Secrets are meant to be just that. Secret. Everyone had them. Whether insignificant or life-threatening, they were part of being a human. That was why when a girl dressed in a faded green hoodie asked him to tell her one, he instinctively flinched.
She couldn't know. She was just a young girl causing trouble. No one knew, and he was hoping to keep it that way.
But something in her sparkling brown eyes made him fiddle with the hem of his lab coat sleeves.
"I know you are hiding something" the girl teased, but something seemed off. "Just tell me"
Instead of a reply, he shook his head. He was taking this to the grave. He definitely not going to crack at a nosy teenager.
His eyes scanned the area for any escape options. The street was busy, but no one seemed to notice the two. Still, he didn't want to draw any unneeded attention to himself.
The weight of the backpack on his back seemed heavier, as if a weight had been added to the usual contents of a clipboard and some books.
"Come on mister, I swear I won't tell anyone!" The girl said energetically, despite seeming almost motionless, staring at him and waiting for his response.
He weighed his options. Tell this girl, hoping it would not affect his mission, relying on the flimsy word of a gossiping teenager, or find a way to back out of the situation.
He tried to push past the girl, but she grabbed his sleeve with almost superhuman reflexes.
"Just one?" She pleaded, the previous spark of her eyes gone.
Suddenly, he realised the streets were empty. The sun was covered by a thick layer of grey clouds. Not a car passed as he felt his heart jump in his chest.
Something stirred, deep within him.
"Alright, I'll tell you" he sighed, eyes anxiously scanning the desolate sidewalk.
The girl seemed almost disappointed, before her face became blank again.
He almost spilt. Right there. Until he realised what would happen if he told her. More specifically, what would happen to him.
There it was, something strange, yet not supernatural. An instinct.
He blinked, and the girl was gone. The familiar stickiness of blood wet his hands. Hers or his, he couldn't tell. Before he could process the situation, he fell back into the waiting darkness.
-=+=-
His eyes were blurry. Well, eye. Everything hurt. His skin itched, but the shackles prevented any scratching. He saw the blurry silhouette of two people behind a glass screen. One turned to the other and spoke in a hushed tone, before the other started speaking in a strong, almost robotic voice.
Test successful. Subject showed no resistance to the serum. Consciousness still intact. No secrets shared. Deployment imminent.
-=+=-
Just a little something for a writing thing, with slight hermit undertones. Can you guess who he is?
