The Apocalypse Adversaries

Part 10: Escape

Quill dropped his gun and ran up to the bars of the cell.

"Logan? I'm so happy to see you! I thought you died!"

"Well, you didn't exactly stick around to find out, did you?" Logan said sarcastically.

"Please don't be mad," Quill begged. "That wasn't my fault. They made me leave. They're gone now, too, by the way."

Logan's eyes filled with tears. It was official. His parents were gone. He'd never see them again.

"Okay, what's going on?" Violet asked. "Who the fuck is he and how do you know him?"

"He's my brother." Logan answered, fighting back tears.

"And whatever your plan is," Quill whispered, "I want in. I want to get out of here as much as you do."

"How do you know there's a plan?" Violet asked, clearly suspicious.

"Because if I know one thing about Logan, it's that he always has some sort of plan. And every now and then, one actually works out."

Logan rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Tomorrow night, our friend is coming to break us out. You're welcome to come. But no backstabbing bullshit, okay? You may be my brother, but I won't hesitate to leave you behind."

"Got it. Who are these guys, by the way?"

"That's Violet, and those two are Cece and Cassie. I don't know if you can tell, but Cassie isn't doing too well."

"I noticed. Anything I can do?"

"Get her food and water," Cece said. "Hopefully it'll help to calm her down."

"I don't know if it's worth wasting the supplies. I meant, like, if you want me to put her out of her misery. I'm a bit more merciful than most of the guards here. She'll be lucky if she even makes it to tomorrow."

"What?" Logan yelled, glaring at Quill.

"Well, I assume she's the one who's hair they just cut. I heard about her. Apparently, she was hysterical? I don't know. Either way, they think she might do more harm than good, and that she's unfit to work here, so they're planning on killing her soon."

"What the fuck?! Can't they just let her go?!" Cece yelled.

Quill shook his head. Cassie's eyelids started fluttering. She was waking up.

"We can't let that happen. Get her food and water. Now, Quill."

"Fine."

Quill only took about 2 minutes before he came back with an apple, a cereal bar and a bottle of water. Cassie sat up and started to drink. While Cece and Cassie were distracted, Violet reached through the bars and grabbed Quill by his shirt.

"Logan trusts you. I don't. If you're going to escape with us, you need to be one of us. And we protect each other. So, you had better make sure that Cassie makes it through until tomorrow, or else you aren't going anywhere."

"She's right," Logan commented. "I don't want to leave you here, but Cassie needs to get out too."

Quill nodded and Violet let him go. They sat in silence for the rest of the night. None of them slept until morning.

Logan woke up that afternoon to a tapping on the window. When he peered out, he saw Casper there. He looked nervous, but his face lit up when he saw Logan, and he waved excitedly.

Logan shook his head quickly and pointed away. It was such a relief to see Casper, but he couldn't let him stick around. The guard could see him. Logan kept waving Casper away until he took the hint and ran out of sight.

During the day, Logan only saw Quill once. A guard, the same one who'd cut Cassie's hair the day before, was heading towards the cell, wielding a knife. Quill had grabbed his arm and muttered some excuse about someone wanting to see him. It worked, and the guard left in a hurry.

When night fell, Quill was on guard again. Throughout the day, he'd managed to fully pack two bags. They were bursting with supplies. He handed one bag to Cece and kept one himself. The cell door was opened and Quill stepped inside. They had to move fast, there were more guards in the next room who would be there as soon as they heard a noise. Quill locked them in to try and buy more time. Logan prayed that Casper was nearby.

Violet took a stone from the floor and set the plan into motion, throwing it full force and shattering the window. That sound was quickly followed by the unfortunate squeak of metal being bent. Casper was there.

Suddenly, there was a bang. The other guards had been alerted. Quill had locked them in their room, but it wouldn't take them long to break the door. As soon as there was room, Cece started to help lift Cassie through the window. Lucky for them, Cassie was a gymnast, so she was through quickly, and Cece followed. It wasn't easy to climb through the window, but she managed. The banging didn't stop. They didn't have long. Violet was next. She was surprisingly nimble, and was through the window in little more than a second.

Now it was Logan's turn. His total lack of upper body strength really didn't help, but the others grabbed his arms and dragged him through. Just as Quill turned to go to the window himself, there was a crash. The door had broken.

Quill bolted to window and pulled himself up as quick as he could, but he wasn't quick enough. As he was getting out, one of the guards caught his leg and slashed it with a knife. Blood gushed from the wound like a river. When he pulled himself through the window, it was clear he couldn't get far. The noise had attracted some zombies, and they were already too close to comfort.

Logan and Violet each grabbed one of his arms and they did their best to carry him. There was a forest around ten minutes away, where Casper had hidden his supplies (and his cat). They could hide out there for now.

The moment they got there, Quill passed out. They could still hear the groans of zombies nearby. Cece crouched next to him and looked at the wound.

"This place should be safe enough for tonight, but someone will have to stay on watch. Those things are already too close, and I think they can smell blood," She said, then she gestured toward Quill's leg. "And as for this... I'll do what I can, but it doesn't look good."

"Can I help?" Cassie asked. She was a little stressed, but she seemed to be back to her usual, cheerful, helpful self.

Cece nodded and the two of them got to work. Violet, on the other hand, just lay down and fell right asleep. Clearly, she was exhausted.

That left Logan and Casper. Neither of them said anything. They didn't have to. Silently, Logan pulled Casper into a hug, and the two of them burst into tears.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," Casper sobbed. "I was so scared."

"I was scared too," Logan whispered. "I'm so glad you're okay. I should've woken you."

"Yeah, you should've. You scared the shit out of me. You can't just disappear on me like that."

Logan kissed his forehead.

"From now on, we stick together. You and me, we're a team. No matter what."

Casper pulled away and nodded.

"No matter what."