𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 - 𝟎𝟎𝟏 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂 ✔️

011

Everything was dark.

"Like I said," you hear his disembodied voice, "I was serious."

001 grabs your hand and makes a break for the corner. The hallway's pitch black. You can't see anything, not even your interwoven fingers.

You were sure the two of you were on camera. The fear of being seen even in the dark made you tremble. To your relief, the little red lights that usually give the cameras away were gone. They had been disabled in the short circuit as well.

"Did you do that?" you ask in a hushed whisper.

He doesn't answer, only rushes you down the hallway faster.

"001, it's pitch black," you heave, "I can't see when you nod."

You feel him squeeze your hand. "Yes," he whispers.

His thoughts were focused elsewhere, but yours were filled with questions. How long had he been planning this? Had he planned this at all?

An alarm goes off just as you turn the corner. It was loud and blaring. You winced as the high frequency pounded at your ears.

"Stay strong," he says, "They use the high frequencies to their advantage because they know it messes with our heads."

You weren't sure how 001 knew where he was going, especially not in the dark. You had no choice but to trust him, he was your only chance out of here. If you were to make it out of here at all. 

You bolt right past the nurses office. Your legs pumping so hard, you can't feel them anymore. The adrenaline of the moment sinks in. Suddenly, you're just the balls of your feet hitting laminate.

"We're almost there," 001 says, as if he could sense the exerted pain running through your chest.

He stops you at a door. You sigh, just barely seeing the light of swipe reader to its side. There was no getting through that without a pass. You were screwed. Then, 001 pulls a keycard from his gown pocket.

"Where'd you get that?" you say, asking yet another question. He really had done a bad job at explaining the plan to you.

His voice is dizzy and out of breath when he explains, "I've spent... a lot of time in Papa's office."

"I can tell," you mumble, as he swipes the keycard.

The reader turns green with a chime and you rush inside. It's still pitch black, so much so, you can't see the stairwell in front of you. You shriek as you almost miss the step in front of you. 001 stops you, your hand still tightly in his grasp.

You're glad he can't see how tightly your toes are scrunched.

"Slippers," you shrug, blaming them for your slip. He scoffs. You could imagine the expression on his face.

"Watch your step," he says this time as you race down the curving flights of stairs.

"How many times have you been down here?" you ask.

He pauses mid-flight. "I used to hide down here," he says quietly.

"I don't remember you ever hiding down here..."

Even in the dark, you see his fingers brush his temple. "You were still in a coma when Papa kidnapped me," he says.

Your lips part, waiting for the right words to say, but there's no time. The sound of footsteps trace overhead. They were almost at the door.

"Come on!" 001 drags you down the remaining flights and into the stuffy boiler room.

It was dimly lit and humid, but thankfully, you're eyes had already adjusted well to the dark. 001 weaves through the mechanical structures, stepping over what you silently pray isn't a dead mouse.

The footsteps were pummeling down the stairs, but there were at least five flights for them to make it through. The racing of your heartbeat was enough to prove it. The voices of the bad men fill the room, your racing heartbeat skips unsteadily.

001 stoops down before a vent. He yanks the cover off with ease, staring blankly into the emptiness beyond. Suddenly it was clear. To escape, you would have to climb through. Into the empty abyss.

Your heart sinks. "001..."

"If we're really friends you'll do this with me," he says. "Through and through."

You glance back at him, catching the glimmer of his eyes in the dim light. This was it. No more tests, no more numbers, no more Papa.

"Okay."

You hear his breathy smile before you see it. It was terrible, the effect he had over you with just a few words. With just a smile.

But you had to get one thing straight. "You're going first," you say, pointing to the dark tunnel.

He shrugs and gets on all fours, his limber body just small enough to fit through.

"Now just where do you think you two are going?" Papa's familiar voice booms through the air.

You turn around, heart sinking at his close proximity. He was only a few feet away. A group of badmen stood close behind him.

But Papa's long legs wouldn't fit in here, nor would the badmen. 001 reaches for your hand, ready to climb inside the tunnel. "Let's go," he whispers.

Papa wasn't done yet, and you're definitely not expecting the words he says next:

"Just like your mother," he scoffs, "all this potential and you still run away."

This stops you.

"You don't remember her do you?" There's a sad smile on his face as he speaks. "I do."

But your mother was dead, gone long before any of this ever happened. How could he have known about her? Your thoughts were soaring now, your mind boggled, confused. You felt the emotions clear on your face.

"Zee, let's go," 001 whispers, "He's just messing with your head."

"There's a striking resemblance, actually," Papa adds.

You didn't know why you were still listening to him, almost as if you were trapped in his gaze. In his words.

"000," 001 says again, motioning to the tunnel entrance.

Papa shrugs. "I can show her to you if you'll let me."

001's still waiting. "Zee..."

Your throat is so tight all you can manage is a, "No." You turn towards the tunnel.

"I wouldn't do that," Papa says, holding up the shocker in his hand. The sparks burned bright and strong. "That tunnel's pure metal and this is pure electricity."

"Oh, shut up," you mutter to yourself.

001's inside the tunnel now, holding out his hand. You reach to take it. What happens next causes you to wish you had never wasted time on Papa's words.

You gasp as the worst pain you've ever felt in your life radiates through your bones. You fall to the ground in shock. Literally.

"There's a striking resemblance, actually," Papa adds. "Between you and your mother."

"My mother's dead!" You scream in pain.

It only took the badmen these few seconds of distraction to circle around you. They reach for you first and put cuffs around your hands. Then, they reach for 001. With him, they're a lot less gentle.

"Let me show you," Papa seethes, holding out a hand as you ravage in pain.

You look over to the side, try to reach for 001 as they strap the electrical color around his neck. "NO!" you scream.

It's too late, the guards laugh to themselves and press the button. An electrical charge shoots through his body and he collapses down, curling in on himself as he's electrified from the inside out.

"Come," Papa says, still smiling as he holds out a hand to you. "Let me show you"

A dull pressure fell over the already humid air. The tension grew thicker and thicker until you couldn't breathe at all. The pain grew stronger.

Your head hurts now, but you can't tell if it's from your screaming or 001's.