For the first time, he was outside. Truly outside. It was very dark, and the heavy rain made it even harder to make out the outlines of trees, branches, and roots.
But he didn't stop running.
Even when branches scraped his face, arms, and legs, leaving burning trails across his skin. Even when he tripped over a root and fell face-first into the ground. He didn't stop running. He couldn't. This was his chance. The only chance.
It was freezing, the thin, soaked hospital gown offering no warmth and no protection against the storm. He had thought he knew what to expect when escaping on a night like that. But now, with water flooding his mouth, blurring his vision and making every step dangerous on the slick moss, he began to doubt. Had using the storm to cover their tracks really been a good idea?
"W-we actually made it, Seven," the girl beside him said, panting.
He could feel the emotions radiating from her. Fear, hope, dread, happiness, despair, euphoria, doubt. A whirlwind that changed every second, each feeling as intense as the last. Being so close to her in that state was problematic. Her emotions blended with his, clouding his thoughts and blurring his concentration.
"Focus, Eight," he said, equally out of breath. They were still not safe, not even close. It was only a matter of time before the soldiers regrouped and the hunt began. Papa would want them back at any cost, especially now that he had shown what his powers were truly capable of, leaving behind corridors filled with dead men and women—not by his hand, but by their own. Suicide, brought on by a wave of despair and sadness so overwhelming that it made them turn their weapons against themselves.
No one expected this from him. To everyone, he was the small, quiet, and weak Seven. He knew that. He saw and felt it. They despised him. "Seven is the weakest." "He can't lift or crush big things." "He can't push others out of the circle." "He can't find people." "Disposable." "Useless." "Incompetent."
They believed his powers were limited to subtle emotional manipulations and weak telekinesis. But that was exactly what he wanted them to think. Being underestimated was his weapon. Because, unlike his brothers, he knew the truth. He knew the cruel plans, the dark thoughts that everyone had about them.
To them, he and his brothers were nothing more than experiments. Test subjects that needed to be studied. Some even thought of them as monsters.
And Papa… Papa was the worst. He reveled in the way suffering fueled evolution. He savored how his influence shaped them, how his false kindness and love made them crave his approval. He loved tearing them apart and watching how the pieces fit back together.
Papa was evil, a very evil person. So while his siblings sought to please him, Seven sought freedom. He wanted to see the sun, feel the warmth of a family, eat delicious food, have friends, have a warm room, and above all, he wanted to feel love—the most beautiful feeling he had ever seen anyone feel.
It was because of this that he found the strength to endure everything. Hours of isolation, physical punishment, the contempt, all the attempts to break him. All so that, one day, those dreams could become reality.
"Eight… we need to split up." His lungs burned as he spoke. He had to stop running, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.
"What?! No!" Her response came fast, laden with indignation and fear. "Why would we split up? Together we have a better chance!"
Seven clenched his teeth, feeling the weight of her emotions. "No, separated we'll have a better chance," he said as he subtly used his power to reduce her fear and strengthen her confidence. "They'll assume we'll get lost in the forest or that we'll try to reach the city. That's why we need to go to the road and get a car that takes us as far away from here as possible." He pointed west. "You go in that direction. There's a road just ahead. With your powers, getting a ride shouldn't be difficult. I'll go in the opposite direction, which leads to another road."
Eight's eyes widened, surprise and doubt growing inside her. "How do you know—"
"We don't have time! Just trust me like you did back there, okay? I know exactly what we need to do for both of us to escape."
"I… I…"
Seven increased his influence over her emotions. "Go, Eight. This is our chance to be free."
Eight looked at him, her face soaked and her body trembling. For a moment, it seemed like she would say no, that she would grab his hand and refuse to let go. But then, Eight took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and nodded. "I'll go…" Her voice was almost a whisper as she turned west. "Seven… are you sure?"
"Go!"
With one last look, she said weakly, "Thank you," and started running again, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
He stood there, staring for a few seconds at the spot where Eight had vanished. The gratitude he felt emanating from her, and the pure emotions behind it… it was the first time he had ever felt something so beautiful directed at him.
'This is good…' Closing his eyes, he took two more deep breaths and started running. Not in the direction he had indicated to Eight, but toward the city. The most obvious place—and precisely because of that, the safest—if he played his cards right.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.