subject 13 // h.s. au

chapter one.

A/N: Hi! Please try to power through the first couple chapters, I promise it gets better!

Subject 13:

 A slow gust of wind brushed my hair in front of my eyes as I looked down at the can of peaches lazily rolling in the dirt on a path towards my foot. It bumped against my toe with a light clink. The rocks shifted under the weight of my boots and I leaned down to touch the cool metal. I let out a deep breath as I raised up to inspect the can. 

I hadn't seen one of these in eight years. 

The sound of the can rustling against my gloves was the only audible sound as small flakes of snow, or ash, I wasn't sure, began drifting down around me.

 I looked up as the small flakes began to gather on the rubble around me, in the sharp edges and cracks of levelled buildings indicating that at some point the bricks and concrete slabs were once a small town. 

Dr. Five had once drew a picture of a town for me, the small buildings and street lights, stick figures walking along a sidewalk. She smiled as she pointed out that this was where people lived.

 I sighed and threw the can off to the side, not looking as I heard the hollow echo of it hitting the edge of an old pipe.

I felt a pang in my stomach as I looked around. There was nothing. I cursed myself for having had a sliver of hope that there would be anything on the surface. Dr. One had warned me of this. He had warned me about the consequences of hope.

*eight years earlier*

12's fingers endlessly drummed against the steel table. He always got nervous before Dr. One came for a lesson, but this lesson was different, we were called for an emergency meeting and the tapping pattern on the desk and slight bounce of his knee gave it away. 

I rested my hand on his knee to calm him because that's what Dr. Five said brothers and sisters do to reassure each other. It worked as his finger tapping ceased and he looked up at me with wide eyes, the red light reflecting against them. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the concrete door lock spinning out of place as Dr. One entered. Dr. One's eyes glanced over at me with a piercing gaze and in his scratchy low voice commanded,

"No contact." 

His gaze narrowed, "13, you know the rules."

I quickly dropped my hands to my sides, looking down at the steel table.

"I'm sorry Dr. One," I murmured, my voice shaking, too scared to look into his eyes.

His booming voice echoed in the room,

"Look at me when you speak, 13!"

I snapped my eyes up to look into his cold gaze and muttered the same apology, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. He held my gaze longer and I wouldn't dare say another word as my brothers and sisters watched the encounter. They didn't dare say anything either. They knew the consequences. 

After a long silence, he finally broke his gaze and brushed past my brothers and sisters, slowly stalking to the front of the room where the chalkboard sat, covered in remnants of white dust. 

The sign above it reading "Judgement Day" in faded and cracked yellow paint. His back faced us. He was tall, with a lanky build, and even though he was at least seventy with long white hair and shaky hands, he was the worst of them all and we all knew it.