Malakai

Kai watched as people stood and shouted for his freedom.

Voices grew louder as their car crept forward. They had been in traffic for almost thirty minutes, inching their way up until Kai could see the protesters himself. Cars merged into one lane as the other lanes were packed with people.

Kai's eyes quickly glanced at their signs. 'Free The Subjects', 'Free Country',  'They're Still Humans' and some specifically about Subject Zero. In fact, that was the only "name" they knew. But yet, they were on their side.

"This is good, Rosa!" Ingrid beamed as her fingers danced along the steering wheel. "This is what we needed."

Rosalyn nodded back, but all the subjects could do was watch in awe. People stood in a solid line, chanting and hollering about freeing the subjects, about how their lives equal any other humans life. The sight was a blur to Kai; this was all for—them? He had assumed many didn't care. Benedict had made it clear in their minds that they were for the use of others only. Nobody would look at them the same again. Then explain this, Benedict? Kai thought.

"They must not know about our escape, then?" Hyemi asked.

Rosalyn shook her head as the car slowly moved forward. "I assume no. I'm sure they'll give it a couple more hours or longer till it's announced. They don't want to scare the public."

Seb chuckled. "They should be afraid of the public."

Kai rested a hand on the head of Rosalyn's seat as he leaned forward. "You're saying most of the public is afraid of us?"

Rosalyn turned her head. "Benedict showcased you guys as dangerous." She paused. "He said Subject Zero was lethal. People are afraid; they just don't know. If they know you guys are loose, some people will freak."

"So what will happen when the Capitol finally announces our escape?" Hyemi asked.

Ingrid chimed in. "Well, we were assuming the worst. However, it looks like you guys have some people on your side."

The crowd grew louder and wider as they finally approached the front. Their adrenaline made Kai excited; a spark of hope settled into his mind. If people truly cared for the subjects and wanted them free, maybe it could happen. Maybe he would be able to see his family after all.

Ingrid merged into one lane as they passed the people, and traffic dispersed shortly after. The car was silent; Ingrid was beaming and it seemed to radiate to everyone else.

Time went by slowly after that. Kai buckled his knees, his long legs sore from the small space he had in the car. Seb seemed to be struggling too, switching his seating positions every now and then. Hyemi, on the other hand, fit perfectly in her middle seat. Her head would casualty rest on Kai's shoulder, and if she was shrugged off she would switch to Seb's. Ingrid continuously rubbed her eyes; she had been driving for at least six hours, and her eyes must've been strained from staring at the road. Rosalyn, from the outside, did not seem phased, but Kai knew the emotions running through her mind. She was dealing with the separation from her family, but she hid her emotions well with her stone face.

Ingrid finally broke their silence. "One last stop. We're only an hour away, but I want to keep our gas full. The future is pretty unknown so I just want to be safe."

"Smart thinking, ma'am." Seb arched his back and stretched his arms, his hand slapping at Kai's face. He let out a huge sigh, and Rosalyn slowly turned her head back, a slight grin on her face. Kai began to wonder if Rosalyn had actually liked the three of them. It was a stupid thought, he knew, but he was curious. What if she was one of the subjects as well? How would she fit into the 'group'? In slight ways, Rosalyn reminded him of Farrah, although with a lot less worry. Farrah was another subject; she was always trying to maintain order, but she was also a nervous wreck half the time. Hyemi also resembled some of Rosalyn's personality; they were both extremely smart, careful, and assertive when they needed to be.

A part of him almost felt anxious. He was curious to see how the other subjects would think of Rosalyn. Miriam had her judgement about her, but he wondered how Farrah, Becks, and Wolfgang would like her. Strangely it felt like bringing someone into his friend group.

Ingrid pulled into another gas station, a nicer one this time. Kai opened his door, welcoming the warm breeze as he stood up and stretched. Seb whistled as he settled his sunglasses back on, strolling into the store. Hyemi opened the trunk and dug into more snacks, and Ingrid began to pump the gas.

Rosalyn got out and looked at Kai, like she was awaiting his next moves.

"Do you want to go inside?" he asked.

Rosalyn nodded and walked to the door. Kai trailed behind, leaving Hyemi to her snacks. As they walked inside, Kai simply froze.

"What's wrong?" Rosalyn turned around, her eyes scanning him as she read his face. But there was no worry in his eyes.

"There's a lot of—stuff."

"Stuff?" Rosalyn glanced around before understanding. "Oh, like food and drinks?"

He nodded.

He could see she was trying to suppress a laugh; she seemed to do that a lot with him. She gently grabbed his forearm and led him down an aisle. "Take a look."

Memories reappeared as he glanced down the aisle. Memories of him and Novah grabbing their favorite snack before hunting trips with dad, or Kai and his friend riding their bikes to the gas station only to buy energy drinks. The sensation felt—odd, but familiar. He'd been in captivity for three years, he knew he remembered food at a gas station, but it was a small luxury he truly never thought about.

"Anything grabbing your attention?" Rosalyn asked.

He shrugged, but his eyes lit up as he saw something familiar. "Oh! My buddy and I used to get this candy and sneak it into random foods. Sour stuff."

Rosalyn offered him a sad smile. While it may seem sad, Kai was happy to relive some good memories. He took off and strolled down the aisles, even finding food he didn't know existed. Rosalyn went to the restroom as Kai began to shift his attention and look at the drinks.

The search was short-lived when a quick gasp made Kai almost jump out of his skin. He hadn't even seen the woman next to him, staring at him with wide and frightful eyes. Kai froze; did she know who he was? Did they release his photo?

He couldn't even move when the short woman clutched one of his wrists, lifting it to her face. Her brown eyes went wide as she examined it. "Honey, are you okay? There's so many scars around your wrists and hands—"

Unknowingly, a small cry escaped Kai's lips. Everything inside of him screamed at him to run, to flee from this woman, but his body was stuck. He felt paralyzed as the stranger's eyes moved up to his arms. "Oh—oh my goodness! You have scars everywhere. What happened here? Are you okay?"

Don't touch me, he begged. He wished he could tug his arm away from her, or at least ask her to stop, but his eyes could only stare.

The woman did not loosen her grip, even as a few people slid by. She awaited an answer, but only tears could make their way out. Seeing his watering eyes made the woman question him even more. "Honey, are you okay? Are you hurt right now?"

But Kai could not reply. He was fear-struck, because all his scars and marks of horrific memories led back to one man—Benedict.

And while the woman's grip was not too strong, he fell into a flashback, of the many times Benedict snatched his wrists. He could constantly feel the mans calloused hand death-gripping him, dragging his body by his wrist, bruising and scarring it. He could feel Benedict slip cuffs around his fragile skin, the cuffs making their permanent mark. Then his scars traveled up his body, where Benedict had tortured, experimented and punished him. He saw it all, and Kai could not fight back what his mind was seeing.

And even if he tried to flee, Kai was paralyzed with fear. He was trained and taught to never run or push back against Benedict, so instead he froze in fear every time the man went up to grab him. It was programmed inside of him, and even as the woman touched him, he couldn't dare move in anticipation of what Benedict would do.

But he's not here, Kai. He's not here anymore.

As the woman let go, Kai cried and shoved his hand against his chest, as if he was hiding it from Benedict. But he could only see, only feel, the man smile. God, this man took over his whole being; he was always lurking within him, reminding Kai who he truly belonged to. And the worst part, Kai was aware. He was aware that this was nothing but a flashback, and the woman truly meant no harm, but no matter, Kai couldn't move.

He barely registered Rosalyn's arm wrapped around him, her body close as she looked at the woman. "Excuse me?" she hissed. "He has a skin disease. Scars easily. Is there anything else you'd like to know about his personal life?"

The woman stepped back. In Kai's mind, Benedict stepped back, waving slightly. See you later, he said. Soon enough the woman and Rosalyn came back into full view. Kai had barely realized he was leaning against Rosalyn, almost with his entire weight.

"I'm so sorry—I didn't know."

"And why should you know?" Rosalyn glared.

The woman's face reddened as she backed away. She muttered another apology as she disappeared from sight.

"Malakai," Rosalyn whispered, but all he could hear was Benedict's eerie voice. He didn't fight against her arm around him; it felt oddly comforting, but it also felt heavy. Somehow, they managed to exit the store. As Rosalyn guided him to the car, Kai looked up and saw the person he needed most.

Seb was ready. He grabbed Kai's shoulder as they both sunk down on the hard gravel. His hand pressed tightly against Kai's chest; a routine move that Seb had done countless times. It was the reminder to Kai that he was there, breathing, experiencing, and as Seb's hand moved with his fast beating heart, it calmed him.

It was as though he was still stuck in a flashback, because he imagined himself stumbling back into the cell, desperately reaching out to Seb. And he was always there. Seb could tell when Kai needed it the moment he stepped back into the cell, and he was always prepared. Seb was his safety net; it was as if he couldn't calm down until Seb was there. They both knew it was borderline unhealthy, that Kai could only calm himself if Seb was near and how that was dangerous, but that was a work in process.

The cell soon turned to the ground of a gas station as Kai stood up again, but Seb stayed close. "I'm fine. Just a flashback."

"A woman grabbed his wrist. Asked about his scars," Rosalyn said. She spoke softly, careful with her words. He found it soothing.

Seb scoffed. "Damn. Why don't people just mind their own business?"

"It's okay," Kai said. "She just wanted to make sure I wasn't hurt." Funny, how Benedict had twisted his mind. Minutes ago he was paralyzed with fear at the woman's touch, and now he was standing up for her.

And it's likely what Benedict wanted. Memories poked at the scars, and the scars revealed trauma, and trauma brought him back to the palm of the creater. It was a cycle that Kai was trapped in.

Everyone stared at Kai, waiting for his next move. They never pestered him into talking or explaining, and that in itself was comforting. Kai reiterated that he was alright, and they all cramped back into the car and drove off.

Kai was alright, but the cycle would only begin again, and he didn't know if Benedict would ever allow it to stop.

-

By watching Ingrid's body language, Kai could tell they were close to her cabin.

The tar road turned to gravel as Ingrid exited the main road, driving down numerous backroads. Everyone was ready for the drive to be over, but Ingrid was ready to be in her cabin again, in a part of her identity.

She was right when she said it was tucked away in the woods. It was a long and narrow driveway until Ingrid finally parked the car in front of a medium-sized log cabin. It looked like a classic cabin Kai saw in photos. The woods surrounded the single house; it reminded Kai of life back home, and his shoulders began to relax. He wanted to walk into the woods and explore so badly.

For now, everyone gathered bags of food and clothes from the trunk and walked into the cabin. While the place seemed tidy, it was layered with dust, and every lightbulb was burnt out. The floor creaked at every step, and it smelled of sap and humidity, but this was going to be their home, their safe haven.

Once everyone was inside, Seb took action. He started to walk around, whistling and swaying his hips to his own melody. Ingrid snapped at him and ordered everyone to sit and stand around the counter for some rules.

"Okay, everyone. We need some ground rules. First—don't break any of my things."

While Ingrid must be excited to be here, she kept a calm and collected face. Kai wanted to ask her so many things. When was the last time she was here? Is her husband gone? Did they have any kids? But he kept his mouth shut.

"Secondly, we must keep our voices down, even if we're inside. Shades and blinds are to remain shut, and no putting in new bulbs; that will refrain us from turning lights on by habit. We want this place to look abandoned, but that doesn't mean we can't make it comfortable.

"Tomorrow evening, two people will go into town to search for the others. We'll do that each evening till they arrive. For the time being, I suggest we camp here while forming some backup plans. I'm sure your photos will be released, and then you'll be searched for everywhere by everyone." Ingrid finally paused, her light eyes clouded. "Life will get harder then, I'm afraid."

Seb chimed in, his elbows leaning against the counter. "But until then?"

It was as if he was setting up the sentence for Ingrid. Her warm smile brought light into the room. "For now, you enjoy the freedom with all your being."

•••

Chapter song: Imagination // Foster The People

Hello friends!

A fluff chapter, I realize! Sorry for the lack of action to those of you who want that! For some reason I'm loving writing dialogue and more about the characters' and their interactions with one another—so I guess y'all will have to deal for now, lol.

What do you think so far? I can't believe we're already at chapter eighteen! I believe (although definitely NOT positive) that we are around halfway? But honestly there is SO much I want to cover, there may need to be a second book ;)

Next chapter is going to have 500+ more words than usual! Be blessed.

Vote? Comment? No? That's okay, too. Well, I GUESS it's okay, but, ya know. Comments = Motivation for authors.

Until Next Time,
Grace