LOCATION: UNKNOWN FACILITY | TIME: ??
The alarms were screaming.
White mist from cracked coolant pipes swirled around him as Kisimoto crouched, bare skin against the freezing metal floor. His breath came out ragged, muscles tense. He had only seconds before they regrouped.
Focus.
His body still tingled from the burst of energy that had almost torn him apart. The towel wrapped around his waist was barely holding, but that was the least of his worries. He had to move.
With a blur of motion, he sprinted down the corridor. Cameras turned, red lights blinking as automated turrets clicked into position.
Too slow.
By the time they fired, he was already gone.
OUTSIDE THE FACILITY | HIGH-RISE APARTMENT
The wind howled.
Kisimoto crouched atop a random apartment rooftop, hands gripping the edge as he scanned the city below. He had escaped—barely.
His fingers dug into the cold concrete.
He wasn't done yet. They were still inside.
A vibration ran through his body, a sensation he was still getting used to. A presence. A pull. His mother. His sister. He could feel them.
He moved.
INSIDE THE FACILITY | CAPTIVE CHAMBER
The room was small. Sterile. Metal walls lined with thick bolts. A single overhead light flickered as his mother clutched his sister tightly.
Heavy boots approached.
Then—BOOM.
The door didn't just open. It was ripped off its hinges.
Kisimoto stood in the doorway.
The guards barely had time to react before a blur shot forward. In three heartbeats—they were down.
He turned, eyes scanning his mother's face.
"Kisi...?" Her voice was weak, disbelieving.
He exhaled, about to step forward—
Then he felt it.
A presence.
A shadow in the corridor.
The air grew thick. Heavy.
And then—a voice.
"Hah... took you long enough."
Kisimoto froze.
That voice...
A figure stepped forward, blood dripping from his fingertips. A severed head rolled against the floor.
Seventeen years.
Seventeen years since the accident. Since the river. Since they lost him.
But there he was.
ROKO SASUKAN.
Seventeen years old. The long-lost brother.
His eyes were sharp. Wild. His breath came fast—suck, blow, suck, blow. His chest rose and fell, muscles twitching with every inhale.
Then—he smirked.
Tilting his chin up, he whispered, "Run, DUDE!"
The alarms blared louder.
Kisimoto's body tensed.
Roko's smirk widened.
"Won't we escape?!"
Before Kisimoto could respond, Roko let out a breathless laugh.
(chuckles)"F*** IT, KISI! Run!!"
Then—the whole damn place went up in flames.
TO BE CONTINUED...