OBLIVIOUS

Chapter 7

It was when I knew that I was not ordinary. This was not normal. I'm pretty sure electric sparks on my palms are not supposed to appear. I know this was unusual.

But unusual or not, I had no qualms whatsoever about this newly discovered 'ability' of mine and I planned on testing it if I can use it on escaping from this monstrosity of a plant. It had already succeeded in covering my entire (still) useless body. I was already having a hard time breathing because the animated vines had already reached my neck and were already strangling me. I was starting to suffocate so I had no choice but to try what can I do with these weird electric sparks that I appear to produce.

I grabbed the thick vine that was strangling me on my neck. It wiggled back at me like some sort of animal limb, and that's how I found out that the sparks on my hand can burn them. I can hear the sound coming from it as I tried my hardest not to let it go from my grip. There was a crackling sound as the vine got singed from my electric touch.

I did not let it get loose from my hands and it almost vibrated as it continued getting burned. And then just like that, I finally felt all the other vines entangling me loosened and then I was free. Taking a couple of deep breaths' I crawled on fours, trying to get away from the murderous plant. I looked at where Baron was unconsciously lying and was alarmed that he too was starting to get covered by the tentacle-like vines.

"B-Baron!" I was still whispering because I could still not use my voice properly. Then I tried to help him remove the vines by doing what I did earlier with mine, and it was lucky that the sparks on my hand were still there. Again, the vines appeared to be hurt by my electric spark, so they retreated back to their plant body.

I shook Baron's body to wake him up. He had a deep cut on his right cheek, which was why blood was on his face down to his neck and chest. He was not responding to me so I did a dangerous move. I used my electric sparks on his skin and that made him tremble and open his eyes.

Gasping for air, he tried to get up and I helped him. "W-What happened?" he asked me with a delirious look on his face.

"You were attacked by some crazy plant."

"The Strangler," he replied. "So that was not a human? Damn. I thought someone was wringing me to death."

"What are those creepy plants? And w-why are they attack humans?" I asked because I was clueless. The existence of a ferocious plant to me was preposterous. I could easily believe that robots are already a thing but dangerous plants that act like it's an animal? That's unheard of. At least for me.

"They are flesh-eating plants," Baron answered with disgust on his face. It seems like he was remembering a previous encounter with the Stranglers right now. "I don't know what exactly are they, but they are a type of carnivorous plant that is found here in this place. In the forest where we are headed, there are plenty of them there."

My eyes widened in shock from what he just revealed. "What? There are more of t-them?"

Baron nodded. "I think they are originally from the forest that's located over the fence. I don't know how the hell they were able to reach this point but my wild guess is that the White Shadows intentionally planted them here as traps for escapees like us."

"T-That's crazy."

"Because they are," he added in agreement. "These people, whoever they are, are hell-bent on keeping us here. They don't want us to escape, that's why they made the extra effort to put out-of-this-world security against us."

"Those plants are strong," I said pondering about the encounter. "Those snake-like vines almost choke us to death."

"But how did we survive them?" Baron inquired. "Did you do something to make them go away? Because the last time I fought them I almost ripped my arm off just so I can escape. Their vines and tendrils are insanely muscular and strong."

"I... W-Well, something happened with me that you would find it hard to believe," I answered tentatively. "Sparks appeared on my palms and it can hurt the vines."

Baron was bewildered at this. "Sparks? What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "I know it's unbelievable but something came out of my hands. They are yellowish, electric-like, and hot to touch and I used it on the plants."

Baron looked more confused at ever after what I told him. "I know you are telling the truth but how did something like that happened? Can you show me those sparks? It could be useful for us."

I nodded and raised my hands to him to let him see my palms but nothing happened. They are just my palms. I waited, but it was clear that the electric sparks will not appear on my hands as of the moment.

"I swear, I had those sparks," I told him in frustration but Baron just shrugged at me.

"I believe you, " he assured me, "because I can't see any other way for you to fight off the Stranglers. Don't get mad at what I'm saying but you're still physically weak. You can't even speak properly yet. You could have fended off that carnivorous plant only by having some kind of special ability."

"Special ability? If what you're saying is true, does that mean that we are not ordinary people?"

"Of course. We are not just ordinary kids from the beginning," he said confidently. "From the moment I woke up I already suspected that we might be different because this is not a place for ordinary people. And I am most likely correct, especially in your case. That's probably why you were heavily guarded on that room."

"Was I?" I did not know that. But Baron might be right. I remember that White Shadow called Olan said something about me that I can't just recall right now.

"What was that?" Baron looked around us so I did the same. I did not saw anything suspicious though, just the faint glow of the luminous plants around and the gloom of the night. "I hear a buzzing noise."

"They might be enemies," I suggested.

"Let's get out of here," Baron said and I agreed. He helped me stand up again even though I was confident that I could already do it on my own. Surprisingly, I was able to walk fine, but I was still slow. I was aware that at my rate the Slackers will probably catch up with us so I tried very hard to at least walk nimbly.

"I could hear the water more clearly now," I said to Baron to disturb the silence.

"We're near."

"Good, because I am tired. I just hope the S-Slackers w-won't see us so that we can rest before crossing the water," I added as I dread swimming the river with just the energy I have now. That would be a huge risk.

"Speaking of the Slackers, I was wondering what happened to them? Did you use your ability at them too? They were already at our feet when they used their cannons. I recall them zooming to where I fell from that explosion so I was already expecting us to get caught or worse, killed. I was already prepared to wake up in chains but they were not even around when you woke me up."

I had no choice but to tell them what exactly happened. I told Baron what I saw, that the two Slackers that were already closing in on him just zoomed past him like he was not even there. They moved ahead without even noticing him lying on the ground. 'M-Maybe they did not recognize you."

"That's impossible," Baron remarked with a frown. His forehead creased from thinking and I can tell that he knows about the Slackers more than he had already told me. "Their vision is supposed to be impeccable. They can spot humans even in the darkest of the night and I already had seen them use it on me more than once. They should have detected and recognized who I was while I was unconscious because I was still breathing, and that's how they identify us from non-living things."

"T-They can identify us u-using our breathing?"

"Yes. And not only our breathing but our movements too. I heard it's called something like 'biometrics.' I learned it from the White Shadow that I fought with the first time I tried to escape. He said that I can't evade the Slackers no matter what I do since they can track us using our breathing patterns and other stuff I can't understand."

"S-So what do you think happened there?" I asked because I was puzzled too. We were now in the part of the meadow where grass with sharp leaves covered the ground, so I yelped in pain as I felt my feet get cut. "W-When the Slackers acted like they can't see y-you?"

"I am not quite sure," Baron replied quietly. "But I think something was wrong with what happened there."

I could hear the sound of gurgling water louder as we proceeded on following the path beside the electric fence. This body of water might be not just a small pond or spring, just as I thought as the sound of cascading water was becoming more and more blaring.

"Baron, do you know someone called Forte?" I asked because I was very curious about this.

"Yes. I know him."

That thrilled me for some reason. "And Vista?"

"Yes. She too was someone I know of."

"H-How did you know them?"

"Forte came into my room and talked to me while I was still paralyzed on my bed. He's the one responsible for me escaping' you know."

"What do you mean?"

"He came to me and talked about everything he knew about this place. So it made me think of escaping as well. Like I said, I wanted my freedom."

"What about Vista?"

"Well, she's a different story. I only know her from Forte. He told me about her."

I nodded at what he shared. So it looks like he doesn't know Vista personally. "I-I heard from the White S-Shadow that came to my room that you were with Vista so I thought---"

"You thought that we joined forces?"

"Y-Yes..." I replied to him rather reluctantly because I was not sure that I heard what that Olan guy was talking about accurately.

"Before Forte was discharged, he told me to take care of Vista and asked me to get her if I wake up. Forte literally asked me to take her with me if I planned on escaping."

"And did you took her with you?"

"No."

I was surprised. "Why? Where is she?" I was already worried about Vista because I actually hoped that she was somewhere away from the White Shadows too. I hoped that maybe someone saved her.

"I tried on taking her with me, but her room is heavily guarded just like yours. And when I finally succeeded in breaking into her room, she was not there anymore."

"W-What? B-But where is she?"

"She might be on the Red Veil already..." Baron replied sorely. "Do you know that place?" I shook my head but said no when he did not respond. I already heard about that place but I actually don't even have any idea where is that place. "It's the place where we are about to be sent when we recover here. Forte is already there. And I think Vista's already been sent there too."

"I don't think so," I contradicted him immediately. Then I proceeded to tell him that Vista's been talking to me through my window just before I was able to get up from my bed. I told him that she was still here, talking about how she heard Baron's last message to him on a device called a Jackphone. I also told Baron about how it's impossible for her to be already being sent to the Red Veil as she was most probably was only a couple of days into her being able to move and walk.

"But where is she if she's still not on that place called The Red Veil?" Baron asked and I know that it was the vital information we needed to know right now. "I told you her room was already empty when I got there."

"M-Maybe she e-escaped too?" I suggested. "And maybe that's why the White Shadows thought that you two were together because both of you escaped."

"Well, that's possible," he said nodding. "But if she's out here too just like us then that means she's in danger too. I just hope she knows what to do if she comes across the Slackers."

What Baron said scared me. I don't think that Vista could fend off the Slackers on her own so she might be in actual peril if she's really out here in the gloom too. I'm not saying she's weak or because she's a girl but because she might not know anything about the dangers she'll be facing here. This place is deceptively dangerous and I fear that she'll lower her defense once she reached where we are.

Because of this, I had this sudden urge to search for her but I already know that Baron will not like the idea. Plus I don't think that I am in good condition to search for her. I am still weak. Fighting the Slackers is like straight up offering myself to my captors.

Baron must have read what's on my mind because he suddenly spoke about Vista. "I'm planning on searching for her, so you don't need to fret about her. We'll come back here once you regain your strength because right now you're more of a liability than a helping hand to me. Right now we need to go back to the hollow tree."

"Hollow tree? W-What's that?"

"It's my hideout," he answered. "We need to go there because there is something there that I want to show you."

That intrigued me so much. "And what is that?"

"It's the reason I saved you in the first place," he said and it only made me more curious. I was about to ask him what exactly is it that he was about to show me once we reach this tree he is talking about when we heard buzzing noises again. We both froze in our tracks because the buzzing sounds this time were more threatening than how it sounds the first time we heard it. It sounded like the sounds were coming from not only one source, but a lot of sources.

"W-What's that?"

"I don't know, but look up and you'll see what they look like," Baron said through gritted teeth and I did what he told me. I gasped. For in the air were some weird flying creatures made of steel like the Mediborgs and the Slackers. Their artificial eyes glinted in the dark and it made me nervous as they look so ominous.