Raizon: The Following (Updates Friday's)

What Happened | 12

CH 12

THE PAST | PRESENT

The only thing that appeared to my eyes were memories of my past. Running and running and running; I panting and out of breath as I tried to get out of the forest. Despite my best efforts to not run into trees by keeping my hands held out in front of me, I still managed to smack into a few. I was scraped up a bit on my face, but the rest of my body was protected by the soldier's suit I was wearing.

This had to have been back when I was only 14, running from the lab. I was frantic, scared, and tired. But I kept running. I tripped over exposed roots and fell into spiny bushes, but I kept on as straight forward as I could for who knows how long. The cold numbed me to the bones but that's likely what kept me going despite the pain I was finding myself in. There was no telling how far I had gone, or what time of night it was as the hours were lost on me.

Running soon turned to stumbles forward, not daring to stop. I kept on for as long as my body would let me, the world around me silent. The only sounds that filled my ears were the crunch of twigs and leaves under my feet, the wind in my ears, and my heavy panting breath. I was determined to get away, even if they were far behind. I could not get far enough away from the place I was escaping.

Suddenly, and for just a brief moment, I felt as though I were floating. The feeling sent butterflies through my stomach before the realization kicked in that I was falling. I fell right into a hole in the ground and smacked down hard, knocking the wind out of me. I groaned, my breath spasming as I tried to draw painful air into my lungs. It hurt badly.

When the stars cleared from my eyes, and the pain subsided a bit, I looked up. The entrance to my hole seemed to be a good thirteen maybe fourteen feet out of my reach. It was too dark to see what roots and rocks were safe to grab on in order to pull myself out. I had always had good vision in the dark, but it wasn't that great.

I felt a bit of panic rise in me as I stared out of where I had come from. Was I going to die in this hole? Alone and just barely escaped from the laboratory? After all this work? I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair. I was born into a life with no meaning or purpose besides being someone's test subject and now I died a pitiful death, alone and cold.

I flinched back at the feeling of a warm hand brushing away my tears. My heart picked up as my panic rose, but when I whirled around the hole, I didn't see anyone around. I looked around the hole more, and noticed there was some sort of cave... It scared me and I didn't trust it not to collapse on top of me but something was drawing me to it.

Curious but fearful, I ducked down and started walking through it, finding that this cave grew warmer the farther back I walked into it. A sudden gust of warm wind hit me and made me freeze in my tracks. Suddenly a faint whisper could be heard, followed by another and another as the air began to buzz with faint whispers that I couldn't make out. But one of them caught my attention. Crying.

Something was... sad.

My curiosity only grew stronger as I walked through the cave that was slowly growing in size. I was no longer ducking, but standing upright as I walked, looking around the place. The place was faintly lit by dozens of faint red glowing lights. These faint lights showed that the walls were lined with thousands of black vein-like roots. It might have been the red lighting but it almost seemed like they had a slightly purple or pink look to them.

The setting was ominous but I continued into the cave, antsy about what I was going to find. I soon stumbled into some thick black sludge. At first, I thought it to be mud but the sludge moved around me unnaturally. I made a face and stepped back, but the sludge grabbed onto me and pulled me forwards. The inaudible whispering grew louder and harsher and the sound of crying was much closer now. It practically echoed around the walls.