I throw the note in the toilet and flush. I'm relieved, but can I really trust him? I guess the only way to find out is to see how it ends.

I could die here.

I need to leave.

I change into some pajamas that were in the dresser. A large hoodie and sweatpants reminds me of home except this is not home.

Not home at all. 

I have to go see where my grandmother was. I never got to say goodbye. I get up from the floor and go to the creepy hospital hall I was just in moments ago. I want to say that I hope the man who was drilling into my grandmother that I stabbed was okay, but I don't really care.

They're killing my people.

They deserve to rot in hell.

I finally come across the room in which I saw my grandmother's dead corpse. 

Instead of my grandmother, it's the girl who gave me food on my way to wherever Montreal is.

She's dead.

I suddenly see this ominous shadow behind her move.

My heart rate starts to rise.

My hands are shaking.

"Is that you, Darkness?"

"I have a name"

"...What's your name?"

"Atticus, idiot"

I look behind me and sigh in relief. I watch as he's literally rolling on the floor in laughter.

For fuck's sake.

As he's laughing we hear cracking noises next to us. The body of the girl is moving.

"She was dead right?"

I look at Atticus and he's standing there frozen in fear.

"Atticus!" I shout his name.

No response.

I look at the body of the girl, I forgot her name. She stands up and her eyes are black.

She speaks;

"He watches me and listens to me. Whispers while caressing me.

No one will want someone so rough, so disgusting, a failure that is never good enough.

I feel safe, in his arms. Where he lies, no one can see. Yet he will never leave, as he lurks in the shadows, towards the absence of light.

He forces the darkness, upon me. Like a fox, after a rabbit. A murderer, after it's victim. Ripped innocence, torn from me. From the depths, of my very own mind.

He calls my name, with such disgust. As he calls me, I run to him. Only for him, do I run. Leaving me, with no way to escape, once I am in his grasp.

And so I collapse in his arms. That holds his cigar, sending black fumes, roughly down my throat. While slowly killing, any positive thing in me.

When I am away, he stands there. Not near but not far. Stares at me, from the corner of my mind.

The darkness that surrounds him, will soon envelop me. Such comfort it brings. Such familiarity he springs.

He calls to me and I run. I run in his arms.

As he catches and caresses me and tells me that

I am a monster. I will never be good enough. A creation that I've made. He will always be in my mind. And we will always be intertwined."

Her mouth opens and dark smoke comes out of her mouth towards me.

In an ominously unpropitious way.

I run but there's no way to escape it.

It's so much faster than me.

If I'm going to die, I should die with my dignity.

I halt to a stop and let it come towards me.

I inhale the thick cold smoke.

I go back in the past to when I was younger, around the age of five I think. 

"You can't do this to us, especially to Adaya!"

I hear my mother's voice. I'm in my old room in the house we used to live near my grandmother. I'm playing with some blocks but instead, I stop and listen.

"I had no choice, I had to say yes!"

I don't remember any of this. My mom is really in distress about something dad did.

"You could've chosen to be alive, with us, we could've dealt with the consequences later!"

"And have the whole world die within a month because of the darkness, because I couldn't say yes?!"

I hear my mother break down and cry.

"It's going to be okay, just tell her I'm still working, the government will just think I'm missing in action, everything will be okay. I wish to not see you like this. I wish things could be different. Adaya is special, she will survive, I know it. It's going to be okay, you're going to be okay, you're strong, I won't let them harm you two unless it changes me and if it does, show me no mercy. Show me NO mercy understand?"

My mother still crying, "Yes, I understand".

I come back to Atticus shaking me on the floor.

"ADAYA, WAKE UP!"

I groan, my head still feels fuzzy.

"I'm up, I'm up." I say, my mouth is dry.

What was that? Was that real?

"I'm so tired of this Atticus and it's only the beginning, I just want it over with already."

"Shh, it's going to be okay."

He picks me off from the ground gently and I fall asleep crying in his arms.

I wake up to the sound of my door opening and I shoot up in bed startled.

A shadow of a man follows in and closes the door. 

The temperature of the room rises to the point that my breath creates fog.

"Are you...?" I say groggily.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you here to kill me?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

"It is not the right time, you have to listen carefully, you have to get out tonight or they will kill you."

"Do I know you?"

"No."

The darkness disappears and the door opens revealing Atticus.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm fine don't worry, but you're okay... right?"

"Of course."

"I need to leave tonight, do you think we can do it?"

His eyes widen. "Uh, I think so, but it would be better to plan accordingly instead of just rolling with it."

"I know but I have to, tonight."

"Why does it have to be tonight?"

"I can't tell you exactly why but I know that they're going to kill me tonight and I can't let that happen."

He starts pacing back and forth.

My stomach grumbles and he looks at me.

"Let's just focus on one thing at a time, we need to eat so once that's done we will plan for your escape tonight."

I nod and follow him.

The cafeteria is huge, I see all of my neighbors and they all stare at me blankly.

I can't let them die either.

We get food and sit alone together side by side.

"We can't let them die."

He furrows his eyebrows in frustration.

"I know but let's just get you out and then we think of a plan to get them out after."

"Why would I be any more important than them?"

I lock eyes with him.

"I know you're not normal, and I think you know that too."

I break eye contact with him.

"Alright, well how do I get out of here?"

He moves closer to me and my heart flutters a little.

He whispers next to my ear, "Underground, there's a tunnel, you can stay at my place since the exit is near there. You'll be on your own but it's the only solution since this is last minute. I know you can do it. There's a vent under your bed, I chose your room especially for this reason. Leave at sundown."

"So I go down the vent towards underground and follow the vent but how do I know where you live?"

"I will be waiting for you on the other side since it's when I finish my shift, just wait for me there okay?"

"Okay."

I go back to my room and wait until the sun goes down.

I hope to whoever that is listening to my prayers, that I will make it out alive. I hope.

It's sundown. I move my bed and there's a loose vent under the bed just like he said. Just as I am moving the bed over the vent, the door opens and guards barge in. 

Just my luck.

I have time to make it before they find the vent.

I slowly move the vent over the hole and continue down the ladder.

Once I finally reach the ground, I make a run for it.

Hopefully, it's not far.

My mind goes back to when I was running away from those people and I trip on some rocks.

"Fuck!" I gasp.

As I fell my knee hit a rock straight on.

My knee is badly bleeding but I can move it.

I rip up my shirt and bandage my knee tightly. I continue running.

I should be able to make it as long as the guards don't know about the underground tunnel, then I'd be as good as dead.

Sometime later whilst still running, I make it to the end.

Thank god.

I hurry up the ladder and I see that Atticus is there waiting for me, dressed in black.

No guards.

He looks me up and down, suddenly I'm temporarily conscious of my ripped up shirt.

"The guards know I went missing, we need to run."

He nods and we start running.

"Your leg okay?"

"Yes." I grunt.

All we hear is our feet slapping the cold concrete.

Once we arrive, I look at his apartment door that has the number one on it.

I wait for him to open the door with his keys.

Once the door opens, I finally relax and look at my surroundings.

There isn't much other than necessities but it's comfortable.

I groan out of pain from my knee. My skin is completely open.

"Let me take care of it for you."

My breath hitches, "No, no, It's okay, I can do it on my own. Do you have any disinfectant and bandage?"

"Oh uh well yes, bathroom cabinet."

He sounded disappointed but I can't let him see my wound which is already turning white.

I go in the bathroom and close the door.

I take off the bloodied bandage and gasp.

I mean I shouldn't be surprised that my wound is covered in a thick white layer of skin.

You would think it was my own skin, but it's pasty white.

I look at my past wound around my ankle and see that it's the same color as my skin.

With only a small scar.

Hopefully, it'll do the same.

I hear footsteps coming closer to the door.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, don't come in."

"Okay, you on your period or something?"

"What?! No!" I exclaim.

I finish wrapping the bandage and leave the bathroom.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, uh, I mean every girl gets it every month, I have some things for you in case you need it."

He shrugs.

I smile at him.

"Thank you for saving me. Now we need to save the others."

I sit on his sofa.

"First, you need to take a shower. Underground tunnels do not smell good."

I pout at him.

I wrap my knee in plastic as to not wet anything and then I take a shower.

I then remove the plastic that was wrapped around my knee after my shower and wrap myself with a towel.

Fuck, I have no extra clothes.

I come out in just a towel.

I don't know why I'm nervous to do so.

"Atticus?" I call out his name quietly.

He looks at me dead in my eyes and walks towards me.

I walk backwards until my back is against the wall.

He's so close to me.

His bright green eyes appear darker.

"I need some clothes." I barely whisper.

"Oh okay." He whispers back and goes to his room.

"I hope this is okay." He hands me some clothes that seem to be his.

"Thank you, yes of course."

I don't know what happened but my heart was beating fast and I didn't want to run away.

Strange.

I change in his bathroom putting on a large black shirt, black boxers, and black baggy joggings.

I come out and he looks me up and down and smiles.

"Why are you smiling?"

"No reason."

"Oh okay."

"Do you have an extra toothbrush?"

"Yes, under the sink."

I brush my teeth and I sit next to him on the couch.

"Do we plan to get them out tonight or tomorrow?"

He sighs, "I have work tomorrow but we can start planning tonight and finish it tomorrow when I'm back from work."

"Okay, do you have a map of the building?"

"No, but I'll get one tomorrow."

"Okay, then I suggest we do it tomorrow, I'm really tired right now."

I yawn and my eyes droop.

"Okay, you can sleep on the couch and I'll see you tomorrow, good night!"

I smile at him, "Good night Atticus."

I dream of a future that will never happen.

I wake up on my own feeling refreshed.

I look around and his door of his room is open but he's nowhere to be seen.

Must be at work already.

I notice a note on the living room table;

Good morning,

you can make yourself something to eat and here's some money to buy some clothes, I'd suggest buying black clothes. I'll be home around 5:30 pm. The key to the apartment is under the doormat. I can't duplicate it without causing suspicion. 

Be careful,

Atticus

I smile at the note left by him and make myself some toast and eggs for breakfast.

I look on the table and see that he's left around 100$.

Same currency as back home.

That's a lot of money.

I leave the home, lock the door, and leave the key under the matt.

I realize there are clothing shops right in front of his apartment.

Convenient.

I shop for a bit, got some black jeans, black shirts, some bras, underwear, etc.

It's already getting late, I should go back.

I spent 83.25$.

I feel bad but if he's left me that much, it's so I can use it.

I go back to the apartment and notice that Atticus is already there.

I bring the key in.

"I wouldn't leave the key out so I brought it in."

"Smart."

"Here's the rest of the money, I really appreciate everything that you do."

I smile at him and he smiles back. 

"I've ordered some food so we can start while we wait for the food."

I nod and we go to sit on the couch.

"I was thinking of leaving a note in each of their bathrooms letting them know to go underground at sundown and to be careful, but where would they go without causing suspicion? How many are there?"

He puts his hands through his hair out of stress.

"There's only six excluding you, remember when I said that there were others, they're all hiding out, I can leave them a note on my balcony to let them know when the others are going to come out in order for them to escape with them. If uh, if you want to join them you can."

I smile sadly at him.

"I have to, I need to help them."

"Leaving a note in each of their bathrooms is going to be tricky but I do a sweep of their rooms every day to ensure that nothing shady is going on. You write the notes and I'll write a note to the others."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Do each of their rooms have a vent under their bed or was it just mine?"

"Each of them does. Oddly enough."

I sigh. "Sounds too perfect."

"Perfect enough to get them out, but not unnoticed. We will need a distraction."

"How about a bomb? I know how to make one." I smile wickedly.

His eyes widen. "I don't want to know how you know but yes it can work."

"You're going to have to get my bag, they took it away."

He nods agreeably.

The doorbell rings and I jump up.

"It's okay, it's just the food."

I take a deep breath, "Okay."

"Can you hide in my room for a bit?"

I nod and go into his room.

He pays for the food and Atticus comes to open the door.

"Let's eat and start our plan tonight."

"Let's do this." I smile at him.

"Before we start, I'm going to need some answers."

My eyes widen and my heart rate starts rising.

"Okay." I say quietly.