The Perfect Plan for Escape

Inside the dimly lit prison cell, Samuel sat motionless on the cold stone bench, his face hard as ever. The solitude had become his sanctuary, his retreat from the world he once knew.

Days had turned into weeks, and he had grown used to the silence, embracing it like a companion. His thoughts were clouded, yet he had never been more at peace with his decision to stay in prison.

Abigail's departure from his life had brought a quiet relief, but there was a lingering sadness within him that would never fully dissipate.

The door to his cell creaked open, and Samuel didn't look up, knowing who it was before the voice even spoke.

Mark (softly): "It's been a while, Samuel. How are you doing?"

Samuel's eyes remained fixed on the floor, his voice flat.

Samuel (with a sigh): "I'm doing what's necessary. Abigail won't let me go, even if she wanted to. This... this is the best way to turn myself in. I've already made the proof—slept with other women to create the illusion of infidelity. And here I am, just as I planned."

Mark stepped closer, his eyes full of concern. He had been the one to care for Samuel when he was still human, back when Samuel had emotions, before the accident that had turned him into something... less.

Mark (with sadness): "Is this really what you wanted? Did you do this to get rid of her? You can leave anytime, Samuel. You just have to confess the truth."

Samuel finally looked up at Mark, his expression unreadable. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Samuel (calmly): "That's not what I want. Somewhere in my heart, I can't bring myself to hate Abigail, but I can't love her anymore. She's the reason I lost Kayla, she could have tried to save her. She didn't... and I lost my sister."

Mark's breath caught in his throat. He had always known the weight of loss that Samuel carried, but hearing him speak so plainly about it... it hit harder than he had anticipated.

Samuel's voice softened, but the pain was unmistakable.

Samuel (sighing deeply): "She's also the reason I'm scared of having a family. She aborted our child, and you know... the rest."

Mark stood there, struggling to find the right words. He had watched Samuel go through so much, and now he saw him breaking apart in ways that couldn't be fixed with just a simple apology.

Mark (quietly): "What do you mean by 'the rest,' Samuel?"

Samuel stood up slowly, his eyes clouding over with the weight of his confession. The man who stood before Mark now wasn't the same Samuel he had once known. He was a shadow of the man who had once been full of dreams and desires.

Samuel (coldly): "I'm half human, half machine now, Mark. I met an accident—a horrible accident that changed everything. I'm not what I once was. The worst part is one of my abilities…"

Mark's heart skipped a beat. He had known Samuel had changed, but hearing it so plainly made it all too real.

Mark (urgently): "Tell me, Samuel. What's happened to you?"

Samuel's smile was devoid of warmth.

Samuel: "I no longer have any desires. The purpose for which I was born is complete. The Nightcreatures are at peace. There won't be any attacks for at least two hundred years. I've fulfilled my mission."

Mark stood frozen, shocked by the emptiness in Samuel's eyes. The man before him was no longer driven by anything—no love, no hate, no longing. Just... completion.

Samuel (turning to walk away): "I have some advice for you, Mark. Never regret your life. Live it with all your might. Regret is a poison that eats at you. I don't regret what I've done. I choose this path, and it's my responsibility to fulfill it."

As Samuel turned his back on Mark, walking back toward the small cot in his cell, he spoke one last time, his voice filled with a strange serenity.

Samuel (with a cold smile): "Never regret the decisions you make. I've chosen mine, and I'll live with them. I'll die with them."

Mark stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the man he had once tried so desperately to save slip further into the abyss of his own making.

The weight of the situation pressed on him, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change it now. Samuel had made his choices, and now he would live—or die—by them.

The door shut behind Mark, and Samuel was left alone again, in the silence of his own thoughts.

The man he once was—human, full of emotion—was gone. And what remained was a hollow shell, a machine with no purpose left but to wait for the inevitable.