He pulled the IV line from his arm — the last drop of clear fluid clung to the tip of the needle.
Then, suddenly,a faint beep... echoed from the corner of the room.The flat-screen TV on the wall flickered to life, even though no one had touched it.
On the screen appeared only a few cold lines of text:
Subject 99, Name – ?, Age – 15
No sound. No movement. Just those words, blinking slowly — as if mocking him.
"...Subject 99?" he murmured, his voice hoarse and unsure.Before he could think further, the door behind him creaked open.
A figure stepped inside — draped in a dark cloak from head to toe.In its hand glinted a knife, catching the harsh light above.
"Hey—" he started, but the blade was already swinging toward him.
He froze — the only instinct he had was to raise his right arm to block. Cold metal slashed across his forearm.
Pain shot through him, white and sharp. He stumbled back, gasping, his mind blank with shock.
He gritted his teeth and pulled away, forcing himself to move. There was no time to think — only to run.
He kicked the hospital bed aside and bolted out of the room. His footsteps echoed down the sterile hallway — thud... thud... thud...
His heart pounded. Cold sweat ran down his spine.He didn't know who — or what — he was running from.All he knew was that if he stopped, it would be over.
After only a few steps, his right leg seized up — heavy, almost frozen in place.
"What—" he gasped, stumbling to the floor.A sharp pain flared through his thigh, though there was no wound.
He forced himself to look down, trembling."...No... what's happening...?"
His voice faltered into silence.The only thing he could hear now... was the sound of footsteps approaching from the far end of the corridor.
Thus ends Chapter 1st.