Sassy Empress Diary (2018)

Lab Rat: A Short Story

Slightly dystopian AU? It's a small tale I made to explain something...about eyes. Specifically someone's eyes.

Warning: the descriptions would be vague but your imaginations would have graphic images. Proceed with caution.

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I'm fine with having a simple eye color that is common with almost everyone on Earth. This eye color is more common with Asians and honestly, it's color just fascinates me somehow. That rich color of darkness is enough to pull you in like a black hole, hence its color.

I'm aware that black eyes are not totally black at all. It's just that the melanin is concentrated around the iris, making it look black which is in fact, dark brown. Still, it doesn't change my satisfaction about my eyes.

Not until...

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I hate my world. I hate this place. The people in here have no freedom to do what they want. We can't just go out on our own, alone. It's better to always have company or else, you'll never be seen again. That's what happened with my family, never seen again since they'd went out without me. Gee, was it a good thing to not come with them? My intuition was spot on when I declined; something was wrong that time. Then, my suspicions became true, they never came back, meaning they've been abducted somewhere.

There's no peace in this place. Violence is prevalent on every street, every alley, and every corner. Bodies are left everywhere, sometimes they're being taken to a mass grave which is left open. The rotting smell of decaying bodies force us to stay indoors to avoid breathing such foul air.

But I was a risk-taker. I didn't mind going out anytime. I didn't mind those who want to hurt me. For all we know, a minute later, they'll be the ones grasping the asphalt, breathing heavily.

Today was different...and changed pretty much everything about me.

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I was walking a block away from my home, off to get something. Even if there are conditions that would harm others, there's no stopping for us to go and buy groceries. Actually, scratch that, we steal groceries. We're just that desperate to get something to make our lives longer.

As I walked towards the second block, I felt something in my gut. There was an alley approaching on my right side, and that sinking feeling grew worse with each step I took. I felt myself shiver, it wasn't cold so why the sudden shivering? My hands felt cold as well, warmth hasn't been entering my system as I kept approaching that alley with small steps.

I tried to not look at that alley. I had passed it but my gut feeling was still there, still getting worse every minute. I heard shuffling of steps behind me and all I could do was walk faster. Those shuffling of steps matched with mine as I made random undecided turns for every corner I see.

I was now running, desperately trying to escape those who would want me to die. I kept saying that I can take on them but this time, it's different. The feeling is different, in a way that this is a matter of life and death. Someone wanted to kill me in cold blood, that I am sure.

I kept my hair in watch. I couldn't afford to let it fly over my face, to block my view of my surroundings. I was still turning to every corner I see, now taking alleys. Now, I wasn't familiar with the alleys I'm taking and so, I'm making blind turns. Luck wasn't upon me today as I had turned to a blocked area.

"Dammit." I curse under my breath, surveying the area for possible footholds. The wall in front of me wasn't made of bricks, which sucks because I wouldn't be able to climb over. The wall was cemented, perfectly smooth and impossible to climb.