Chapter Text
Dark shadows fall over a group of five. Their clothing is torn, revealing harsh scars and open wounds. Their breathing is pants, as if they've spent their life running. One will stumble from time to time, fall behind, only to run faster to catch up.
One stops, prompting the group to halt. He is lifted up into the air. His fringe flops over his eye, as he soundlessly screams. His cross-shaped pupils plea for aid. He's pulled back by invisible strings. The glass embedded in his arm sparkles, as he turns to where they ran from.
"We need to separate," one speaks, holding his grey sweater together. He shakes, from cold and fear of returning like the other. The silver staples in his shoulder shine in what little light there is.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Another asks, covering his burns. Black ropes drag behind him, holding him back.
"Do you guys have anything better? She can't get us all if we separate," he whispers, looking at the other two. "What do you both say?"
"I think we should. She'll have to spend more time tracking us apart than together," the third speaks, covering the wood in his arms. They turn to the last.
"I think we should," he agrees, covering the tattoos on his body with what little fabric he has. The rest nod, as they look around.
"Just keep running, and branch off as we go?" The first offers. They nod, and continue running. The panting returns, as they weave through the endless maze of walls and stairs. The maze branches into four stems. They pause again, and look around.
"This is goodbye then," the burned one states, moving to the middle left stem.
"I suppose it is," the one with wood agrees, moving to the far left.
"I hope none of you return here," the stapled one speaks, walking to the middle right.
"Same to you," the tattooed says, moving to the far left. They take off again, running down their respective paths.
The tattooed man slows. His own cross-eyes blink. He looks down at his tattoos and flinches. He walks among the walls. He pushes his dark blue hair from his eyes. A small animal runs out in front of him. He kneels, and locks eyes with it. Its nose twitches, before running off. He chases after it, and he arrives soon in front of a dense forest. He stills, and looks back at the stone walls.
He shuffles his right foot over the line between forest floor and stone. He looks down at it, and smiles weakly. He steps his other off the stone, and looks forward. He laughs. It's deep, and he kneels onto the ground. He grabs a handful of leaves and twigs, and throws them up around him. He looks back, and finds the stone brinks gone. He frowns, and rises to his bare feet. He continues on through the forest.
He wanders. His adrenaline is waning fast. His blinks, causing his eyes to grow heavy. The blood in his veins hardens to lead. Branches scrape his body, snagging what remains of his clothing. He leans against a tree, and slides down. The bark moves into his back, as he allows exhaustion to overtake him.
"Intruder on the northern border. Intruder on the northern border."
A man opens his eyes. He leans forward, and grabs at his neck. He yanks at the cord, and allows it to fall back. He covers the markings, and walks from his stand. Hair flops over his eyes, as he moves to a central computer.
"Intruder on the northern border."
"Yeah, I got that," he mutters, pushing a button on the panel. The screen flickers, as he moves to the closet. He pulls a black shirt on over his broad chest. He slips his legs into black pants, before walking to the computer again.
A man lays against a tree. His body shifting, as his eyes flicker behind closed lids. The other hums, as a machine beeps. He focuses his attention on it, and smiles weakly. He turns back to the computer, and nods slowly.
"I should be back before it gets cold," he decides, walking over to the door. He slips on his shoes. He walks out of his house. He crunches the sticks under his feet. He weaves through the trees, finding where the man is.
He kneels beside him. Deep snores reach his ears. He runs his fingers over the man's tattoos. Blood seeps out from scrapes. He smiles weakly, and picks him up. He starts the trek back, and the man shifts in his arms. He walks to his house, and steps inside. He exhales, and walks over to a metal table. He lays him down, and moves to the computer.
He types a command, and walks over to the coffee maker. A machine moves over the tattooed man, as the other pours a hot cup of coffee. Lines of words and code appear on the screen. A body shape appears, revealing the bone structure of the man on the table. He walks over, mug in hand. He sits at the desk.
"No bones are broken," he whispers, setting down the mug. He types out more lines of code, and sends it to the machine. He grabs his mug again, and sips it slowly. He hums, and smiles weakly.
Images of muscles appear. He leans forward, and hums. "Strains congruent with running." He types out another command, and sends it out.
A last image appears. He finishes the mug. "Scrapes and gashes. Should be easy enough to wrap up."
He walks over to the man. He sighs. "What happened that made you do this to yourself?"
The man opens his eyes. He groans, and looks up at the white ceiling. He frowns. He looks down, to find white bandages. They contrast against his tattoos. He sits up, groaning as he rises. He weaves his fingers into his hair. He looks down at the large wrapping around his stomach.
His hands rest on the metal table. He looks down at it, and shakes his head. He swings his legs over the table to stand. He walks out. His legs wobble, as he limps around.
"I see you're awake."
He whips around, and stares at a man in a chair. He steps back.
"I'm not going to hurt you, unless you hurt me. Promise you won't hurt me?"
He nods rapidly, and watches him.
"You don't say much."
He shakes his head.
"My name is Leo. You trespassed on my land. You interested me."
"Ravi."
Ravi starts coughing. His voice was rough, and he sinks to his knees. He coughs up small specks of blood, holding his stomach. Leo steps to him. He kneels beside him. He grabs his shoulders. He rubs them. Ravi looks up. His cross eyes meet Leo's blue ones. They glow for a moment, before they darken to brown.
"Are you alright?" He asks, blinking his eyes. Ravi nods slowly, before rolling over and collapsing on Leo's lap.