Error404

|Running|

I throw my hands in front of my face to shield it from the branches and leaves blowing in the wind of the harsh Floridian rain. My breathing becomes unsteady as the rain patters on the top of my head and the thunder above shakes the ground.

"George! Stop right now!" I hear the higher ups screaming behind me, partially drowned out by the sounds of the storm. My vision blurry and my head fuzzy as I try my best to navigate the forest in the pitch black, completely soaked, scared, and confused.

"This is your last chance before you cross the line, George!" I hear my dad's voice boom through the leaves and straight to my heart. I wipe the tears from my cheeks as I continue running as fast as I possibly can.

"Please, George," My father screams. I feel my heart shatter into a million broken pieces, but remind myself he's just trying to get me to stop so they can detain me and lock me up, to use me as their little lab rat.

I weave through the greenery, wincing everytime something reaches out and cuts my cheek, constantly wiping my eyes to rid them of the drops of blood running down my face.

I see the big red line come into view, painting the soft ground and trees surrounding the dome. I stand still, feeling as if my entire world is coming to a halt. All the memories of the past 25 years pouring down my face.

"You're going to grow up and be very powerful, you know that Georgie?" my mother tells me one night as we lay alone in my room, her stroking my dark brown locks. She always told me this, but we both knew the truth.

I hear my mother's cries coming from behind me, echoing closer and closer to my weak body. My mother had always been the one to support me. She knew I was an Error, yet she protected me all these years.

"Mom!" I scream with everything left in me, falling to the ground just outside the line, gripping the wet blades of grass between my thin fingers, holding on for dear life.

"George!" I hear my mother scream back, then a painful scream coming after. I wince, knowing they had probably just killed her. My hyperventilating continues as I grab onto a tree and pull myself up, groaning at the pain coursing through my body.

"Mom, I'm sorry!" I scream again, voice cracking as I almost fall to the ground again. I place my forehead against the tree, too tired and weak to stand up straight. I ignore the burning of the rough exterior of the tree scraping at the cuts on my face and listen for my mother.

"G- George!" I hear my mothers sweet voice, so close yet so far.

I can hear my heartbeat, I can feel it pounding against the inside of my chest as If it were trying to escape. I groan as I push myself off the tree, turning my body to look in the direction of the treeline. I see six figures standing, my parents in the middle, three higher ups surrounding them, and Tommy, my younger brother, off to the side.

"Mom..." I fall to my knees, no longer able to stand up, anger coursing through my veins as I see my mother's bloody face and the culprit of the injury in the front higher up's hand.

"Step back over the line to us and your mommy here lives," Schlatt smirks as he yanks my mother forward, placing the already bloody knife to her already bloody neck.

I look my mother in the eyes, trying to calm my breathing as she always taught me as a kid.

"Left to right... left... right... there you go! You got it!" my mother softly whispers as I stare into her dark brown eyes, calming my panic attack.

"Georgie," my mother whimpers. I blink, but don't break eye contact. "Left," she breathes. I look into her left eye and she smiles a bit. "Right," we say in unison, I glance over to her right eye and she smiles her beautiful, toothy smile as she mouths an 'I love you.'

"So, what's it gonna be?" Schlatt interrupts, pushing the knife uncomfortably into my mothers neck, but not hard enough to break skin. "No, stop, please!" I step forward a bit but fall to the ground, whimpering at the pain.

I look at Tommy, who is just staring in horror at his own mother and brother dying right before his eyes. I look at my dad, not a hint of sympathy in his bright blue eyes. I let my eyes travel to his right where one of the other higher up's are standing. The tall brunette with glasses, who I had always thought to be a friend, stares harshly at the ground, his hair weighed down and dripping from the rain.

"Wilbur?" I question, hoping someone would help. Wilbur looks up from the ground and wipes his face. He gives me a sad glance. "Don't make this harder than It has to be, George," He takes his fogged up glasses off and hangs them on the front of his yellow crewneck. "Just come back over the line," his accent, akin to mine, rings through my head.

Part of me is angry, angrier than I had ever been in my entire time on this earth. Why doesn't he understand? Wilbur is smart, very smart, so why doesn't he help?

The other part of me, however, knows he is protecting himself and me. It's a lose lose situation. If he steps over the line and heals me, he's got nowhere to go, just like me. He risks losing his job, home, wife and unfortunately, his life.

If he stays where he is, he loses me. His best friend.

I feel my anger rising by the minute. "Fuck you!" I scream, letting the tears fall. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!" I lean up against the tree again for support, looking over at the last higher up.

"Eret?" I desperately stare his way, seeing only his white eyes shining in the darkness. "I'm sorry, young comrad, but that would cost me my job," his deep voice shatters my heart for the millionth time today. He stops as I stare at him. "And my life." I nod my head, trying to keep the hurt at bay. "I'm not ready to give that up just yet."

I look back to my mother and Schlatt.

Schaltt is looking around mindlessly, waiting for my outburst and pleads for help to be over with, making quiet conversation with my father.

"I'm getting kinda bored standing here..." He looks to me then back to my mother, pushing the knife deeper into her sensitive throat, drawing blood this time. I scream as I see my mothers strained face as the blood drips down her body.

"Just step forward and this all stops," Schlatt glares at me. "I- I can't do that." My mother nods, through the pain, at my response.

Schlatt groans. "Fine, suit yourself," He brings the knife away from my mothers throat and she coughs, blood pouring out of her mouth. Her slim body begins slumping. My eyes widen as he brings the knife up in the air.

"No!" I scream as he brings the blade back down, right into my mothers chest.

Her body slumps forward and he throws her over the line. I fall to the ground and pull her head into my lap. Schlatt laughs evilly and I hear the rustling of the leaves. "Why would you-" I begin but they're already gone. Only me and my dying mother on the wet floor of the forest.

I move her hair out of her face and use my shirt to wipe some of the blood from her face. I take my shirt the rest of the way off and slip it over her head, trying to give her the extra warmth she needs.

"You did the right thing, Georgie, I love you" she whispers, grabbing my free hand.

I squeeze her hand but she doesn't squeeze back. I clench my jaw as I slowly bring my head down to her chest. Not a sound to be heard from her frail body. "I love you, mom."
I force myself up off the ground, covering my mothers body in leaves and debris from the storm.

I stumble through the forest, feeling the pain decrease as I get further away from the dome. I feel the all too familiar stinging throughout my body of my wounds healing.
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What do you think? Will you guys enjoy it if I continue with this one and put my other one on hold for a while?