![[] W.A.S.T.A [] Generation Zero - PART 2](https://cdn2.scratch.mit.edu/get_image/project/941359856_480x360.png)
ENTRY FOR: Neon Exoskeleton PART 2 CONTAINS: rest of chapter 1 & full chapter 2 Part 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/941356592/ Next: WIP ------ CHAPTER 1 - CONTINUATION ------ Zero turned pleading eyes toward Moray, who sent them a cheeky grin in return. Zero exhaled loudly and turned back toward the young boy. "Alright, Corvy." Zero ruffled his ink-black hair. "Where do you want to practice?" ------ CHAPTER 2 ------ There was a slight humidity in the air, filled with the hum of insects. Zero was sitting in the small courtyard of the Defect Camp, a cruel concentration camp that trapped Defects- humans with animal traits. Zero watched a bee, humming with delight as it sprang from flower to flower. It was rarely a perfect day, where Zero lived. A concentration camp of sorts, more prison than home. Cold and dark, quiet and lonely. Living here long enough could drive people toward the edges of insanity. Even for Zero, having made this place a home since they were seven, felt as though the walls were monsters, the buildings the teeth. They could close around Zero any second, and they would be trapped forever. They were trapped forever. Everyone. No one had ever escaped. Zero brushed their tangled hair out of their face, running their long fingers down the side of their cheek. The sun was warm on their skin, and all around the dark buildings were flowers. Signs of life in the camp were almost as rare as a person who could survive without eating. Zero leaned down, running their hand through the petals of a small flower, growing through the cracks of the grimy cobblestone path. They'd never learned about flowers, never knew the names of plants or animals. Having lived at the camp had given her the knowledge of animal defects, but they knew nothing of plants. There were flowers and trees, and perhaps the little stubby bits of grass that peeked through the cobbled paths. That was it, and all Zero had ever known. +++ (CONTINUED IN NOTES AND CREDITS) +++
+++ (CONTINUED) +++ "Ro!" Someone yelled out their name. They turned toward Moray, a frown on their forehead. "What happened?" Zero rushed toward their friend, feeling growing sparks of anxiety at the grave look on her face. "Corvus." Moray grabbed Zero's hand and began tugging her forward through the courtyard. The use of the young boy's real name made Zero's heart stutter. "He went out to practice his flying without supervision. I couldn't find him, so I searched everywhere. He was lying on the side of the path with a dislocated leg." Zero's entire body stopped working. They froze, their hands trembling slightly. Moray swore under her breath and tugged them forward again, and suddenly the two of them were running down the path under the warm sun. "Corry." Zero gasped at the sight of the young boy. They stumbled down beside him, blinking through their tears as they felt his leg. It was bent at an odd angle, and he seemed to be unconscious. Zero didn't want to believe the other thing. They couldn't do that to themselves. It would break them, perhaps more than Corvus. Zero's hands were shaking as they moved to check his breath. They nearly drowned with relief when they felt the slow rise and fall of the young boy's chest. He was still alive. "There are no doctors willing to help him." Moray echoed Zero's thoughts, the grave look on her face proving what she thought of it. "I don't suppose your parents taught you a bit of how-to-fix-a-dislocated-leg-in-a-camp-with-no-doctors while they were still alive?" Zero sent her a dry look, ignoring the small pang in her heart at the reminder. And yet… "I think they did, actually." At Moray's surprised eyebrows, they quickly rephrased, "Something like that, at least. It would probably… I don't want to hurt him." "Isn't he already in pain?" Moray waved a hand at the unconscious boy. "What's the worst that could happen? You don’t heal him, and then it'll always hurt. Better to do it now, when he might not even feel anything." Zero wrung their fingers together, biting their lip. "I can go and punch one of the guards for you to try it on first." Moray offered. "In case you're scared your technique might fail." "I'm not sure how you can make a joke right now." Zero pressed their hands against Corvus's chest again, if only to remind them that he was still alive. Moray's eyes dropped to the ground and she bit her lip, staying uncharacteristically silent. Zero sighed softly, trailing their hands down to his leg. They closed their eyes, willing to the gods that he wouldn't feel anything. That he'd wake up, and his leg would be fixed, and Zero won't be causing him any more pain. With a deep breath, Zero tightened their grip on his leg and pulled it to the side. The crack seemed to echo in their ears, and they opened their eyes blearily, just as Corvus let out a wail. "Hey." Moray dived toward him, grabbing his hands as he swayed from side to side. Zero could feel their heart shriveling. They'd inflicted pain upon their best friend. Zero stumbled to their feet, backing away. They spotted Corvus's leg, perfectly straight and fine. But he continued sobbing, and their heart splintered inside their chest. "Ro, wait!" They heart Moray cry, still holding onto Corvus. But Zero didn't listen to her. Instead, they spun on their heel and ran. To where, they didn't know. Perhaps they just needed some space. They didn't want Corvus to see them, the person who'd harmed him. They were already destroyed enough, after the loss of their parents. Both Moray and Corvus were the best friends Zero could have ever wished for. Moray, with her silent support, and Corvus, with his eager determination. Zero didn't want to lose them. They couldn't lose the only friends they'd ever had. Somehow, they found themselves back by the edge of the path, with the small flower growing from the cracks in the stones. The place they'd been before Moray had found them. Before they might've lost Corvus. Zero couldn't think about what might happen if Corvus refused to be their friend now. Would Moray still remain their friend too? Or would she want to stay with the young boy, and leave Zero alone to the devil? They couldn't help it. Right there, in the middle of the path, they collapsed to their knees and broke down in sobs. They cried, and did nothing to wipe the tears away.
