(this is how it starts.)
She is riding on John's back, legs curled tightly around his waist. John is hurtling through the base, and even though he is panting, he does not slow down. He - they - cannot afford to. Just minutes ago, John had managed to sneak into the Commander White Coat's quarters and free her from her prison.
(Although she would never say this to John, she wonders if his scheme would have had the same results if the Commander White Coat had not drank himself into a stupor an hour before.
As he'd broken her out of her cage, John told her he was going to get her out of here, that they were going to escape together, and she had never wanted to hear anything more in her life. He offered his hand to her, and she had taken it eagerly, thinking to herself that she would soon leave this horrific place and never, ever look back.)
John flings a door open so quickly it smacks him in the face. He bellows in pain, rubbing the injured area. When she tells him they cannot slow down for anything, he manages to shake it off, warning her to hold on to him as tightly as she can, as hell is about to break loose any moment now. As if on cue, a vile sound then fills the base: it is a high-pitched, wailing scream, and it slowly dawns on her that the Commander White Coat must have woken up and found her to be missing.
"Don't worry; we're almost there," John says, nearing a door that will lead them to freedom. He certainly seems confident, but there is a slight trembling in his voice, and she understands he is saying this to himself as much as he is to her. "We're so close."
When John yanks the door open, a blast of cold air greets them: they have made it out of the base. As John dashes away from the building, Pigment knows if she were to look up, she would be able to see the stars. But they will have to wait. Now, all that stands between her and safety is an enormous fence, far too high for John to climb.
"Pigment? Do you, uh, mind helping me out?" he murmurs, and she immediately realizes what he is asking of her.
Pigment leaps to the ground and lays a hand on the fence's chains. She concentrates, willing the barrier to nothingness. Not a second later, the entire fence completely vanishes. John bends down, allowing Pigment to climb onto his back, and after she wraps her arms around his neck, he grabs her ankles and takes off into the desert. She does not know where they are going, but she finds herself unbothered by this. All that matters is she is going far away from the base.
She is safe.
She is finally safe.
(this is how it starts.)