A few hours after he'd closed his eyes, the screams began again. The others had finally woken up.
Lina, lying on a table beside his, didn't move. Her face pale like wax betrayed the extreme fragility of her condition. Her breathing, shallow and uneven, seemed on the verge of vanishing with every second.
Jem, strapped in a corner, fought back tears while the Professor watched in silence, unmoved by the distress filling the room.
For the Mute, there was no longer any room for fear or compassion in this place.
And yet… there was Lina.
She was the one who, even in this world drenched in darkness, had kept his heart alive. The one who offered him warmth when none remained. A strict, protective big sister who cared more than she let on. A flicker of light in a rotting pit.
But now, that light was fading. Slowly. Quietly. Her body failing like a machine pushed too far. She was suffocating within herself, eyes shut, crying blood. And him he could do nothing. Nothing but watch the only person who ever mattered… slip away. Wordlessly.
A chill ran through him, one that pierced straight to the bone. It wasn't fear.
It was something else.A void.A gaping hole slowly opening inside him.
Lina opened her eyes one last time. With great effort.Her gaze found his.
And for a brief moment, there was still life in her eyes. A glimmer of affection.
She seemed like she wanted to say something, but no sound came. All she could give him was a final smile gentle, like an embrace. As if to say goodbye.
A final breath escaped her lips…
And then silence.
Lina was gone.
…
…
…
No one dared make a sound. As if the silence itself was sacred. As if breaking it would rob her of peace.
Then, the Professor chuckled.
— Oops... Sorry. I never was good with heavy silences. But hey—she wasn't strong enough either. Couldn't master the pain… so the pain mastered her. Anyway, MOVING ON!
Jem began to scream, tears streaming down his face.
The other children started crying too, sobbing openly, remembering the strong, righteous soul Lina had been.
— Shut it! he barked. Shut your fucking mouths!— Or you'll follow her.The Professor growled.
The Mute didn't react. He stood motionless. Eyes hollow.Like a corpse.
He wasn't there anymore.
The last spark of humanity had died with Lina.
— You've lost what anchored you. That warmth, that light… all gone.
— Now there's nothing left between you and madness. Let it in. Tear them apart. Kill them all…
A voice. Barely audible.
It slithered through his mind, curling into every corner, tearing down the final barriers between him and the abyss.
He stumbled backward, body trembling.One final flicker of reason resisted.
Then suddenly, as darkness devoured the last of the lighthis rage exploded.
He screamed without sound, blood splattering from his throat.A scream of raw, feral fury.
A black rage, aimed at the world that had stolen everything.
He rose. Unsteady, but upright.
His eyes locked onto the Professor. And thenan inhuman grin twisted across his face.
A look no one had ever seen on him.
— I wanted a survivor...the Professor murmured, a sick grin spreading.
— But I've created a monster.
He burst into laughter. A wild, manic laugh that echoed through the room.
But inside the Mute, something ancient and unrelenting had awakened.
A dark fire, ready to burn everything to ash.