The Escape

Chapter 2 — The Escape

The freezing air cut through Shiho’s lungs like a

knife.

She struggled to breathe.

Every heartbeat echoed painfully inside her chest as she forced herself to stand.

“No…”

Her trembling voice sounded unfamiliar.

Small.

Weak.

She stared at her tiny hands again.

This wasn’t an illusion.

It wasn’t a dream.

Her body…

had become that of a seven-year-old child.

“…Impossible.”

Shiho took a shaky step backward.

The oversized laboratory coat slipped from her shoulders, dragging across the cold floor.

The metal handcuffs that had imprisoned her only moments ago now rested beside her.

Far too large to hold her wrists anymore.

Her eyes widened.

“…APTX…”

She finally understood.

The drug hadn’t killed her.

It had done something no scientist could have predicted.

It had reversed her age.

A sudden metallic sound echoed through the hallway.

Footsteps.

Someone was coming.

Shiho’s heart nearly stopped.

The Organization.

They were checking the cell.

She looked around desperately.

The prison door remained locked.

There was no way out.

No windows.

No weapons.

Nothing…

Until her eyes stopped on a narrow waste disposal opening near the corner of the room.

Normally…

it would have been impossible for an adult to crawl through.

But now…

She clenched her fists.

“…It’s my only chance.”

Ignoring the pain still tearing through her body, Shiho forced herself toward the opening.

Every movement hurt.

Her muscles felt as though they were burning from the inside.

The footsteps grew louder.

Closer.

The electronic lock outside the cell beeped once.

Someone was entering.

Shiho squeezed herself into the narrow opening.

The cold metal scraped against her arms.

For a terrifying second…

she became stuck.

“No…”

Not now…

She pushed with everything she had left.

Her body finally slipped through.

The moment she disappeared into the dark passage…

The prison door opened.

Silence.

One of the guards frowned.

“The prisoner…”

“…is gone.”

…

Shiho crawled through the maintenance tunnel in complete darkness.

The smell of chemicals filled the air.

Her breathing became heavier with every meter.

She no longer knew where she was going.

She only knew one thing.

She had to keep moving.

Because if Gin found her…

There would be no second miracle.

Minutes later…

A rusted maintenance hatch stood before her.

Using the last of her strength, Shiho pushed it open.

A blast of icy wind struck her face.

Snow.

Night.

Freedom.

For the first time in years…

There were no concrete walls.

No laboratories.

No armed guards.

Only the silent streets beneath the falling snow.

Shiho stumbled forward.

One step.

Then another.

Her vision blurred.

She had escaped.

But she had nowhere to go.

No family.

No home.

No one…

Except one man.

A strange inventor.

A friend her parents had once trusted.

“Professor…”

“…Agasa…”

Her knees finally gave way.

She collapsed into the snow.

As darkness swallowed her once again…

A single light appeared in the distance.

Someone…

was opening the front door.

Footsteps rushed toward her through the falling snow.

”…Hey!”

The voice sounded distant… almost like a dream.

Shiho’s vision blurred completely.

Darkness embraced her once again.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***