Subject Zero: CONFIDENTIAL (Short Stories)

Don't Look Away (4)

Part Four: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

January 11, 1967
"?", The Mirror World

Third Person's POV
A boy jolted up while sitting on a futon mattress, seeming to be waking up from a startling dream.

The boy looked to be about 9-years-old. He had fluffy black hair, paper white skin, six fingers on both hands, pointy elf ears, and he had a mask on his face. His mask was the brightest white, had two eye-holes, and a wide smile. He was wearing white baggy clothes and thin socks.

He looked around, seeming to not know where he was. He looked at his hands, seeming to not know who he was.

As the morning continued, he was searching the old building he was in, trying to find a way out.

But there was no way out.

He was a nine-year-old boy had know idea who he was, where he was, or how to leave. It seemed hopeless for him, since he was the only person in the building.

But as the days and weeks went on, he had taught himself real-world things, such as writing, reading, speaking, how to heal himself when injured or hurt; in case of danger, he knew where to hide and discovered ways to set traps. It was all in one of the books that he found in the building. But he didn't have to learn how to hunt.

He even discovered he had strange abilities: spider related, and sneaky abilities, which he had proven both to be very useful.

Although the building was empty, he knew he wasn't completely alone, for he always got fresh food delivered to him at specific times: 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 6:00PM, and 10:00PM. He couldn't figure out who was delivering the food, but knew the person had something to do with why he was there.

But his meals are always served with small photographs, mainly consisting of special artifacts, such as rings, gems, swords, blades, liquids, plants, books, and jewelries.

But by the end of 1970, new photos were given to him, of a young baby girl; a killer; a weapon. And the words "Teach", "Obey", and "Protect" were written on the back of each picture of the girl.

"...'Teach', 'obey', 'protect'?" he said, the first time he'd received a photo of her.

The baby girl was very petite. She had grey skin, and a white half mask (shaped like a sleeping mask) with three holes lined down the middle. She had light grey skin, silky lilac hair that already reached her shoulders, pointy elf ears, and six fingers on both hands. She seemed to be wearing the same raggedy clothes the boy was wearing. She was only two weeks old when the photos were first sent to him.

As the years passed, he and the girl would both grow, and every new book he would find would only be filled with the words: Teach, Obey, Protect — nothing more.

December 11, 1979

Teach, obey, protect.

That was what the boy's mindset had been set to when seeing the photos of the girl. He knew he would have to find her someday.

By this point in time, he was 21-years-old. This day is the girl's birthday. By now, she's 9.

He was wandering the old building, which was falling apart. Webs were all over the place, and even fist-sized holes were in some of the walls.

He knew there was something he had to find today.

And when he found what he was supposed to find, it came as a little surprise to him. It was a book labeled "PROTECT". When he opened the book, he found that it was filled with the words: Kill, Delude, Slaughter; the words were repeating/written over and over and over and over on each page.