The Stories He Has to Tell | SabreTober Prompts | Hosted by IcyWillowSong

~| Day 5: Chains |~

Series: Rainbow Quest

AU: Horror AU (from 'Monster')

Context: Sabre remembering the life-changing event that became blurred in his mind; his escape from the lab and going through the portal. The portal gave him memory issues, so he has trouble remembering the lab and everything that happened to him in it. Orange Steve had been asking about where he came from, and since he couldn't remember much, Sabre decided to focus on it and see what he could uncover from the hazy memories.

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[Sabre's POV]

Okay... It's starting to get clearer... I remember... a blank room, windows making up the upper half of one of the walls.

They'd look at me through those windows. Observe me, taking pens out of the pockets of their white coats and scribble things down on clipboards. I would have gotten closer to get a better look at them, but I knew that they were the ones doing everything to me and didn't want to... and the cold, metal cuffs around my wrists never let me go further than halfway across the large room. I remember that sometimes I'd just play with the chains, trying to pass the time.

Sometimes, they'd make things happen. It would mostly be putting me up against other creatures like me, but those were ones that were entirely aggressive. They didn't stop and think about anything, just attacked anything that moved. I wasn't put under anywhere near as much security as they were, I guess I was 'peaceful' enough not to be.

I think I heard the white-coated people saying those other creatures, despite looking really similar to me, weren't nearly as intelligent. That their minds were reverted to pure, primal instinct.

They'd make us fight. I got hurt every time, but they didn't care. All they cared about was that I won every fight. I always tried to be friendly with the other creatures at first, but then they'd just attack me, and I panicked and clawed, swung at, bit, and shoved until they weren't moving anymore. That's the only time when the other creatures would stop... when they were dead.

The coated people were also interested in what happened to the creatures' bodies while the hazmat-suit people were trying to get to the room so they could get the body out. I always felt bad for doing it, but... I didn't really have any other choice. I was rarely given anything for weeks at a time, and... I just couldn't waste the chance. If I did, I probably would've died soon enough.

Then, that day... I got sick of it. Sick of having to fight other creatures for their own gain. Sick of having those chains constantly on my wrists, the fact that they were rarely taken off being the cause of the scarring on them. Sick of feeling like I was going to die if I didn't do what I did. Sick of just staring at the same blank walls, every hour of every day. I needed to get out.

It wasn't my first attempt escaping, I know that. It was just my best... and hopefully my last. It was one of those rare times they took the chains off. I guess to see if I would stay obedient and stay in the room, but every time they try is when I try to escape. They never learned.

As soon as I felt the second shackle come off, I whacked away all of the scientists and hazmat-suit people that were around me. Before the hazmats could use their stupid stun spears I dashed over to the room's door and broke it down. The sirens blared as I ran down the halls, a bunch of other scientists screaming that I was loose.

People in black suits similar to the hazmats chased me, each of them also holding one of the stun spear things. I scanned each doorway, looking for something I recognized from the scientists' talking about their other experiments. There was always something.

I then noticed a large doorway marked 25-6Y-C, and recognize it. This is the one that they were trying to open portals to other worlds. Whether they wanted to just because, or if they wanted to get more subjects from a different world, I don't know. I just knew it was my shot at getting out.

I ran in, breaking down the tall, heavy steel door.

Scientists that were looking through a large glass window just like in my room jumped back as soon as they saw me. In the center of the room was a bunch of machines, but the most interesting thing was a bright white, glowing circle being created by those machines. Some kind of energy swirled around it, and in a few gaps of the glow there were glimpses of colorful things that weren't in the lab. That was my ticket out.

Before they could do anything, I dashed towards the portal. Yelling and screaming faded away as I got closer, just the soft hum of the portal being all that filled my ears. The light spilling out from the gaps felt warm, unlike the familiar coldness of that place.

I jumped through.

...And now, I'm here. In this world, with all of my new friends. Especially Orange Steve. I know what the sun on a nice day feels like. I got to feel the grass that grows everywhere, which is really different from the metal or sometimes tile floors of the lab. I got to experience so many things I had no idea existed...

I'm never going back there, obviously. No matter what. I just can't let myself be put there again after seeing so much in this world. If those scientists and other people try to take me back, they're either gonna be extremely unsuccessful or will have to drag back my stone-cold corpse. Although, I don't know if they can even get here, I might've ruined their one chance... good.

I have a new life here. I get to be a person rather than just some experiment. I don't need them coming here and ruining it. I'm happy here, with my friends that don't judge me for what I am. Orange Steve says that if it wasn't for the height, I'd fit in almost perfectly. Speaking of him, after he showed me the cave spot he made for me, he also made me new clothes that replaced the ragged, dull ones from the lab. I really appreciate all of it.

Now, all I have to remind me of my old life is the scars that circle my wrists, and even those will fade eventually.