Escaping: The Experiment

Chapter 5

After the first incident one year ago, I never stayed in the same place for more than a few days or a week on rare occasions, and I never went to the same place twice. When I did go to get supplies, I went somewhere once and never went back so they thought it was some jerk kid who stole something for the fun of it. My next power was extremely helpful when it appeared two months after I left that first city. I was able to manipulate technology with my mind. I was able to hack into computers, ATMs, camera systems without leaving a single trace. I saw squad members from a distance practically everywhere I went, though, how they knew where I was was a mystery to me. They had set up sensors that detected any non-vehicular movement over 35 miles per hour, so leaving some cities were harder than others. After awhile, I gave up on cities when I found an area with hundreds of cabins used for summer or winter vacations. The first time I entered one, there was a mirror right at the front door. My dirty blonde hair was a mess and my freckles were exentuated against my pale skin that was covered in dirt and mud. My clothes were plain blue jeans and an oversized black hoodie that were becoming stiff from the amount of dirt, sweat, and tears they contained. I went straight to the bathroom and washed my clothes in the bathtub and took a shower right after that. I used the cabins for necessity.

It was fall when I found this place, so kids were in school and adults were at their jobs and all the cabins were empty. Most were stocked with canned goods and warm blankets and even clothing as the weather got colder. Soon, the golden leaves of the surrounding trees were falling off and being replaced with small snowflakes on the branches. People started arriving for their winter holiday, and I holed up in the attic of a small cabin that looked abandoned. There was still canned food in the pantry, but the place was covered in mold and dust that looked years old. I stayed in the attic because it was the only place in the house with a curtained window, and I'm not one to dwell in the sun. I was walking around up there, trying to concentrate on everything I knew to pass time. I'm an experiment, I'm fourteen, I'm being hunted......... and the door downstairs was just opened. That last thought was me subconsciously telling myself that I had been found. It was such a sudden thought, that when it registered, I freaked out, and tripped. I heard the cock of a gun coming from the second floor and footsteps walking towards the attic. I had one chance to escape, and that was to kill them first.

When the attic door opened, I hid behind it so that they couldn't see me. They walked in with hesitation, not knowing what they would find. It wasn't a squad member. I took that information as a relief and used it to attack from behind. I creeped up and grabbed the gun from behind and took it. She turned around and I pointed the shotgun at the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had blonde hair that fell to her waist in an over-the-shoulder messy braid. Her face was pale with rosy cheeks and very few freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose and her cheeks with piercing green eyes that stared into mine with fear. Then I remembered that I was pointing a gun at her.

My super human senses came with a really good lie detector, so I knew I had to ask her some questions.

"Who are you, are you with the squad?" I kept my voice firm. I guess I already knew the answer to that last part, but she could also be playing dumb.

"The what?! Why are you asking me who I am? You're the one in my family's cabin!" She was practically yelling at me, but I could hear every quiver in her voice. But there wasn't a lie coming from her.

"You're not lying so I guess I don't need this anymore." I took the gun and bent the barrel so that she couldn't shoot at me and tossed it to her. Her eyes were wide as she caught it.

"What are you?" She was quiet, her voice just above a whisper. "Oh god. What's going on? Am I dreaming?"

She proceeded to pinch herself and when that wouldn't work, she went of the deep end and bit her arm so hard that it started bleeding. There wasn't a lot of blood, but I could tell it was excruciatingly painful because she then started falling towards the floor.