Seoul – 1st of January 2312

 

 

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Black. Boom! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A light, dashing by. Bang!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A heartbeat - his own - beating harsh against the chest. Breathe, I need to breathe! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat, soaring through crispy air, searing against his neck. Steps, too fast, too many to count, shallow thuds against brazen ground. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wham!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The light again, dashing by like a shooting star in absolute darkness. His feet took him further, faster, beyond. 

 

 

 

 

Bang!

 

 

 

Another explosion, slicing through the air like thunder bolt and Thor’s fist.

 

 

 

They were coming, coming for him.

 

 

 

The cry of a gun – Dodge! He stumbled, but his hand was fast enough, pushing him off the ground again.

Must keep balance! Another sharp sound pierced his eardrum; the screeching of rubber against the floor shattering.

 

They must have reached the corner.

 

 

His own breathing grew erratic, his lungs ached for oxygen. Every step was laced in pain, his feet seeming to get stuck on the floor but still the tunnel stretched endlessly ahead.

 

 

Was he moving at all? It was of no use. Hopeless. Warmth dripped over his chin in fluid desperation.

 

 

Urging himself, he forced his body to cooperate, continue to run a race in which his chances of winning were so slim they barely even existed. But the end was close. He could feel it.

 

 

 

Suddenly, a scream filled the momentary silence in between the murderous cries of machines. It took a while for him to realize that the horrible sound had been drawn from his own throat before agony filled his left arm. 

 

 

 

Metal buried itself into his flesh. He didn’t know what had happened that caused him such torment, nor did he think about checking, his only thought being dedicated to keep his body moving, to not give in. The pain was excruciating, crawling up his legs in form of cramps while he feared the ground beneath to give in with every step he took. The surface under his feet shook from the raw energy unlashed upon it by the hunters firing with heavy charge that had the fleeting boy's name written on it. How long until the pavement gave in and ended the chase for him?

 

 

 

That tenacious darkness engulfed every single intake of breath, enveloping his senses that only now, slowly awakened. All of a sudden, pictures started flooded his mind in gathering torrents, his memory rebuilding with all the details, all the information one needed to know about themselves. A groan eased from his lips to marry into the tension-filled air, the sudden burst of sensations and emotion too much to handle all at once and his pace slowed down for the fraction of a minute, lost in a whirl of images he couldn't place nor identify as his own. He didn't have time for this. He needed to run, focus. The throbbing of his own heavy pulse in his eardrums blended out the sounds of weapons pointed at him, chasing, hunting, aiming for his death.

 

 

'Run or die', the canons mocked. And their loud menacing somehow managed to drive his attention back to the main aim; Get out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were getting too close. He could hear their engines hissing, their hot breath on his neck. Slowly, light crept into his vision, growing brighter as it dis- and reappeared irregularly beyond his eye lids that now sprung open to reveal the coming end of his escape.

 

 

 

A gate of light unsealed in front of him, signaling the end of the tunnel, the end of the hunt. It all came down to seconds now. 

 

 

 

He was so close to freedom,  could smell the heady, penetrating damp stench of Seoul’s streets at night, the humidity soaking through his clothes, cool against his sweat coated skin that tingled with adrenalin.

Raven bangs stuck to his forehead, dark eyes beneath keeping their gaze straight forward. He didn't dare to look back, didn't want his hopes to be crushed until the very last second he still breathed. His whole preception narrowed down on the destination ahead, bright and inviting seemed the world beyond the gate of light leading outside. The hauling of bloodthirsty machines and weapons faded, pain ceased to exist as hope took over, sending a new rush of determination through his being and driving him forth, beyond what he had ever dreamed of achieving. 

 

 

 

 

A loud clanking of metal against metal, an electric crisp in the air and the shockwave hit him. The ground beneath felt as if it was being pulled away under his feet like a carpet, gravity shifted, all his senses screaming in alart. The next instant his arms shot upwards, shielding his head as his body was thrown through the air.

 

 

The invisible force carried the boy another few feet through the corridor before it released its grip and left his body to the mercy of gravity.

 

 

 

The ground found him. The force of the blow, however, let his body scatter across the floor, powerless against the physical energy. The young male didn't waste a second, immediately gathering himself and managing to get to his knees and seconds after to his feet again to resume his escape.

 

 

With a soft hobble, he continued his sprint, disregarding the sharp pain that shot through his system and tainted his vision red.

Warm fluid trickled along his left side, lacing his torn clothing and leaving a crimson witness on the cold floor with every step he took.

 

 

His vision blurred, his hearing penetrated by a high-pitched tone, ears ringing. The shallow sound of attacks being launched at him, the flickering lights and the stench of burnt flesh merely preceivable to him anymore.

 

 

 

He had lost. There was no way he was going to make it with the hunters catching up so quickly. They were machines while he was merely human. He stood no chance. The realization let his heart batter hard against his chest, cold sweat mingled with blood, coating his body in an eerie glow in the white lights dangling from the ceiling to his left and right. 

 

 

 

 

He was close, so close, too close to not at least try and with a strangled cry he sped up once more, running hand in hand with desperation and death.

 

 

A wave of heat reached out for him from behind once more, but this time its lethal claws of fire came so close that the blaze was gnawing at his hair line. The sounds produced by the blow vibrated in his guts so near and protruding but none of it reached him, his only thought being dedicated to the exit ahead. It wasn't far anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

The first, promising rays of moon light bathed the floor under his soles in a silvern glow, a silent whisper of freedom.

 

 

The escapee's sight blurred out around the edges, his steps grew heavy, muscles strained to move. The world in front of him shifted when the boy eventually made the last step, crossing the line to the nirvana that was the maze of Seoul's streets and alleys.

 

 

 

The pavement was wet underneath his feet, soft rain painting little dark dots on his sweat drenched clothing as he threw himself sideways, ducking behind the corner as soon as he stepped out of the tube.

 

 

Just a split second after his exit, a giant explosion tore the entrance of the tunnel apart, sending rocks and metal soaring through the air in hot gushes of embers and fire. A coughfit got a hold of him as his lungs inhaled the hot dust wich caught in his throat, scratching, itching and burning its way into his system. His body bent forwards, his whole being rocking with heavy chokes and pained sobs, his vision blackening and lungs burning from the searing intrusion and lack of oxygen. 

 

 

 

As the burn finally lessened, the young man found himself on his knees, the black pavement between his hands tainted with crimson blotches. A shaky hand rose to whipe the bloody remnants off his mouth, smearing the dark fluid onto his cheek and wrist instead while the other set of fingers searched for the wall to steady himself as he pulled himself up again. 

 

 

Suddenly he was keenly aware of the pain in his arm, blossoming due to the decreasing amount of adrenalin in his bloodstream, but he didn't dare looking at the gapping wound for fear of the simple awareness of it worsening the pain.

What mattered more than everything was finding shelter and surviving the night without getting caught by the hunters.

 

 

He had made it, at last, and a pang of relieve threatened to let his knees grow weak again.

Despite his body's clear demands, he kept himself up, stumbling into the next alley. His shoulder leaning heavily against the wall for support as he moved inch by inch. He advanced only painfully slow and was aware of it but the fact of at least managing to move at all soothed his urging paranoia. 

 

 

He still was far from being safe. The young male might have made it past the defense system of the new Seoul Tower claiming the sky above him but yet they might still come for him. The west entrance to the tower might have been blocked by the rocks and debris of the last detonation but that wouldn't hinder the hunters for long. They would find another way to get him if the System wanted them to. It was just a matter of time. 

 

 

His knees shook as he eased himself from the shadowing wall and proceeded to gain as much distance as possible, dragging his wrecked figure as far away  from the white colossus in the center of Seoul's heart as he could. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unseen, were the observant eyes of the watcher on top of the giant tower, having followed the boy's - Tao's - every step with the hint of a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Credits for the main image to duendeverde at deviantart!]