Concrete fell around Matthew and the building shook with shock waves. The table Matthew was under suddenly gave way to the mass of wood and concrete on top of it and Matthew cried out in pain as the weight of the table and debris pinned him to the ground. Chest screaming for air, Matthew tried calling out but no words made it out of his mouth. More rocks and bricks fell and Matthew flinched as some of it scratched his face. The real pain came when the slab of concrete landed on his leg. Tears of pain fell down his cheeks and he tried to move, but he couldn't, and then, suddenly, someone was there.
"I got you don't move."
"Aidan?" Matthew croaked.
"Yup, Nicks' here too, stay still we'll get you out of here."
Matthew felt the weight lift off of his chest as the two boys shifted the concrete. "How did you find me?" Matthew asked.
"Nora, she's pretty brilliant you know," Aidan replied.
"Yeah, she had everything planned to a tee. She let herself get caught," Nick added through a grunt as the weight on Matthew's leg lifted.
"I don't know if I can walk," Matthew groaned as he tried to sit up only to have his chest cry out in agony.
"Don't try to stand you idiot, you probably have broken ribs and a broken leg. I've got a foldable stretcher in my bag." Aidan swung a backpack off his shoulder and produced cloth and two sticks which unfolded to be long poles. He fitted them thorough the fabric and laid it out beside Matthew. "Ready Nick? On three, one, two, three!" Matthew felt himself being lifted and placed on the stretcher. "Okay let's go." Aidan and Nick picked up the stretcher and started out of the room. "Do you know where we are?" Aidan asked.
"No," Matthew replied with a groan.
Aidan looked over his shoulder at Matthew, "are you okay?"
Matthew couldn't reply, the pain was too great, "set him down." Nick said, "he's bleeding." Aidan and Nick set down the stretcher and moved over to Matthew. Matthew felt something warm and sticky clotting on his shirt. "It's the old bullet wound, it's reopened," Nick's voice was slick with worry. "Aidan, you've got bandages in that bag right?"
"I should. That Secret Truth place had everything you need in these bags, give me a second, compress the wound." Aidan started to dig around in his bag and Nick was whispering something to Matthew but he couldn't really hear him. The voices of his friends were becoming muffled. Unconsciousness threated his body.
"It's okay Matthew, give in," Matthew opened his eyes to see his father standing in front of him, his eyes bright and happy, you've done all you can, give in.
"Come on Matthew stay with me," Aidan's voice joined his fathers, "stay with me come on, not now, not after everything you've been through, come on pull through!"
Aidan's voice called Matthew closer to consciousness, but his father's sparkling eyes, free of pain and loss, made Matthew struggle to choose. Death would be the easy option, death would release him from his responsibilities, it would let him be free from his broken body, from the deaths he has caused.
"Join us Matthew," Cody's voice resonated with his fathers.
"We could be together again," April's soothing tone made Matthew lean towards her. Her smile warmed Matthew, he longed to touch her again, to feel her lips against his.
"Come to us Matthew," Taylor joined them.
People swam before him: Chloe, Ben, Scarlett, Jayce, Susan, Zoe, Amy, Tammy, Connor, Cory, everyone. It would be so easy to go to them, to give in, but Aidan's voice is growing louder. "Come on Matthew, please!"
"He's not gonna make it," Nick's anxious voice made Matthew's eyes flutter.
"He's got to."
Matthew drew in a breath.
"He's coming around!" Nick exclaimed.
"Matthew can you hear me?" Aidan asked.
"Ow," Matthew groaned.
Aidan let out a sigh of relief and Nick let out a breath. "Thank God," Nick said.
"We patched you up the best we could, almost thought we lost you there."
"I wanted to give in but I have to keep going," Matthew flinched as he tried to sit up.
"Woah woah woah. Don't get up, come on Nick let's keep going," Aidan and Nick picked up the stretcher and continued down the hallway.
"Peter and his group should be in position now," Nick said as he looked at his watch.
"Perfect."
"Wait, Peter's group got out?" Matthew asked.
"Just the group that went through the air vent, the rest didn't," Nick replied.
"So how many is that?" Matthew asked, afraid of the answer.
"About seven, maybe eight," Nick said quickly.
"Shh," Aidan cut off the conversation, "I hear voices."
Matthew strained his ears to listen. "You can't keep me here forever," the voice struck Matthew hard. Taylor. She was alive. Her voice sounded weak, she must not be getting enough food and water. The voices continued.
"I don't need forever, you'll die soon," Caden's voice made anger flare in Matthew.
"Yeah, you'll die soon," a females voice Matthew had heard only once before made him have to think to retrieve her name, but he didn't have to.
"You're a traitor Sadie!" Taylor spat.
"I'm the traitor!? You couldn't even kill the boy!" Sadie's voice was cold.
"We have to help her," Matthew coughed.
"We can't," Aidan whispered back.
Matthew rolled off the stretcher and stood up shakily, using the wall as his support. His leg wouldn't last for long like this but he had to help Taylor.
"What are you doing?" Nick hissed.
"Helping her," Matthew grunted as he took a step.
"She tried to kill you," Aidan cautioned.
"I don't care."
"Fine. I'll go then," Nick stepped forward and slipped around the corner and into the room. The hushed voices kept going as if they hadn't noticed Nick's presence. But how could they not?
"It's a recording!" Nick's voice called from the room, "must have gone off when the explosion hit the building."
"Okay well get out of there," Aidan replied.
"Hold on, I think I see something that might help us."
"What? Nick don't touch anything, come on, get out of there!" Aidan stepped forward but didn't get far. Another explosion shook the building and Aidan was thrown backwards as the room containing Nick went up in flames.
