"W-- Hey, kid!"
"Someone get him!"
The child didn't wait to hear the rest of what they intended to do; with a sudden, familiar burst of speed, he was out the door in an instant. The cool night air hit his face as he ran to join the bustling crowd on the sidewalk.
Freedom.
The child-- or 072, to be precise-- elbowed his way through the mass of bodies. At the intersection, he vaulted onto the hood of a car, using it as a springboard to reach the other side. He was acting purely on instinct. He didn't understand what those people in blue clothes wanted, but the flashing lights and raised voices triggered a deep fear within him--- the memory of white coats and cold instruments..
"Ow! What was that?"
'They will not take me back.' Just as the traffic lights in front of him turned green, he slid down a stairway, following the crowd of people. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he needed to get away. The faces of the people around him blurred.
"What do you want to eat for dinner?"
He turned a corner, continuing to run.
"There's a new store that just opened up down that street.."
'I want to be free.'
People. So many people. They were talking, laughing, interacting..
That wasn't fair. He wanted to do stuff like that, too. But he's been found out. They were going to take him back. He was going to be confined again.
SHOVE.
"Ouch! Hey!"
He continued to run, his face flushed with both anger and fear.
'I won't go back. I will not go back.'
For his sake, for what he wanted to do..
He will be free.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps, quick and frantic-- it must be them; Those odd people in blue clothes, and that suspicious man and woman. 072 bit his lip and continued onward. He could hear shouts behind him, but they were quickly fading as he continued to run and blend into the crowd.
"Next destination : Calyxes Station. Now boarding. All passengers please enter the train Streamliner 018. I repeat, next destination : Calyxes Station. All passengers please proceed to Streamliner 018."
'018..'
072 scanned the area. Sure enough, he found a thin, long vehicle hovering above what seemed to be glowing tracks. He watched closely as people entered through a wide door that beeped green whenever they entered. He didn't understand what the green light meant, but he saw that people were handing something to the person guarding the entrance.
'018.. I can.. get away..'
He squeezed himself among the throng of people, wincing as he was shoved around. As he held his head, slightly dizzy, he spotted a fluttering, bright green piece of paper sticking out from a man's pocket.
'Calyxes Station. Streamliner 018..'
Beep. Beep. People were flooding into the train every moment.
'Thank you, careless Mister.'
In one quick, effortless swipe, he snatched the green piece of paper.
As the crowd thinned, 072 approached the entrance of the long vehicle.
BEEEEP.
"No, wait! I swear I did have it.. it was in my pocket! I think I've just misplaced it.."
"I apologize sir, but you are not allowed to enter the train without a ticket."
The man in front of him was taken away by security. 072 looked at him with a slightly guilty face before entering what the security man called a 'train.' He plopped down on one of the empty seats.
"...Gaa.."
He sighed. He strained his ears, listening for any movement.
"Have you seen a small, black-haired child dressed in a white shirt run through here?"
072 ducked as he saw one of the people in blue uniforms through one of the train's windows. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, biting his fingernails as people continued to pour in through the doors. He pressed himself against the seat, trying to become invisible.
'Please don't find me, please don't find me..'
"There was one.. he was trailing after a man in a light blue coat. They entered the train just now. Is there something you need from him?"
'Please shut up!'
Ding..
As the crowd entering through the door thinned, a loud voice from above echoed throughout the train.
"Streamliner 018 is now departing. For your comfort and safety, please remain seated or hold firmly to the handrails while the train is in motion."
072 sighed in relief. The train started to move. He watched with great interest as the station zoomed by, everything blurring due to the speed.
He caught a glimpse of a few distressed-looking officers. He didn't understand why they were so upset, but he knew he had escaped. He stuck his tongue out at them.
'You aren't going to take me back.'
That bright light.. he couldn't have mistaken it. They were going to take him back. Back to that place. He was never going to let that happen, not in a million years.
Dingg..
The people inside the train didn't spare him a single glance. Despite that, 072 couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. Everyone was so.. clean, and meanwhile he looked like he had just wrestled with a trashbag and lost.
Trying to take his mind off of his appearance, he looked out of the window.
"Aga...!"
They were.. flying? No, they were still on a railroad, but..
He looked down. Below him, a city of countless buildings, both tall and small, spread into the distance. Each one pulsed with pretty lights; blue, purple, and yellow-- like a galaxy turned upside down. If 072 had known the word, he would have called them stars.
'..Pretty.'
The outside world was.. pretty. Incredibly pretty. It was different seeing these buildings from afar, or even just imagining them in his room. Compared to that place, where he was obliged to follow rules, where his every little movement was controlled, this place is..
'A haven.'
A true haven.