"Conflicting Thoughts"

Theo found himself in another strange room, which differed from the previous one. The room's vast size and the eerie atmosphere immediately caught his attention. Sinister symbols etched into the stone walls further intensified the room's already ominous ambiance.

As he scanned the room, he observed around sixty children whose movements were sluggish and lacking in emotion. Their eyes were vacuous, devoid of any awareness, and they moved about aimlessly, resembling the undead. The room lacked furnishings, creating an eerie emptiness that was pervaded by an overwhelming sense of fear.

Some of the children appeared to be relatively calm, huddled in a corner with their heads bowed, as if protecting themselves from some unknown terror. They wore shirts marked with numbers as if they were part of a scientific experiment. Despite their seemingly composed appearance, their expressions conveyed pain and hopelessness.

All of the children were around the same age, and they appeared to be weak and scared. Suddenly, the door to the room creaked open, and four masked adults entered.

The children's faces became even paler upon their arrival, and they wanted to scream, but fear kept them from making a sound.

The masked individuals brought trays of food into the room and placed them in the center. Despite this, the children did not approach the food. However, as soon as the men left, the children ravenously devoured the food, their faces briefly lighting up with happiness.

But their joy was short-lived. The door opened again, and the men returned, this time bringing with them another boy of the same age. They roughly threw him to the ground and quickly left the room. One of the children went to check on the new arrival, who was now unconscious with blank, white eyes. The sight of him served as a haunting reminder of what their fate might soon be.

The previously ravenous children now lost their appetites and the joyous expressions on their faces were replaced with fear and horror.

In a corner sat a weak boy with silver hair who had not moved from his spot, even when the food was brought in. He appeared to have lost all hope and the pain was written all over his face.

A boy approached him carrying bread and milk. "Why aren't you eating? You haven't had anything in days. You could die if you don't eat something."

The silver-haired child replied, "What's the use of eating if we are going to die sooner or later, or even worse, become mindless? There's no point." He stared blankly at the ceiling.

The boy persisted, "Don't lose hope yet. We'll escape this place one day, you and I, 049. We will make it."

**********

Theo heard someone calling his name, but he wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep. The voice called again, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Suddenly, someone was shaking him, and he opened his eyes to see it was Jack. Aiden was standing next to him.

"Hey, Hey! Are you okay?" Jack asked with concern. "You were gasping for air and making weird noises. That's why I woke you up. Are you sure you're okay?"

Theo replied, coming to his senses, "Ah, yes. I'm fine."

Jack continued to look at Theo with concern and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Theo nodded his head in response. "I just need some fresh air," he told Jack and Aiden as he got up from his bed and walked past them. He could feel their gaze following him as he left the room.

It was 6 in the morning, and Theo needed to clear his head after the dream he had. He stepped outside of the dorms for some fresh air. As he walked, he couldn't shake the thoughts from his mind.

"That child in the dream mentioned 049, I think. It's the same number that Dr. Collins mentioned. Could it be the same child from back then, and who was the other one?" More questions arose in his mind.

"Why won't these cursed dreams stop tormenting me? I don't care about them anymore!" Theo couldn't contain his frustration anymore and shouted out loud. Luckily, no one was around to hear him.

He pushed himself harder in his workout than usual, hoping to distract himself from all the thoughts that plagued his mind. Lost in his thoughts, Theo accidentally bumped into someone.

A quick glimpse at the ring on their hand told him that they were of the same rank as him. Wanting to avoid any conflict, Theo apologized to the person.

"What do you think you're doing, running into me like that?" the person stopped him.

"I already said I was sorry, what else do you want?" Theo replied, feeling irritated.

"A simple sorry ain't gonna cut it. Get on your knees and then apologize," the other person said to him.

Theo ignored him and the other guy got angry. He started pushing Theo. He was about to push him again and Theo punched his face. He had forgotten to hold back and the other guy hit the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.

'Serves you right,' Theo thought as he walked past him.

Theo returned to his room where he found Jack and Aiden getting ready to leave.

"Why not join us for breakfast?" Jack suggested.

"Perhaps some other day," Theo declined.

Aiden then noticed something peculiar. "Theo, there's blood on your hand."

"It's not mine."

"Huh, You got in a fight or something?"

Without acknowledging Aiden's observation, "It's getting late and I have got to take a shower," he said as he gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." With that, he left them behind and went ahead to shower.