So I finally got this written and edited. Sorry it is taking so long, but I'm balancing my job with all the rest of my things I wanna do and I have to wait for my editor, and best friend ever, to be available to edit. (She's in college now.) so the updates may be rather infrequent, but I will not stop until the story is finished, rest assured. I can't leave this one alone. I'm too excited to develope it and let it finish naturally. Anywho, here is the seventh installment in Blood and Freedom. Enjoy!

...

"Hey, what are you doing?" said a gruff voice behind Karkat, making him freeze.

'Shit… think of something quick…' "I… uh… heard a noise in there and thought I should check it out…" Karkat cursed inwardly at himself for such a lame excuse.

"Why were you picking the lock?" The guard eyed him suspiciously.

"I… lost my keys…" Karkat offered.

"Damn new kids…" The guard pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. "Check it quick and then we'll go searching for your keys," he grumbled then stopped. "Wait… where's your uniform?"

Karkat lashed out and struck the guard's throat with a long fist, collapsing his wind pipe. "Almost," Karkat said as the guard collapsed to the ground and gasped. He brought his elbow down hard on the guard's neck, hearing a satisfying snap.

Karkat turned and headed into the house, closing the door behind him, his back to the sleeping people. At least he assumed they were asleep. Big mistake as it turns out as he felt hands grab him and tackle him to the ground.

"GET OFF!" he yelled.

"Hold him down! I got a pillow!" a voice yelled over the commotion. Bodies parted, and Karkat saw the human he was looking for. What was his name? Dave or something?

Dave froze. "I know you."

"Yeah, you do. Call your lackies off. I'm here to help!"

"Don't believe him, Dave!"

"Yeah, he's a troll. He's lying."

"No. I know him from outside the prison… The guards are hunting him as well. Release him," Dave said.

"Strider, you sure?"

"Yeah. He saved me once before. I owe him at least a chance to explain himself." Dave nodded, and the guys holding Karkat reluctantly let him up.

Karkat stood and brushed himself off. "Look, we don't have much time. John's in the girl's quarters, waking them all up. We have to send them the signal with this." Karkat reached into his backpack, and everyone tensed up. "Relax," he said, pulling out the flashlight. "When we give them the signal, everyone makes a break for the fence. With everyone running against it, the fence should fall over."

The crowd that had gathered around looked at Karkat suspiciously, but, slowly, all eyes shifted to Dave. It was obvious Dave was the leader. Dave looked impassive, eyes hidden by his shades. "Hmm…" he said finally, "I never pinned John as the lady's man."

Karkat gawked. "That's all you have to say?!"

"Well that, and sounds like a good plan to me." A murmur went through the room. "Alright, guys, get ready at the door. Troll dude and I will send the signal."

Though it was obvious that not everyone agreed with Dave, they all followed his orders regardless. Dave motioned for Karkat to follow him to a window.

"Give me the flashlight." Dave took the flashlight from Karkat. "What's your signal?"

"Three quick flashes. You realize that once that fence is down, the guards will be swarming after us. We're gonna have to stay and fight so the others can get away."

Dave nodded. "How do I know you're up to it? They are your kind."

"No they aren't," Karkat spat, "and if you need reassurance just look outside the door."

Dave did and saw the guard, unmoving, crumbled on the ground. He nodded his approval.

"Do you have any weapons in here?" Karkat asked.

"Just a couple of hand sickles and a machete," Dave said.

Karkat grinned. "Dibs on the sickles."

Dave nodded. "I'll take the machete. Much prefer a sword, but hey, make do with what you got, I guess. Shall we?"

"Yeah. Where are the weapons?"

"First bed from the corner."

Karkat nodded and went to retrieve them as Dave made the signal.

"GO!" he shouted to the waiting crowd. They needed no further spurning as they tore the door open and poured out the door.

Karkat returned and handed Dave the machete in time to see the girls' house emptying.

"Showtime," Dave said and headed for the door at a sprint.

Karkat followed him. As soon as they were out of the door they turned to see the guards already closing in. Karkat took position next to Dave and felt someone move in to stand next to him.

"John?! What are you doing? Get out of here!"

"No. You two can't take them all out on your own."

"But you have to get out. We only are trying to slow them down."

John looked Karkat in the eyes. He lifted the sledgehammer he'd found up. "No."

"Besides, we all have a dog in this fight, so to speak," Jade said picking up a shovel. Karkat shook his head and readied himself for the ensuing fight. If any of the fleeing prisoners would have looked back, they might have thought that this moment was very moving and inspiring, as often the forging of an alliance like this one was. Well that, or: Those guys are screwed.

As the guards closed in, they pulled out their batons that were specially made to shock a person or thing they hit. The closest guard raised his above his head and let out a scream of rage. Karkat made him pay as he threw his sickle into the guard's forehead. The guard's legs stopped moving, but his momentum carried him forward. He tumbled to the ground at Karkat's feet who immediately pulled the sickle free and spun around, slicing another guard across the gut.

Two more guards rushed Karkat, a move they wouldn't live to regret as Karkat jumped over them, flipping over and slicing both of their heads off as he went over them. Karkat hit the ground and immediately turned to cut down another advancing guard. He chanced a quick glance around to see the others in battle as well. Dave hacked at a kneeling guard's neck while Jade whacked one across the face with the flat end of the shovel. John was bringing the hammer down on a downed troll's head. Karkat would have admired the scene had it not been for the shock sent through him as a baton collided against his back. He arched his back and stumbled away. Once he'd regained himself, he spun around, just narrowly dodging the next blow. He brought his sickle up into the guard's jaw and twisted it deeper. As he pulled it out, he saw blue blood pour from the wound.

Karkat noted that the throng of guards was thinning. He jumped up and spun around, placing a kick square on an advancing guard's neck. He landed on his feet and spun on his toes, bringing his sickles down into the top of the guard's head. He wrenched them free and turned to the rest of the guards. He let out a blood curdling yell and charged them, his arms a flurry as he ran through the crowd, slicing throats and stomachs as he went by. Guards fell one by one, most dead before they hit the ground, others bleeding out on the grass.

Karkat looked at the last remaining guard. He walked towards him, and the guard dropped his baton and fell to his knees. Karkat walked past him then spun around behind the troll, bringing his sickles to either side of the troll's neck.

"Mercy…" the troll begged.

Karkat scoffed. "Would you have shown them mercy?"

The troll was silent.

"Didn't think so." Karkat moved his sickles back and brought them scissoring across the troll's neck, beheading him. Karkat looked up to find the three humans watching him. He panted as the adrenaline wore off and the exhaustion took its toll. "We should go. It smells like death here…" Karkat looked at all the blood around him, all in different colors. He suddenly felt woozy. "Quickly." He took off at a brisk walk towards the collapsed fence, his eyes trained ahead. He forced himself to breathe through his mouth. Once outside the fence, he waited for the others.

John was the last through. He held out some keys. "You said Rose might be alive. We have to go get her."

Dave looked away, and Jade looked at John. "John… She's most likely dead…" Jade said.

"But there's a chance she isn't, right?" Karkat spoke up.

Jade and Dave looked at each other.

"A very slim one," Dave said.

"But a slim chance is a chance. John is right. We have to at least try." Karkat headed off in the direction of the "Dead Area." The humans followed him to the gate of the area. Karkat reached out for the key. John handed it to him, and Karkat unlocked the gate.

"Maybe you guys should go get her. She may…" Karkat began before he was interrupted by a shape falling through the gate. He jumped back sickles at the ready.

John dropped his hammer. "Rose!" He ran to her side as did Jade. Dave casually walked over to her.

"You okay, sis?" he said, face impassive as ever.

Rose looked up at them and smiled weakly before passing out. Karkat sighed. "I hate to say this but we have to move on. We'll have to carry her with us. We need to be as far from here as we can be in the next hour before the trolls respond to the back up call."

Dave looked at him and nodded. "Troll dude is right. We need to move. John and I will carry Rose. Jade, you take point. Troll dude, you take rear."

Karkat nodded. "Name's Karkat."

"Right."

The four took their positions, Dave and John each under one of Rose's arms, propping her up between them, Jade in front of them, and Karkat behind, eyes on the rear, searching for pursuers. The five traveled this way for close to a couple of hours before finding a cave hidden among the trees.

"This seems like a good place to stay for the night. We can hide easily in here," Dave said. So they went into the cave's mouth, using the flashlight to find their way. They set up Rose and then settled themselves in.

"We should take shifts watching. I'll go first," Karkat said. Dave and Jade nodded and John started to object, but decided against it. Karkat headed out for the entrance, sickles at his side. He sat down and watched for any sign of other trolls and other sort of intruders. His watch went uneventful for two hours when John came out to join him.

"Hey," John said, sitting down across from Karkat.

"Hey," Karkat responded, tired but fully alert.

"Listen, about in the house… when you kissed me…"

Karkat's heart stopped. "Wh-what about it?"

"I didn't mean to be so mean about it… And I've sorta been thinking about it and… well… I guess I kinda… maybe… liked it…" John looked away, blushing.

"You… you did…" Karkat was stunned.

"Well… yeah… it's just weird cause you're a guy and I'm a guy and well… I didn't think I was gay…"

"Still don't understand how that's a thing," Karkat said with a quick, half smile. John smiled small and moved over to Karkat, sliding onto his lap, looking into his face. Karkat slid his arms around John thinking 'Gamzee would want me to be happy.' He leaned forward and kissed John, his tongue pressing to John's lips. John parted them allowing the tongue to slip between them and explore his mouth. Karkat pressed their bodies together, his tongue playing with John's.

John pressed down into Karkat's warmth, his tongue sliding along Karkat's. He let out a small moan. Karkat pressed up, he felt himself growing warmer from the contact and closeness of John's body to his. He broke the kiss, panting for air.

"I should really sleep…" he said.

"Yeah…" John blushed deeply and slid off of Karkat. Karkat stood and bent over to kiss John on the forehead.

"Night," he said.

"Night," John said back. And Karkat headed to get some sleep.