Number 9656

Revelation

He was number nine thousand six hundred and fifty six. That meant he was the nine thousand six hundred and fifty sixth person to be betrayed, controlled, and deceived, and he would be the last. His memory was fuzzy, like an incomplete puzzle with a few pieces still missing. However hard he tried, he couldn't complete it, which frustrated him beyond belief. Though he wasn't entirely sure what he believed anymore. The slight recollection he had gained through talking with Elite member Carnage was currently fading in and out with the throbbing, searing pain traveling up his spine. He stopped and took in his surroundings. He had made it to the hallway that led to his dorm, and all he could currently think about was lying down and soothing the burn in his neck. He quickened his pace and reached for the handle on his door, but before he could turn it, the door opened from the other side. Number 9681 was standing on the other side, a look of worry distorted his usually kind features.

He began to bombard Num with questions. "Are you okay? What happened? What did they ask you? Is something wrong? " he asked, along with a billion other questions Num really couldn't handle at the moment.

"Everything is fine. I'll explain later, but right now, I really need to lie down," Num said, surprised that his voice didn't show his current state of anxiety. Number 9681 nodded, and- his worry still apparent- walked back to his bed. Exhaustion made Num's limbs heavy as he dropped onto his bed and laid down. He closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

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He stood in the center of a burning city, watching as the flames kissed the sky, and ashes fell from the heavens like tears from the eyes. His face fell in horror as screams of pain, and sobbing filled his ears. The sound was deafening, and imprinted themselves in his memory like the brand on a cow. He turned in a circle, taking in the entirety of the devastation around him. The smoke made his eyes burn and sweat dripped off his forehead. He began to run, he didn't know where he was going, but it would be anywhere but here. He began to pant, his chest burning, his legs felt like lead, he was about to stop and catch his breath before he tripped. He barreled toward the ground and landed on his back, the hard, unforgiving ground knocked the breath out of him, and he quickly rolled over in an attempt to ease the pain. What he saw hurt worse than the suffocating blow he had just experienced. He found himself face to face with a charred corpse. His mouth fell open in a silent scream, but he couldn't move. He  knew that face. Tears stung his eyes and a sob rose up in his throat. Despair surged through his stomach and a wave of nausea made him dizzy. He gripped the body and shook it, mouthing a name he couldn't make out, trying to wake it up. He began to weep, hot tears streaking against the dirt on his face. He stood quickly fighting the urge to vomit at the sight of the crisped skin hanging from the person's body. He ran again. Away from the pain, away from the sorrow, away from all that had gone wrong, and all that still could. Clinging on to the thought that there had been nothing he could have done to save anyone he didn't stop. He ran until the smoke began to clear and the only thing that burned was his legs and lungs. He tripped once more, but found his fall cushioned by soft grass. This time he stayed on his back and looked up at the sky, begging the stars to tell him that it was all just a dream, that it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. He squeezed his eyes shut and allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. Above him a shadow loomed and he stumbled to stand, but before he could turn around, a sharp pain exploded on the side of his head. The last thing he saw was the amber, gold tinge of fire in the distance before his world went dark.

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He sat upright in bed and swiped away the sweat threatening to drip off his brow. The torrid heat shooting up his spine hadn't lessened and he put his head in his hands. He began to cry, sorrow and despair causing him to lose all feeling in his body until there was nothing left, and the tears stopped. He wiped his eyes and looked up. Above him stood Number 9681, his forehead creased in concern.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"It's a long story," he started, but realized that he had to tell someone, and he didn't trust anyone as much as he trusted 9681, so he decided to finish the sentence with, "but I've got time." 9681 smiled. Unsure of how to start Num decided to start with a question.

"Does your neck ever hurt?" 9681 seemed taken aback by the oddity of the question, but found himself nodding in response. 9681 didn't ask any questions, and Num took this as a silent encouragement to continue.

"I think-" Num struggled to find the words, he didn't think he could say them. "Hand me that pen and paper, it might take me awhile to write it all down, but I just can't sat it aloud." 9681 went and retrieved the requested items and handed them to Num. Num shook his head but forced himself to write. He wrote about his ability to dream, and how he believed the pain in his neck to be connected to some type of brainwashing, causing everyone to forget things that The Elite didn't want them to know. He wrote about his dream, that hadn't really been a dream at all as he now realized, but a memory. He wrote about Carnage's request and his growing fear for his future. Tears stained the page and caused some of the words to blot. His hand ached by the time he'd finally finished, he inhaled sharply and signaled for 9681 to come sit next to him. He handed the paper to him and walked across the room to put the pen back on the desk, and also to put space between himself and 9681 as he read. He turned and watched 9681's eyes go wide with shock, and his forehead furrow with sympathy, confusion, and sadness. His eyes continued to skim the page, Num's heart pounded with each movement of 9681's eyes. It seemed like an eternity before he finally finished. 9681 sucked in a breath and set the pad beside him on the bed. They looked each other in the eyes, and 9681 raised his eyebrows. Num prepared himself for the harsh onslaught of questions. This was going to be tricky to explain.

A/N: Well, that just happened. The truth is out there( *cough X-Files *cough) No but really that was...something. I don't know if it's just me, but I feel buzzed- it probably is just me. Really though a lot happened in this chapter that tied a few things together, but really and truly, just led to more questions and confusion. Does anyone else's brain hurt? I hope not, I don't actually want to cause people pain with my writing. Or perhaps I do?

Okay. Now it's time for me to thank all my readers. BLESS YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACES. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXISTENCE IN THIS WORLD. I really appreciate the support, and if you enjoyed comment, vote, and share with your friends. I wonder how many more times I'm going to say that, hopefully not too many, or maybe a lot?

Well anyway, s'long until next chapter,

With deep sorrow, and extreme pleasure,

GryffinWeasleyDor