"Miri..."

His husky and hushed voice wakes me up. My eyelids flutter open at the sound of my best friend's voice. Although my eyes are completely open, I cannot see a single thing. All I can see is black. No matter how hard I try, everything around me seems dark. Pitch black. I start to panic. I can't be blind. No, I can't survive without my sight. No... No... I can't... I just can't-

"Miri. It's fine. You're not blind. It's just... This place we're in... No light can enter..." he whispers to me, cutting off my train of thought, as though he can read my mind. His confirmation that I'm not blind manages to calm me.

Initially, I could not understand why there is a need for us to be in such a horrific and terrifying place. Why do we need to be in a place where we cannot even see what's in front of us? And not only that, we are in an enclosed space. I am almost certain that there is no food or fresh water in here. Doesn't it lower our chances of survival? That is, if there was even any chance in the first place.

Then, slowly but surely, I start to remember.

A girl's scream echoed throughout the room, breaking the eerie silence. There was fear in her scream, so much fear and terror. I could not even recognise that the scream was my own. The fear in her - my - voice was so prominent and it sounded so foreign to my ears. Fear, after all, is something quite foreign to me. But there's a first time for everything, isn't there?

I tried to flail my arms in an attempt to escape from this prison, but failed due to the restraints that were holding my arms and legs down. Unable to free myself from the metal table I was strapped on, I screamed.

"Wil!" I yelled.

I screamed for my best friend - my only friend - over and over again.

"Wil! Wil! Wil!" I hollered until my throat felt coarse and raw. I screamed until my voice broke. "Wil..." I sobbed, tears streaming endlessly down my face. I couldn't wipe them away; my arms were still being held down by restraints.

I suddenly felt suffocated, as though someone had squeezed all the air out of my lungs. I gasped for breath. Every so-called 'breath' I took felt like I was inhaling fire. It was pure torture to breathe. I just wanted to stop breathing. Unfortunately for me, it was necessary for my survival. Finally, after the seemingly never-ending period of torture, I could finally feel oxygen enter my lungs. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I barely managed to crane my neck to see my surroundings. Several people in white lab coats stood around the operating table I was strapped to. They were wearing masks and most held on to clipboards, jotting down some notes once in a while. As much as I strained to hear what they were saying though they weren't speaking particularly quietly as I could still hear their muffled voices. I wonder why.

All of a sudden, what felt like a thousand needles pierced into my skin. I yelped in pain. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth in vain to try and stop the pain. I could see all sorts of chemicals being injected into my body out of the corner of my eye. I do not know half the chemicals and whether or not they would induce pain and harm to me. And the worst thing is that I am completely helpless and I can't do anything to help myself. All I can do is lie here and let these strangers inject unknown chemicals into my bloodstream. Oh joy.

As they were pulling the needles out of my skin, I started to feel drowsy. No. I can't fall asleep, not now. This was the worst possible time to fall asleep. Not when a group of suspicious strangers had just injected these weird chemicals into my body. Who knew what they were going to do with me. For all I know, I could be a mere experiment to them. Who am I kidding? Nevertheless, I can't sleep. I have a more important task at hand, which is to escape the clutches of my captors.

"Wil! Wil! Wil! Will! Will!" I screamed his name repeatedly, thrashing about. Somehow, just shouting his name made me a little calmer. I kept yelling for my friend over and over and over again until slumber finally won me over.

I shudder at the horrifying memories of when I was still at the research laboratory. Subconsciously, I had started to cry. Tears start streaming endlessly down my cheeks. Instinctively, I wipe it away with the back of my hand, only for my cheeks to be wet again by fresh tears.

I don't want to relive that terrible stage of being a mere experimental species in the research lab. I don't want to go back there, back to the way things were before.

Suddenly, I feel as though the world is closing in on me. My breaths start to quicken, my heartbeat speeds up considerably and I start to panic. The walls - which I can't even see - starts to move in, making me feel like I'm trapped in a tight space, which, technically, I am already in. Curse my claustrophobia, making me panic at such a time. And to think, I had supposedly been created without any fears. After all, I am supposed to be the 'perfect being'. Evidently not. And the worst thing is that I don't even know if I am really in an enclosed space or not. I probably am though.

"Don't worry. There's nothing to worry about. We've escaped and we're alive and we're together and that's the only thing that matters," he whispers into my ears in an attempt to calm me. Thankfully, it worked.

He is right. There's no point to give in to my fears now. Not when we've finally escaped hell. I try to stop panicking and worrying too much. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly but surely, my heartbeat returns to its normal rate and the panic ebbs away. However, I keep my eyes closed, not trusting myself enough to open them. It didn't matter either way. I couldn't see anything anyway.

"Come on," he says quietly. For some reason, the sound of his voice comforts me.

He takes my right arm and slings it across his shoulder, to both support me and guide me through this unknown place. Though I can't really tell where we are without the light, the feeling of sharp, rough and slightly moist rocks beneath my feet gives me the impression that we are in a cave. Which, judging by the echoes made when Wil was talking just now, is probably true.

After walking for what seems like eternity, I spot a small ray of light streaming in from somewhere up ahead. Excited, I say, "Look! The exit!" Of course, it might just be a crack in the wall or something of the sort, but there is no harm in being optimistic right?

He looks at me and chuckles. "Oh Miri," he says while shaking his head. "Ever the optimistic one."

I blush, embarrassed.

We walk the rest of the way towards the light in silence, focusing on crossing the rough and uneven terrain instead. Suddenly, I trip against a rather tall rock. It scrapes me knee, just slightly. I yelp in surprise. I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the impact. But it never came. Fortunately, Wil manages to catch me just before I hit the ground.

When I open my eyes, I realise that we are merely inches apart from the way I can feel his hot breath on my face and his body warmth. I look straight into his eyes. It's too dark to see the colour of his eyes or the warmth in them that normally calms me. Instead, with the aid of the dim light, I see a swirl of unknown emotions in his eyes. It's as though he is having mixed feelings about something. My face flushes, both from the heat of being in such an enclosed space without moving air and from how close we are.

"Umm... I'm... I'm sorry," Wil stutters, helping me to my feet.

"Sorry for what?" I ask, confused.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. Never mind," he whispers.

I struggle to find something to reply. However, I could not find any. An awkward silence settles between us as we assist each other in crossing the rocks to avoid any more accidents. As we approach the light, it turns out my optimism was for nothing. In fact, it really is just a crack in the wall. On the bright side, we now know that we are not too far underground.

We walk a short distance more before needing to rest. The lack of food and water has taken its toll on us. I sit on a somewhat smooth rock and Wil sits on an identical one next to me. Aside from our heavy breathings and the occasional sound of trickling and dripping water, everything is completely silent.

"Hey," he says, breaking the silence, turning to look at me. "Remember the first time we met?"

I smile. "Yes, of course. How could I forget?" I reply in a whisper.

I sat in the corner of the room, hugging my legs. My dark brown hair fell in front of my face, forming a curtain of hair, preventing anyone else from seeing me, or in this case, preventing him from seeing me. I was thrown into this room by them and have been in here ever since. I did not know exactly how long that was as there was absolutely no way to tell the time in this peculiar room.

The walls in this room were completely white, with not even a single trace of dirt or stain. A single fluorescent light bulb on the equally white ceiling lit up the whole room. There wasn't a single window in the room nor any sort of openings aside from the sole electronic metal door. I wonder how I could still breathe without fresh air coming in.

There has not been a single contact with the outside world ever since I was put into this room, aside from the guard who brought our meals. I have no idea what their goal is by putting the two of us in this strange room. I wonder when they're going to let us out.

"Hey," he said, trying to break the tenseness in the room.

This was not the first time he attempted to start a conversation with me. However, as usual, I ignored him. As bored as I might be, I have absolutely no intention of interacting with a stranger. For all I know, he could be a murderer or serial killer or something along those lines. But then again, they did tell me that he's the other experiment. He's just like me.

"Hey," he tried yet again.

I heard footsteps approaching me. He crouched down in front of me and tucked my hair behind my ears. I cringe at his touch.

"As much as I'd hate talking to someone I don't know as well, we can't just keep ignoring each other. We've only got each other's company in here. Might as well make the most out of it."

Tentatively, I raised my head to look at my only companion-though still a stranger - in this room. I found myself staring into the eyes of a boy. Even though we were stuck in this room for what seemed like eternity, he still looked as calm as ever, unlike me. His chocolate brown eyes were warm and had a calming effect on me. His black hair was kept casually unkempt, falling over his eyes. He had a genuine smile on his face which implied that he was pleased to meet me.

"H-Hello," I stammered.

He chuckled at my attempt to converse with him. "There's no reason to be scared. I don't bite."

I have all the reason to be afraid, especially what they did to me and, I assume, to him as well. Nevertheless, I forced a smile. "Ok," I whispered back.

"Well, what's your name?" he asked.

"Umm... I don't have one."

He smiled. "It's okay. I don't have one either." He paused, as though thinking about what to say next. "How about we choose a name for each other?"

I gulped, starting to feel nervous. What was he trying to do? "Umm..." I started, biting my lower lip in nervousness before trailing off.

"Yes? No? Ok, I'll take it as a yes. Well... Let's start with you." He flashed a smile at me. His carefree attitude made me smile. Feeling shy and embarrassed, I ducked my head, not wanting to let him see my smile. Obviously, he saw it, as he chuckled at me. "Well, how about Miri?"

"Miri?" I asked. "Why Miri?" I looked up, straight into his eyes.

"Because you are beautiful. Like a miri flower."

Embarrassed, I blushed. "Really?"

"Yes, you do."

My cheeks flushed to an even deeper shade of red. "Thank you," I said softly.

He chuckled. I expected him to continue, but he didn't. I felt as if he was waiting for me to continue, which he probably was. So I did.

"How about you?" I said, slowly but surely starting to feel comfortable talking to him and being around him. "How about Wil? With one 'l' instead of two so that it's more unique."

"Why Wil?" he asked me with a smile on his face that reaches his eyes.

Gosh, he never stopped smiling since we started talking. "Because we're everything they want to be. We're born out of desire and will. And thus, Wil."

We both remained silent after that comment. Well done, I scolded myself, now he's just going to ignore you for the rest of our stay here because you brought up such a sensitive subject. Bravo.

However, much to my surprise, he replied, "I love it."

I giggled. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. Because that means that we'll always be a lot better than they'll ever be."

"I love the name Miri too."

"Then it's official. Nice to meet you. I'm Wil." He extended a hand.

I shook it and replied, "It's nice to meet you Wil. I'm Miri."

 I smile at the memory and my cheeks tinged a pale red.

"What are you thinking about?" Wil asks, curious.

"About the time we first met. And about how our names came about." I laugh. "I still remember how scared I was of you. I was so afraid to talk to you. And when I conversed with you for the first time, I was so suspicious of you. And now? Look at us."

He chuckles. "You were suspicious of me?" he asks, obviously amused.

"Yes I was. Don't judge me."

"I'm not!" he says, laughing.

"Yes you are," I accuse, trying to come off fierce but the fact that I am laughing so hard as well made that attempt useless.

"Whatever you say, Miri, whatever you say. Anyway, we really should go now. I want to spend as little time as possible in this... Place..."

I couldn't agree more with him. He helps me to my feet and we continue walking. It is not easy to cross uneven terrain in such a tired condition as well as the lack of light, although it is getting easier and easier to see as we approach the now clearly visible exit. Both Wil and I almost fell several times. But we were always there to catch each other before we fell. We help each other as we walk on the rocks. I am so grateful that I am not here alone. At least if I'm walking through this tunnel with Wil, I know that he will always be there to help me. And that alone is enough motivation for me to continue our seemingly pointless and never-ending journey.

After walking for ages, and acquiring several cuts, scrapes and bruises here and there, the exit finally comes into clear view, merely several meters in front of us. I have never been happier to see the exit of any place before. Adrenaline courses through my veins as excitement builds up. We're finally getting out of this tunnel. Wil tugs at my arm, a silent gesture to ask me to hurry up. We walk through the rocky ground quickly in anticipation to get out of this cave.

When we finally stumble out of the cave, I have never felt happier to see light. As happy as I may be, I am still exhausted. The most exhausted I have been since I can remember. I collapse onto the ground to take a much needed break. Wil soon comes into view.

"Hey lazy bones," he says, chuckling.

I laugh. "I'm not lazy. I'm tired."

"Sure you are," he teases, lying down beside me.

"Hey Wil?" I whisper, too tired to speak any louder.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. I don't think I would have survived being in that cave if I were alone."

"No problem. After all, isn't that what friends are for?"

I close my eyes with a smile on my face. I am happy. Happy that we've escaped the lab. Happy that we've finally gotten out of the tunnel. Happy that I am able to start a new life, to create a new identity for myself. But most of all, I'm happy that I am able to experience all of these with my best friend by my side.

And before I know it, I black out from the exhaustion.

Well, hello guys. I have finally posted Chapter 1 of Run. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave your thoughts about this chapter, or this story as a whole, in the comments below. I don't mind constructive criticism. Always looking for ways to make my works better. :D Anyways, time for me to say some random stuff. You can skip it if you want but if you read it, thank you!

So, I've been thinking... I might want to start blogging AGAIN. I have tried and failed several times in the past few years. But after watching vlogs on YouTube, I've decided to try again. I'm lazy to edit videos so often, so even if I vlog, it wouldn't be anytime soon. So, what do you guys think? Should I start blogging again?

Also, on Twitter, Secondhand Serenade followed me! I'm so excited! Thank you so much John for following me! In case you guys don't know, I have a newfound like in Secondhand Serenade's songs and so this is super duper exciting. :DDDD If any of you want to follow my Twitter account, it's @angelyntjf and if you want me to follow you, PM me or comment below. :)

Before I leave, I just want to wish you guys a happy day and week ahead. Also, EARLY MERRY CHRISTMAS! It's my favourite season in the entire year (yes, I like it more than my birthday) so I'm super excited. So excited, that I've already bought gifts for my friends. Still thinking what I should get for my family though. Anyway, see you guys soon! I hope. I'll try to update once a week so that I can get back into the flow of writing. Bye! :D

Love, Angie