rodrick felt his feet hit the ground as he burst running. this place was terrible, and he didn't need to stay trapped here. they had experimented on him, taking him away, treating him like nothing. as if he wasn't human, like them.

a scream threatened to escape his closed lips, a scream of joy. he had finally escaped from that hellhole, where every day seemed to get longer, every night shorter, as you silently listened to the shrieks of others.

the shrieks eventually disappeared, but they were always in your mind. he could hear them now, the cries of a man for his wife. a child for her mother. a woman for god. they all needed someone. he had no one.

but still, he kept running. for even if he had no one, he was free. freedom was the only thing that mattered. and he had saved someone else as well.

his eyes glanced down, and he could see the sleeping figure of his young daughter, her skin bruised, her breathing a rasp. she slept, cradled gently along the natural curvature of her father's body. he had heard her cries, her screams into the night, crying for help. she needed help.

her mother had died. she had been experimented on so harshly that it class caused her to keel over, surrendering to the reaper himself. his daughter was his. no one would take her away from him.

the young adult stopped for a moment, feeling exhaustion come over his already tired body. he looked around, and sighed in relief. no one had found him. violette was safe.

her skin had the same darkness as her mother's, and her hair formed a mixture of the two. at 10 months old, she had beautiful blue eyes. she was gorgeous.

"it's alright, baby girl. it'll be okay." rodrick whispered, gently touching her hair that had all but fallen out. a tear slipped down his dirty face. "i'll protect you. i'll protect you more than i could protect your mother."

she yawned, though kept her eyes closed. in the distance, the horizon was gray, significant of the coming dawn. the father stood up slowly, beginning to walk. no one had followed them. they were safe. for now.

"we have to keep going, sweetheart. flower, i love you. come on." he trekked on, only feeling the weight in his chest grow heavier with every step.

all he wanted to do was fall to his knees, begging whatever gods there were for forgiveness. he wanted to scream,
cry. but he couldn't. they'd find him. they'd kill violette. she was the only thing he had left.

his speed kept on the same level as he entered the forest that marked the edge of the property. he was almost free. the trees towered above him, just visible in the light of the moon and stars, the sky starting to brighten, frighten the night away.

he heard the bell that indicated the time. 4 am. the time that everyone woke up. he needed to escape. it was time. he sped up, slowly, not wanting to vanquish all his limited energy reserves. he kept turning around, making sure no one was following him. he was prepared. he was going to escape.

if only he'd looked for what was in front of him.

a long, wire cord strung between two trees rested, hidden between two trunks of the tall oaks. he feel, twisting around so his daughter would not be injured. he kept quiet, and felt pain jolt through his body as he hit the cold dirt. he struggled to take a breath, gasping in the cold air.

the shouts of guard rang from just a few hundred meters away. rodrick felt his cold body begin to shake. he couldn't let his daughter be killed. never would he.

the young adult struggled to push himself up, his feet scrambling on wet leaves and undergrowth. he stood up, looking at the flashlights flashing through the run covering of trees.

he ran. the wind couldn't rival him. the sun watched over him with a smile. he scrambled away, terror clawing away at his eyes. he cried, the tears streaming down his face, wiping the dirt away. he was free.

the woods surrounded him, and he didn't know where to go. all he could hear were their distant shouts. they shouted for him. their dogs barked, snuffling the forest ground. if he was lucky, they'd be distracted by the many forest noises and sounds to find him.

all he needed to do was run. hide. escape.

for my wonderful ex wifey. she's an amazing artist, go check out her stuff, seriously!! rockin-rodrick is a great person, and she loves roddy, and because i love her, i will torture her child-son. <33