Thanks to uyay :)

Chapter 18

Mori stood in the blinding sun and surveyed his surroundings. He had just exited the prison labyrinth in which he and Haruhi had been held captive. The door was in the side of a hill, leading Mori to believe the hallways lead deeper into the earth. Turning around, he glanced down the hill. The door had opened onto a small concrete platform which overlooked a small valley with a single road leading out towards a town in the distance. There was a trail that a car seemed to follow from the concrete stairs to meet with the road, the grass worn down and eroded over time from the car's tires.

Mori clutched his head and sighed. There was a good chance the road led to a town, and a town meant there would be a way to contact the police and host club. He turned to where he could start down the hill to the road and took a step in that direction, feeling his entire body throb. Steeling himself against the pain, he took another step and created a rhythm in his head that he chanted over and over, his feet fitting the pattern.

Left, pause, right, pause, left, pause, right, pause. Over and over again, in his head. As the pattern filled his mind, distracting him from the pain, he tried to motivate himself. He filled his thoughts with Haruhi and repeated the mantra again. Left, pause, right, pause. Mori looked up and saw he reached the road.

Now to find the city, he thought to himself as he started again.

…..~…

Haruhi tugged on the handcuff attaching her good hand to the pipe in the janitor's closet. Kurai had handcuffed her in the small closet after arriving at the school. The closet was on the very top floor and in a corner so no matter how loud she yelled, no one would hear.

Not that she even tried to yell anymore. The fight was sucked out of her and she could tell Kurai found a sick enjoyment in realizing that he had broken her. She was not excited for when they would finally be alone.

Haruhi cringed as another twinge went up her arm, emanating from her broken arm. She laid her head on the wall and closed her eyes. Kurai had left her there in the small, crowded room for what felt like several hours. Her wrist was chafed from the cuffs, not from struggling but instead just from the amount of time she had been there with her wrist hanging limply.

Slowly and unknowingly, she drifted off into a half-sleep state, only to be roughly awoken what felt like a minute later when the door slammed open. She jerked up and felt her arm again twinge in her makeshift sling.

Kurai walked in with a chilling smile. "We're all set."

Haruhi nodded once and looked to her cuffs.

"No, I'm not leaving you here, sweetheart," Kurai said brandishing a key from his pocket. "After all, everything I've done has been in attempts to find and keep you."

Haruhi again said nothing and waited for Kurai to unlock the cuff attached to the pole. After that, he unlocked her arm and immediately placed a vice grip on her wrist with his own hand. He tugged on her arm and pulled her out of the closet. Once outside the room, he led her down the deserted dark hallway silently, Haruhi occasionally stumbling and having to catch up from Kurai's fast pace. "How long was I in there?" Haruhi asked.

Kurai kept walking for several moments before answering. "Couldn't have been more than thirty minutes."

Haruhi bit her lip and mentally made a note that she had been left in there for more than a half an hour. As they neared the staircase, Haruhi spotted a clock and discovered she had been in the closet for close to three hours. No wonder her wrist was so sore.

Kurai led her down one flight of stairs and through more hallways until they stopped in front of a familiar room.

"The hosting room?" Haruhi asked aloud.

Kurai turned back to her and nodded. "This is where we start our journey, our new life together." He opened the doors and he pushed Haruhi through, letting go of her wrist and locking the doors behind them.

Inside the usually welcoming, warm room with so many fond memories was dark, cold, and empty. The barren room seemed so desolate, so devoid of the usual energy; a haunted image of itself that Haruhi knew she would never have again. A stench hung over the room that Haruhi placed quickly, "Gasoline?" she asked, turning around to face Kurai.

Kurai flipped a light switch and with the dim light she saw it, puddles of clear liquid were spread out on the ground and occasionally over the couches. Kurai held up a lighter. "Like I said, we will burn all traces of your former life."

…..~…..

10 minutes previously….

The host club jumped out of the car as soon as it slowed to a stop in front of the school. "Do you see their car?" Hikaru asked.

Tamaki turned around and looked out the window. "There is a limo parked in front of the school. It seems as if the driver is standing next to it…So they're here." Tamaki faced back around to the club. "What now?"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "I'd say that we have to find another way in."

"Where would that be?" the twins asked together.

Kyoya rubbed his temples. "There are a number of other entrances, however all are locked and all are impossible for us to open at this moment." He looked up in thought. "In the kitchens, there is a loading dock that we can probably manage to open."

"Driver!" Honey said. "Take us to the kitchen area!"

The car sped up, still trying not to draw attention to itself and drove around the block, stopping beside the loading station. As soon as the car slowed to a crawl, the door opened and the club filed out, running for the door. With his long legs, Mori reached the door first and tried to open it. He failed and frustrated, he started to bang on the door.

"Takashi!" Honey said, tugging on his arm.

Mori stood back for a second and suddenly kicked the door, near the lock but again, it didn't move. "It won't open," he gritted before he tried a second time.

Honey turned to Kyoya. "When will your private police get here?"

Kyoya checked his watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"That's too late," Mori growled as he gave the door one final kick and stalked away. He headed down the side of the building, hands clenched in his hair.

Hikaru turned to Kyoya. "Are there any other options?"

Kyoya shook his head. "We've exhausted all the other options. The only thing that's left is to try to break a window."

Mori walked back towards the club and asked Kyoya, "Are the windows reinforced?"

Kyoya thought for a moment and said, "Not to my knowledge. Are you planning-"

Mori cut Kyoya off by picking up a large rock near the side of wall and carrying it over to the side. The club followed him and Kyoya finished, "To break in the window?"

"Yes," Mori said simply before stopping in front of the window and holding the rock over his head before bringing it down forcefully on the window.

The glass shattered around the rock and sprayed inside, though some landed on the group. Mori lowered his head and the glass fell in his hair and on his back. He dropped the rock and turned to the club. "Let's go."

…..~…