Prologue
The Blacksite was in lockdown.
The concrete corridors, once silent, were echoing with panic inducing alarms. The flashing red emergency lights blurred together as I ran across the never-ending cold, metallic rooms. The path ahead twists into an impossible labyrinth, doors sliding open only to reveal more dead ends. A reflection of my near fate.
Run.
I’ll never outrun them at this rate, I can hear the clatter of their boots, growing louder each time I catch my breath. I can’t breathe, I can’t think, but I can’t stop.
Stay alive. That’s all that matters.
My legs are burning, but I push myself harder, faster. The discomfort I feel now won’t compare to the dull pain that remains beneath my skin and inside my bones. My lungs ache, I’m struggling to pull in all of this sterilised air. My ears picked up the distant hum of the turret system being activated, programmed to kill.
Inhuman, just as you are.
The echo of their footsteps mixed with the blare of alarms, making my heart pound out of control. I managed to reach the next door, slamming my hand against its advanced panel. My fingers are trembling as the lock blinks once, twice… Come on. Come on! I can’t afford this kind of setback. Sitting in the darkly lit room, I turned my head to make sure I’m alone. All I see is the last door I came from that led deeper into this hopeless facility.
Deeper into your personal hell.
The door slid open with a sharp hiss unexpectedly, causing me to tumble into the next room. I slam my back against the grey wall, sliding down until I’m crouched, my chest heaving for air. The pressure in my skull is unbearable, like something’s pressing down from all sides. Everyone in this blacksite is hunting me, they’re bending reality to trap me inside. Am I even awake right now? Is this just another test? I can’t trust anything anymore. Not since they–
No time for that now. Focus. Keep moving.
I won’t make it if I don’t do something soon. They’re everywhere, just behind me, around the next corner. These soulless, cruel subhumans. I try to remind myself I’m not like them, though I’m not sure it’s true anymore. I used to be human. Used to. Now, I’m something else.
You’re a ticking time bomb.
I can’t think. Can’t focus.
Footsteps. They’re close.
Let it out. Let it out or die.
The door I came through slams open, and they’re here. My heart is racing as I try to stand, but my legs won’t move. Why won’t I move? I can’t–
Then, something sharp slams into my shoulder. Pain. A hot, searing pain rips through my whole being. I need to scream, but the body I’m in is no longer my own. My head hits the floor hard, the cold metal pressing against my face.
The walls are melting. These damn lights are too bright, sending jolts of pain through my skull as they blind me. That voice within is still calling to me, but it slips away, along with my surroundings.
Distant and unreachable.
Chapter one
The first thing that comes to me once I claw my way back to consciousness is pain. It’s a dull throb in my shoulder, assuring me that my plan had failed. Not surprising, but it’s truly a miracle I managed to wake up. It’d be better if I hadn’t, I’d rather not suffer through the lectures I’ve heard over hundreds of times by now.
‘How many times do I have to get you out of these situations?’ he’d probably complain. How many times do I have to tell him I don’t need his pity? How many times will I have to…Hold on. This atmosphere feels too…calm.
Where am I? Why haven’t I thought about it until now?
It takes a few seconds for my vision to slowly come into focus. The alarms are silent now, but there’s a faint humming, a low, distant noise I can’t place. I attempt to push myself up onto my elbows, suddenly wincing at the sharp pain that explodes from my shoulder and radiates to the rest of my body. My head throbs, and my vision blurs momentarily before I settle down again. Looks like moving around isn’t a choice; not ideal, but I’ll figure it out. In the process, I realise the floor beneath me is stained with dried blood–mine. It’s fine though, the wound has already sealed, my body is healing faster than it should. I shouldn’t be alive, someone saved me.
Well, I wouldn’t say that. I’m still in this prison, but the realisation hits me like a shockwave. From what I can remember, someone did find me–whether it was an expendable, one of the guardsmen, or even a turret, I couldn’t tell. I can’t dwell on it. Not now. Not when they could be watching. I quickly scan the room, my gaze darting to every corner, looking for any movement or sound. None. The sigh of relief that escapes me is refreshing, it feels as though I’ve been holding my breath for centuries. Could it be that I was imagining everything before losing consciousness? It’s the only reasonable explanation. If it were anyone, I would be back on a table, strapped down, dissected like a specimen. But I’m still here, and still breathing. It’s a stroke of good luck for me.
But it won’t last.
Get up, Theo. You have to move.
I dig my fingers into the cracks between the metal panels on the floor, forcing my body upright. My whole being is screaming in protest, but does it look like I have any other choice? Besides, this pain is good. Good enough to keep me sharp, keep me alive. I stand successfully, swaying slightly on my feet, and take another look at my surroundings. The corridor stretches out ahead, just as long, dark and lifeless as before. Cold, concrete walls on either side, and the faint scent of chemicals lingering in the air. The place may feel deserted, but I know better than to trust appearances. This place is never empty. I glance down the way I came, there’s no chance I can go back the same direction. I need a new plan, a new route. Somewhere I can hide and recollect myself to figure out what the hell just happened.
I turn and start moving again, slower this time, more careful. The weight of exhaustion is pressing down everytime I move. My body is heavier than it should be, but I can’t stop now. I can’t afford it when I’m this close to–
A flicker of movement catches my eye.
You know how most people have a fight or flight response? Not me. I freeze in my spot, doing anything else would result in passing out again. There, just ahead. Something–someone–is watching despite my efforts to check. For a moment, I think I’m imagining it, just another trick to my mind. But then I see it again, clearer this time.
Human.
Or something close enough.
I duck back behind a pillar, pressing myself flat against the cold steel. My heart is racing out of my chest and into the next room at this point, every instinct is screaming at me to run. But I can’t. I can’t do anything. The figure moves closer, slow and deliberate, footsteps barely audible against the metal floor. It’s not expendable, they’re too quiet and careful. I peek out from behind the pillar, watching as the figure draws near. They’re dressed in the standard-issue black uniform, but there’s something…wrong about them. Their movements are too fluid, too graceful, but I still can’t see their face from this angle. The figure stops, standing just a few feet away from where I stand. We can sense each other's presence, but no appearances are noticeable enough.
They tilt their head closer to me, revealing just a glimpse of their face. Pale, gaunt, with hollow eyes. Seemingly dead.
I recognize them.
One of the test subjects. Sephtis.
Chapter two
“Seph,” I manage to whisper, my throat is dry and my words scrape along my throat. “What are you doing here?” No response, but that’s not strange coming from him. He just watches me, I can never decipher what he could be thinking. I haven’t realised I’ve pressed myself hard against the pillar, the cold steel pricking into my spine. My body is still heavy with exhaustion, but I can’t show that. Not to him. Not to anyone in this place. I can’t show weakness, it’s like begging for a death sentence. Finally, Sephtis moves. He lifts his arm and for a second I think he’s going to attack me, causing my body to flinch. But instead, he points down the hallway.
“You should leave.” He states, his voice monotone like he’s a robot. He just might be. “You’re not supposed to be here, come on.”
I let out an exasperated breath, this is unbelievable. Was he the one to attack me earlier? I have reason to believe he isn’t saying this out of concern. No. I won’t fall for his lies.
“Neither are you, we’re both trapped here. Or did you forget?” I say, trying to assert whatever strength I have left in me. Sephtis’ face doesn’t change, I hope he doesn’t realise how creeped out that makes me. I don’t know what they did to him– but whatever it was, it was enough to hollow him out, leaving only this fragment of a living being behind.
“You don’t understand,” He whispers to me, his voice barely audible. “I’m helping you.”
There’s no escape from this place, not for us, so why does he speak like there is? The quiet certainty in his tone sounds like he’s made peace with something I can’t see. I don’t understand him, I don’t think I ever want to. He can’t seriously expect me to give up like he has, it’s the last part of me that makes me human.
“Seph–”“They’ll find you,” he cuts me off, clearly upset this time. The first real emotion I’ve seen from him this entire time. “Sooner or later. You can’t run forever.”
…
His words are heavy, but he’s right. I can’t keep running. My body is falling apart, the pain is radiating out with every breath I take. I’m not healing fast enough, not this time. Whatever they injected me with is definitely doing its job, they’re planning to slow me down and catch up with me. If I don’t find a way out soon, I’ll be back to where I started.
“I can’t stay here.” I mutter, more to myself than to him. I can tell he’s studying me with those cold, calculating eyes again.
“You know what happens when they catch you in this state. You know what they’ll do,” he says, I can tell his voice has softened a little. “I can take you back, and I can tell them you didn’t run. You were confused, and they’ll patch you up.”His offer makes my skin crawl, I don’t want to imagine what they’ll do to me. “Even if they believe you, do you really think I’d let them touch me after everything that’s happened?”
“They’ll fix you,” Sephtis insists, taking another step forward. I move away quickly, eliciting a hiss of pain from myself. It seems to upset him even more. “Do you see yourself right now? Please, Theo.” He grabs at my hand, and I can’t jerk it away. He’s stronger than me, and he knows it. Sephtis’ face remains the same, but there’s a tension in the air now. It’s suffocating and bitter. He shakes his head slowly, almost as if he’s pitying me.
How many times do I have to tell him I don’t need his pity?
“Come back with me now. You’ll suffer less.” The way he says it, I know he means it as comforting, but it’s so detached. He describes it like a fact of life, they describe the experiments like its progress. I call it torture. I want to argue with him, I want to deny his offers, but I give up. Everyone in this place makes me feel small, terrified, but it’s a truth I can’t deny. Slowly, reluctantly, I nod. Seph’s hand tightens around mine, pulling me away from the wall. I see his mouth moving, probably telling me some reassuring nonsense, but my mind is too foggy. As he leads me down the hallway, back the way I came, I can’t shake the feeling of dread setting deep in my chest.
I’ve made my choice, But I don’t know if I’ll be able to live with it.
Chapter three
I can’t believe I’m doing this, but my body is screaming at me that I don’t have a choice anymore. I glance at Sephtis’ profile, his face as pale and expressionless as ever. He refuses to let go of my hand. He hasn’t spoken since I agreed to go with him either, and part of me wonders what he could be thinking. Does he feel good? Pity? Or is he just as hollow as he looks, just another machine that was built in this place? “How long?” I ask, my voice barely more than a rasp. I hate how weak I sound right now, but the words spill out before I can stop them. “How long until we get there?”
Sephtis doesn’t turn to face me, but his voice is cold and even when he finally responds. “Not long. You’ll be safe soon.”
Safe. A word that doesn’t belong here. I force myself to look ahead, focusing on the room in front of me, but everything feels blurry and out of focus. How long have we been walking? Minutes? Hours? Time is being stretched thin, and the dark edges of my vision are creeping inward, closing in on me like walls.
“You’re slowing down,” Sephtis says without looking back. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to keep pace. “I’m fine.” He doesn’t respond. I’m not sure he even believes me. Hell, I don’t believe myself. The corridor stretches out endlessly, an oppressive reminder of the labyrinth I tried so hard to escape from. Every turn feels familiar and wrong at the same time, the walls too close, the air too thin.
—
I don’t remember anything else, I must’ve lost consciousness. Cold, sterile scent of antiseptic fills my lungs as I wake. The pain that had once spread through every fibre of my body is dulled now, distant, like a bad dream. I open my eyes slowly, blinking against the harsh white light above me. I don’t know where I am, but it takes a few seconds for my vision to focus and for the memories to rush back, flooding my mind like ice water. Sephtis. His outstretched hand. The choice I made. I try to sit up, but my limbs barely respond. Huh…that’s not like it was before. I glance down, and there they are: the dreaded restraints. Just like before.
No. No no no not again.
I try to move, I struggle against the binds but my body doesn’t cooperate with my mind. It feels like I’m swimming through tar, every movement just makes me more sluggish and weak than before. My head spins, and I bite down a rising sob that nearly chokes me. I know where I am. We’re back.
“Good to see you’re awake.”The voice is sharp, clinical. I don’t recognize it at first, but then a figure moves into view. Dr. Thorn. I’m meant to be under his care, I doubt he’s fond of me right now. Although, he doesn’t look at me with curiosity or malice, just indifference. Like I’m a broken machine he needs to fix. He hums softly. “You’ve been asleep for quite some time,” Dr. Thorn tells me, adjusting something on the monitor beside me. “We had to sedate you for the journey back. It was necessary, given your…condition.” I don’t respond to that, not like I really can. My throat is dry, and when I try to speak the words come out as a hoarse croak. “Where’s…Sephtis?”
The man barely glances at me, his focus on what is probably my own file on the monitor. “He’s being evaluated in another sector. You’ll see him again when your assessment is complete.” That’s what they called it last time. Just an assessment before they tore me apart, broke me down, and rebuilt me into something else. I shift again, but the straps dig into my wrists and keep me pinned in place. Why am I brought back here? Did Sephtis do as he promised, or was it all just a ruse to get me to come back.
They’ll start again.
“This isn’t permanent,” Mr. Thorn replies, sensing my unease. “But for now, it’s the best course of action. This is for your own good.”For my own good. Yeah, right. I’ve heard those words before, so many times. They used to mean something. They used to feel like a promise, but now it’s just a reminder of what I’ve lost. I can’t bother with this right now. The throbbing pain in my muscles and every bone has subsided, being replaced with a deep numbness within me.
“Seph…” I whisper again, my voice trembling. But he’s not here. Not in this room, but one that is nearly similar. He’s suffering, probably more than I am, and he doesn’t realise that anymore. Just like I’ll be soon.
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