Leave me

-Chapter 4-

The silence of their escape was deafening, punctuated only by the soft padding of their footsteps and Tomei's ragged breaths.

They made it out of the facility undetected and Tomei hurried them towards his modest home on the outskirts of West Creek.

He hid them in his spare room, a small, cluttered space he rarely used.

For a few days, an uneasy peace settled over them. Tomei brought them food and water, speaking to them in hushed tones, trying to reassure them. Yams remained quiet and withdrawn, but Raven seemed to sense Tomei's intentions, staying close to him, its glowing eyes filled with a fragile trust.

Their fragile sanctuary was shattered sooner than Tomei had feared.

The chief, upon his return, quickly discovered the absence of his "assets." His fury was swift and brutal. He reviewed the security footage, easily identifying Tomei's act of defiance.

A chilling message reached Tomei through a secure, untraceable channel – a distorted image of his wife, pale and frail, lying in her sickbed, a menacing figure standing over her.

The accompanying text was cold and direct: "Tomei. Your insubordination has consequences. Return Yams and the... creature... immediately. Your wife's well-being depends on it. Do not test my resolve."

A wave of icy terror washed over Tomei. He had foolishly believed he could outsmart the chief, blinded by his desperate desire to save Yams and Raven. Now, his actions had put his beloved wife in mortal danger.

He looked at Yams and Raven, huddled together in the corner of the room.

Their innocent, trusting gazes were a stark contrast to the terrible choice he now faced. He had tried to save them, but in doing so, he had jeopardized everything he held dear.

The chief's cruelty knew no bounds, and Tomei was now trapped in a nightmare of his own making.

The sight of his wife's image, the silent threat hanging in the digital air, was like a physical blow to Tomei's chest.

He felt the color drain from his face, a cold dread gripping his heart. He turned back to Yams and Raven, the weight of his impossible situation crushing him.

Yams, sensing the shift in Tomei's demeanor, his palpable fear, looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Tomei, no," he whispered, his mechanical voice filled with a desperate urgency. "Please don't take us back. They'll hurt us again. They'll hurt Raven."

He gently touched Raven's head with his small robotic hand, a gesture of protectiveness.

Raven, its glowing eyes fixed on Tomei's anguished face, let out a soft, whimpering cry, as if understanding the unspoken threat.

It moved closer to Yams, seeking comfort in his presence.

Tomei looked at their innocent faces, their fragile trust in him, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

He had brought them here, given them a taste of freedom, only to have it snatched away. The thought of returning them to the chief's cruel experiments was unbearable.

"I... I won't," Tomei choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "I promise you, I won't take you back." He couldn't bear the thought of betraying their trust, of condemning them to further torture.

He would find another way, he had to.
But the chief's reach was long and his methods ruthless.

Tomei knew he was out of time. With a heavy heart, a terrible resolve forming within him, he walked out of the spare room, leaving Yams and Raven huddled together in the dim light.