Run before the word notice
891 Words
The moment the containment unit stepped fully into the house, everything stopped feeling like home.
It became a trap.
Not physically—mentally.
The air itself felt compressed, like the building had been marked.
And now it was only a matter of time.
Sarah pulled Jarian back sharply.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
Kaly moved instantly, grabbing whatever she could carry. Siah hesitated for only a second before nodding.
But Jarian didn’t move right away.
Her eyes stayed locked on the containment unit.
Not in fear.
In confusion.
Like something inside her was trying to recognize them.
One of the masked figures tilted his head slightly.
“Subject is reacting emotionally,” he said through a distorted voice.
Another responded through a communicator.
“Do not engage emotionally. Contain only.”
Then they moved.
Not fast like humans.
Fast like trained precision.
The first strike came toward Sarah.
She barely blocked it, the impact throwing her backward into the wall.
“Sarah!” Kaly shouted.
But there was no time to check on her.
The second attacker moved toward Jarian.
Siah reacted instantly.
A wave of healing energy burst outward—not just healing, but repelling force. It pushed the attacker back slightly.
But only slightly.
“Why aren’t they stopping?!” Siah shouted.
Sarah wiped blood from her lip.
“They’re built to resist us!”
Jarian finally stepped backward.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone…” she whispered.
That sentence changed everything.
Because the moment she said it—
the world flickered again.
A crack appeared in the air.
Not visible like glass.
But like reality itself had split its attention.
The containment unit froze.
All of them.
Even the air felt paused.
Sarah noticed immediately.
“Move!” she shouted. “That’s your chance!”
They ran.
Out the back door.
Through a broken fence.
Into the narrow alleys behind the house.
The moment they escaped the building—
the containment unit collapsed back into motion.
Too late.
A signal was sent instantly.
Somewhere far away, alarms triggered.
TARGET ESCAPED.
Mary watched it all without changing her expression.
Then she smiled slightly.
“Good,” she whispered.
“Let her move.”
The City Outside
The moment they entered the streets, everything felt different.
The city was still alive—but now it felt aware of them.
Like invisible eyes were opening everywhere.
Sarah led the group quickly.
“We can’t use main roads. They’ll track energy signatures.”
Siah frowned. “Then where do we go?”
Sarah didn’t answer immediately.
Because she was already reading the past of everything she touched.
Walls.
Ground.
Metal gates.
And what she saw made her uneasy.
“They’ve already mapped most escape routes…”
Jarian suddenly stopped walking.
“I feel it again,” she whispered.
Everyone turned.
“What do you feel?” Kaly asked.
Jarian closed her eyes.
“…Like something is pulling me.”
A pause.
“…Not toward danger.”
She opened her eyes.
“…Toward answers.”
Far above them, surveillance systems flickered.
A new order was issued.
TRACK SUBJECT JARIAN THROUGH ALL ZONES.
AUTHORIZE LEVEL-3 PURSUIT.
First Chase Begins
They didn’t even see the attackers coming at first.
Only the impact.
A wall exploding beside them.
Then another.
And another.
The chase had officially begun.
“RUN!” Sarah shouted.
They sprinted through the narrow streets as energy blasts tore through buildings behind them.
People screamed and scattered.
The city was no longer neutral.
It was becoming a battlefield.
Siah grabbed Jarian’s hand.
“You need to stay close!”
Jarian nodded quickly—but her expression was still distant.
Like part of her wasn’t running.
Part of her was listening to something else.
They turned into an abandoned district.
Old buildings.
Broken power lines.
Places the city forgot.
Sarah stopped suddenly.
“This way.”
She led them into a collapsed underground passage.
Dark.
Silent.
Hidden.
For a moment… it felt safe.
Only for a moment.
Underground Truth
As they moved deeper, Sarah touched the wall.
The past rushed in violently.
She saw experiments.
She saw cages.
She saw symbols of the broken crown again.
And she saw something worse—
Jarian.
Not as a child.
But as a subject.
Lying inside a containment chamber.
Sarah gasped.
“They did this before…” she whispered.
Jarian turned. “What did you see?”
Sarah hesitated.
Then softly said:
“…You’ve been inside their system before.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Jarian stepped back slowly.
“I don’t remember that.”
Her voice cracked slightly.
“I don’t remember any of that.”
Siah stepped closer.
“That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
And then—
A low sound echoed through the tunnel.
Footsteps.
Many.
Approaching.
Sarah’s eyes widened.
“They followed us.”
Kaly’s voice shook. “How?!”
Sarah looked at the walls.
“…The past of this place is connected to them.”
Meaning:
They were never really safe here.
Jarian stepped forward slowly.
“I think they’re not just chasing me,” she said softly.
Everyone turned.
She continued:
“…I think they’re trying to wake something inside me.”
The tunnel lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went dark.
And in the darkness…
a voice came through the walls.
Calm.
Controlled.
Familiar.
“Subject Jarian. Return to containment.”
- Writer
