Hello! Again, I apologize for not updating recently. I'm trying to get back to weekly updates now. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

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Chapter 4 – Blood

Ezra woke to the sound of lightsabers clashing. Opening his eyes, his world was filled with pain. He groaned as he tried to adjust his position on the floor with no avail. He took another breath, his chest burning as he did.

Another sound of lightsabers clashing sounded through the door, along with a grunt, which Ezra recognized immediately. It was Kanan! He had come to save him!

But the words of the Inquisitor came flooding back into his mind.

They're being lured right into my trap. And since you're the bait, that makes you responsible for their deaths.

Dread filled Ezra's stomach. Kanan was going to be murdered by the female Inquisitor, and Ezra was stuck mere meters away, handcuffed. He jerked at his bindings again, but the only result was more pain. Every movement just ignited another part of his body.

She had been merciless to him.

The most pain was on his chest, where his skin was exposed - he did not remember that happening. His coveralls hung around his waist, and thankfully, the rest of his outfit was untouched. The Inquisitor had some weird thing with always touching his face or playing with his hair. It terrified him, but, he supposed that was the point.

His chest was splotched with red, some that were dark and still seeping and some that were beginning to heal. The blood had been spilling out of him for the unknown amount of time that he was lying unconscious; taking into consideration the pool of blood that surrounded him, and the rancid smell that filled his nostrils, it had to be a long time.

There was an equal amount of pain radiating from his back and leg. He suspected that she had only sliced his back once, and he remembered her slicing his leg. She said something about him not being able to run away.

He groaned as he pulled at the stun cuffs again, the metal clinking against the bar. He had to get out of here. His usefulness as bait had come to a close, and if the Inquisitors did not have anyone to hold against Kanan, then they might have a slim chance of getting out of here.

Relaxing his muscles, he tried a different approach. It was clear that the stun cuffs would not budge from the control panel that was behind him, so that left him with one option. He would have to slide his hands out, which in theory should be easy, considering they were already lubricated with his blood. But to do that, he needed fresh blood. Grunting in pain, he shifted his body so the cuffs were underneath the slice on his back.

He applied pressure to the cut and bit back a scream as the blood began dripping onto his cuffs. After a few painstaking minutes, his wrist was able to twist left and right. He pushed harder, waiting a few more moments before-

He gasped as his hand broke free. He pulled it in front of him grabbing it with his other hand, which was still stuck in the cuffs. His wrist was bloody and stinging from the pain.

A bang from outside the door woke him from his trance. Right. He still had to get out of here, and no amount of pain could stop him.

He placed his palm on the ground in an attempt to lift himself up, only to fall down flat on his chest. It took all of his willpower not to scream. Okay, that much pain was enough to stop him.

But only for a moment. He rolled onto his back and grabbed onto the control panel with both hands, his left, which still had the cuffs, clattered against the metal device. Wincing at the sound, he pulled himself up. The room spun around him, but at this point he had gotten used to it.

Limping as fast as he could, he made his way out of the pool of crimson liquid and threw himself against the door. He threw his arm into button, knowing that his fingers would not work properly after being restricted and bleeding for such a long period of time. The door slid open, and after making sure the coast was clear, he limped away.

He was only a few meters away when he heard it.

"Ezra!" He froze in his tracks. He recognized it as Kanan's voice, but it was filled with fear. It sent chills down his spine hearing his teacher so worried, so afraid. He needed help, but Ezra knew that he was in no condition to help.

But like Kanan, he was stubborn. He had to try.

Looking up, he saw his old friend. With a quick force pull, the grate of the vent shaft unlatched. He sighed, wishing that he had Zeb's help to boost him up. Without it, this was going to hurt. He bent his legs, resisting the urge to scream in pain, and jumped. The force flowed through him, giving him an extra push, and his hands latched onto the opening.

This time, he could not help but let out a loud grunt of pain. He just hoped that no one had heard. Using his arms, he hoisted himself up into the shaft. Once his upper body was inside, he crawled deeper to pull his legs up. He slowly sat up and turned to face the opening. Leaning down, he closed the grate. His breathing was heavy and pulling himself through the small space took a toll on his battered body, but he was making progress.

He just had to get back to Kanan and help him. If he was battling the Inquisitors, Ezra knew he could not last long. Despite being an excellent fighter, Ezra knew that Kanan had never finished his training. He was not as skilled as the Inquisitors were. At least with Ezra there, it would attempt to level the sides, but he too knew that he was hardly a formidable opponent.

Was he already too late?

He froze, the question running circles in his mind. No, he would have felt it, right? He closed his eyes, but could not seem to reach Kanan through the force. Something was blocking his connection; but if he was blocked from Kanan, that meant Kanan was blocked from him.

The blood. Kanan had seen his blood, and he could not sense him. That's why he had yelled his name, he thought he was dead.

But that means that the Inquisitors saw that he had escaped. They would come looking for him, and if he connected with Kanan, they would sense it, and then they would all be captured.

He opened his eyes and let his body fall slack. He was tired, so tired, and no solution to the situation was coming to him. His eye lids suddenly became heavy; his mind beckoning him to sleep. He knew he should resist, he should keep going and find Kanan, but his mind was already slipping away.

Ezra gave in.

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R & R

~ Kavella ~