Running • Iggy

Over

"-KE UP!"

Slap.

What's... happening?
Thundering feet. Loud yelling. Panicked tears.
"WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
Police sirens. The jingling of chains. Sobs.
Why... am I still alive?
"Citrus, I swear to fucking god!"
I died... didn't I? Why can't I move? Is this what being dead is?
A bright light.

My body involuntarily cringed away from the light, even when it was shone through my eyelids. What's fun about having super strength is that me 'cringing away' really meant I practically flew 3 feet across the floor, hissing when I threw my arms up. "Holy fuck -" My voice came out hoarse and cracked as I spat out what tasted suspiciously of drying blood. "Is that the sun or something? Jesus..." I couldn't open my eyes, the light was too intense.

"Citrus." A choked sob accompanied by a tight hug. Iggy. "Ig...gy." I whispered softly as I buried my head against his shoulder. I managed to crack open my eyes, and realized it wasn't that bright. The sun still hasn't risen - there was no way I had been dead, or I guess fainted, for longer than 5 minutes.

"You scared the shit out of us!" Fang snapped, tears caught in his eyes when I saw him when I looked around wearily. No, I'm definitely alive. I thought. Max's hands were trembling slightly as she wiped away tears. "Can you try not to die for three damn days?" He breathed out. Broghan was wiping tears from her eyes too as she made sure Mark Burnen was being transported down into the high-security police car.

"Sorry..." I mumbled, before involuntarily turning my attention to Iggy. He was sobbing against my shoulder, fists gripped so tight against the back of my shirt that I could feel it tearing. "Igs... I'm sorry, I promi-" I tried, but he was already cutting me off.

"I know what you promised." He said through a sob. "B-but don't say sorry. You're coming home, right? You're alive. Barely - Max made it just before your heart stopped. But you're here, and you're not hurt anymore so can we just... just forget it happened?" He whimpered. "I don't think my heart can take any more." He whispered. "I don't think I can take thinking about losing you one more time."

"Hey," I murmured, tilting his head so I could see his eyes and wiping his tears gently with my thumb. "Alright. We can just focus on..." My eye drifted around, trying to pull thoughts together in a way that made sense. Max and Fang got up at the call of one of the policemen and left the room quickly, it was clearly urgent. I gave up on searching for my words halfway through, and just kissed him instead.

He instantly melted into the kiss, pulling my hips against his and almost falling over from where he was sitting. I was vaguely aware of the world around us, but I didn't care. I just wanted him, to make sure this wasn't some sick joke in death. But I could feel my heartbeat rise, my body tingle at his touch, my breath mix with his.

When he pulled away, he let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I'd much rather focus on that." He decided, bringing his thumb up to my lip and pulling it down slightly. "Think you can stand?" He asked after a moment. I nodded and pulled myself up, which Iggy followed.

-

Broghan turned to me with a small smile as the last policeman exited the scene, leaving just Broghan, Max, Fang, Iggy and me. The balcony door had been opened, the one that sat behind Mark Burnen's destroyed desk and looked out towards the sunset that was preparing to spill over the scenery.

6:01am.

Broghan looked to me in particular, holding out her hand like she wanted me to shake it. "Congratulations." She told me. When I looked puzzled, she smiled softly. "You did it, Citrus. You never gave up, and now..." She took my hand. "You did it."

"Tell me, Citrus. What do you want to do?" She asked. "Most in the entire world, if you could do or have anything." The woman waited for a response, but she didn't need to. I responded immediately.

My eyes widened slightly.

"I want to get my family out. I don't care if I have to stay here, but I want them to not have to deal with the tests and surgeries anymore." I responded bluntly.

"You got your family out. All of them, including yourself." She said with a happy tear running down her cheek. I found myself turning to the balcony, unable to comprehend what had just been said. I slowly walked over to the edge, leaning on the railing.

"1230, 1271." The lab worker snapped. "These are your new experiment mates. We believe it would be beneficial for us to study you in groups and compare notes."
Me and Iggy looked over at the vaguely familiar faces we had seen during Recess a few times. '1089, 1102, 2912' I thought quietly as I glanced over Max, Fang and Nudge respectively. Soon enough, 5033 and 5034, Gasman and Angel, would be added to our little flock in the same way we had been officially introduced to theirs.

"Iggy?" I whispered quietly around 3 weeks after Angel and Gazzy were introduced, staring into the darkness of the room they had covered in black sheets. His dog crate was beside mine, so I couldn't see him, just the dead kid in the cage in front of mine, brown eyes dull and lifeless as they stared directly at me.
"Mm?" He mumbled.
"I'll get you all out. I promise." I responded shortly. "Even if it means I have to stay right here."
"I want you to come." He murmured sleepily. "When we get out, don't stay here... We all need you, you're our protector... A fierce... tiger..." His voice drew off as he seemed to fall asleep.
Yeah. I had thought. That's what I am. A fierce tiger. I won't make them worry about me ever. I promise.

"Three thousand, eight hundred and twenty-nine..." My voice drew off from counting the stars as I looked down at the sleeping Iggy curled up against me, tears still caught on his eyelashes from crying. It had been the day we got out, and the second time I had ever felt like I was truly helpless. Now we were out of the School, I couldn't find any way to help or comfort him. I couldn't tell him that we'd get out soon, or that maybe the whitecoats would fix him in a surgery, because we were already out and there would be no more surgeries.
"I promise... I'll find a way to fix you," I said in a whisper. "And when you can see, I'll show you everything. Anything you want to see, I'll draw it."

Test after test. Torture after torture. I had made so many promises that all directly or indirectly lead to getting out of the labs. All of the broken nights crying in my room, screaming into my pillows hoping no one would hear. All of the days I spent in agony from tests they put me through with no painkillers or anesthesia. All of the panic attacks and nervous breakdowns. All of the times I had looked in the mirror and seen a reflection that made me want to tear my own body apart. All the times I had kept running even when I didn't want to anymore suddenly felt worth it.

Tears sprung to my eyes as the wind picked up slowly, blowing my hair to one side. I felt Iggy's hand rest gently on my shoulder, and when I looked up, his bright, seeing eyes shone with tears of his own.

I may have broken some promises along the way. I may have failed to do things I said I would do. I may have made countless mistakes, childish fights, idiotic runaways.
But it was worth it in the end, just to see the free look on their faces.

"Did we do it?" A young me whispered as she sat in the dark, curled up into her own protective ball. "Did we?"
"Yes," I responded as I held out my hand. "You can come out now. No more hiding. Everyone is waiting."
She took my hand slowly, and I pulled her onto her feet.

The sunrise broke through the horizon, lighting everything in shades of honey gold.