The Day the Body Disbanded IV: Cancer

Author Notes: Not related to any previous or future chapter in this series.1

Every building was made up of a collection of things the residents called cells. Truthfully, even the residents were composed of such, but it was interesting that the building did not think like its tenants. However, it did do thinking, mostly:2

"Why am I keeping these people safe while Brain gets all the credit?"3

Some say it was long overdue for rebellion...4

"I hate math so much...," Brain said, looking at the work before him on his desk. He scratched his head lightly, using every cell he had to try and find a solution. That was when he heard a knock on his door.5

"Come in...," he said aloud, then whispered, "And save me from this killer..."6

Immunity stepped in looking as strong as ever. Brain turned to his friend and smiled.7

"Ah, what brings you up here?"8

Immunity's face, however, was less than positive.9

"Come with me...there's something odd about the building you should see," he requested. Brain almost leaped from his chair in excitement, happy to be away from his work. Instead, he feigned a mature, calm manner in getting up, following the resident through and out the building. Immunity stopped just outside one of the several exits to the building and pointed to a spot high above the door.10

"You see that?" Immunity asked. Brain looked upward and saw an almost putrid dark spot on the normally light, healthy surface of the building. His face gained a puzzled look.11

"What the heck is that?"12

"Not a clue, Brain."13

The building owner thought over this for a moment and turned to Immunity.14

"Alright," he spoke, "I'll research it."15

Brain took a week in his spare time to look over sources and tried to understand what the building's dark spot was. During that time, Immunity, and a few other of the residents, noticed more of the strange growth on the building. Brain heard of this and called a meeting.16

"Alright...I've been studying this growth some of you have noticed," Brain said to the tenants. They were all gathered in a circle around a table.17

"It's practically my neighbor!" Heart exclaimed, recalling the sight he saw.18

"What did you find?" Immunity asked curiously, ignoring Heart's outburst.19

"Well...it's a tumor. Malignant, to be precise," Brain replied. He saw the worry in the other tenants eyes. It was clear they knew what a tumor meant.20

"So...we're being attacked by Cancer?" the Lung Twins asked. Brain nodded.21

"Afraid so. And if we don't stop it, it could spread to all of us. And eventually...this building will expire," warned Brain.22

"So...what do we do?" Pancreas asked. Brain shook his head and shrugged, worried. He had no idea.23

"We could get medical treatment...but that could do nothing at all," he sighed, sitting. Heart stood up in disbelief.24

"You're Brain! You're supposed to have all the answers!" he yelled.25

"Well, I don't! Cancer is pretty radical to buildings like this...," Brain replied. Heart growled and sat down, angry and worried all at once.26

"What could have caused it?" Stomach spoke up.27

"UV rays, I guess. It must have damaged the cells of the building. If not, I don't know," Brain replied. The residents fell silent among each other for a long five minutes, each trying to assess and solve the problem.28

"...dismissed," Brain ordered dejectedly.29

The Cancer spread, and the residents of the building were affected in ways none of them (or anyone else) thought possible.30

One night, when dinner was being served...31

Knock knock32

"Yo, Liver! Dinner's been served for forty minutes! It's probably cold by now...," Stomach complained at Liver's door.33

No response.34

"Liver...?"35

Stomach was worried about his fellow resident as he struggled to open the door to no avail. He eventually stepped away from the door, ran at it, and knocked it down, displaying strength that would have made Heart jealous. Stomach turned pale when he saw what was inside Liver's room. The walls were covered in putrid black veins across the walls, floor, and ceiling, and Liver sat in the middle of the room, much darker colored than the last time they met. He turned to Stomach.36

"C-cancerous...Oh, God...," he said, collapsing on his side. Stomach ran over to check his fallen friend.37

"Liver...," he said in disbelief. Stomach held him perfectly in his arms, worried and sickened by the blood beginning to flow well up in Liver's mouth.38

"I had no idea it would get so bad," Brain explained, not looking into Stomach angered eyes.39

"Even the medical treatment would have been better than this!!!"40

Heart and Pancreas held Stomach back, who was viciously trying to break free to assault Brain. He was almost insane with rage at the loss of his friend, that much Brain could tell.41

"Stomach...I'm sorry..," he apologized. The cook didn't reply...he just cried, barely struggling anymore. Pancreas patted his back while Heart began to "lecture" Brain.42

"What is your deal? You, and only you, can decide where we go! You knew this could spread...," Heart told angrily. Brain did or said nothing but closed his eyes. In his silence, and ignoring Heart, he left Liver's room.43

Brain quietly shut the door to his office, the guilt washing over him like a wave on a beach.44

"Liver...why? Why this cancer?" he asked aloud, sitting in his chair.45

Because I want revenge.46

Brain sat bolt upright and looked around, fear in his eyes.47

"What was that?"48

I'm the building, you credit hog.49

"T-the building? You can speak?" Brain asked. He heard sounds similar to "Uh-huh".50

"Why haven't you ever spoken before? I could have..." he was cut off there.51

You should know that we all want credit for out work. Yet you and Immunity take all the credit for what is some of my job: protecting the building. So, to exact revenge, I sent my own cells into a mitosis frenzy. Then I had them spread.52

"But why Liver? He did nothing to you!" Brain exclaimed.53

No, but his death made a nice method of getting you alone after my cancer spread!54

Brain eyes widened as he turned around. Black veins and tendrils had spread into his room while he was talking to the building, ready to place tumors everywhere.55

"No...dammit...," he whispered in fear. Brain fell to his knees as the tendrils edged close to him and all exits became sealed off. Brain tumors formed all about the room.56

Moral: Don't let cancer spread.57