Cranial《Book 1》

Chapter 10

Smii7y felt so mentally and physically drained. Every second Neo overstayed his welcome in Smii7y's head and body, the closer Smii7y felt himself drifting into madness. He'd lost track of the time they spent in the car. A clouple hours? A couple of days? He couldn't tell from being imprisoned in his own head.

He figured that was Neo's plan. Keep him so drained that he couldn't fight back. He apparently had a lot of power in his ability from what he had just done to the facility. "Relax, Smii7y. You can rest once you are contained properly." Neo said while reclining in his seat, "We will be there soon." So he could read Smii7y's thoughts. Great.

The car rolled to a stop. Neo stepped out of the car once the chauffeur opened the door. Smii7y was forced to follow in a certain pattern Neo had commanded him. His muscles ached from not moving for so long, but his body still moved without hesitation.

They walked up to a huge modern mansion. Neo walked proudly, and Smii7y walked in front of him, looking down slightly. There were a few maids and servants who were cleaning the inside of the house. Smii7y guessed it was a show to show him off to these people who worked for him. Neo chuckled and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Oh no. He caught another one." One maid whispered.

"Poor kiddo." A servant said, "He's so young."

Smii7y fully agreed with them. He shouldn't be here little alone to have the ability to make ice cubes. It's more like the ability to kill people, he thought. The thought made his insides churn. He wasn't a monster, was he?

The house opened up into a living room with a large flatscreen TV. Most of the walls were white except for the ashy gray wall. This wall wasn't normal, though. It was lined with closet-like rooms. They had glass doors that slid into the wall, but they were like tanks. Tanks for people because Smii7y saw a few people in the closets. Smii7y thought the bunkers in the facility were awful, but this was inhumane. Neo brought him to the only open tank and told him to enter. The door slid closed, and Neo's eyes stopped glowing green.

Smii7y collapsed from the weight of his own body again. It felt so odd to feel the air in his chest and the throbbing pain in his skull. He choked on the air in his lungs. "Enjoy your stay, Smii7y. I'm sure you'll be used to it soon." Neo said with an evil smirk. Smii7y just laid there trying to adjust to his body again.

There was pain in every muscle, and he couldn't even lift himself off the floor. He just tried to steady his shaky breath and slow his heart rate. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

He stood in the pine wood forest again next to the old shed. "Oh, thank God I found you." Nogla said.

"Nogla? Oh my God. It's just gotten worse. This guy-"

"Neo. Yeah, I know. We saw what he did to the facility." Nogla interrupted.

"What I did." Smii7y corrected. He was filled with guilt at just the thought. He and Nogla walked over to the fire. He sat down next to it, hoping to find warmth, but it was still cold.

Nogla shook his head, "I've been under Neo's control before. It's horrible, and he's made me do unforgivable things to people and abilitors. There is nothing that can be done."

"You know Neo?" Smii7y asked.

"He was who I had previously escaped from." Nogla explained.

"How did you do it?" Smii7y asked hopefully.

"It won't be much help to you. He'll already know we talked after he goes through your memories. He'll stop you from getting any ideas." Nogla said.

"So I'm just stuck here?" Smii7y asked.

Nogla sighed, "I wish there was another way, but I can't risk sending your friends in there when Neo will use you to kill them. I can't do that to them or you."

"I- I get it." Smii7y said.

"I'm sorry, Smii7y. I truly am. I should've acted sooner. Kryoz was right about me trying to save my own ass." Nogla said dryly.

"How is he doing? Him and the others- if that isn't bad information to ask for." Smii7y said. He tucked his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them tightly.

"They are doing fine. They are safe. Kryoz is a little- well, extremely distraught - but he'll be okay. Just like the others." Nogla said, "I'll tell them you're okay too."

"Thanks, Nogla." Smii7y said softly.

Nogla nodded, "I'll keep an eye on you, but Neo won't let you rest often. It's how he keeps control easily. I wish you luck, Smii7y. Oh, and don't be afraid to use your ability when you need to-" Nogla was cut off, and Smii7y was brought back to a painful body, and Neo placed a thumb on his forehead

"Time for work." Neo grinned.

Word Count: 851