Run. Run. Run. He thought to himself, his hot breath coming out in pants as his legs moved as fast as they possibly could. You did it. You escaped. There's no way you're gonna get put back in there. He could hear the faint sound of police cars in the distance, a whimpering breath falling from his lips from the resonant lights that shone from the tops of their vehicles. Those sirens were the sound of giving up; they represented the sound of trying to get him to turn back. But he wouldn't. Not this time. There was only one thing he loved more than being free; more than the cool wind blowing in his face as he got away. And it was a secret he had involuntarily unleashed so many weeks before. Or, at least, that was what he was made to believe...

But now he was free. He couldn't let them catch him-no, he wouldn't. They had done unspeakable things to him. At least, they were unspeakable in his opinion; the nightmares he already had were now mixed with the distorted memories of his eyes being forced open, being spat at, being told he was a monster, being struck with canes. If he was caught now, they'd put him to the chair for sure. Someone's eye was always on him. It made him feel as if he was some sort of zoo animal. He barely ever talked to anybody. Not that it mattered, anyway; practically the only person they ever let him speak to was his therapist, whom he felt a slight vestige of distrust for despite the fact that Dr. Thredson was probably the person he was closest to in the institute. He had felt himself growing slowly and undeniably neurotic the entire time he was shut up inside the place, and he needed to be somewhere where he wasn't being watched every second. Or, at least a place where he didn't have that feeling all the damn time.

And so that was his plan. There was nowhere particular he was going, but he just had to get out. After getting a few moments to himself out of constant surveillance, he'd managed to inconspicuously slip his way past them. He ran as fast as he could, out of the parsimonious grasp of Sister Jude and her ill-humored punishments. He was done with being pushed around. He was finished with being referred to as a mental patient. He wasn't crazy, no matter how much his therapist's distinct words of opposition stuck in his head. I know who I am. And I'm not Bloody Face.

Getting caught and muddled up in his restless thoughts, he tripped over his own feet and toppled onto the ground, hissing in pain as he scrambled to his feet again. Shit, shit, shit, he cursed silently as he glanced behind him again, his eyes wide as he made his way into a nearby alley as fast as he could. The police cars were out of sight and the sound of sirens was now distant. Moving as far as he could back into the alley, he allowed himself to lean against the wall, gasping for breath and closing his eyes. He moved his fingers over his face as if to hide it, rubbing his eyes quickly. He tremulously pulled his hands back in surprise at the realization that his face was wet, and glanced up to the starless sky to discover that it was raining. The scrubs he'd been given at the asylum were muddy (and, undoubtedly a bit bloody) from when he fell, his brown hair drooping in his eyes from the weight of the raindrops. Staring up, the moon illuminated just enough for him to be able to see through the darkness. His teeth caught his lower lip in concentration as his thin fingers sought out bricks that were sticking out almost benevolently from the alley wall. Slowly and hubristically, he began to climb his way up.

After a few scares of him nearly falling back on the ground, he had managed to get his way to the roof of the building, casting his gaze around spasmodically and swallowing thickly. The police wouldn't be able to get to him tonight, that was for sure. This guaranteed him one night of safety. He was probably the only man in the state to consider a dirty, rainy rooftop safe.

He closed his eyes, sighing shakily as he shivered from the cool raindrops on his skin. This was what he deserved. No matter how filthy the rooftop was, or how cold and shaky the rain caused him to be, it was still freedom. He had torn himself from the crudely, harshly unpleasant world that Sister Jude was attempting to build for him. He was free.

"Hello?" A voice called, slicing into his epiphany like a butter knife. His eyes flew open, feeling as if his throat was closing up and he would die any second. The voice sounded much too young to belong to a police officer, but he wasn't taking any chances. He stayed completely still, holding his breath. "I… saw you climb up," The voice continued on, as if it was getting closer. "I'm not a police officer, if that's what you were wondering. Uh, if you're gonna kill me, I'll leave, though."

He peeked over the side of the building.

The girl standing there was fairly pretty, but appeared confused. She was staring up at him with deep-set, shiny brown eyes and a somewhat curious look on her face; the rain had flattened her hair down and thin brown strands stuck around her face like a frame. He stayed still, shaking in coldness and fear as their eyes met. He glanced over the girl's attire, finding the simple dress, torn tights, droopy sweater and worn-out shoes strangely charming.

"Are you just going to sit there?" The brunette girl offered a somewhat weak, but sly smile as she spoke. "Seriously. Are you okay? What are you doing up there?" Her resplendent brown eyes shone in curiosity. He still didn't speak. He wasn't even sure if he could anymore. His hands gripped onto the side of the building until his knuckles turned white, watching the girl cautiously. The only movement he made was to shiver in the piercing briskness of the rain. The girl gave a small sigh, impatiently awaiting the boy's reply. He couldn't move. After a small while, she noticed how scared he seemed to be, furrowing her brow almost timidly. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything," She murmured out, but the boy had already disappeared from sight. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning around and moving to walk towards the other side of the alley. "Sorry for trying to help!" She grumbled, beginning to walk as she moved her hair behind her ear.

"Shit!" She gasped out, barely having time to jump back when a certain brown-haired boy landed on his feet next to her a few moments later.