Insane in my Russian Brain - P. Parker

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Red Room - 2010

After months of planning the girls had finally come up with a way to leave. It may have been simple, but the Red Room had always taught them to do things with complexity, so they wouldn't expect them to do the opposite.

All they had to do was become small enough to fit through the ceiling panels and up into the winter snow of Russia.

"Come on, Kat, please just take it."

"I don't want your gifts. And again, let me remind you, my name is not 'Kat'."

Arana sat down on the edge of her bed with a huff. "But it's Christmas time, and I want to give you a gift. That's what friends do." Pff, friends. Did she really think they were friends?

"I don't get the morals of Christmas. Or birthdays." It was in all her right to think that. She had only ever known celebrations after they killed a big enemy, not one just because of a certain day in a year.

"Please just take it. Come on, it'll break my heart if you don't." She pouted her chin and gave Ekaterina the biggest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen.

"Fine. But only because you've brought me the biggest opportunity to leave all this behind." Touching the small box, she could only guess what was inside. Opening it, she moved through the fabric to find little hoops with studs at the end of them.

"Those are what we call earrings in the real world. They were mine, but I thought you could use a pair."

"Thank you, Arana, but I have to ask, how do you put them on?" Ekaterina couldn't say she didn't like the thought of a gift, even if she had never given one in her life.

"Oh," she said, moving her hair behind her ears. "You can get a needle put through your ear, or other places if you'd like, and then you'll stick it through and hook in the back. We can get some piercings done together after we leave tonight."

Smiling slightly, Ekaterina put the hoops back into the box. She slid it into the small bag Arana had managed to smuggle out for the two and then grabbed her shoes. She put them on before turning to Arana. "Ready to go?"

"Course babe, who wouldn't be?" In her short time here, the nine-year-old had earned many scars, and to say she wasn't ready to get her revenge on those who did it to her was all wrong.

Holding her hands out in front of her, Ekaterina hoisted Arana up, trying to manage the sudden weight. The girl shifted, grabbing a screwdriver and twisting the bolts of the ceiling tile. It came clanging down, causing both girls to freeze in place.

"Do you think they heard us?" Arana whisper shouted, hoisting herself up into the panels.

"I hope not, try to hurry." Arana made her way up, holding her hands out to Ekaterina who jumped from the floor, catching them. She held on as she climbed up, flipping over into the tiles.

Both girls heaved out a sigh, as they crawled through, cautious of each sound. But, they weren't cautious enough. As a tile creaked under Ekaterina's weight, shouting came. "Они убегают!" They're escaping.

Moving as fast as the girls could, Arana shoved her backpack toward Ekaterina as they made their way to the vents. She worked to twist the vent open, and when she did, she threw the bag to the snowy floor.

Tapping the vent aimlessly, Arana bit her fingernail. "Come on, hurry! We don't have much longer." The vent creaked behind them as more Russian yelling came.

Hoping down to the floor below, Ekaterina measured that it was only around twenty feet from the vent. With someone with as little experience as Arana, it may have been difficult to get down, but Ekaterina would make sure she had the smoothest landing.

Shuffling through her backpack, she found the homemade tarp they had made and laid it out for the girls above. "Jump!"

Moving her way to the edge of the building, she prepared herself for the jump. But when she did, she could feel something sharp tearing through her upper body.

As she landed on the floor, Ekaterina noticed the puddle of red below her. "No, no."

She rushed her way over, noticing the girl, who appeared to be conscious, but was very much in pain. "No, Arana stayed with me, look at me."

The brown eyes of the bloody girl met the crystal blue eyes of the redhead, but couldn't hold it much longer as she let out a groan. She tried to move to her side to relieve the pain, but Ekaterina stopped her. "Not here. Not right now. Can you stand?"

Arana tried to get to her feet, but the ache in her ribs stopped her quickly. Her body was in pain, and her head just kept screaming to sleep. Just close your eyes... just for a little bit.

Trying to keep her awake for as long as she could, Ekaterina snapped vigorously in front of Arana. "No, no, stay with me. Come on, focus. Goddamn it, look over here."

Arana's breathing was cut short as her eyes focused on nothing. Ekaterina rested her head on the nine-year-old's knee, closing her eyes. "Please. It's me. It's Kat, please just stay with me."

As expected she got no response. Looking up, Kat was filled with newfound rage. Standing, she unholstered the gun from her side and turned off the safety. "I get it, bastards! I understand how sick and cruel this place is! But why her? She's too young! What the hell is wrong with you!"

She noticed movement in the corner of her eye and there stood Madame B. Dressed to the nines, all Kat could see was a walking Barbie among a world of undecorated dolls. "Ekaterina, come back inside dear. There's no time nor place to be sad."

Huffing, Kat turned her head down, almost as if she was going to follow the elder woman. "Don't call me that."

She shot the gun.