Subject-59

chapter 23

‘They were hunted down? but why…’

“i- don't understand why they were hunted down, and how this bonding thing works. How do you give a price of yourself away? what does it do?”

59 merely looked across the room thinking to himself. “I believe it has something to do with our cores…” he finally responded after a while.

“cores?” I questioned.

“yes… each and every one of us monster's have cores, it's what separates us from you humans and other animals. we cannot die unless our cores are severely damaged or destroyed. Our cores are what separates us and ties us together. There are two types of cores, one from plants and one from us creatures. They are the source of our abilities. I suspect the creature who bonded to a human somehow gave part of his core to them.”

my eyes widened as I listened to 59's explanation. ‘How have we never discovered this yet?!’

“You’re telling me these cores are in every single creature? but that doesn't make sense. Why haven't we ever discovered them before?” S-59 stared at me for a long moment. 

“you humans already have.”

‘what?...’

He lowered his head as his eyes narrowed. “this is something that I've observed in the time I've been trapped here. Each creature's core is different and often lies somewhere in their body that is hard to reach or where you would not expect this is to prevent others of our kind from killing us as easily.” S-59 explained.

“I believe the watchers have been attempting to find my core, each time they come with their equipment they poke and prod at me, taking blood and other parts from my body as if they are searching for it. just like that day– when you got hurt.”

“Why would someone want your core?” I asked, a bit worried.

“we monster's will often devour one another's core in order to grow stronger, as for humans, there's a number of reasons they might want a demon's core. my vegetative abilities aren't very common, you could imagine what they might do with something like that…”

“thats– I don't know what to say…”

“if they were to destroy my core or take it I will not survive the process…”

my hands fisted my lab coat as guilt tightly gripped my heart. ‘How long would it take for them to find it? would they really kill him by removing his core? Was that their plan all along? Kerian wouldn't do that right?’

he must've seen the concern on my face as I struggled with my inner thoughts. “Do not worry too much Ava, it will not be so easy for them to find my core.” 

turning my head back to him I looked at S-59. “It is safe for now.” I nodded, trusting his words.  

“But that means you can't stay here forever, eventually they will figure it out and I fear the director will use that to his advantage.” 

We were both silent after that statement knowing that it was inevitable. should his secret be discovered he would be put in danger. I felt so stupid and blind thinking he was just some wild creature that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. him and all the others roamed this earth before us, they were part of its ecosystem. they didn't just appear out of thin air they had always been here. and yet here we are treating them as aberrations. 

a meow from behind me caught my attention and I lifted my head before turning around to see subject-32 phasing through the wall. 

suddenly s-59 got onto all fours and the seams of his mouth appeared as he glared at the smaller creature. “Why is that thing here!?” He sounded almost panicked.