Asylum

Escape

Leo Hernandez

"We're ready," I tell Elektra and Ren. "Ren will take your pack while you warn Cerberus, Elektra."

Ren sighs and grunts. "Why me?"

"While I'm sure I can take you on in a fight, you're clearly the stronger one here. Now let's get a move on," I coax. "Sarah's waiting for us."

We all sling the black sacks full of stuff over our shoulders. Well, all of us besides Elektra. She charges ahead, full speed through the doors and towards the guard station. As Ren and I kick the door open, I spot something that is a lot more than disturbing. Already beating Elektra to the punch of warning Cerberus: Kya. She's talking to the guy as if they just had a family dinner and they're trying to schedule another hangout.

On one hand, it looks like a casual conversation: some nodding, gentle hand movements, eased posture. But on the other hand, Kya can definitely disguise emotions and chaos. There could be a storm brewing inside of her and you'd never know it.

"Well, well," Ren says from behind me, easily looking over my head and at the two. "Looks like Asylum's Miss Perfect isn't so loyal to her friends after all." Though the message behind the Dragon's words is potent and devastating, he's smiling.

"You're happy about this?" I ask. "Are you crazy? Wait. Don't answer that last one."

"People like Kya tick me off, Leo. No one can be so innocent and pure and...well, perfect." A dark, dark shadow takes over Ren's face, making him look deadly and deeply depressed. "I used to be around someone who was like that all the time. I learned that those are the ones you have to watch out for the most – the ones who'll stab you in the back faster than you can blink because they know they can get away with it."

Kya departs from Cerberus with a wave and heads to the courtyard to sit by Sarah. Elektra strolls up to the man and rapidly talks, her hand motions fast and swift.

"What do we do about Kya?" I inquire, watching the girl as she crosses her legs and looks up at the cloud-ridden sky.

"Now? Nothing," Ren snarls, shooting daggers at Kya. If he was a dog, foam would be pouring out of his mouth and the hair on his back would be standing straight up. "But if it comes down to it and she's helping Cerberus, she becomes the enemy. She won't be the girl who stole aces for you for gambling, Leo. This is serious. I don't want your friendship with that girl ruining my chance of escape. She shoots at us? You take her down."

Suddenly, Cerberus bolts up a ladder and runs to the wall control panel. On overhead speakers, his voice comes in clean. "Evacuate the courtyard. Code black. Evacuate or we will evacuate you."

"Ren..." I gasp as the walls creak open. "Code black...it means –"

"I know what it means," Ren snaps, charging out the pool building. "We aren't giving this up."

Code black indicates that those Taser bullets are no more. Every one of those rifles is armed with real ammunition – the kind that kills. We're getting through the first wall without a doubt, but after that, there's a greater chance that I'll be dead.

Ren reaches into his pack, where a metal bar sticks out. He takes it out and hands it to me. The plan is simple: Sarah will tap into the snipers' chis, then I'll hit the back of her hard enough that she's still functional, but the guards are wiped out.

We fight against the crowd, our packs jerking us left and right and to the ground with every inconsiderate person who knock into us. I mean, come on: I'm trying to make an escape, here!

At last, we get to Sarah and Kya. "Guys, this is crazy," Kya says. "Stop before you get hurt."

"Oh," Ren bites. "I thought you wanted us to get caught."

Kya rolls her pale eyes. "I was just upset, Ren. Am I supposed to smile when you patronize me?"

Ren gives a half-shrug. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did. Now Leo, go ahead and knock out Sarah."

Kya's eyes bug out and her jaw drops. "What?"

Sarah smiles. "It's fine. All the guards are connected to me. Knock me out, or get me close to it, and they're gone. Go ahead, Leo."

Rearing the bar back, I get ready to strike her. But the thought of hurting Sarah twists my inside and raises a foul taste in my mouth. "I can't hurt you," I confess.

"Leo, it's fine," Sarah rushes. "Do it."

"No, I'm sorry. I can't."

Snatching the bar from my hand, Ren says, "I can," before hitting the back of Sarah's head. The guards topple to the ground on the wall like dead flies in the summer. "Now! Run!"

Sarah cripples to the ground but she gets back up, her balance shady. "Kya," I call. "There's still time to come with us."

Solemnly, she shakes her head. "I'm sorry."

"You're a good person," I bid, putting one of Sarah's arms over my shoulder.

Elektra takes off behind the wall, waiting to "attack" us with Cerberus. I saddle Sarah's sack and almost collapse to the ground. I can't carry all this weight because I'm weak. God, I hate myself. A sack lifts off my shoulders. My spirits skyrocket when I expect to see Kya helping me, but it's just Ren trying to be nice.

Movement above snags my attention. The guards are popping back up like popcorn. They swing their rifles through the fence links and begin to take aim. "Ren!" I alert.

"I see them. Our plan didn't work."

"What do we do?" I ask, voice shrill and high. As if matching with our disaster, the rain hits us all at once. It begins to pour like the ocean is leaking through the clouds. Lightning streaks across the sky and thunder rattles my core. This storm seems like it can last for hours. Already, there are two inches of rain on the ground that soak into my shoes and socks.

"Drop the supplies," he demands, releasing three heavy packs. "Help Sarah. Right now, speed is our only option."

Earsplitting shots followed by tectonic plate-moving thunder fills my ears. They even ring my ears to the point that I can't hear anything besides my own feet and breathing. My legs pound against the concrete, kicking water on the back of my legs. Spears of pain shoot up through my body from how hard I'm running.

Cerberus waits by Elektra, as if he's waiting for us.

Tapping into his mind, I come to a revelation.

"Ren," I shout over the pounding rain and intense thunder. "They aren't shooting at us. They're herding us. We are going to make it through the wall but after, we're toast."

Gruffly, he growls, "Just don't stop moving."

We pass the wall, my feet stomping on grass for the first time in years. I almost want to stop and lay on the green, even despite the saturated ground.

Cerberus summons lightning and aims it at me. A bolt fires from two of his fingers as another one comes crashing into it, a massive explosion occurring just like the one in the courtyard. Elektra holds her pose of firing as Cerberus's face and mind registers shock. "Elektra?"

"I've been here for too long," she snarls. "Come with us or surrender."

Cerberus laughs and his eyes are wide. Nervously, he scratches the back of his head like he's going insane. "We've got bullets locked on you all. I can take any of your powers. Why would I surrender?"

Ren gets ready to throw fireballs when Elektra tells him not to. "Ren, don't. If he doesn't know what power you have and he tries to use it, he'll spiral out of control."

"You expect me to stand here and do nothing?" Ren roars, angry. In the dark, his eyes dully glow and make him look like an animal. The rain drenches his hair, the blood red ends looking like real blood.

Cerberus raises a walkie-talkie to his face. "Fire."

And then the earth shook as every sniper emptied their magazines.