AN: Two updates in one day!
I had to break up this chapter into two because it was getting too long... 8D;;
Enjoy!
The Hands of Time
Chapter 6: Breaking Point
"The… correctional facility?" The boy questioned aloud, his voice echoing through the big white room. Shion had never entered the correctional facility before, but he'd heard of it before, and Nezumi had mentioned it here and there. Judging by the vast amount of equipment surrounding him, this had to be the place.
He twisted his neck to look at his body, only to find himself on a white bed lined with paper, and his body full of tubes that looked like the IVs he'd seen in people who needed medical attention. Of course, Shion had never needed one. He'd always been a fairly healthy, bright boy.
The white haired boy, frightened and confused, began pulling the foreign tubes from his body. He choked when he saw the blood begin to stream from his arms.
"No… No! I need this blood to save No. 6, damn it! Don't you see?! I can still create a cure!" Shion snapped, knowing full well that there was no way to stop the bleeding, and no one would hear his pitiful cries.
The only thing left to do was run. Run somewhere safe. Somewhere familiar.
Shion stumbled towards the set of sliding doors before him, leaving a trail of beautiful crimson behind. "No…" He mumbled before uttering a stream of incoherent words and curses.
The white doors slid open with ease, revealing a town made up of shades of orange and brown, painted with streaks of golden sunlight.
The buildings were not what caught his eye, though. The blue and white streamers, balloons, and banners were. The Holy Day.
He clutched one of his bleeding arms tightly, biting his lip to muffle the scream that was building in the back of his throat. Tears streamed from Shion's light red eyes, and did not show signs of stopping.
The boy took a single step forward, his breath catching in his throat. He coughed, sputtering blood onto his hands. It was hopeless. He was losing too much blood.
Shion's knees buckled beneath to him, and he fell into a puddle of his own blood.
He blinked the tears from his eyes, and looked around for some sign of hope. Everyone was gone… They were probably celebrating in the square, that is, if they hadn't already died.
Dead or not, if Shion didn't find help, he would surely die along with the rest of them. It was only a matter of time.
So he sat in the pool of warm fluid, heartbroken and desperate as he whipped his head around.
A figure. A figure stood in the shop window closest to him.
A woman, perhaps? She turned around slowly, revealing a kind face framed by short, wavy brown locks.
It was Shion's mother.
"Mom!" He shouted, his face alight with a spark of hope.
Shion twisted his body around and pushed himself forward, but he could hardly move his limbs. He was too weak.
The woman's soft smile turned to a look of terror, and she clutched at her sides as she keeled over in agony.
Shion watched his own mother cripple, decay, and die, right before his eyes.
Nezumi was right. He couldn't save anyone.
The boy threw his tear-stained face skyward, letting out a series of screams and yells that would surely threaten to damage his vocal cords.
Nezumi shifted slightly on the bed after watching Shion sleep for about an hour. The boy would move here and there, but he was silent, save for a few mumbles and labored breaths.
He wondered to himself what the boy might be dreaming of. Shion's mind was a very active one.
His grey eyes flickered with interest as Shion rolled over once more, the thin blanket slipping from his pale body. Shion's face twisted up in a pained look, his eyebrows knitting together.
"Shion?" Nezumi questioned quietly, not entirely sure if he should wake him.
The boy on the couch let out a piercing scream that tore through the night and echoed through the room for what seemed like an eternity.
"Shion!" Nezumi yelled, jumping to his feet and rushing to Shion's side. It appeared he was biting his lip, and tears were spilling from his closed eyes.
"Hey! Wake up!" The older male demanded, leaning over and gripping Shion's shirt collar with one hand as he raised the other.
Nezumi waited. The smaller male beneath him did not wake. He only let out a choked sob.
Nezumi inhaled and stiffened, as if bracing himself. He slapped Shion across the face and shouted, "Wake the hell up, damn it! Shion!"
The white haired boy finally opened those big red eyes of his, looking confused and tired. In an instant, he seemed to have grasped what had happened.
Startled and shocked out of his sleepy state, Shion tried to sit up, only to bang his head against Nezumi's.
"Ow!" Nezumi recoiled, releasing the boy from his grasp.
"What's going on…?" Shion asked, genuinely out of sorts. He looked around the room with a look that suggested he'd never even been there before.
"I think I should be asking you." Nezumi retorted, weaving his elegant fingers through his bangs and rubbing at his forehead gently.