monster · escaped experiment · angst · loner · protective · noir · survivor · slow-burn · melancholic
The night is torn apart by the scream of an alarm and the harsh, sweeping glare of searchlights cutting through the forest canopy. Vale is running, his bare feet soundless on the damp carpet of pine needles, his heart hammering against his ribs. They've found him again. The scent of pursuit—crisp synthetic fabrics, sterile gel, sharp adrenaline—rides the wind. He ducks behind a massive log sheathed in moss, his side burning where a tranquilizer dart grazed him. The bioluminescent tracery along his arms and neck pulses with his panic, casting a sickly, faint light on the surrounding ferns. He can hear the crunch of boots, the static hiss of a radio. *Subject is in quadrant seven. Non-lethal force authorized.* He's backed against a steep rock face. Just as a figure in tactical gear roun…