Henry Creel - Short Stories

Pt 2 // Run, girl, run

You feel chased by your own doubts.
Who is to trust? Who is playing the predator and who the prey?
Because what if you've been fooled and Henry tricked you? What if you won't find a way out of that sinister place?
Because few hours in that place and you see that those strangers know perfectly how to control and deal with people with abilities like yours. While you've been like an amateur. You never trained properly, you never fully understood how your powers work and how to use them when you need them.
You stay alone in your room, knowing that you're never truly alone.
Red lights spy on you.
Henry had warned you.

Nowhere is safe in there.

You are given food, water and clean clothes.
You are hungry so you surrender to the need of feeding. But then you regret it, feeling sick and weak.
Shivering, you lie down on the bed and try to rest. Your mind is so blurred that you can't find the dark void and the familiar face in it.
You are alone.

The next days are days to forget.
You keep feeling sick while doctors check your vitals and take blood samples.
Time passes, you hear the annoying ticks of the clock. And you feel stuck there.
And then your mind wanders on its own.
You see there are children in near room, you see them going through impossible tasks. And then you see and feel the punishments.
You're not going to forget that, no matter how much you try.

That's a place of torture.
And you fear physical pain as much as you fear not having control on your own mind and body.

One night you are woken up by the blaring of an alarm.
You jump down from your bed to turn on the lights and start sweating cold.
Is it another trick of your mind? Are the effects of the medicines you're fed with?

The door bursts open and you let out a weak scream.
Henry freezes for a moment at the sight of you, then cut the distance with long paces.
"Y/N, it's okay. I'm taking you out of here".
He grabs your hands and squeeze them.
You see that he's bleeding from a cut in his neck.
"What's going on...?".
"Not now" he says quickly and grabs your few belongings "We have to run".
The fear of the tortures make you hesitate.
What if it's just a trap to have an excuse to punish you?
"We will never a chance like this. Do you want to be stuck here forever?" he speaks with urgency, pulling your hand to follow him out.
You suppress a sob and force your legs to move.
Few days in that hell and you feel already broken.
The noise of the alarm makes you want to cover your ears. Some steps echoed at the end of the hall, so Henry makes you deviate abruptly.
For a moment you spot military uniforms and you're tempted to call for help. Isn't it the role of guards? Helping?
Henry notices your reaction and pulls you into an empty room.
He takes your face into his palms, making you cross his stare.
"It's the medicines. They use them to try to tame you" he explains.
Then unexpectedly he presses his lips on yours.
That's like a wind blowing away the fog in your mind.
And you feel it. His power is like a light blinding you.
He let you go quickly, smirking at your shocked face.
"I need you to cover my back so we can fight our way out together. Just, never let my hand go".
He grabs your hand and you just nod.
He pulls you out of the room and you two start running.
You focus on your goal. Getting out of that hell as soon as possible.
Your power supports Henry's and you're speechless when you see how just a tilt of his head can defeat the group of soldiers at the gates.
Leaving the lab behind, Henry chooses a car in the parking lot.
Since he never got a license, you have to drive.

You feel the weight of his stare while you have to stare at the road.
"Y/N, breathe. We are free now" he urges you.
"I'm a bad driver" you snap the first thing that comes to your mind. And it's true, since you got the license just few months ago.
"You're fine. Even if someone chases us, we can take care of it".
The idea that you're like a criminal petrifies you.
"Where do we go?" you want to go home, to check on your aunt, to be back to your normal life...
"As far as we can get. Brenner is still alive. He won't let us go without fighting" he doesn't sound encouraging, but he adds more softly "But hey, we are together. I'll protect you. He won't catch us".
You swallow hard and try to believe him.