Okay, seven! I think. I am reading the most beautiful song ever. I'm tearing up.

7

The creak of the hinges echoed throughout the empty corridor.

Empty, except for the two escapees.

"Shh! Try to be quieter, Ian," Brooke hissed.

Ian rolled his eyes and continued to open his cage. He walked in and helped the prisoner out. He came out with him and turned to Brooke.

"It's going to take hours to get sixty people out," he said. Brooke nodded. She looked around.

There was nothing in there other than the cells them and a box. Out of curiosity she walked over to the box and opened it.

Inside there was two switches. One had a tab that said "cages" and the other one said "cameras."

"Well, this is convenient," she said as she flipped both of the switches. The cages opened with a swoosh.

Ian got all of them out. Even though they were really tired, they pushed themselves when they knew they were close to freedom.

"Come on!" Brooke hissed and she sneakily but quickly went down the corridors with the others right behind her. They took so many different turns and passageways; Ian was dizzy by two minutes into it.

Finally, without being seen, the group exited the building and outside into the clean air. The sky was a dark gray, but the freshness of it made it worthwhile.

Brooke held up a hand to stop them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a guard walking around the perimeter. She turned to the group. Shh! she mouthed.

Quietly, the guard passed by. Brooke crept behind him as silently as possible. The guard didn't notice her. She was a foot away when another guard rounded the corner.

"Hey!" he yelled. Brooke looked back as did the guard. Brooke punched the guard in the stomach and when he brought his head down in pain, Brooke hit it against her knee, knocking him out.

She turned as the guard brought out a walkie-talkie.

Brooke ran to get it away before he made call but she wouldn't make it. Suddenly, the man's body went stiff and he fell to the ground unconscious.

Brooke stopped and looked up to Ian standing over him rubbing his knuckles.

"That hurt more than expected," he said. Brooke smiled for the first time in three weeks.

"Thanks," she said. "That should be all of them. The rest are probably at the meeting." She looked at her watch. It was one forty. They had five minutes! "Alright let's get going."

Brooke brought out her grappling hook and ran to the other wall. She swung it a couple of times before launching it onto the fence and pulling making sure it was taut.

She turned and waved to the others. They silently, and as fast as they could, limped over to her. Thirty stayed behind. One by one she helped them up and over. She was not working as hard as she thought.

Probably because they weren't fed as much, she thought.

When Brooke's count got to twenty five, loud sirens blared and guards and others came out to the yard only to see the escapees hurriedly trying to get as many over to Janus territory as possible. There was five left when the madrigals were less than ten meters away; minus the prisoners at the door.

"Ian, get them over the line. I'll distract them," she said stepping forward but not after stashing her watch in his pocket unnoticed.

"How?" he asked picking up the first one and putting him on his shoulders. "They are a ratio to you as 45:1."

Brooke glanced back and gave him a smile. She had a plan.

She closed her eyes and searched in her. Something was bubbling inside of her. She could feel it.

When Ian got the second person over and the Madrigals were upon them, Brooke let out a horrible gut-retching scream.

All cowered in fear as a purple force pushed them back. A few brave senior madrigals tried to touch it but it burnt the skin on their hands.

Deciding that they couldn't walk through it they brought out bats and banged the thing to death.

Brooke gritted her teeth. The force field kept them away but it was as if Brooke's life was connected to the field. She was losing energy. Ian got the last one over when Brooke let the field go. She ran in one direction as Ian himself crossed over. He stayed on top of the wall. Waiting for Brooke, with the others but she didn't see them. They were engulfed in the mess of Madrigals.

Finally, he saw the dark German jersey coming towards him. She sneaked out of the fight silently.

"Come on!" Ian hissed. She shook her head.

"Go without me," she said. "I have to help the others. Tell everyone I will be okay. You go to the headquarters… Maybe I'll catch up with you."

She ran to the fight leaving Ian alone and worried.

…..

Brooke ran to the fight and took down as many people as possible.

She and the others were swallowed with bad breath and evil attitude. Finally, she saw that she needed to get people out so she searched into her new abilities and thrust her hand to the wall hoping to make a whole. She opened to her eyes to see it covered with flowers.

She caught a punch in the stomach and did a huge echoing cough. She looked at the wall to see a huge hole. She smiled and looked at the others. They noticed the hole and raced to it. A couple got out. Her moment of exaltation was cut short when she was jackknifed below the neck and was knocked to the ground unconscious.

Brooke heard muffled voices all around her. She didn't move nor open her eyes. It was all too risky.

"Is it dead?" asked one.

"I sure hope so!" bellowed another.

"So does this mean there isn't going to be an execution?" asked a dumb voice.

"Naw, we're gonna have it. It's just that all the prisoners are already dead or escaped," said a sarcastic voice.

"Order!" shouted a voice that Brooke knew all too well; Octavianna. "You go and check," she said to someone on her left.

There were no footsteps.

"Jacob, go!"

Brooke heard the lire Jacob walk and near next to her.

He felt for a pulse and knew she was alive. Brooke knew she was exposed. She just knew….

"She's dead," he stated simply. If Brooke's situation wasn't perilous she would've screamed what, but she held back.

Why was he doing this? Maybe he was actually on the good side…

"Good," Octavianna continued. "Let's go to the auditorium to celebrate, except you, Jacob. You stay and clean up this trash."

She left with the others and walked into the building.

…..

When Ian heard that traitor boy say that Brooke was dead, he fell off the wall. He was devastated. He started to himself.

If only I had stayed with her or insisted that she not go.

He stood up and looked through the hole and at the group of people before he walked off in search of the headquarters thinking it would be easier if he had Brooke's watch.

Little did he know, it was in his back pocket.

….

Jacob started to pile up dead prisoners when he said, "You can get up now."

Brooke stood up shock on her face, "What was that all about? Why did you save me?"

"You're welcome to you too," he stated simply looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized like he just said he'd missed a movie because him mom died or something. "I didn't think… Thanks."

"As I said earlier 'You're welcome,'" he smiled at her. She smiled timidly.

"But why…?" she asked confused.

"I don't believe in Madrigal ways."

"Then why did you say that I would never figure it out?"

"Bedrooms and monitored in sound. For all I know, if you got out and they heard me say that I was on your side then they would kill the both of us."

"Then why did you fight me?"

"I had to defend myself." She nodded.

"I believe you now," she said. "But there is one thing I don't get. Why don't you agree with your branch's ways."

"The Madrigals?" he asked incredulously. "They aren't my branch. I'm a Janus. I was captured like you. They recruited me and never killed me; though I wish. This place stinks… literally."

"Then why are you teeth yellow," she blurted without thinking? "Sorry."

He grinned wickedly at her, "Let's just say the toothpaste here stinks."

"So you're like Allison?"

"What?" he asked confused as he dragged another body over.

"Allison said she was just like that. A Janus and that she got recruited."

"No! She is a Janus but not recruited. Her dad married her mom thinking she was just normal, but she wasn't. When Allison was born, her mom killed her dad and raised Allison to be cruel."

"Then who is Allison's mom?"

"Octavianna," he said simply.

"What?" Brooke hissed.

"Yep," he said.

Brooke's mind was reeling. This was crazy. Allison seemed so nice and yet… whatever. Brooke realized that she needed to get out.

Brooke picked up her backpack that was on the ground, "You coming?"

"What?" he asked dropping a Tomas from heaviness and shock.

"I'm leaving' and you're coming with me?"

"Why?"

"You saved my life, now I'm saving yours. Plus, I don't like being alone," she added.

"Yeah, sure but I don't have any things."

"Let me try!" Brooke said excitedly. She thought for a moment and waved her arms. In a split second a backpack stocked with goods was before them.

"I actually got this one right?" she said.

"Wow…" he said.

"Let's go," she said as she pulled him through the hole leaving a pile of dead bodies alone in the courtyard?

No, someone was there.

Allison called her mom but she didn't look like herself, "They left and so has the Lucian."

"Good," Octavianna said. "Find the Original and the Lucian and kill them."

She grinned evilly and stepped out of the shadows showing her disguise.

"There's a new Brooke in town, and that's me."

"… A little cheesy, darling," Octavianna said.

Allison rolled her eyes and hung up.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I have been mean not to update but I am getting to time now. R&R.

This whole thing is 1,760 words…. That's a lot.