~Memories from the Beginning~

♟Chapter 11♟

"Catch." Ray said as he tossed Norman a device.

Norman caught it, curiously examining it. Seeing his confusion, Ray said, "Use this thing to disable your trackers. Go hide in the forest and then you'll climb the wall."

"...and scout before they increase security." Norman slowly said.

"Don and Gilda are getting new ropes right now." Ray said. "So it's complete. Press it against your left ear and push the button. With this method, it won't notify Mama."

"Did you make that from the camera parts?" Emma asked.

"Not just the camera. I used parts from all the other rewards Y/n and I got beforehand. I just wanted the strobe light from the camera." Ray said.

"Yeah, he used my rewards, but he didn't ask to. He stole them." Y/n grumbled.

"You spent six years getting parts from different items so Mama wouldn't figure it out." Norman said, turning to Ray.

"Amazing." Emma praised.

"It's not amazing or anything. After I realized the secret of the house, I had to do it. That's all." Ray said.

"Ray. Y/n." Norman called, making them look at him.

"How did you find out about the house's secret?" Norman asked. "I asked you about it before too because normally, no one would find out."

The two boys glanced at each other before looking at the other two.

"From the beginning." Ray and Y/n said.

"I knew from the beginning. Do you know what infantile amnesia is?" Ray questioned.

"What's that?" Emma asked.

"Without being aware, people forget their memories from when they were a baby. That's infantile amnesia. In rare cases, it doesn't happen to some people." Ray responded.

Emma's eyes widened, realizing what Ray was implying.

"Ray, do you mean..." She mumbled.

"I have memories from when I was a fetus. There were inconsistencies between my own memories and my life at this House. That's how I found out. My first memory is being inside a dark, warm liquid. A lullaby could be heard from a distance." Ray said.

"How much do you remember?" Emma asked.

"It's in fragments, but highly detailed. I remember how the demons looked and that there were other babies. The tracking devices were implanted and we were divided into groups of five." Ray answered.

"Groups of five..."

"After that, I passed through a dark tunnel and arrived here." Ray finished.

"The tunnel being the gate?"

"Yeah." Ray answered.

"Wait, so past the gate isn't the outside, but..."

"Headquarters." Ray nodded. "The headquarters and adjacent five plants. That's what makes this house."

"So what Sister said was true after all." Emma slightly lowered her head.

"The gate won't serve as an escape route. Beyond that is not just a few guards out there. It's swarming with demons and adults." Ray said.

"Is that bad?" Emma asked.

"No. So that's why the security towards us is light. They'll only focus on the gate and won't increase security. Once your and Y/n's injuries are healed, we'll escape." Ray said.