"You weren't supposed to tell..." Kaius's mind raced as he sprinted down the endless hallways. "No, no, no, no!" he repeated to himself, desperation mounting.
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"Saying no won't change the fact that they're gone," the voice in his head taunted. Kaius gritted his teeth and rounded a corner, his footsteps echoing off the walls.
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"You can't escape. They won't let you. You know too much. They'll hunt you down and bring you back dead or alive," the voice cackled.
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"Shut up!" Kaius thought, but the voice only mocked him. "Getting snappy, are we?"
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"They killed them," Kaius said aloud, still in disbelief, his voice cracking as he rounded another corner. "And they'll do the same to you if you keep running as slow as you are," the voice snapped.
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Kaius pumped his legs, urging himself to go faster. "They were trying to help people," he countered. "Or were they?" he wondered, his mind clouding with doubt. "Even if they were, they didn't deserve to die," he protested.
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The voice cackled again. "And whose fault is that? You told him. You broke their trust. They were careful, and you ruined it." Kaius's steps faltered as the voice struck a nerve.
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"Now you know why they never trusted you with the truth? Now may the truth be buried with them, and soon with you," the voice sneered. Kaius's head felt like it was splitting in two. The voice had always been in his head, since he was a kid. His parents had worried about it, and Kaius had learned to keep quiet, scared they'd say something was wrong with him.
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"Something is wrong with you," the voice mocked. "Shut up!" Kaius screamed aloud, but the voice only laughed.
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His movements were growing sluggish, and his thoughts were becoming foggy. "What did they slip in my drink?" he wondered, his eyes growing heavy. "Sedatives," the voice replied, and Kaius cursed under his breath.
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"You should just give up. They're catching up, and you're not even close to the exit," the voice said, but Kaius refused to listen. He pushed on, his legs heavy and uncoordinated.
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As he heard footsteps closing in, he looked around frantically. "Kaius, stop! Please!" a familiar voice shouted, but Kaius saw a window and made a break for it. "I can make it, just a little faster," he told himself, but the voice sneered, "You won't tell. You're going to become a stone on a lawn, just like your parents."
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Kaius's body was numb, but he forced himself forward. "Almost there," he whispered, but the voice called out, "Kaius, wait!" and he knew he was running out of time.
Kaius's legs felt like lead, but he summoned every last bit of strength to reach the window. He could hear the footsteps closing in, the voices shouting his name.
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"Kaius, come back! Please, don't make us do this!" they yelled, but Kaius knew better than to trust them. The voice in his head had warned him of their deceit.
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With a final burst of energy, he launched himself at the window, shattering the glass and tumbling out into the night air. He landed hard on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. As he struggled to catch his breath, he heard the voices shouting from the window above.
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"You'll never escape us, Kaius!" they taunted, but Kaius refused to listen. He stumbled to his feet and started running, not knowing where he was going, just knowing he had to get away.
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As he ran, the voice in his head taunted him, telling him he'd never escape, that they'd always be one step behind. "You're trapped, Kaius," it sneered. "You'll never be free."
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But Kaius refused to give up. He kept running, his legs aching, his lungs burning, until his vision began to blur and his thoughts grew foggy. He stumbled and fell, his body numb and heavy. The voice in his head grew distant, and everything went black.
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