"across the room…" Alex said looking at her incredulously. Celia chuckled and went back to her bed, the clinic was now empty and only two of them seemed to be left here.
The other patients might have been taken out while they were asleep, as Alex was contemplating about somethings, the door opened and Seven came in.
"You girls seem to be comfortable, i have come to test you two" Celia looked at him, her dull eyes becoming more blank.
Alex looked at Seven too, she had no reaction towards him and honestly, she didn't even like him. "What kind of test?"
She asked curiously, Seven smiled. "Ah nothing much, just checking some blood and mental activity"
Alex was hesitant, she turned to Celia."Is it safe?"
"Yeah but don't trust seven" She said nonchalantly.
Seven who was watching their conversation couldn't help but become thoughtful, they did know he was in the room…right?.
Seven's smile faltered for just a moment as he processed Celia's words, the faintest glimmer of irritation flashing across his face before he regained his composure. His posture didn't shift, but there was a subtle change in his demeanor—like a predator who had just been challenged by its prey.
"I see you're not as trusting as I hoped," Seven said with a quiet chuckle, though his tone had grown colder. "It's a shame when people don't appreciate the help that's offered to them."
Celia didn't flinch at his words, and Alex could feel the tension hanging between them. The way Seven spoke made it clear that he was used to being the one in control, and any sign of resistance seemed to irk him, even if it was just a casual remark from Celia.
Alex turned to Celia, her own unease starting to grow. "You said it's safe?" she asked, voice soft but insistent, needing to hear it again.
Celia's eyes flickered toward her before looking back at Seven, her expression unreadable. "Yeah, it's safe," she said, though her tone lacked any conviction. "I've gone through it before." She shrugged, the movement small but deliberate. "Just don't expect it to be pleasant."
Seven raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into that unsettling smile once again. "Safe, yes. But I think you'll find it's more… uncomfortable than you might expect. Still, we need to monitor your progress, especially with the virus starting to take hold."
After some minutes….
Alex was holding her hand whilst staring at seven with a hint of Malice, Celia was chuckling.
"Hey i didn't know you hated injections that much" Celia said with a smile.
Alex shot a glare at Celia, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. Her hand still throbbed from where the needle had gone in, and the lingering sting seemed to amplify her irritation.
"I don't hate injections," Alex muttered through gritted teeth. "I hate him." She glanced at Seven, who was now meticulously labeling the blood sample, his expression one of detached amusement.
Celia's chuckle grew into a soft laugh. "Sure, sure. You looked like you were ready to punch him."
"I was," Alex admitted, flexing her hand as if imagining the act. "He didn't have to jab me like that. It's like he enjoyed it."
Seven, still focused on his task, finally spoke, his tone calm but with an undercurrent of amusement. "I assure you, Alex, it wasn't personal. I'm quite skilled at what I do." He glanced at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Though if you're that sensitive, perhaps next time I should let someone else handle it."
Alex's lips tightened into a thin line. "Maybe you should."
"Well i know your mental health is good due to the way your speaking…But celia you do realize you may be put down real soon" Seven said with a blank expression.
Celia smiled. "Yeah but who know if i escape by then"
The surroundings suddenly became silent. "Well…then i would personally have to bring you back and kill you myself wouldn't i?"
Seven then turned around. "Anyway's you two can go out and will return in the evening, i have prepared some clothes for you, also i was told to give you some money, so go have fun"
After he left the room Celia sighed. "Well it looks like we need to take a bath, i needed new clothes anyways"
Alex looked at her strangely. "Really?"
Celia laughed and then got off the bed, she walked towards Alex. "Yeah come on let's go give you a bath"
Alex raised an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest. "Give me a bath? I can handle that myself, thanks."
Celia smirked. "Oh, I don't doubt that. But after what just happened, you look like you could use some help unwinding."
Alex rolled her eyes. "I'll unwind when we're out of this place for good."
"Fair." Celia shrugged, her tone light but her eyes distant. "But for now, let's take what we can get."
The two of them made their way down the sterile hallway toward the showers, the air thick with the hum of fluorescent lights. Alex kept glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting Seven or one of his lackeys to appear and revoke their brief reprieve.
As the two entered the bathroom, they began taking a bath. :)
After that they wnt out with towels on them, Alex's black hair was short
and clung to her face, the dark strands dripping water onto the cold floor. Celia, with her brown hair damp and hanging loose around her shoulders, glanced at Alex with a grin.
"You clean up nicely," Celia teased, tightening the towel around herself.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now let's find those clothes before Seven decides to change his mind and drag us back for another round of testing."
They made their way back to the room where Seven had left the clothes—a small bundle neatly placed on the bed. Alex picked up the first item, a simple black shirt and dark jeans, both practical and nondescript. Celia's set was similar but included a gray hoodie that looked a size too big for her slender frame.
"Prison chic," Alex muttered as she pulled the shirt over her head.
Celia chuckled softly. "Could be worse. At least it's not hospital gowns."
Once dressed, they found a small envelope resting beneath the clothes. Alex opened it and pulled out a few bills and a note written in Seven's precise handwriting.
"Enjoy the city. Stay within the limits. We'll be watching."
Celia read over her shoulder. "Of course, they'll be watching."
Alex stuffed the money into her pocket, her onyx eyes scanning the room one last time. "Let's get this over with. I don't trust any of this."
"Neither do I," Celia said, slipping on her shoes. "But if they're giving us a chance to breathe outside these walls, I'm taking it."
The clinic doors hissed open as they stepped outside. The city stretched before them—gray skies, towering buildings, and streets bustling with people who seemed oblivious to the existence of the clinic and the secrets it held.
For a moment, Alex paused on the threshold, taking in the vastness of the world they were rarely allowed to see.
"Feels… different," Alex said quietly.
Celia stood beside her, eyes scanning the crowd. "That's because we're not really free. Not yet."
Alex's jaw tightened. "But we will be."
Celia glanced at her, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Then let's make the most of today. Who knows when we'll get another chance like this?"
Alex smiled…but..but she felt bothered, it was strange…she got too comfortable in the clinic…something was wrong.
She wasn't behaving like herself.
It was like her desperation was slowly being seqled deep within her, it felt like a storm waiting to happen, She didn't like that.
Alex looked at Celia. "Uhm does the virus affect our emotions…like those it suppresses some feelings"
"Oh yeah, i haven't explained to you yet, You see when demons are in their dormency our bad emotions creates a demon persons that usually whispers into our mind forcing us to awaken, at the Awakening phase, the demon takes over until we reach corruption that is when our mind demon will influence our physical bodies turning us into half-demons, we have a hint of consciousness at that stage but at the same time it's a gamble, then we have full Demonization, i don't know what happens then" Alex stared at Celia, her onyx eyes widening as she processed the explanation. Her grip tightened around the envelope of money in her pocket, as if holding on to something tangible would keep her grounded.
"A demon… person?" Alex repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "You mean there's something inside us… whispering, waiting to take over?"
Celia nodded, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah. It's not always obvious at first. The suppression of emotions makes you feel… disconnected, like you're not fully you anymore. But that's the point. It's trying to weaken you—so that when it starts whispering, you can't fight it."
Alex took a deep breath, her mind racing. She had noticed the subtle changes in herself lately. The dulling of her anger, the quieting of her fears—it wasn't relief. It was something else. Something wrong.
"And you've been through all those stages?" Alex asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Celia shrugged, her dull brown eyes distant. "My awakening is very soon as i told you before and i might get killed , but if i escape, then i'd have a chance to survive, but that blasted clinic almost has eyes everywhere"
She said with annoyance, the first time she arrived here was two months ago, yes in that time she has gotten used to living in the clinic and getting tests everyday, but she actually hated staying in a room against her will.
If she could she would have escaped.
So [Why-don't-you-Let-me-take-control-Celia]
She didn't listen to it.
[You know, if you let me take control for just a minute, everything will end painlessly, I will only be taking control for a few months before we can become partially one]
She didn't believe it.
[Ceeeliaaa, It won't be long before i take control, oh don't worry, i won't hurt OUR new friend, She is just like OUR little sister].
It was messing with her.
[I am your deepest longing—i am you and you are me—What you have is also mine—What you love i will also Love—What you hate i will also hate—You cannot get rid of me—to do that you would have to get rid of yourself].
Celia's hands clenched into fists as the voice wormed its way deeper into her mind, its words coiling around her thoughts like a serpent. The familiar pressure built in her chest, a suffocating weight that made it harder to breathe. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself, to push back against the darkness clawing at the edges of her consciousness.
[You're getting weaker, Celia. I can feel it. Soon, there will be no difference between us.]
"Shut up," she whispered under her breath, her voice trembling. Alex, walking beside her, glanced over with concern.
"You okay?" Alex asked, her onyx eyes narrowing slightly.
Celia forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, just… thinking."
Alex didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue. "You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Celia laughed softly, though it sounded hollow. Not a ghost. Just my future.
"I'm fine," she said again. "Let's just keep moving. The further we are from that clinic, the better."
As they walked through the crowded streets, the city buzzed around them—vendors shouting, cars honking, people brushing past without a second glance. It should have been comforting, this sense of normalcy, but to Celia, it felt suffocating. Every face in the crowd seemed like a potential threat, every shadow a hiding place for the clinic's watchful eyes.
[You can't escape them, you know. Even now, they're watching. Waiting. And when the time comes, they'll drag you back, kicking and screaming.]
Celia gritted her teeth. No, they won't.