kill that same husband.
    They’re terrible.
    Say, Josie?
    Yes.
    We’re gonna have to leave sooner than later, you know that, right? I mean, the air filtering . . . without the filter, we really can’t stay. And you know, they may have eyes on the area—looking for survivors, that kind of thing.
    Okay.
    How about I make you a promise: I do everything in my power to help you find Niko and your family.
    And in return?
    In return you forgive yourself for what you done up there.
    Mario, it’s not that easy.
    That’s my deal. Take it or leave it. You didn’t want to kill them. You weren’t in control of your actions! I know you weren’t! You were like Annette. And she was insane. She was gone.
    But I could have stopped myself. I could have. Maybe not other people, but I could.
    I don’t believe it.
    I’m just saying it’s not that simple.
    You’re not going to punish yourself for doing something you had to do to keep your friends safe.
    We’re going to go and find them. And they’re going to be so happy to see you, Josie. Of course they will. I mean—can you imagine Niko’s face when I show up—with YOU? He’s gonna kiss me right on the mouth. He’ll probably break all my ribs hugging me. Loving me.
    Come on. Yea or nay. What do you say?
    Yea, Mario. I say yea.