Experiments

Chapter Eight

"What do you mean?

"It won't... Go away, I can't... I can't see. I can't see anything. I'm blind. I'm finally blind, he finally did it-"

"Listen. You're going to be ok. Your vision's always come back before. You just need to calm down. I know! I'll tell you what I see, ok?" I pant heavily. "You trust me, don't you?" He says, putting his hand out for me to grab.

I take a couple deep breaths. "Yeah... Yeah... Yeah, I trust you..." I say, taking his hand.

~2-B POV~

"Do you know what I see?" I say, closing my eyes.

"I see..."

There's a lot more white, and then a big house, decorated with lots of colors.

"... A lot of white. There's a lot of white everywhere. That must be what the floor looks like outside. There's a big house... I can see it. It's all sorts of colors, just like our eyes."

I see a lot of people. Actual people. They look friendly.

"And there are... People. Lots of nice people who want to be friends. But the most important thing I see is..."

I see Brother, in a red and white shirt, with a green cloth around his neck, the color his eyes glow. He seems... Happy.

"You, Brother. You are with me, we are together and we are safe. And... You look happy." I slowly open my eyes. "That's what I see."

~1-T POV~

After he gives his description of what he sees, I start sobbing.

"You're going to be ok. I've got you." He says, pulling me in closer. "As long as we're together, we'll be ok."

———————————————————————

~2-B POV~

I sit on the floor, making a small structure with my magic whilst Brother is messing with the cube.

"... Do you think I'm dumb?" I ask.

He looks at me. "What makes you say that?"

"When he took me in today, I asked him why he was doing this."

He's strapping me to the table again, his blue magic holding my soul. When he finishes, he goes to write something down on a clipboard.

"And he said you were the smart one... And I wouldn't understand even if he told me. So I asked him why he kept hurting us, since I don't remember doing anything wrong, and he said something like, he could do all these things because he was strong, like people needed him to be. He'd committed a 'level of violence' that made him like this... Something like that, and he said you can't go back. But... I don't think that's true. There has to be a way to go back! There just has to be. There has to be a way to make him stop. I thought, if he was like this because of violence, then maybe the way to fix it was... Not that. So I told him, even if he'd done a lot of bad things, it wasn't too late and he could still change and be good instead. Everyone can be good. I could even help him be good, if he wanted me to..."

I begin to shake as the machine turns on and he brings it closer.

"... And he said I was even stupider than he thought." I say, my voice breaking. I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I lay my head on top of them, beginning to cry. "... Do you think I'm stupid?" I ask, bringing my head up.

"Nah, bro." He says, sitting up, pulling my head to his chest. "You're the brightest thing down here."

———————————————————————

"What's a 'level of violence'?" I ask as he shines the light in my eye.

"Hm?" He hums.

"You said, you'd committed a level of violence... What does that mean?"

"It means that once you commit and act of violence, it becomes easier to do so again." He says, putting the light down.

"So, if you hurt someone-" I begin to say.

"Mm, let's not be coy." He interrupts. "If you kill someone, it makes it easier to kill again."

I gasp. "You... You've killed someone?!"

"Yes."

"But... Why would you do something like that?"

"Does it really matter why? They are still dead because of me, and I am still alive." He then grabs his drink. "Any reasons or justifications for doing so would only be for my emotional benefit. They are still dead. The damage done by the act will not change." I notice he shakes a tiny bit as he picks up his drink.

"Damage?"

"To kill leaves an indelible mark on the soul." He says as he closes the box he put the light in. "Nothing you can do can take it away. It is a permanent change in perspective." He begins to walk away.

"That's awful..."

"There are benefits."

I'm shocked. "What?!?! How could there be-"

"I've been studying the effects of murder on the soul for some time. I know it must sound impossible to you, but to kill inspires... Strength, and a greater resolve to survive. It becomes harder for others to hurt you... And easier to hurt others. That can save you when nothing else will."

I frown. "Well, I'm never going to kill anyone. I don't care what happens, I'm never going to kill anyone!"

"It's easy for you to say that, down here with only me and your brother. You may find, someday, that that's a much harder thing to do than you think. "

"I'm never going to kill anyone." I repeat, determined.

He walks away. "... We'll see."

———————————————————————

1403 words