Subject 23:59

Prologue

Run! Run! Run!

The words echoed in the little bird's head as she continued running alongside the turtle, the soft grass beneath her feet for the first time in her life. Escape was so close yet so far with only a mere gate that separated her from the lush jungle and her freedom. Yet at this moment, the bird knew that she would not escape without a price she had to pay. Behind them were two people pursuing them to no end.

"Get them! Before they escape!"

The bird began running faster as she felt a stinging pain in her wing once more. Blood was dripping down one of her wings, her black and orange feathers now stained a bright crimson red, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

"Faster! Faster!" the turtle yelled urgently, urging his friend who was giving up while running along on his three good legs, the last having a huge gash on it from the electric net they just barely escaped from a few minutes ago.

They were both exhausted and were slowing down. It was not much of a surprise actually. With a injured leg for the turtle and a badly wounded wing for the bird, the going can only get tough. The bird, barely a year old, felt adrenaline rushing though his veins. Freedom is worth the risk, the turtle had told her before they started their crazy escape plan, reminiscing the past, freedom is worth dying for. The bird's eyes gleamed, the promise of a whole world she had never explored was much more than she could have ever imagined. The whole world out there, free for her to roam in, not just in her mind but in her reality. That gave her the motivation for the final metre or so. She pushed on, determined.

Bang!

The bird felt dizzy with fear. That sound was familiar to him after a grim reminder of her wounded wing. An electric net fell on the ground, just barely missing the poor young bird.

Bang! Bang!

The bird panicked and nearly stumbled into another net to her left.

"Look!" the turtle piped up, "The door's right in front of us!"

They stared at each other for a moment of understanding silence as they ran towards the door. They nodded to each other, knowing that this moment will be the last part of their escape and the start of a new life together. They had promised that they would stay together too, no matter what.

Till their last breath.

They were only a few feet from the door now.

20 feet...

15 feet...

"Do you still have the keys?" the bird asked.

The turtle nodded.

3 feet...

They skidded to a halt, ignoring the shots going off behind them.

The turtle held up the door card, took a humongous jump and smacked the card on the control panel. A faint buzzing sound filled the air which sounded like bells from heaven to the two animals.

The door swung open and the two animals dashed out, the only way to their freedom. This is the final sprint. The bird thought. To complete what we started a few months ago.

The bird heard a yep and paused, widening her eyes. The turtle was now slumped behind him, now caught in a new net, struggling to break free as the scientists slowed down and headed towards them.

"Moss! No!!!!" the bird cried and lunged for the net which now had electricity rippling through it.

The turtle winced, electricity now running through the net at a voltage not enough to kill but more than enough to weaken and hurt the victim. The bird tore at the net frantically, his surroundings a blur as he focused only on his friend and his friend alone. Not on the fact that the electricity was also sending shocks of pain through his body, not on the fact that the scientists were almost a metre away, but the fact his friend was hurt. To the bird, that was all that mattered.

"No Franky..." the turtle gasped as another shock ripped through his body. "Go... Go!"

"They might kill you!" the bird protested, glancing helplessly at her friend, the one who taught her about hope, the one who was never going to experience what they had always wanted.

"Do it for me," the turtle said in his nice, gentle voice reassuring and comforting his friend. "Please..."

The bird hesitated, her heart heavy as he took small steps away from his friend. She took one last long look at the turtle, guilt eating into her. The longing for freedom was more than she could handle. She turned and ran, away from her only friend, away from captivity... and she never looked back.