If someone asked me to tell them how I felt about everything that has happened to us before it all happened, I'd wish to tell them to go screw off.

They know I can't speak, every day since the time I was caught and brought here, they've known that and bullied me for it.

"What are you gonna do? Tell on me?"

Time after time, I'd hear that, them jabbing it in my face that I couldn't do anything to protect myself vocally. Could never snap or shoot threats back, just forced to ignore it or hiss at them, one of the few noises I couldn't make without the aid of my useless vocal cords.

I wasn't sure how old I was when he arrived through the vents one day. All I knew was that other kids were suddenly surrounding him, trying to ask questions or anything like that.

The boy would be surrounded, question after question, I was curious as to why he wasn't holding his head at so many voices.

He would shake his head at them, trying to make some sort of noise, pointing around to a couple of vents.

"Runaway said the vents should be clear enough to go through, the Janitor won't be back for a while. Now's our chance,"

At first I didn't know what they were talking about. Why were they so content with leaving all of a sudden? I watched them with curiosity as some of the kids climbed on each other's shoulder, twisting and pulling on vent coverings, before climbing inside, helping others as well.

Slowly but sure, the playroom was cleared that day. Well, all except me of course, and who 'Runaway' was.

The boy came over to me, looking to be around my age. His hair was scruffy, a dark brown color with bangs that hid his eyes. A slightly too big jacket was on him, with dark jeans, a broken shackle around his ankle.

He tried to talk to me, he really tried it seemed like. All the noise that escaped him though was moans and groans, pointing back up to the vents.

I shook my head, I wasn't going, not with them anyways. It took a bit to get him to understand that, but my point was finally clear to him with shaking my head and hissed as I too pointed to the vent.

I wasn't going with those kids, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

The boy was seemingly taken aback by it, but after a moment, he nodded. He gave me what I guessed was a 'good luck, stay safe' and left, climbing up into the vents, seeming to join the other kids. He closed the cover behind him, but the other one on the other wall hung open.

I went to it, climbing up and went down the opposite direct the other kids went. It lead deeper and deeper into this stupid ship, but it was better than being trapped with them wherever.

I dropped down into a large room, furniture was huddled into corners, a small chair with a hanging, long limbed body over it. The scent of death and decay was something I was use to sadly, not finding myself all that bothered with it as I carefully made my way across and climbed into another air duct.

It was smaller, and lead further down. Creatures scuttled off into the shadows, whether it be a rat or a Nome, I wasn't sure. Eventually I came to a room with a very tall ceiling, so tall in fact, I couldn't see the actual ceiling.

An old suitcase laid open, cloths precariously thrown about on the floor from where it fell open. Small pictures were on the back, but were all too smudged for me to make out anything in them.

In the small pile in the middle, a small yellow raincoat caught my attention. Well, it would be better to have another layer on and not just a jumper.

I slipped it on, dawned the hood over my head. The side of it rested outwards, almost forming a perfect triangle over me. At least it was something...

It became my little hideout over time. My little spot of paradise in this world of death and destruction. It was peaceful, just me and the quiet swaying of the ship I was on.

Occasionally when I would get out to get food, I'd run into the boy in blue, he was nice though, giving me smiles and offering food to me. I wasn't sure if he remembered me with the raincoat on, he didn't seem to anyways.

I later learned he was called Seven, or at least, that's the name he gave himself. All the other kids called him Runaway though, and there was good reason for it.

Runaway helped others escape, drawing and mapping out areas on papers and dropping them down to trapped kids in small glass bottles. Than he would help them get to where they needed to go if he wasn't exploring areas to use as safe places.

We would occasionally bump into each other more and more as I was forced to go farther out to look for food. He kept offering to find me a place, but I never took him up on it. No one wants a mute who can't warn others of danger.

Than one day, he surprised me.

While out collecting food, he stumbled into me. Not that I cared all the much, he never really had all that to offer me like usual. He waved me down before I could retreat into a vent.

He started with him normal groaning, trying to ask me something. Eventually I figured it out.

'Where do you go?'

'Not telling,'

'Why don't you want to be with others?'

'They don't like me,'

'Why?'

Why? Why not? Not being able to speak would seem a blessing to some in this cruel world, but speaking was just as important as hearing and seeing. A voice was need to save others, to give info and to warn others of dangers they didn't know of. To protect and help those in need, without one, what could you do?

He seemed to put it together too.

'Can't speak?'

I just gave a nod to him, why did he care though? He gave me a small smile, before putting a hand to his ear, shaking his head. I blinked at him, confused. He than clapped, shaking his head again, holding his hands right to his ear and doing it again. Than it hit me.

He was deaf.

He was a deaf and survived this long without hearing. Where monsters and nightmares lurked at every corner around us, he was in a more valuable spot and survived longer than most.

He tried to speaking, his voice shaky and uncertain. "Hearing not make me who I am, you mute not make you who you are."

I blinked at him again, this time, out of surprise. He gave me another smile, before offering a hand out, silently asking me to join him to wherever he was going. Not really finding a reason not to, I did join him.

Since that day, I've been helping him help other kids to escape. We've mapped out numerous areas to use for safe havens, helped plenty of kids, even saving some right from under the Janitor's nose.

The kids started calling us The Maw's Angels after helping them for so long. I remember rolling my eyes at the stupid nickname, though Seven gave a small chuckle when I translated it to him.

That was another thing we were, we were each other's counterpart. I was his ears, and he was my voice. Together, we had each other's back, a siblingly duo, ready to help others.

But there was one boy who I tried to warn them about, along with the thing that followed him. No one listened to me, even my Voice didn't take me serious.

Oh how they wish they listened to me now.

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Finished - June 2nd, 2021

I'm so excited for this :D

I tried to go off of what I know about deaf and tried to make Seven like my deaf cousin, but I'm still trying and I hope this is okay for everyone.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Take care!