What He Knows
410 Words
We didn’t speak for a while.
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Not after that.
Not after him.
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The street felt normal again.
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Too normal.
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Like nothing had happened.
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But I could still feel it.
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That presence.
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“They could’ve taken me,” I said finally.
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Zayden didn’t slow.
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“Yeah.”
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“That didn’t bother you?”
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“It did.”
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“Then why aren’t we running?”
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He stopped.
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Turned to face me.
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“Because running doesn’t matter if you don’t understand what’s chasing you.”
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That shut me up.
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For a second.
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Then—
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“Then explain it,” I said.
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Zayden studied me.
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Carefully.
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Like he was measuring how much to say.
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“You ever hear of controlled trials?” he asked.
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I frowned.
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“…Experiments?”
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“Yeah.”
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My chest tightened.
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“What does that have to do with me?”
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“You don’t glitch by accident,” he said.
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“I don’t glitch.”
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“You do.”
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A beat.
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“I saw it. The street shifting. The air distorting.”
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I looked away.
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“That’s not me.”
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“It follows you.”
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Silence.
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Heavy.
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Because part of me knew he wasn’t wrong.
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“They called you ‘subject,’” he continued.
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“I heard.”
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“That’s not random.”
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My hands clenched slightly.
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“I don’t remember signing up for anything.”
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“You wouldn’t.”
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That hit harder than expected.
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“What does that mean?” I asked.
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Zayden didn’t hesitate this time.
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“It means people like that don’t ask.”
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A chill ran through me.
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“They take.”
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My breathing slowed.
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“…And change things.”
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The words settled deep.
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Uncomfortable.
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Real.
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“Change how?” I asked quietly.
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“Enhancement. Control. Observation.”
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Each word felt worse.
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“And failure?” I asked.
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A pause.
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“They don’t keep failures.”
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My chest tightened.
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“So what am I?”
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Zayden didn’t answer.
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Not directly.
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Instead—
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“You came back,” he said.
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A beat.
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“That doesn’t happen.”
- Writer
