I continued to mumble cuss words as I tried to see through the dense mist that covered the Narrows like a blanket.

The gas seemed to cause some sort of hallucinating effect that made you witness horrifying visions, and while it was decently frightening, and while all I wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position, I was instead chasing after my little cousin who was scared out of her wits.

"Laura-May, I know you're spooked but I don't have time for this shit."

Seeing a flash of her bright red hair I picked up the pace, snatching her off the ground as she thrashed around, "Hey, lovely, I know I probably look like a monster to you, but it's cousin Irene, and I'm gonna need you to chill the fuck out so I can get you to safety."

Her movements mellowed out as I got onto my knees and held her close to my chest, whispering some reassuring words to her as she squeezed her eyes shut, "Okay babe I'm gonna need you to climb on my back and keep your eyes shut while I kick some serious ass, okay?"

She nodded as she latched onto my neck while wrapping her legs around my torso securely.

Once I was sure she was properly secured, I stood up while scoping the place out to make sure no one was getting ready to attack.

I determined the coast was clear before starting off in a random direction considering my internal compass was a bit askew.

If not for the current predicament we were in, the random people running around shrieking would be almost humorous, but because of our situation it was more of an inconvenience, hindering the process I was attempting to make.

The gas was so dense that it was nearly impossible to see ten feet in front of you, but luckily having a shaking six-year-old on your back gives you a bit more motivation, so therefore I trudged, grumbling through the smog, hoping that I was heading in a good direction.

As I rounded another corner and began to make my way down an alley I saw some distorted man holding a gun up to two teenage boys whose faces appeared to be absent of the layers of muscle and flesh that gave the human appearance.

And while the man in front of me may not have been able to differentiate between a hallucination and reality, I sure as hell could, so as quietly as I could I snuck up behind the man and raised my elbow before striking him in the head hard enough to knock him out.

"That's what you get dumbass," I looked up at the two boys and made a shooing motion with my hand, "Okay now scat, and try not to get killed."

I wasn't able to make out any emotions that their faces may have held, so I just assumed it was gratitude, before I continued out of the alley and down the street at a slight jog while checking that Laura-May was continuing to keep her eyes shut as she kept her choke hold on me.

My pace picked up when I heard a child's loud cry, forcing my jog into a sprint.

Just as we were about to reach the spot where I saw another young woman wrapped protectively around a young boy, a horse reared up in front of me, cutting me off and alerting me to the man sat perched on the horse's saddle, dressed in an assortment of burlap sacks.

My little cousin let out a small shriek and buried her face further into the hair that lay across the crook of my neck as I attempted to console her into calming down.

"What are you scared? Well, there's nothing to fear but fear itself."

I choked out a laugh at my misfortune and apparent bad luck, "So, Scarecrow, did you get separated from Dorothy on your quest for a brain?"

The man seemed to have the same realization as I'd had a second before, but before he could do anything, the woman that had previously been protecting the young blonde boy pulled out a taser, called out a 'Hey, Crane!', and hit the man with a small crackle of electricity.

My laugh was unavoidable as he let out a high-pitched scream and fell back as the horse ran off, him still being attached by the stirrups.

I watched in amusement as his figure disappeared into the mass of fog. After he was out of sight I turned to the woman with the taser, ignoring her lack of eyes, and offered a friendly smile.

"I assume you knew who 'scary spice' was."

She cracked a small smile before nodding and putting forward her hand, "Yes, that was Dr. Crane, the psychopath behind this whole mess, and I'm Rachel Daws."

My natural response was to nod in response as I soaked in the new information that had been given to me. Once I had properly processed what she had said I took her hand giving it a firm shake and offering a smile of my own.

"I'm Irene Serratos, apparent other half of said psychopath. You know, I wasn't really expecting to be mates with the bogey man."

I offered her an uneasy smile hoping to decrease the tension, but she just continued to stare, slightly slack-jawed at my admittance.

She seemed to not quite process what I had said, so I lifted up my top just far enough to reveal the scribbled words printed across the left side of my ribs, so messily written that it was nearly impossible to decipher.

Rachel leaned forward, squinting in an attempt to be able to read the words better. All I could do was watch as realization dawned on her face, though it was soon replaced by a look of pity.

"That kinda sucks."

I just shrugged, "You're telling me."