Aaron listened closely for any sounds that indicated he was being pursued. The night was infinitely silent however; they must not have discovered that he was gone yet. It would only be a matter of time until they did.

It was only by a miracle that he was even able to escape from that accursed room, that room that haunted his dreams. They must have gotten careless. He rose and pressed his body against the cold, steel wall. It was completely dark, but he'd been through this building enough times that he knew exactly where he was and where he had to go to get away.

100 yards of corridors and he'd be at the elevator and then all he'd have to do is ride the elevator to the top and he'd be free, free from this horrible place where'd they'd put. Suddenly, all the memories that he'd suppressed, the memories of what they had done to him. Those terrible machines, all of the needles, but what was worse was the smiling face of that man, that man he knew only as The Doctor.

Aaron clutched as his head as if to tear those memories away. He gritted his teeth to keep from making any sounds. Finally, he took some deep breaths and started to calm down. Then he heard it. Footsteps and they were coming fast. They were coming fast from the direction of his room. He hurriedly felt along the wall for somewhere to hide. Just as the men were coming around the corner, their flashlights piercing the darkness like knives, he found a small alcove and dove into it.

He shut his eyes tightly and pulled his knees up to his chin. If they found him, it would all be over. After this they'd probably put him in The Chamber and no one had ever gotten out of there. The men ran past where he was hiding and kept going. Aaron opened his eyes and looked around, the world was once again filled with silent darkness.

There was no time; he'd have to make a run for the elevator. He got up and listened as hard as could. He tried to pick any sound that could indicate a trap, but there was nothing. He took a deep breath and began running. He could see it, the soft, white glow of the elevator's control panel. The sound of his boots echoes loudly on the tile floor but he didn't care. He crashed into the door and pressed the red button, the button he'd seen them press some many times before.

The door opened, the white light of the halogen bulb illuminating the entire room. Aaron instinctively put his hands in front of his face. Soon. Soon he would be free of this place and once he was gone they would never find him again. He gingerly lifted his left foot and placed it inside the elevator and then he took the next step and was inside the elevator entirely.

Aaron turned and looked back. At the far end of the hall he could see them. They were running straight for him! He quickly looked around for another control panel. Then he saw it. A single red button. He jumped up and smashed the button with his fist. The door ground shut with a scrape of metal on metal. The men pounded on the door, but it was too late, the elevator was already on its way. The young boy sat down and put his face into his hands and began to cry. He was free. After so many years of pain and suffering he was finally free of that place. After what seemed like forever the elevator came to a stop. Aaron jumped up, not quite knowing what to expect next. There was a click and the doors began to open. The light that came through was intense. Aaron shut his eyes and walked out of the elevator.

Finally, he opened his eyes and beheld the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. It was the clear blue sky. He gazed at it in wonder, his mouth hanging open. He'd thought that he'd seen it before, but it was so long ago that he could no longer tell whether it was a memory or simply something he had dreamed. It was a sky as blue as anything that he'd ever seen before, a blue that went on forever. It brought with it a hope that could never be taken away. He would escape to that sky and no one would ever find him again.