Chapter Three.

Mind and Blood.

The next day, Night found a following note under his keyboard in Math.

"Night,

make sure no 1 will c this. eat it, if u have too. (better that the goo anyway).

do u c that myrmidon over there? try 2 get cloze 2 it. it will start thinking about u, i hope. then i can listen to it. GO, u shithd. "

Even thought the note wasn't singed, Night had no doubt who wrote it. Lina wasn't sitting next to him today, she moved, and was sitting two sits away from the silent Myrmidon. There was an empty seat by her. He stood up and took it. Unlike the rest of the class, he wasn't afraid of a Myrmidon.

Lina was afraid to look at the great creature, sitting by her. She knew Night had just took a seat there, and was some barrier, but the girl was very scared. She simply opened her Third Ear and closed her eyes, trying to hear only Myrmidon's mind.

Night watched her without interest for a while, until she grabbed a paper and a pencil, and without opening her eyes, started to draw. When she stopped, she opened her green eyes and looked at the paper. The drawing looked like a map. As she looked closer, she realized it was a map of the second floor of their Dorm. And there was a X on the place where Night's tracers could be disactivated.

"Jackpot" thought the girl.

The next step of the escape plan was to collect food. Both Lina and Night spent a few days trying to steal as many pieces of bread as they could. Lina didn't know about Night, but she was using her spare pillowcase to store them. The girl had to hope that no Trackers would visit her Sleeping Rooms. They would sniff bread out for sure.

As the escape day drew nearer, Lina became more nervous. She didn't speak a lot to Night, just so she wouldn't look suspicious. The only way she communicated with him, was by passing notes. Her spelling got worse by the day (if that was possible), so Night knew she might be really worried.

***

Lina crept thought the gym once again. It was dark and silent, just like the rest of the Dorm. Myrmidons had gone to sleep, and there weren't any Trackers or Screamers around for a couple of days now. Lina checked, before she left. She carried her pillowcase filled with bread and one white robe she managed to steal. She would prefer any other cloths better that this, since the white robe was used on Sad Birthdays. Lina didn't want to think about them. But she was getting out!!!! She just needed to sneak up stairs, turn of Night's tracers, then go down to the math room and get her tracer cut out. That was simple! Or was it......? Lina remembered how much blood had Ella left behind her. Blood all over the sheets, all over the pillows, all over the empty bed beneath her, blood all over the floor. Red liquid. Bright red. And in the middle of it, on the pillow, Ella had left two metal objects. One of them was what kept her here- a tracer. Other- what gave her the freedom. A sharp, metal razor. It probably used to be silver, before it was used by a brave little girl, who had the guts to slice her own wrist open........

No, Lina said to herself! I must stop thinking about all of this! Other wise I will never get out!

She stopped by the window, so the moonlight will be shining on her map.

She was making good time, and was almost by the stairs. Then the switch wouldn't be hard to find. For some weird reason, Night's switch was located in the different place than anybody else's. Lina wished she could find out how to disactivate hers, but it was too late now.

She passed the stairs quickly, stopping at the top only to take a look at the map. According to it, she just needed to go through the doors, and the switch would be at her right. As the girl stepped through the doors, the fear run through her. There was nothing at her right except for the fire extinguisher in a box. But as she came to examine it more closely, the girl noticed a little button. She pressed it, and a little computer screen came forward from the wall.

Please enter the access code:

Lina hoped that the Myrmidon knew the right code. And that the switch didn't have an alarm.

0186472-THI318-O1J1I1J-123456Z

Code is correct. You now have access to the controls of the tracer Z15, class special.

What would you like to do?

For tracers stats, press 1

For information on the animal, press 2

To disactivate tracer, press 3

To get information on relocating this switch, due to animal's arrival at the Central Processing Plant, or if given to another Overlord, press 4

Lina read the panel, wondering why did the Overlords called kids animals, and what on earth was Central Processing Plant. Then she pressed 3.

Please enter the access code:

As Lina looked at her paper she wrote the codes on, she hoped the code was correct.

IOOO23-U56U56-PO8O2L

The code is correct. Now, please enter the disactivation code:

Another code, Lina thought. She was tired now.

AI56PI4JHYY37SIIH3UJF9327

Code is correct. The switch Z15 would be disactivaded in 5...4...3...2..1...

Disactivation complete.

Press 1 to activate it again

Press 2 to shut down this system

Lina wearily pressed 2 and the panel disappeared. Then she looked around, making sure no creatures where woken up, and hurried down stairs.

***

As Lina entered the math room, cold shiver ran up her spine. She remembered the blood on Ella's pillow....

-How did it go?

Lina jumped up, but managed not to scream. Night stepped out of the shadows, holding a weird looking bag full of bread, and a bottle of something. The girl took a deep breath to calm down, then came up to Night, and pressed hard on his right hand. She stepped away and the heavy metal gloves fell on the floor. Night shut his eyes, and clutched his fists. Then he relaxed.

-What?- asked Lina.

-The tracer. It gave me a little electric shock when it came off.

He lifted his arm and looked at the redness, marking where the tracers have been located. As a stream of moonlight fell on his arms, Lina noticed his nail where no longer normal. They were silver now. Suddenly, in one swift movement, they expended out about fifteen centimeters in length. Night looked at them, admiring their sharpness and beauty, and then made a quick slash on his left arm. The blood started pouring from the wounds, dripping on the floor and on Night's black robes.

-Good,- he said.

-Sharp, swift....will be perfect!

Lina looked at his nails, and imagined them cutting through her flesh..

-No, no, nooo.........no.....-Lina started pushing Night away from her.

-No, no, no, NOOOOO!!!!!!!!

The boy grabbed her arm, as she started kicking. Lina was out of her mind- she was screaming "NO,NO,NO!!!". Night started to fear that something might hear her. He ripped off part of his sleeve and stuffed it in Lina's mouth.

Lina felt the soft velvet in her mouth, and then Night's arm grabbing her right arm. Sweat run down her face. She kicked him, then kicked him again, but he held on firmly. She saw him dip his nails in the bottle he brought, and then....

As she tried to kick again, sharp , terrible pain cut through her wrist. She screamed, but the sound was muffled by the velvet in her mouth. Sweat run down her body...but was it sweat? It was blood! Blood ran down her robes, her arms and legs. She felt very weak. She would die, she knew it. From the pain, from the weakness.

Suddenly the pain shot through her again. Night reached inside her wrist with two nails, and pulled out a metal capsule. Blood sprayed all over Night and Lina. Bright red blood. Lina's hair was all over her face, covered in sweat and blood. The room was blurry, Night was blurry, but red. Bloodstained. He reached over to her and pulled out the piece of cloth. A sharp pain shot through her again, and she screamed. The sound echoed through the hall ways, gym, yard, feeding room. Lina didn't hear it. She could only hear loud buzzing in her ears. The pain probably, she thought. She could hear pain.

She didn't hear her scream, but something else did. The sound of unhuman feet filled the corridor. Night jumped up, pulling Lina up too.

-Move!!!!- he yelled.

-Move!!!! They heard your screams!!!!

Lina didn't hear him. Night pulled her along, trying to get out of the room.

-No,-moaned Lina

-We are going to our death.... Let's stay here...........

She doesn't know what she is talking about, Night realized. She is in shock from pain. He would just have to pull her along for a while.

As he reached the door, a Drone blocked the way. Without thinking, Night extended his nails, and hit the Drone with his free hand in one swift movement. All The five cuts filled with blue liquid for a second, and then Drone fell on the ground dead. Night didn't stay to watch the rest. This Drone was probably close by when Lina scream, and was alone- there was no one else in the hall. But he could hear more Drones and Trackers close by, getting closer by second.

Lina suddenly came out of her trance, half-opened her eyes and said, the words hardly coming out of her blood-stained mouth:

-There are no Screamers yet.......they will be here in ten minutes.....only they could wake the Myrmidons .........I heard a Tracker think............ohhhhhhhhhhhh...........

A sharp pain shot through Lina again, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. Then she gave up and shut her eyes again.

Night tried to push her along the corridor, holding both bags of breads in his other hand. Trackers were behind him, only a corridor away. But if Lina was right , it will be a while before Myrmidons showed up. He knew he could manage Trackers and Drones. He already killed one.

-Noooooooooooooooooo..................let's stay.....i......am.....going to die......

Lina was in terrible pain. The whole thing was a mistake! They would die out there ! Night seemed to read her mind.

-Move! If we don't hurry up, they won't wait another eight months! They would take us to the Meat Factory strait away! To much trouble installing two new tracers! Damn you, move!

The only words that Lina heard were "damn" and "Meat Factory". The last one was enough to scare her, so she started moving her feet. That made it easier for Night to pull her, because, scared as she was, she couldn't fully move. She didn't even understand where she was. Night felt they would never get to the yard that way. He looked around panicked. Then he saw it. A window. The boy ran to it, opened it and looked out. Good. There was sand under it. He lifted Lina up, getting even more blood over him, and dropped her out of the window. With a scream, Lina fell into the sand, leaving a red trail on the white wall of the building.

Night stepped on the window frame, trying to aim so he wouldn't land on Lina. The boy looked behind him the last time, and saw three Trackers and a bunch of Drones filling in the corridor. No Screamers yet. Night shut his eyes and jumped.

He landed only a few feet away from Lina. The girl's hand was moving , so she wasn't unconscious . Night jumped to his feet, when he felt pain in his left arm. One of the nails broke of, and his finger was bleeding. But that was nothing. He needed to get Lina up somehow.

-Get up! We are almost there! I planned this route for ages now! Get up until the Screamers come!

Lina didn't really realize what was happening when Night picked her up and carried her in his arms. She was very light, since she hardly ever ate anything at lunch but her bread. Night felt that they were making good time, and that he would have strength to carry her at least through the yard, when a terrible scream broke over the Dorm. Unhuman scream, waking up everyone who was still asleep.

Including the Myrmidons. They would be angry now, having to walk so late in the night. If they catch him and Lina, they might be so angry they would kill the kids before the could be brought into the Meat Factory.

Lina opened her eyes as she heard the scream. It took her a second to realize what it was. Then she tried toto tell Night to put her on the ground, so she can walk herself, but the pain in the wrist was unbearable. She passed out.

Night reached the end of the yard and the blessed darkness when the Myrmidons were already out of their tents and boomed something to each other. The boy knew where to go now. There would be a building close by. A white building, just like the Dorm. He saw it earlier. He would go there. He and Lina will be safe for the night.