Two

The air was cold and damp like it would've been in a cave. She breathed silently and slowly, so quiet and still that it looked as if she was completely motionless. Maybe even dead. Had it all been a dream?  Some terrible nightmare from the horrible experience she'd had previously? She could feel herself sprawled out laying stomach down with the side of her face pressed against the surface of the ground. Underneath her fingertips she felt the same grimy dirt of the warehouse. Yet she was no longer chained. Silla must've been in a different part of the building. Somewhere cold and closed off.

Ears focusing, she could hear breathing in the distance. But it wasn't her own. There was a hand, and it impatiently nudged her, moving her shoulder and arm. Calmly she laid still and hoped that whatever or whoever it was believed her act. Thankfully, it worked and at the sight of her body being unresponsive, a sigh came from whatever company she had as they began to walk away.

Slowly she peeked one big blue eye open when she was in the clear. What she had originally hallucinated to be a shadowy beast was actually just another person. With their back to her, they continued to walk away, and their jacket lowered to reveal the very human skin of a young boy. He walked along the dirty warehouse floor choosing the stairs as a resting place as he took a seat on the steps. Removing a knife from his pocket, he began to aimlessly carve little shapes and figures into the wall the stairs were connected to.

Silla gulped and slowly shifted her head to get a better look at him. She couldn't catch a proper glimpse of his face since his back was turned but, she could see the messy mop of unruly light blonde hair on the top of his head. Although he wore a long heavy coat, it took up most of his form. Yet she could also see the worn patched-up clothes beneath. She prayed the boy wouldn't turn his attention to her once again.

Glancing at the stairs the very spot he chose to sit she mentally cursed her luck as she could see it was likely the best option of escape. Thankfully instead of torturing her, he seemed too busy with his carvings to notice what he thought was an unconscious girl just at foot away from him.

Clenching her teeth, she silently crawled dragging herself as she checked behind her every few seconds. She had to make sure she was still unnoticed as she crouched low on her knees making sure to stay completely silent. She quickly scurried away trying to find another exit only to find herself in a maze of hallways and rooms.

Wriggling past an old ratty curtain like a worm she noticed that it seemed to lead somewhere else. In the newly discovered room, she found a collection of familiar and unfamiliar items. There were maps, cameras, compasses, lenses, filters, flashlights, and so much more. All of them were old-world items. Some she hadn't even seen herself and all piled together like he had been hoarding them. This collection was amazing. Some of these had to be at least a few hundred years old probably more.

It wasn't the footfalls, or the door lightly creaking open, or the beams of light flickering just mildly out of sync.

It was the cold.

That freezing, deadly chill that pervaded the marrow of her bones, the breeze that turned her blood to ice in her veins, and seemed as though she might never feel the warmth of sunlight again...

...That was how she knew he was here.

She turned jumping at the sight of the very boy she wished to avoid standing feet first in front of her with his knife still in his hand.

Now she could properly see his face.

He was young himself, a short and scrawny boy around the same height as her. He still had his baby face and with large eyes and soft facial features like that of a woman and at first glance one might think he was a girl. He seemed petite but at closer inspection, he seemed almost sickly and underdeveloped for his age. He was so skinny you could see his bones to the point his face was almost gaunt; his cheeks without any fat.

Most of his face was hidden by the light blonde bangs but she could still see the frightening sight that was underneath.

His hallucinogenic eyes were rimmed with dark purple eye circles and the deep green that was his iris was what made Silla involuntarily shiver as they raked over her from head to toe. They were the kind of green that distracted you from everything. The longer she looked into them the sooner she realized she couldn't look away. The swirling green had kept her in a trance. It was like she was hypnotized as her eyes dulled and mind went blank, the world around her now fogged.

As beautiful as they were upon looking much closer Silla could see a hint of something much more darker... She recognized it as soon as she saw him. He was hiding some twisted emotion in his eyes that didn't fit such a young boy. From the moment she discovered their similarities, she felt pulled to him.

Finally her gaze finally moved down. She examined his slim and long body; he was around her age maybe older it was hard to tell with the state of his body. Possibly fifteen or sixteen. Surprisingly and unsettling enough if she wasn't in a life or death situation she would've thought he was handsome. Behind his cold exterior he held some unknown expression in his two sharp green eyes. Something about him was almost snake-like. Especially his eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark. Reaching a certain conclusion her eyes widened.

He was a trans-human.

They were beings much like humans yet so different. Trans humans were people who evolved and had abilities beyond that of a regular human. They were proven to be extremely intelligent with elevated sight, smell, and hearing. Not much was known about trans-humans as they were seen as dangerous life forms. Some people even suspected they were the reason for the government failing a thousand years ago. She was shocked they were so incredibly rare. Silla never thought she would actually see one in her lifetime.

The predator before her appeared less than pleased, glinting his knife serving as a warning to the girl. His body blocked the only path and with her back against the wall she had little room to herself. She backed away slowly as she eyed the boy that stepped closer but didn't make the move to end her life there. It was as if he was daring her to do something, to try a feeble attempt at running away only to get herself cornered again. Or possibly waiting for her to be stupid enough to strike first. His unearthly green eyes were surrounded by unnaturally purple dark circles made them pop out and frighten her even more.

Something dark was underlying in this boy. The dangerous aura he radiated was unmistakable. Seeing as he wasn't caged and moved around freely the boy obviously was capable enough tho evade the slave traffickers enough that they ignored his presence.

"Let me go..." Silla breathed. Hoping to somehow get through to him with words. However, he merely tilted his head as if not understanding a word she said. He made no effort to reply making her belief that he didn't understand her language. Silla would have to get through to him another way before he decided to hack her in pieces.

Stepping back she bumped into his pile of trinkets causing a rusty device of a camera to flash snapping a photo taking the boy by surprise and causing him to growl going on the defensive. He eyed the camera and her warily.

Did he... Not know how to use it...?

Carefully she picked up the camera, moving ever so slowly as to not trigger the feral boy. She pressed a button on the device, and the recently taken photo was printed on a small clip of film. It was blurred and only showed his feet but perhaps it would be enough to distract him. Slowly she held out the piece of film for him to take. Silla shrunk back under his cold gaze flinching as he plucked it from her fingers.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the little slip of film in his hands, inspecting it with confusion and analyzing the blurry image of what looked like his legs. When another blinding flash emitted from the strange tiny black box, he stumbled back hissing pointing his knife back at her. Silla took note of the fear but great intrigue swirling in his eyes. These old-world objects too greatly fascinating her. In the upper ring these types of things were usually put on display for many to see as historical artifacts.

Years ago she learned of these devices when breaking into an abandoned building on the edge of the lower ring for shelter. Upon exploration she found a hidden room filled with books. Paper books. She had never seen such a thing before. A flimsy thing like paper was no longer used and was last seen centuries ago. Everything was online now. With those books she had taught herself to read and in them held information about how things had been in the old-world. Maybe this knowledge could stall her inevitable death, perhaps she could even earn his trust in this manner.

Once the new photo had printed, she once again carefully extended it out to him and offered it silently. Immediately he snatched it his eyes widening at the true-life image of him as he inspected it. Amazed with the paper running his fingers along the photograph, he peered down then muttered, "you know how they work..." His voice was soft with some sort of thick Slavic accent. Without warning he violently pried it from her hands and took his time inspecting the device.

"You talk..."

He glared at her from the corner of his eyes as if insulted by her words.

"Ahh-Wait, that came out wrong..." She stuttered over her words as he soon looked away deciding the camera was much more interesting. She thanked her lucky stars that he wasn't much interested in her as he was her knowledge. She slowly stepped around him attempting to keep calm so she could finally leave when suddenly she was yanked back wincing at the harsh grip on her arm. "No- If you leave you die. Show me more and I v'ill let you live."

"Ah... Okay..." She flinched, and he eventually let her go. There was tension in the air as he continued to examine the device he so rudely ripped from her hands. Watching him sit down she hesitantly followed his actions making sure to still keep a good distance. The silence was suffocating it made her want to run away and hide but that would just lead to her early death.

Slowly she gathered up the courage and squeaked out. "Uh... What's your name?" He glanced up for a moment before seemingly going into deep thought almost as if he was trying to remember something.

"My... Mother used to call me Phanes."

The girl in front of him vaguely reminded him of his long deceased mother...

It had been one of the reasons why he took her in the first place. Adding her among his rare collections. It was almost strange how much they not only looked alike but their movements and reactions seemed the same. He never believed in superstitious things like reincarnation but now he was starting to think such things were plausible.

The other reason he took her was much more curious.

His senses were beyond most humans. His sight and smell the most powerful of his senses could somehow pick up on things that others couldn't. Ever since he was a child, he could make out a strange sort of smog that clung to other people. It manifested as a dark gray sometimes black smoke, and it was far more pronounced in certain individuals. There was also a thick pungent odor that clung to it. People with smoke absolutely reeked. It was worse than rotting flesh. They smelled of decomposing food and burnt soil. Simply getting close to these people was enough to make him feel sick.

He couldn't make sense of it at all when he was young, but now that he was older, and he'd spent much of his life as an observer, it was much clearer. The smoke was a mental affliction that presented itself physically in ways that only he could see. It plagued those with greed and shallow ambitions. It was essentially present in all humans. The only ones that seemed absolutely devoid of it were young children, because they had yet to develop a hunger for wealth and power. This affliction was like a sinister disease, one that was impossible to run away from. Everyone was greedy, everyone determined to fake their try intentions in order to obtain money, social acclaim, and reputation.

Five minutes into them capturing a new shipment of slaves he felt himself growing bored. With people huddled together, the entire warehouse was practically a cesspool teeming with filth. Smoke filled the air, clogging up his lungs.

No one would ever understand even if he told them. He just wanted all of it to be over, so he could go back into his hiding in peace. It just so happened, though, just as he was lurking in the shadows he noticed someone far across the room. One of the newly captured slaves, by the looks of it a young girl with dirty black hair. For whatever reason, that girl was untouched by smoke. Not a single wisp or tendril clung to her body, even with all the filthy infected people gathered around her.

He immediately sat up straighter. It couldn't be. He had never once come across anyone other than babies that weren't plagued by selfish, arrogant desires. He must not have seen correctly. There was so much filth in the room that it was becoming difficult to even tell.

Still, he couldn't help but get closer.

Phanes couldn't keep his eyes off her. It must've been the fact that she was free of that disgusting smoke. How was it possible that she was immune to this affliction that seemed to plague the entire population? Was it really possible that she wasn't looking to take advantage of others like everyone else?

He yearned to go over there, to speak to her, to see for himself to realize that she was selfish, vain, manipulative, and shallow, just like every other person in his life. Someone who just wanted to satiate their bottomless greed.

Soon he knew he would take her and find out for himself...

And when realized she was just as filthy as the rest of them, he would snuff her out of existence.

Silla's gaze steadily traveled back to him, and she watched as he awkwardly held the small camera in his hands. Funnily enough he held it upside down and his fingers grazed over every button but the correct one. "Uh- you're holding it wrong..." She reached forward and readjusted it, so he held it correctly with his pointer finger hovering over the button that would capture the moment in time forever. Quickly her hands drifted away shuddering at the thought that she had just touched him.

Phanes rigidly pointed the camera at the space around him, pressing the button a bit too harshly for her liking. The flash signaled a photo was taken and immediately it began to print much to his amazement. He stood up walking around the space as he peered through the cameras lenses watching how the rays and glass reflected off one another. Now that this little girl he has yet to kill came along and used one of his collections before his very eyes. Going against his very judgment, he wanted to see how the devices worked, so he would allow her to live in the meantime.

Idly Silla sat by merely watching as the young man admired the photos he had taken earlier that day. Her big blue eyes observed his every movement even as he carefully pinned every photo to the wall. The boy was certainly peculiar and unnerving with his power he held and considering how little he talked but he hadn't killed her. The small girl sat upright alert when he suddenly turned to glance at her and tossed something to her. She fumbled with the bag containing food, surprised at the contents as she raised her gaze up to watch him sit a few feet away. Hesitantly she picked the most familiar, and took a bite. It was enough to begin to satisfy her hunger at the moment.

Although she couldn't stay here as she had to travel to the upper ring Silla would try to gain his trust until then. If he still refused to allow her to leave hopefully by then, she could escape. Though for now she would have to focus on learning about this boy.

He continued to blankly gaze at the lens entrances by the light it reflected. Slowly she sighed scooting closer upon finishing her food. No matter where she was or what she did he remained unmoved pretending that he wasn't interested but she could see him seek glances at her from the corner of his eyes every few seconds. Without tearing his gaze from the glass lens, he murmured. "Do you have one...?"

"Huh?"  She looked at him confused at his sudden outburst.

"...A name?" He explained further.

Looking away nervously she cowered under his intense eyes in the dark of the night. " Uh... It's Silla."

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She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she must have drifted off at some point because she found herself waking up to the feeling of a tight pressure around her neck. Suddenly, she was fully awake.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't move.

She was stuck.

Her eyes flew around the room in a panic. Is this it? Is this how she dies? Not as a wrinkly old woman but as an eleven year old? She was dying. She could feel it. Energy was leaving her limbs, and her mind was turning fuzzy. The girl just couldn't think properly. Dimly, Silla thought she saw a shadowing figure standing over her it's hands around her neck.

Who was it?

She couldn't be sure. With what little air she had left in her lungs, she let out a smirk. Fine. Better to die this way than die the painful and humiliating death of a dog. Have at it then!

The pressure suddenly wavered and she was able to suck in a tiny, involuntary breath. That small breath was like fire throughout her body, oxygenating her muscles and limbs and giving more life to her brain.

What was that?

The hands around her neck retracted and the tightness on her lungs unleashed, as if the hand holding them had unclenched. Then she blinked, and the shadowy figure was gone. Silla's mind was too fuzzy to even comprehend the figure. Had they gone away? Had they missed their window of opportunity? Whatever the reason, there were gone.

What she was left with was now a panicked mind, the more she blinked the more she realized how close to death she had just come. Again.

And then she fell back asleep.

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Then next morning she awoke to shuffling and the dirt floor under her was replaced with blankets and pillows; a makeshift bed of sorts. She was in a different part of the warehouse again. Had he moved her while she was asleep? They seemed closer to where she was first held in a cage and the other traffickers could be heard through the thin walls. As cold as this boy was maybe, he still had a bit of kindness buried somewhere inside him? Abruptly rough calloused hands grabbed her and gently shook her awake. Causing her eyes to jolt open as a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"V'ake. Up."

She groaned and nearly gasped upon processing Phanes face right in front of hers.

On contact she quickly stumbled back letting out a yelp. Clutching her chest, she scooted back and looked up at him. She disliked how he towered over her his shadow casting over her pathetically small form as he merely stared at her. How long had he been standing there? Looking around her gaze landed on a dirtied curtain blocked by crates and stray items cluttering the floor around her keeping anyone from entering or exiting.

Tiredly rubbing her eyes she spoke. "Why'd you wake me up Nes..." As he froze and stared wide eyed at her she instantly wanted to disappear, to just crawl into a hole somewhere and die, to vanish in thin air. She screamed internally for her mistake and quickly added, "-Phan...!! I meant Phanes!"

"Nes..." He whispered mimicking her. His green orbs never left her figure no matter how much she blushed embarrassed by it or how a cold sweat ran down her back in fear.

"A nickname, right? ... I like it Silla."

At this she stood still caught in her stupor. He... Liked it?! He wasn't offended or going to stab her in her sleep for calling him that? Calming down although internally screaming Silla went back to what she was doing before.

Softly he watched the girl with confusion as she continued to slowly stretch and yawn innocently rubbing the corners of her eyes, despite the situation she was in. Perhaps this particular human was not as bad as the rest... Carefully he came closer standing behind her and watching with intrigue at the other life form so similar to him. How long since he had anyone in his company? Their last conversation simple as it was, was tense- Yet also refreshing. He felt like he lost his voice since he went so long without using his vocal cords.

A single moment of interaction without any danger or threats felt so unreal yet so peaceful. He yearned for another moment like that after being by himself for so long. It was like a drug to him. Facing nothing but danger and enemies for years on end to find someone so helpless with seemingly no ill will was a bit shocking.

When she was fast asleep last night, she was absolutely defenseless. Throughout the darkness he kept giving her relaxed form quick glances as the night carried on.

Phanes almost never slept, so the long night didn't bother him much. Till dawn his green eyes had a small shine in them as he gazed down watching her little movements she did while she was asleep. Her fingers slightly curled and her lips parted enough to breath. He watched as she made tiny adjustments to keep herself comfortable as she slept.

Defenseless.

With a single move he could hurt her. Kill her.  Wrap his hand around her throat, strangling her till her last breath. It wasn't like it wouldn't be easy to do. In fact it would be simple.

So very simple.

Before he knew it his hands wrapped around her frail neck and applied pressure. He had thought of just ending this now instead of waiting for her to reveal her true colors. Yet when her face innocently smiled and her small dirty hands reached up to brush his face he froze. He never did act on his dark thought of killing her. Instead, he peacefully continued to observe her as he took his hands off her throat. It was strange...

Now looking at her awakened drowsy figure Phanes didn't frown or glare down at the girl instead he observed her with a sense of curiosity.

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To be continued...