38 : NICO

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"Welcome to Dema..."

Tyler, Josh, and Clancy froze.

Thought Tyler and Josh didn't recognize the voice, Clancy did.

Clancy most definitely did.

"So where are you?"

Clancy's eyes widened, and the tiniest of squeaks escaped his lips.

Tyler narrowed his eyes in confusion and shared a skeptical glance with Josh.

Josh shrugged, so Tyler looked down at Clancy.

"Nico," Clancy mouthed silently.

His voice was quiet and slow and rough like sandpaper.

"It's been a little while."

Tyler grabbed Clancy's hand and ran.

✗✗✗✗✗

Tyler sprinted down the hall, yanking Clancy song with him. Josh ran beside them.

Leading the way was Jason the pet cheetah.

Of course, with Jason being the fastest land animal in the world, the three of them could hardly keep up.

But Jason knew that, and he went slow.

They were running for their lives, and they didn't stop running until Jason did.

The cheetah skidded to a stop in a narrow corridor with doors on either side, so narrow that they could only walk two by two.

Jason slowed his steps, walking down the hall with its head down low and the muscles in its back slowly flexing and relaxing. A low growl came from its throat.

"I got a question," Tyler said.

He was walking next to Clancy, who was still holding his hand. Josh walked behind them, gun at the ready.

"Yeah, me too," Josh added.

"Where the hell are we?" Asked Tyler.

Clancy seemed lost in another world.

The hallway they were walking down was skinny and dark. Rows and rows of heavy steal doors were on either side, with one little window at the top of them.

On each of the doors was a name and strange symbols painted around them.

"The cells," said Clancy dryly.

As the group kept walking down the dimly lit corridor, Clancy's deep chocolate eyes lingered on one of the cell doors labeled NED in big yellow letters.

"The cells," Josh repeated in half confusion, half anger. "You mean they actually put you in these tiny rooms?"

Clancy suddenly stopped in front of one of the doors. Tyler's heart skipped a beat when he read what was written on it.

CLNCY
IDENTIFIED AS FAILED PERIMETER ESCAPE
BY DEMA COUNCIL
VIOLATION OF SECTION 15398642.14

Clancy did the last thing Tyler expected him to do.

The kid smiled.

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