[...] It's clear to me,
he is a real monster,
and not because of his abilities [...]
********
For the first time, he was outside. Truly outside. It was dark, very dark, and the heavy rain made it even harder to see the outlines of trees, branches, and roots.
But he didn't stop running.
Even when branches scratched his face, arms, and legs, leaving burning trails on his skin. Even when he tripped over a root and fell face-first to the ground. He didn't stop running. He couldn't. This was his chance. His only chance.
It was freezing, the thin, soaked hospital gown offering zero warmth or protection against the storm. He thought he knew what to expect when running away on a night like this. But now, with water flooding his mouth, blurring his vision, and turning each step dangerous on the slippery moss, he began to doubt. Had using the storm to cover their tracks really been a good idea?
"W-we actually made it, Seven," the girl beside him said, gasping for air.
He could feel the emotions radiating from her. Fear, hope, dread, happiness, desperation, euphoria, doubt. A whirlwind that shifted every second, each feeling as intense as the last. Being so close to her in that state was problematic. Her emotions mixed with his, clouding his thoughts and blurring his focus.
"Focus, Eight," he said, equally breathless. They weren't safe yet, not even close. It was only a matter of time before the soldiers regrouped and the hunt resumed. Papa would want them back at any cost, especially now that he had shown what his powers were capable of — a string of men and women dead, not by his hand, but by their own. Suicide, driven by a wave of despair and sorrow so overwhelming it made them turn their weapons on themselves.
No one expected this from him. To everyone, he was the small, quiet, weak Seven. He knew it. He saw and felt it. They despised him. "Seven is the weakest." "He can't lift or crush big things." "He can't push the others out of the circle." "He can't find people." "Disposable." "Useless."
They believed his powers were limited to subtle emotional manipulations and weak telekinesis. That's what he wanted them to think. Being underestimated was his weapon. Because, unlike his siblings, he knew the truth. He knew about the cruel plans, the dark thoughts others had about them.
To everyone, he and his siblings were nothing more than experiments. Test subjects that needed to be studied. Some even thought of them as monsters.
And Papa… Papa was the worst. He delighted in how suffering fueled evolution. He savored how his influence shaped them, how his fake kindness and love made them strive for his approval. He loved tearing them apart and watching how the pieces fit back together.
Bad, Papa was a very bad person. So, while his siblings sought to please him, Seven sought freedom. He wanted to see the sun, feel the warmth of a family, eat delicious food, have friends, a warm room full of toys, and above all, he wanted to feel love, the most beautiful feeling he had ever seen anyone have.
That's why he endured everything. The hours of isolation, the physical punishments, the contempt, all the attempts to break him. All so that one day this dream could come true.
"Eight... we need to split up." His lungs burned as he spoke, and he stopped running, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.
"What?! No!" Her response came quickly, filled with indignation and fear. "Why would we split up? Together we have a better chance!"
Seven clenched his teeth, feeling the weight of her emotions. Having used so much power, his tolerance for other people's feelings was weakened. "No, we'll have a better chance apart," he said while subtly using his power to reduce her fear and boost her confidence. "They'll think we'll get lost in the forest or head to the city. That's why we need to go to the road and find a car to get far away from here." He pointed west. "You'll go in that direction, it leads straight to a road. It should be easy for you to hitch a ride with your powers."
Eight's eyes widened, surprise and doubt building inside her. "How do you know—"
"We don't have time! Just trust me like you did before, okay? I know exactly what we need to do to escape."
"I... I..."
Seven increased his influence. "Go, Eight. This is our chance to be free."
Eight looked at him, her face wet, her body trembling. For a moment, it seemed like she would say no, like she would grab his hand and refuse to let go. But then she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and nodded.
"I will." Her voice was almost a whisper as she turned west. "Seven... are you sure?"
"Go!"
With one last glance, she whispered, "Thank you," and ran, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
He stood there, staring at the spot where Eight had vanished for a few seconds. Her gratitude, and the pure emotions behind it... it was the first time he had ever felt something so beautiful directed at him.
'This feels good...' Closing his eyes, he took two more deep breaths and started running again. Not in the direction he had told Eight, but toward the city. The most obvious place, and for that very reason, the safest, if he played his cards right.
********
[...] It doesn't matter how hard you try to hold him.
It doesn't matter what prison you try to put him in.
Forcing his mind into submission is impossible [...]
********
After minutes that felt like hours, Seven spotted the first houses. They were small, old, with crooked roofs and peeling walls. They wouldn't do. He needed something specific: a house with money, no children, inhabited by people trapped in monotonous and disillusioned lives. He kept to the edge of the forest and moved deeper into the town.
The houses gradually grew larger and better maintained, with neatly trimmed gardens and bright lights. He expanded his power, sensing the emotions of the residents. Blood trickled from his nose from the strain, but he kept searching for the right one. The one where he would plant his roots.
Then he found it. The house backed conveniently onto the woods, with a pool full of water in the backyard and the inside brightly lit. Inside, a man and a woman sat silently watching TV, their emotions as flat as the program on the screen. It was perfect.
Seven crossed the yard, circling the pool, and stopped in front of the glass door. "Now, everything needs to be perfect..." He wiped the blood from his nose, leaving red streaks on his cheek to appear even more vulnerable, if that were even possible.
He raised his hand and knocked on the glass. The woman turned, her mouth opening in surprise and fear when she saw him, the man reacting the same way. They both stood up and rushed to the door, the woman hesitating for a moment before opening it. "O-oh my God, what happened to you? Y-you're all hurt."
Seven let his body fall forward, being caught in the woman's arms.
****
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.