June 26, 2025.
As the years passed, most of the children began to find each other unrecognizable. The majority no longer resembled their former selves. Discrimination surged among them, and Ares and Ina bore the brunt of it.
One day, an unmarked, completely windowless bus appeared at the facility. To the children's bewildered surprise, they were moved to another premise. Ares had no idea where this new location was, but it was surrounded by dense trees, clearly deep within a forest.
This new premise was starkly different from their previous facility. It resembled an old factory, though the interior's brightly lit corridors contrasted sharply with the exterior's rust and decay. Unlike the former facility, this one had no bio-labs or sophisticated machines, only sleeping rooms and a dining hall. This suggested that the insertion of objects into their bodies and the countless injections had stopped, though they didn't know if this was permanent or merely temporary. The door to the living quarters was opened with a single key card, accessible only to specific staff members.
Life here saw discrimination grow rampant. Unlike Ina, who hadn't changed much, others like Ares were completely isolated by those who appeared 'normal,' and even by those who hadn't changed much themselves.
On the night of August 1st, something unforeseen happened. The children had returned to their rooms after supper, except for Ares, who had deliberately stayed behind, waiting for them to leave first. However, he found himself dozing off and staying longer than intended.
Ares returned to his room, but as he was about to get into bed, a series of sharp cracks began resounding. He stepped back out into the hallway, his palms over his ears. Were they under attack?
In the next second, frenzy erupted as other children also streamed into the hall, huge question marks hanging over their heads. The living quarters' entrance stood open. Ares wondered who had done it. Through the commotion, he glanced around but saw no interlopers. In short, the guards were shooting at each other.
It wasn't long before the children began storming out of the premise. Ares looked around, but Ina was nowhere in sight. Surprisingly, some of those who were escaping were being shot dead. At the sight of those bodies lying in pools of crimson, Ares's heart tightened. He ran to the room Ina slept in but didn't find her. Yet, almost all the children that were alive had exited the premise. Among those still trying to find their way out safely, Ina was not there.
Eventually, Ares escaped outside. The forest floor glowed under the full moon, and pure oxygen filled his lungs. Even so, there was no time to relish it, as some guards relentlessly pursued those who had fled. Ares ran more than a kilometer away from the premise, stumbling upon a group of seven other children. They allowed him to join them, and together, they navigated the warm, humid forest, searching for shelter until twilight.
As the sun's golden light slowly crept down the ancient trees, Ares and the group came across a man neatly dressed in a suit. In that moment, Ares noticed that the others had already assumed fighting stances, ready to strike. However, the man lifted his arms in surrender, assuring them he was on their side. The group's leader asked for proof, and the man fished out a key card from his pants, presenting it to them. Doubts were written on their faces, but there was no better proof than this. With that, he told them he was going to take them to a safe place. Given that Ares still had to find Ina, he asked to be left behind. However, the man told Ares that all those who had managed to escape had already been rescued by his counterparts. Though this statement made a knot tighten in Ares's stomach, he had no option but to accept the man's offer.
The group was taken to another premise nestled in nature, though it wasn't sophisticated. It was simply a small, ordinary timber building with small, ordinary offices. Ares had thought they would find other children there, but the only people he could see were one or two adults. At this place, Ares and the group were informed that each of them would now enjoy some freedom. Each one would live by themselves in the city but under certain rules, which they were briefed on. A map lay on the desk. Before leaving, Ares stealthily grabbed it, crumpled it, and inserted it into his pocket.