a short story

Some of us couldn’t remember what the sky looked like on a rainy day, or what the sun looked like during a midsummer heat wave. We lost track of days, months, and eventually years. Many had lost count of their own age.

Today, the rain was falling. Smoke had clouded the sky– a storm was coming, yet not the kind that caused thunder and lightning. It was the kind where all hell had been let loose; however, I couldn’t help but think we’d already won.

My mind was numb, and with shaken hands shoved into old tattered pockets, I walked on as it was the only thing I could do.
I could stare down at my olive-colored skin and only see the dirt and rut from our efforts of escape; it’s sad to think this was our sole victory. Too many people had been lost in the fight, but my eyes could not wander back to the destruction behind me.
My body was numb as well.

They called me Pan; it’s the only name I’ve known to this day. Pan was shortened from Pandareus, who was the Greek thief that stole Zeus’ golden hound which had protected the god of the sky during his infancy. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought; it was a fitting name.
I was a thief, but not just any thief– I would steal any ability that came into contact with my own; not purposely of course. However, I couldn’t use these stolen abilities whenever I wanted– I’d receive them whenever my ‘instincts’ kicked in. These visions of the people who had these abilities would appear in my mind, which proceeded with me being able to use that power of theirs.

I was the escape route for our plan, but I ended up causing ruination in the end. We all did.
The plan had been unstable, yet we had gone with it anyways– everyone had been so desperate for their best chance of escape.

Nobody had known who I was for the past few years while I was living in the gigantic asylum; however, I’d go so far as calling it a prison. We had all been brought there for the same reasons– we were abnormal. We had all possessed these ‘strange abilities’ which the government did not want the public to know of; they created the underground asylum to keep us from the outside world… to keep us from hurting others. It ended causing more problems for everyone, though. Look at where it got us now.

Everyone was dead, or some had been taken back into custody, although the government won’t be able to keep them hostage due to the fact that the whole facility was destroyed. It brought sorrow to my soul to realize we had lost many because of our faulted plan, but I’d like to think that they did not die in vain. I may be the only survivor but all that matters is that I have escaped and can carry on the only thing that allowed them to live on; their abilities.

My hazel eyes were now blurred with the burden of many others. Every single time I steal an ability, my eyesight will worsen; I will eventually be left blind. Time is a thief, you know.

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of chopping wind from above, and I recognized the sound of a helicopter; my legs began to move as fast as they could. I couldn’t look back, nor could I ever go back– no matter how many memories and people I’d be leaving behind. I vanished into the woods that lay ahead and began to dash through trees and bushes, I could only hope the leaves would shadow me from the enemies above.

Abruptly, a flash appeared beyond my eyes and a clouded vision entered my mind. I saw a young mute boy leaning against a concrete wall. He watched the others around him with caution and he was obviously very frightened of his surroundings. Suddenly, when we made eye contact, he jumped out of fear and suddenly disappeared against the wall.

I froze mid-run as I realized what was bound to happen. I gazed down at my hands when suddenly they, and the rest of my body, became clear– I was invisible. Pulling my right fist to my heart, I had a sharp intake of breath and began to run once again.

Men were yelling in the distance as the sound of more and more ‘copters entered within proximity. The lot of them were most likely attempting to put out and inspect the explosion that had once been behind me; however, I knew they would also be looking for survivors. I slowed my pace and began to wander through the woods cautiously– even if they couldn’t see me, I could still be heard. My heart stopped as a deep voice boomed ahead of me. Crawling behind a tree, I listened as well as possible.

“I said I heard him! Right before the whole god damn building went up in flames. You don’t get it do ya’?! There’s gonna be at least one person out here, and there’s a chance that it’s that girl!” The man began to cough, and I could hear another stutter.
“‘Sir… we haven’t seen anyone for a mile or so. Are you sure-” he was cut off by his subordinate.
“Listen here boy, if you don’t do as I say there’s gonna be big trouble waiting for us back home. So you better find one of those scraps or else we may just lose our jobs.”

Chills ran down my spine as the two split apart and began their search. I should’ve known that they knew I would be out here, we had been so foolish to take so long to escape. It had taken approximately one hour to completely escape and for the facility to be destroyed; throughout that time there had been plenty of destruction to act as a distraction while I worked with the ‘higher-classes’, so I could only figure that the workers had caught on and called out for help.

Looking up at the sky through the leaves of the trees, I wondered where I stood. We were in a land far from where we originated; my guess was that there wasn’t much of a population within miles.

With one last huff of breath, I ventured on into the woods, keeping as quiet as possible. My eyesight began to fog as I quickened my pace and I knew that this ability wouldn’t last much longer. As I began to stumble, I attempted to hide in the bushes and trees, but I was surrounded and I couldn’t hide forever. One man, approximately twenty feet away from me had turned towards my direction. Luckily, I made it into the bush before the invisibility had worn off, yet I was almost certain that he heard the snap of sticks as I had previously stumbled through due to my eyesight weakening.

He approached me cautiously; his broad shoulders shaking back and forth with every step he took. He held a long and powerful stun gun in his left hand and his eyes darted throughout the trees. While wiping my suddenly clammy hands against my beige parka, I cautiously watched the muscular man as his steps became closer and closer. Come on, think. You can do this. A sharp stabbing pain pierced my temples as my vision clouded over.

A teenage girl, around my age, stood in front of me with a mischievous smile on her face. She held out her arm, looked me in the eye, and suddenly a small tornado wrapped around her limbs. She let out a kindhearted laugh and the vision disappeared. I blinked twice and quickly glanced out of the spaces between the leaves of the bush that I hid in. The large man was now only a mere few feet away from me and I felt the hair on my arms rise. It was time.

As if the world was moving in slow-motion, I burst from the bushes and the man whipped around to face me. Fear blazed in his eyes as I heard the buzz erupt from his stun gun, but I was faster. The air around us began to fiercely rip through us and I held my arm out towards him. Before the weapon was able to touch me, I let out a loud yell and a gust of hair blew from my hand like a bullet. It sent the man flying until he was stopped by being slammed into the trunk of a tree.

At that very moment, I knew I would only be facing trouble from here on out. Once the sound of his body hitting the tree echoed through the air, my body moved on instinct and I began to run faster than ever. From behind me, I could hear the large man groaning in pain as he spoke over a piece of machinery, which would most likely be his other subordinates. It’ll be okay. A voice spoke to me inside of my head. You’re strong, Pan. Everything will be fine as long as you believe in yourself.

My mind became flooded with memories of a middle-aged woman. She had supported and protected me throughout the times I had been in the underground facility, she had been the one person who knew what my true ability was; the thought of her being gone brought sadness to my heart and the tears began to fall from my eyes as I sprinted through the woods. Time had slowed as I ran. I began to hear many men from behind me, and perhaps all around me. I couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the end.
When my shaking hand rose to my face and wiped away my tears, I knew I couldn’t let myself lose.

The yelling of the men around me became louder as they chased after me. Tranquilizer darts had been shot multiple times; however, the forest terrain obviously made it harder for them to aim– they hadn’t hit me once.

I ran until I no longer couldn’t. My heart dropped as I stopped on my heels to face a rocky cliff. I couldn’t tell how tall it was; over a hundred feet perhaps, but at the bottom lied a roaring river that headed to where? I wouldn’t know. I turned around with my eyes wide to see the men sprinting through the bushes and trees; screaming after me as they pointed their weapons and shot, as they flicked about their stun guns. Being captured was no longer an option.

As I faced the cliff, I slowly closed my eyes. Holding my arms out, I fell to my possible demise. While the wind surrounded me, that voice once whispered to me again. You’re strong, Pan. I could feel my eyes become clouded with memories once again. My heart and body felt warm, and as I fell I knew I would be safe.