Cammie's Pov:
I see myself running toward the mansion, and notice something's off, the mansion is deserted, and I just feel something's wrong.
I dash in, and become blinded in the abysmal darkness. For a moment I'm paralyzed, unable to move until the emergency lights start to emit their soft glow. My heart accelerates, and adrenaline is now what keeps me moving.
"Mom!" I scream into the main hall, look in her office, wait for an answer but silence is my only reply. "Zach!" I shout into the East Wing, try the door but it's locked. I knock on it but there's no response. My legs automatically move towards my room, I go in, it's deserted, yet I can't stop myself from shouting the names of my best friends into the void.
My last hope is Mr. Solomon. I quickly sprint to the bottom of the rope. My legs cant' seem to carry me fast enough, but I make it. I tap on the door but it's close, "Mr. Solomon!" I shout in exasperation, and of course there's no answer.
I hear the speakers' static turn on, "It's too late Morgan, it's over," sounds a cold, female voice from the speakers.
"No." the whisper falls from my lips before I can stop it. No.
It's her voice, the voice that has haunted my dreams for so long.
"Cammie dear, no need to make this any harder, please come to sublevel 1 and turn yourself over." It commands.
"You have exactly 5 minutes to get here, and believe me, you will regret it if you don't." it tells me softly before I hear the system go off, and the crackling stop.
Fear seizes my heart, if I were a normal girl it'd paralyze me, but a Gallagher Girl can never afford such a reaction.
I feel as my heart shuts down, protecting itself from heart break, I get ahold of the fire pole and use it for a few moments to support my weight, before sighing in resignation taking the leap down. I walk slowly, a foot in front of the other, sealing my heart away as I go. She has them, there's no doubt of it, and there's no point in defying her at this point. I have nothing on her now, and she, she has everything I care for.
I get to the mirror and start on my way down with 2:03 minutes left. I become impatient at the slow pace of the elevator, thinking it'll be too late, a second or to, but late nonetheless. Finally I step into sublevel 1. My internal clock stops at 27.5 seconds.
"Thought we'd had to kill them and haunt you down." Zia greets me. I look around me and sure enough they are here, my heart fights against it seal, for a moment emotion threatens to break me, my throat starts to tighten, but I fight back, and force myself to meet their eyes.
Mr. Solomon and Mom are both on their knees, hands tied to their back, feet lock behind them and each with a gun barrel upon their temple. I see their eyes widen in terror, but their taped mouths make it impossible for them to tell me to run. I see Mr. Solomon close his eyes; his body loses the stiffness, his body sags. H has given up. I turn my eyes to Zia, wondering where her son is, but not able to care now, because I know that he is safe, and that there's no way Zia will allow him anywhere near this danger.
"Get her." The words are out.
"No!" I shout No. no. no!
"Cammie! Cammie, wake up, it's okay. It's okay"
I open my eyes, to look into Zach's perfect dark eyes staring back at me in concern. I sit up on my bed and he seats beside me, his arms opening in invitation.
"Gallagher Girl, it's okay." He repeats, as I lean into his warm embrace.
I concentrated on slowing my heart rate, and evening my breaths. I shake my head into his shoulder. "It's not okay, It can't be while I'm still here." I tell him, but don't say anything else.
"Never mind that, you are safe here." He tells me, pulling away from me, and I nod just to appease him, but really my mind is telling me to run, I have to leave before they find me, I have to leave before they get the chance to hurt me. I have to leave soon.
"Let's go for a walk." Zach distracts me, standing up and offering me his hand.
We walk outside the mansion in silence. I see a smile playing on Zach's lips due to the fact that I'm in my very comfortable pajamas. I linger for a moment at the foot of the woods, afraid of detonating on of the bombs imbedded in every meter of them, but Zach reassuringly squeezes my hand telling me that he's not that stupid.
I fall into step with him and gently breathe in the fresh air of the woods. I let a long sigh escape.
"Slow summer?" Zach asks, hiding his smile.
"By Gallagher standards…very. For me, it's no different than Nebraska." I tell him softly.
He nods, chuckling softly.
"It has been a pretty bleak summer for me, "he tells me letting go of my hand to pull me by the waist.
"You can always leave." I feel obliged to remind him, 'like me' quips that pesky voice that a spy can't afford having.
He stops. "Really?" he asks incredulously, raising his eyebrows at me.
I roll my eyes, as he starts backing me against a tree. "Leave, Gallagher Girl, Leave with me." He tells me in a mock sexy voice.
"I can't" I answer simply, not wanting to play games today, or lie to his face in what might be the last time I see him.
"Why not?" He asks. Placing his hands at either side of me, his head lowering so that he can see me straight in the eyes.
I hesitate. What can I say? "I just can't." I tell him and see as he sends a scathing look in the direction of the mansion.
"Let's leave, Cammie, let's run, let's forget." He offers, and it tempts me so much to say yes, but I can't. Mr. Solomon will need him when I'm gone.
"Zach, I won't leave, I won't betray Solomon like that. I'm okay here, I'm safe." I say throwing back the words he used to comfort me. I will leave, I will betray Mr. Solomon, and I'm not safe anywhere, but if I want the ones I love to be, I have to making him believe that I have complete faith in these lies.
"You're right, " he says letting his arms drop, I know a comment that will guilt trip me is about to leave his mouth, but the moment he turns to walk away, my eyes land in the motionless body of Mr. Solomon a few yards away.
"No!" the shout escapes me as I shove Zach to the side, making my way to Mr. Solomon. Zach turns to catch up with me.
"Damn it, Joe." He breathes as I fling myself to his side. My hearts skips a bit as I touch his ice cold skin. Zach grabs his wrist as I press my hand against his emaciated chest.
"Barely there." Zach whispers, but I can't feel any relieve when I fail to notice any signs of breathing. My CPR classes I took in 7th grade kick in. I quickly make sure that nothing is obstructing his airways, and block everything from my mind that's not the task at hand. I take in a deep breath and dive in to breathe life back into Mr. Solomon.
The thought of kissing my sexy CoveOps instructor (who is possibly my mom's beau) is a much more pleasant thought to entertain than the ones cause by the fear I can't allow myself to feel.
After no more than a minute, I stop to check if he's breathing. Which he is. I turn to look at Zach who quickly meets my eyes.
"Run Cammie." He tells me before adrenalin is pumping my body forward and I'm racing back to the mansion. I hear the pounding of my steps and the beating of my heart as I race to the place I never seem to leave.
I'm about to barge into Dr. Anders' office when two voices reach me.
"I'm thinking about making the move in two weeks' time, Gary." I hear my mom tell him," I'm leaving tonight; I must keep them out of here, and I need new information about their workings." My mom discloses, and knowing Mr. Solomon is stable I wait to hear the information I might otherwise not know.
"I'd like for Joe, to accompany Cammie into hiding, will he get clearance by then?" she asks, and there's just that little rule of don't get caught that prevents me from barging in in hysterics.
"I'm sure that if he keeps in good health, he will be, if not Rachel I'll ask you to either let him here or postpone her move for a few weeks, if possible, of course," is Dr. Anders' reply, and thankfully, the 'move' will now have to be postpone, and hopefully, it won't come about.
I work myself up to the level of exasperation I was in before stopping to eavesdrop. "Dr. Anders!" my words echo off the walls as I enter the infirmary.
"Cameron?"
"Cammie?" the two acknowledge me and by their look of surprise I see I haven't blown my cover.
"Cameron- what happened?" my mom asks, but I dare only look at Dr. Anders as I answer.
"Joe passed out, on the woods. Zach's with him" I manage to puff out convincingly.
Neither hesitates in getting into action, with my mom snatching up the stretcher and Dr. Anders getting out the portable oxygen machine, my mom's face not betraying a glimmer of worry as I lead them back into the woods.
"He wasn't breathing" I inform them as we near the site where I left them, and it is only now that my mom lets a flicker of anxiety pass through her eyes.
Zach stands up from the ground as we arrive, "Breathing, weak pulse, sprained ankle, damaged wrist & possible concussion." He recites, nodding to mom and Dr. Anders in greeting.
I help mom place the stretcher on the ground as Dr. Anders move to examine Mr. Solomon for himself, and Zach takes the oxygen machine from me, I quickly move to ease the mask onto Mr. Solomon's face.
"Excellent diagnosis, Mr. Goode, now if you will help me." says Dr. Anders, putting away his stethoscope and waving towards Mr. Solomon.
I watch as he and Zach lift Mr. Solomon into the stretcher and mom gets the oxygen flow going.
Soon, Mom and Dr. Anders are making their way back to the infirmary. Zach and I linger for a moment, lagging behind them.
"We could have been too late." He whispers, as we realize what Mr. Solomon means when he advises us never to let our guard down.
"'Could have' does not exist in our world" I tell him simply, but really, how much time is left until it is too late for me to leave? How much longer will I pretend it is all okay? How much longer until I have to admit I could have saved them?
Not much. Not at all.
AN: I'm thinking about changing the name of the story. Yes? No? Any suggestions? Please let me know on your review. Thanks for reading. I hoped you enjoyed it