Hellbound - 001/Henry Creel/Peter Ballard

006

*Hi! This is a slightly smaller chapter, I am terribly sorry for that, but it's quite a sweet and heartfelt chapter that I am sure you will like. Love ya <3*

"When do we leave?" I say determined.

"Always so impatient." Henry smirks.

We both sit down at the desk that is often used by Papa for my training. Memories flush back, days of me crying over this table feeling hopeless but now everything has changed, and I still have trouble believing that my abilities are finally showing themselves. The torture of the past is now a long-forgotten memory and I feel eager to step into the full potential of my power. 

"I am not impatient, I don't want to die. There is a huge difference Henry, plus I am sick and tired of this place. Aren't you?" I let out in a huff of frustration. 

Now knowing that Henry was the first-ever subject of this laboratory I want to ask him about his life before he was admitted here. How old was he? How was he taken away? But most importantly I want to know what they did to him. What horrors he had to go through as the first child with powers.

For all I know I have been complaining to him about my silly little issues for years while he had to endure worse torture than me and no one must have been by his side. He was all alone and probably afraid in a foreign place with no one there to comfort him.

These thoughts alone almost produce tears in my eyes but I push them back. Not the time or place for that.

We have an escape to plan.

"First of all we have to train, it's going to be nothing like Papa's sessions I can promise you that, we can't leave without you not knowing how to fight," He looks at me sincerely. "And I have some stuff of my own to take care of."

"Let's train right now, I am not that tired and I have to be able to fight off guards as soon as possible." I am beyond eager and I hope that Henry notices my willingness to get this all over with as soon as possible.

He looks lost deep in thought, contemplating my proposition or regretting that he ever told me all of this. I strongly hope it's not the latter.

"Can you try to flicker the lights as you did before?"

"Yes." I say confidently.

I look up at the white light bulbs and concentrate on them. Sooner rather than later, the lights flicker violently making the room darken and light up the room in a way that hurts my eyes.

"Oh god, you're going to make us go through a seizure." He laughs, looking impressed by my demonstration. "You're quite good though, I can tell that you're terrifyingly powerful."

I don't know if that was a compliment or him admitting his fear of me but my heart still swarms at the sound of those words. I am quite good, I am quite good for him and that's all that matters.

"Thank you." I feel a blush coating my cheeks and I try to hide it away from him.

"Now, how about you push this chair away. It's going to be a bit harder for you but I think that you can do it." He rises from the chair that he was previously sitting on.

I glare at the metal chair once again but this time the heavy item seems to be more tricky. Shoving it away is requiring a lot of my energy and a headache starts to build up. I squint my eyes at it not wanting to accept defeat and finally the chair moves by a few inches with a loud squeaking noise.

"Good job Eve." His praise spreads my body with warmth and my stomach churns in a way it never has before.

What the hell is happening to me?

Henry strides towards me, pulling a white handkerchief from his trousers, holding my chin in his hands, tilting it up to him for better access, and wiping off what has to be blood dripping down my nose. 

"Why does this always happen?" I ask him, thinking that he must have the answers now knowing about his true identity. 

"You are overworking yourself and it means you need a little break right now, it's not healthy to keep going after this happens." He neatly folds the handkerchief and places it on the table.

"But we don't have the time for that, we have to keep training." I whine. 

"It's fine Eve, you have made loads of progress in one day. I don't expect you to send me flying with your powers today."

I stare at him just like I did the chair and I soon become aware that he is right, I cannot push him around today and it will take some days for me to achieve that, if not more.

We are on a tight schedule but this is the best we can do. Or not. A wild idea pops into my head, too wild but still something we should contemplate.

"What if we took the device in you off." I ask him.

"We can't do that without Brenner noticing it. We will do that a few hours before the escape and even that is too risky." He shuts my idea down before it can evolve into something greater and I get as disheartened as possible from it.

"What can you do with your powers?" I ask him again out of curiosity.

This time he smiles proudly at me. "I can move things around, just like the rest of you but my power is way more lethal since I have had more years to control it, it's not something I'm quite proud of but I have killed with my powers before."

My breath hitches and saliva gets caught in my throat.

He can kill, he has killed before and will most likely do it again in front of me if he has to.

He must have been still young when he was taken in by Papa, did he kill someone when he was that young or when he was in the laboratory forced by whoever was experimenting on him? I don't ask him that, I don't want to strike a nerve but I also do not want to know.

Sometimes the truth is more hurtful than ignorance.

"Don't worry my Eve, I don't kill very often, it was just one time and it was very unfortunate. I don't love doing it." He towers over me as I still sit on the chair and his hand wraps a wisp of my hair behind my ear.

My stomach churns again at the slight physical contact and I am confused by my bodily reactions. Am I ill?

"I am glad to hear that, I already have Papa and the rest of the laboratory that wants to kill me I don't want another person on that list." I scoff playfully and Henry laughs at that.

I get up from my chair, his hand still on my cheek, and tug him towards the bed, where my few belongings are hidden.

I lift the mattress off the bed frame and reach for my drawings and the only book I have in my possession and lay them all on my bed.

"Can I bring them with me when we leave?" I say cautiously. I know that we probably shouldn't have baggage on us when we leave because we don't want it to slow us down but these items are all I have, they are my treasures and I would loathe myself if I left them behind.

"I don't know, I won't have anything on me other than my weapons but I'll try and think of the way to carry them. I doubt I'll be able to find a bag but I will try I promise." His blue eyes look sorry for me as he gazes upon my drawings of the few memories I have from my life outside of here and the one book that Papa gave me after I insisted that I wanted to learn how to read again.

They carry bad memories, loads of stains from dried tears, and wrinkles from being hidden under the mattress for so long but I love them regardless. They are proof that I am not just a lab rat here, I am a human with interests and identity. They are a part of me.

"Thank you Henry, thank you so much." I show my gratitude by hugging him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I stand on my tiptoes due to our height difference.

He inhales sharply once I do so, not expecting this show of affection but he hugs me back regardless and we remain in each other's embrace, no words being exchanged but still communicating through our bodies.

I inhale his smell, and for the first time, I feel myself relaxing, my mind slowing down, and an eerie calmness flow through me. I feel safe in his arms, I feel content. 

I love him. The thought is fleeting but I still shock myself at that thought, I am in love with Henry, and it's going to be my doom.