OFFER

💀SPECIAL CHAPTER💀

sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ
~~❍~~

They left the second room and moved into hallway 3. The hallway wasn't very long, so they soon reached the last room before the exit. James and Gian went to the back to talk to Elijah.

"Hey, are you sure you won't come with us?" Gian asked. "I have to help others too. It would be selfish to save only my friends and not the others here. I'll help them first," Elijah said. "Take care," Gian said, patting Elijah on the back. James hugged Elijah. "Please be careful and come back once you've helped everyone else escape," James said. Elijah nodded and smiled.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Natalie asked. James quickly let go of Elijah and acted nonchalant.

"I'm just thanking Elijah for finding this great place for us," James said with a smile.

"laughs Even though we were almost caught by the guards?" one of Gian's friends said.

"Yeah, this place is amazing, and I don't regret finding it, especially with Elijah leading us here," James said, smiling at Elijah. Elijah smiled back.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

I smell something and wonder what's happening. Ugh, what's going on? I want to ask Gian since he knows what's happening, but I'm not sure how to approach him. The exit door of the third room is right in front of us. I was about to open it when James spoke up.

"Thank you," James said with a smile. "Thank you?" I asked, confused. "Let's get out of here now," James said, still smiling, and then opened the door.

I was surprised to see sunlight, trees, and a clear sky. "Really, what is this place?" one of Gian's friends asked.

James and Gian pulled us all out of the room, and Elijah closed the door behind us. "Hey, Elijah!" I called out, trying to stop him from closing the door, but he continued.

"Where is this, and why didn't Elijah come with us?" I asked. Gian and James explained what had happened that day.

"What??? What about him?" we all asked, worried.

"Don't worry. He'll come here too once he's saved everyone else. That's what he said," James said with a smile, though I remained concerned about Elijah.

(Elijiah P.O.V)

Seeing the exit door near us makes me feel both sad and happy. Watching them leave and closing the door behind them brings mixed emotions. I need to stay focused, though. I have to save a lot of people. I run as fast as I can back to room 1. Once there, I gather everyone and say, "I know the exit of this place. Come with me and trust me." I'm relieved that everyone trusts me, making it easier to convince them to follow me. I do the same for the others in different rooms. Once everyone is with me, I lead the way and they all follow. They're quite loud, so I shush them to keep the noise down.

"Are you really telling the truth?" a girl asks. "Maybe it's just a prank," another girl says. "If this is a prank, end it now," a boy demands.

"This is not a prank. Do you think I'd waste time on a prank with this expression? Let's leave this place quickly. Be quiet so we can escape," I say, and everyone falls silent.

(NARRATION)

"What???!!" the boss yells.

"Boss, I saw them in room 2 near the exit. I'm sure Elijah's friends have already escaped. But we still have time to stop the others Elijah is saving. I'm sure Elijah is helping them now," a guard says.

"Let's act quickly so we can still stop them," another guard suggests.

"Okay, gather everything you need and I'll bring mine too," the boss orders.

The boss, guards, and others prepare to catch Elijah and the people he's helping. They split up to search all rooms but find no one, so they decide to enter the secret door.

(ELIJIAH P.O.V)

"Look behind us, listen carefully, and be cautious. I think they already know what we're doing. Let's move quickly through the three doors so we can escape together," I said to everyone.

I could see that everyone was nervous and excited, but I was particularly anxious, knowing that they must have figured out our plan. We needed to hurry. We left rooms 1 and 2 and moved swiftly through hallways 1 and 2. When we exited the second door, we were shocked to find that the guards had already caught up with us. They must have taken the upper routes to follow us more quickly.

"Run!!!!!!" I screamed, and everyone started running as well.

Some people were hit by bullets as they fled. The guards continued to chase us, shooting their guns. With every shot, someone fell, and our numbers dwindled. When the guards finally ran out of bullets, they chased us down on foot. As soon as I saw the exit, I opened the door and let everyone out first.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

We were all nervous, particularly about Elijah. I wanted to go back, but Gian and the others stopped me. They told me to trust Elijah, but I couldn't help but worry. Brianna was even more distressed since she was closest to Elijah.

Minutes later, we heard loud yelling and knew the guards were closing in on us. We backed away from the noise as the door opened, and people rushed towards us. The police we had called arrived, while the rest of us searched for Elijah amidst the chaos. Some people were injured or bloody, and others were helping each other to escape.

We saw the heartbreaking scene of people crying over those who were left behind and who had been shot by the guards.

James shouted, "ELIJAH!!!" and we all turned to see him running towards Elijah.

James reached Elijah and hugged him even though they were still near the door. A guard who had been shot by the police fired at them both. Blood spilled from their mouths, and they collapsed on the ground. The police quickly shot the guard again, but it was too late for Elijah and James. We rushed to them.

"Hang on, we need to wait for the ambulance," Gian said, trying to offer comfort.

Elijah, pale and injured with a gunshot wound to his leg, tried to speak. "You should leave me now." "No... We won't leave you. We'll wait for the ambulance," Brianna said through her tears.

***

We waited for the ambulance, but sadly, James didn't survive. Elijah passed away while still in the ambulance. Brianna and Natalie were overwhelmed with grief over losing their closest friends.

Elijah, who had risked his life to save others, and James, who had dreams and excitement for the future, both lost their lives. Noah, too, had died despite his desire to help his family.

I felt immense sadness knowing that was the end of their lives. I was heartbroken that I couldn't do more to help them.

***

"Wow, Mom, Dad, that was a great, sad, and scary experience," Wianna said.

"I hope that doesn't happen to other people," Brianna added, leaning into me.

"Don't worry, just think positively," I said, placing my arm around her shoulder. Brianna managed a faint smile in return.

***

(William P.O.V)

Natalie is a single mom with two daughters. Gian was a businessman, and his friends became police officers. Brianna and I help Noah's family, and James's family visits James's grave weekly at the cemetery. Elijah's dad went to a mental hospital, grieving and holding Elijah's picture.

All of us, the squad, always visit the graves of Elijah, Noah, and James at the cemetery.

Brianna and I live happily, and we are grateful to Elijah for saving us.