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Lockdown
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'You gotta be real small to get in there.'

The window was definitely small, but Piper was determined to try and squeeze through. She, alongside Lorna, Poussey and Taystee were all crowded inside a room which had not been noticed by the COs. Inside were stacks of empty boxes, unwanted documents and broken filing cabinets. The window had shattered in the corner, but it was a possible way out. Piper turned to Poussey, 'Can you help me up?'

'You kiddin' me, Chapman?'

'Do you want to get out or not?'

Poussey could hold as much scepticism as she wanted for Piper, but the blonde was stubborn. She was getting out, whether or not she had help. 'Oi, Taystee, gimme a hand.' Together, both Poussey and Taystee crouched down slightly so Piper could stand on their palms. Fortunately, she was relatively light and both women managed to lift her close to the window. Piper glanced down at Lorna.

'Make sure no COs come this way.' She didn't wait for Lorna to obey. Instead, Piper whammed the back of her hand against the glass. 'Ah, shit!' Inhaling sharply, Piper held her wounded hand, very disgruntled to find the window had remained intact.

Taystee and Poussey sniggered. 'You're not supposed to hit it there, College. Try the corner, where it's already broke. And hurry up –– you're fuckin' heavy.' Piper aimed her fist at the corner of the window. This time around, it made some damage, but it didn't shatter entirely. Impatient, Piper flung her fist at it again, and was relieved when the window crashed to pieces. However, she was taken aback when a harsh, gust of cold wind came blowing in.

In fact, the sudden drop in temperature shocked Poussey and Taystee as well, and they weren't able to carry Piper for long. Within seconds, Piper found her back smacking against the hard ground. Groaning, she slowly stood up, Taystee taking her hand to help her. 'Not bad, Chapman,' Lorna admired. 'Think you can get through there?'

'Well, I'm going to try.' Piper looked at Poussey again. 'Would you mind?'

'This don't mean I'm your bitch, College.'

'No... I... No, of course not.'

Again, Poussey and Taystee raised Piper up to the window again. It was freezing. Piper shuddered viciously, and regretted not bringing a blanket or extra layers of clothes. If she was going to get out there, she needed to find shelter and fast. Snow burst in through the gap. Piper braced herself, and hoisted herself onto the windowsill, before gradually slipping through.

She grasped what she could. For a moment, all she could feel was snow, until something hard was in her grip. Piper pushed herself out of the window, and her face was already red and sore from the amount of snow biting at her flesh. She cursed, certain the inmates had said the weather was calmer. This was not calm. Those COs were insane to send out Alex and Nicky in this weather.

Fuck. Piper was insane to even be doing this.

Peering over her shoulder, she considered waiting for the other three to follow. But she needed to move. It was too risky. Teeth chattering, Piper wrapped her arms around her middle and trudged through the deep snow. She looked left, then right. Very little could be seen. Squinting, Piper was certain there were lights up ahead. Flickering lights. She needed to find Alex, but she needed help first, and she wasn't entirely sure if Poussey, Taystee and Lorna were willing to help.

She proceeded towards the flickering lights, but after several minutes, Piper could barely move. This was idiotic. She couldn't do this alone. But the lights were getting closer. She needed to keep going. Piper forced herself. One step after the next. Right, left, right, left–– The lights were close now. Very, very close. She could practically touch them. Flickering. On and off.

As she grew nearer, she realised where she was. Piper was at the entrance to Litchfield Federal Prison. Now things were beginning to seem clearer. Turning on her heel, she tried to find a way out, and to her disbelief, there was indeed an open gate. As if waiting for her to arrive. That must have been the way Alex and Nicky were sent. The snow was beginning to calm down. Piper hurried for the open gate, and out of the grounds. Free. Piper paused, glanced at the prison.

She was out.

Countless times she had imagined this happening. And now it was happening.

Maybe she would die out here but, fuck, at least she wouldn't be dying in there. She would die trying to find Alex, and maybe that was the best way she could go. After everything she had done, Piper would die this way. Maybe she deserved it. Maybe not. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Looking down, she could see a faint outline of footprints. Several pairs.

They had definitely come through this way.

It was that thought which caused a rush of warmth to embrace Piper's body. Alex was nearby. Somewhere. She was close. Piper didn't waste another second. Tightening her coat, she tried her best to run through the snow, eyes constantly on the faint footprints. She needed to catch up before they would fade away. She needed to find Alex before it was all for nothing.

I'm not ready to lose you yet.

But... would Alex survive? Would Nicky survive? What if Piper never found them? She started to panic, started to feel foolish going about this alone, but she had little to no choice now. Piper was a speedy runner, but in the snow it was tricky. Her knees and calves started to ache, but she was relentless. It would take much more than a little pain to make her give in.

Piper exhaled slowly. A puff of white smoke escaped her lips, and she trudged onwards.

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Two inmates were several metres behind, but Alex wasn't willing to wait. Nicky was either in a bad mood or very energetic, because she was leading the pack. Alex was struggling to see well behind her cloudy glasses, but after over an hour of searching for help, she could no longer see the two inmates behind. That was when she stopped, waited for a moment, and then called out Nicky's name. To her relief, her friend paused, turned to her. It was difficult to see her expression. They had been garbed with scarves, hats, gloves and Nicky had covered half her face with the scarf.

She lowered it slightly, 'Where the fuck did the others go?'

Alex narrowed her brows. Waited a few more seconds. 'They must have lost us.' She walked over to Nicky. 'No point hanging around. Come on.'

'Eh, hold it, Vause.' Nicky looked at her. 'We can't get split up either. This fucking snow will eat us alive; can't risk it, a'right? Knew Bell gave me this for a reason.' Nicky slipped off her bag and inside she retrieved a long piece of wire. 'Strap that around your wrist or something. If it tugs, then I'll know you collapsed. Or lost me. Or whatever. Either way, man, don't lose sight of me.'

'Same to you.' Alex tied the wire around her arm while Nicky did the same.

'We still heading South? Can't tell to save my life.'

'Uh...' Alex glanced at the compass in her hand. 'Straying a bit off course. We need to keep heading South, though. More help that way for sure.'

'You all right?'

'Yeah.'

'Liar.' Alex smiled crookedly. Nicky made a "tsk" noise. 'You worryin' about Chapman? She'll be fine. She can hold her own. Seriously, Vause, you don't need to worry about her.' The two women met each other's gaze. Nicky offered a friendly smile. 'Let's keep going.' Raising the scarf over her mouth, Nicky started to walk ahead. Alex followed, a few inches behind. She peered over her shoulder, but the inmates did not come into view. They were definitely alone.

The journey was in silence. There was nothing to discuss. In fact, they didn't want to discuss anything. Both had doubts on finding anybody. They had been forced out here without their consent. They were screwed. The weather was harsh. Horrible, and it was only about to get worse. Alex didn't recognise anywhere. To say the place was covered in snow would be an understatement.

It was a white void.

Just pure white.

A blur of nothing.

Terrifying.

Nicky was right: she shouldn't worry about Piper. But something was bugging Alex; she had this horrible feeling Piper would go ahead and do something stupid. Something rash. Something unwise that could potentially put her in danger. She wasn't sure what that could be. Yes, she was probably paranoid, but this fear for Piper –– there was a reason behind it.

Maybe this was how Piper felt. When Alex confessed she had Kubra's men keeping tabs on her.

Alex swallowed, exhaled shakily. They walked for miles. She wasn't certain. It felt like miles, but it could have been nothing. Nicky had her head down, she was struggling to keep her eyes open from the blizzard. Alex inhaled, looked to the left.

Something was moving. A black smudge. It was moving slowly in the opposite direction.

A creature.

Alex squinted her eyes, stopped walking.

Its eyes glowed when it looked at her, but didn't seem to notice her presence. Alex's breath caught in her throat, and she realised what that creature was. Nicky tensed when the wire strained, and she swivelled on her heel to look at Alex. 'What?'

The whole thing was unreal.

Nicky frowned. 'Alex, what is it?'

'I think I saw a wolf.'

'... a what?'

She cocked back her chin. Shook her head. 'Forget it. Come on. We need to keep going.' However, when Alex moved, Nicky refused to budge, and they accidentally collided into each other. 'What the fuck, Nichols?'

'You saw a wolf? You're not playin' with me, are ya?'

'I dunno what it was. Had fur. Four legs.'

'Did it see you?'

'No. I don't think so.'

Nicky was frozen for a moment. 'Shit. Guess we're not the only ones searching for new friends.'

'Could have been a cat.'

'Yeah, right, Vause. 'Cos a cat is gonna make you stop in your tracks like that?' Nicky chortled. 'Hey, didn't Bennett give you a gun before we were sent off?'

Already Alex knew what she was implying. She pressed her palm against the snout of the weapon, stuffed into her waist. 'Don't sweat it. I got your back.'

'Right. You might need to have my front, too.' Nicky held her breath. 'Jesus. We don't have wolves here.'

'We've been in that fucking prison for weeks when it's snowed. God knows what's been happening outside, Nichols. You seen any people around?' Alex fiddled with her glasses. 'Don't act surprised if we slip on any dead bodies.'

'That's cold, Vause.' Nicky quickly brushed it aside, though. 'Watch out for those cats.' She grinned a little nervously. 'You ready?'

Without offering a response, Alex brushed past Nicky and they continued South. Compass clutched in her grasp, Alex looked to her left again, but the creature had disappeared into the heavy snow. And, hopefully, it would remain disappeared.

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A good thirty minutes passed, and Piper realised her mistake. Neither Alex, Nicky or the other inmates were in sight. She started to panic. Piper glanced behind her. Hoping Lorna, Taystee and Poussey would miraculously appear, but she was deserted. She had foolishly gone on alone. Of course she had. Piper Chapman: Fucking Idiot. Swearing under her breath, Piper knew she could only keep moving. She could not freeze to death. Not so soon.

The footprints were beginning to fade. She could barely see them now.

Damn it. Oh, fuck. Piper wiped her moist face. She couldn't stop shivering, and it was all her fault. It was all her fucking fault. She chose Larry, and through choosing Larry she pushed Alex away when, really, she wanted Alex. All she had ever wanted was Alex. Alex and security and stability and a fucking life without the drugs. But, right now, she would choose Alex and everything fucked up about her. Piper had chosen wrong. Fuck, she had chosen wrong and now she would pay like this.

Her other friends, her family –– they were on her mind, but Alex was at the centre. She had come out here to find her, to be by her side. That was what she wanted. That was one of the reasons she had Alex sent back to prison. To be with her. Right now, nothing was going to plan and as far as Piper was concerned, she would freeze to death out here.

Hot tears poured down her cheeks, and they felt good against her numb skin.

Grow a pair, Chapman.

Piper roughly wiped a few stray tears. Her feet stung, but she didn't stop walking. A little mercy was offered because the snow was considerably calmer than when she first stepped out. Hopefully it would cease altogether soon. Piper lowered her head, arms folded across her body, hood up. Mind set on just finding Alex. What happened from that point on was not a concern.

She could hear a rumbling nearby. Speedy. It made the ground beneath her vibrate.

Frowning, Piper looked in the direction of the noise. Two headlights were charging for her, and it didn't make any sense until she saw the dark frame of a heavy vehicle. A jeep. A big jeep, with big tyres. It could crush her, and she doubted the crazy driver had seen her. Piper swore, and managed to move out of the way. Snow sprayed at her as the jeep drove past.

Growling in frustration, Piper wiped her very wet face, and glared at the disappearing jeep. Then, to her surprise, the jeep skidded to a halt. She wondered if it had got stuck in the snow, but her heart raced when the jeep reversed. Piper gingerly took a few steps back. The jeep stopped. There was a pause, and then the door opened, and out stepped a tall man, wearing a thick jacket, boots and a hat.

He stared at her for a while, then yelled, 'Need a ride?'

'Uh, I––' Piper rushed over, shuddering. 'I––' She swallowed, 'I'm looking for a friend. Have you seen her? 5"10, glasses, dark hair.' The man shrugged helplessly. 'Um, how about my other friend? Bushy hair. Uh, kind of short. Around my height-ish. Seen her?'

'Sorry. Nope.' He cocked his chin. 'You're fucking freezing, lady. What's your name?'

'It's Chapman.'

'I'm Jacob. Get in my jeep. It's warmer.' Piper wasn't going to refuse. She climbed into the passenger seat, and was engulfed in a wonderful warmth. Jacob sat next to her, turned to her. He studied her face, then her clothes. 'Runaway prisoner, eh?'

'Uh... No, we were sent out to look for help. We're all trapped inside. We–– There was supposed to be a van to pick us all up and transfer us, but it never came.'

'What about your two friends?'

'They were sent off before me. I've been trying to find them.' Piper sniffed, 'I... don't know where they could be. I've been retracing their footprints.'

Jacob sighed, straightened in his seat. 'Dunno if you'll be interested, but I'm sharing a place with a few people. We can help you out. Give you food. Shelter. Jesus, kid, you look like your arms will drop off any second.'

'I–– I appreciate your help, but I must find my friends.'

Inhaling between his teeth, Jacob shook his head. 'No point searching for too long. Freeze probably got to them. If not, then the wolves.'

'W–– Wolves?'

'Yeah. Those vicious sons of bitches are hungry, Chapman.'

'... I'm sorry, did you just say wolves?'

'You got that right.'

'Holy shit.' Piper covered her mouth with her hand. Horrified. Alex and Nicky were out there! Out there with wolves. Jesus fuck. 'Oh, my God.' No. No, no, no. She had to find Alex. She needed to find her. 'Please, please help me. I can't leave them. They need to come with us.'

Jacob shrugged. 'I can't really help you. Unless you know specifically which direction they were headed.'

'I––' Piper leaned back in her seat. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she scrunched them shut. She couldn't cry.

'Hey, I'm sorry. Calm down, yeah?' Jacob placed a hand on her shoulder. 'We'll find them, but you're fucking cold and I don't want you catching anything bad. Let me take you someplace warm. I promise we'll look for your friends when the snow gets better.'

'They may not have that long!'

'Well, fuck, kid, what do you want us to do?'

He was right. Piper couldn't waste time out in the cold, or she would freeze to death, and neither of them could see very well in this weather anyway. Closing her eyes, Piper tried to imagine Alex surviving; tried to convince herself she would be okay. She would be fine. Piper just needed to have a little hope. Alex would be okay without her for a few more hours.

I need to trust her.

For once, Piper needed to trust her. Wholly.

'Okay.' She nodded. 'Okay, we'll do that then.'

'Atta girl.'

But no matter what she told herself, no matter what he told her, no matter how much she loved and trusted Alex, all Piper could imagine was the worst. She flinched at the thought of wolves roaming outside. This was so fucked up. This wasn't right. This had gone completely out of hand. She let Jacob drive her to wherever he was staying, and the further they drove, the more despair Piper endured.

Alex and Nicky were, for sure, too far away now.

Never in her life had Piper wanted Alex more. To hold her and never, ever, ever let her go. If they were reunited –– if they were ever reunited –– Piper would give herself to her then and there. Without question. No more fucking around. It would be how it should be: them two. Nothing else. They would say "I love you", and there would be no more ifs, buts or ands.

Just a simple love.

Piper had brought her back to prison, and she may as well have sent Alex off to her death.

What have I done?

She looked away from Jacob and wiped her eyes, continued to watch in case anyone would be spotted. No one came to view. No one. The area was utterly deserted. 'How––' She swallowed, 'How long has it been this way? The snow and everything?'

'A while.' Jacob glanced at her. 'They're saying there will soon be a "big freeze". Whole place is gonna turn into ice –– and I mean that in the most literal sense. Best we keep warm, Chapman. For as long as possible.' He smiled sympathetically, but Piper's expression remained illegible. 'Don't worry about your friends. We'll find them before it's too late.'

'You really think so?'

He didn't reply. Piper sniffed, ran her sleeve under her nose. Held her shivering body.

The drive went on, and the snow began to clear. Piper leaned forwards in her seat when she saw a building up ahead, relatively big. It was mostly covered in snow, but one of the windows was open so both Piper and Jacob could enter. 'Not exactly home, but it's a roof over our head and we don't get snowed in. Come on.' Jacob exited the jeep and Piper followed.

Both slipped through the open window, and landed on a table to save their fall. It was cold inside. Piper inhaled sharply between her teeth. Jacob escorted her out of the room, and into what was a hallway. There were photographs and art projects on the walls, and she soon discovered this place was a school. They hurried down a few staircases, onto the ground floor, and then into a classroom.

A fire roared, and candles were lit. Four people were inside, wrapped warmly in blankets and several layers of clothing. Piper saw packets and tins of food on one of the tables. Stacks of textbooks piled beside the fire to burn. Piper watched as a woman came over, around Jacob's age. She looked nice. 'This is Chapman. I found her outside, looking for her friends.'

'Hello,' the woman said, shaking Piper's hand. 'I'm Hannah. Jacob's wife.'

'Oh.'

'This is Gary––' she pointed to a teenager sitting near the fire, short brown hair. Then to an asian male who was trying to fix a radio, 'Leonard, and Tom.' The last was an elderly man, who seemed fast asleep on one of the chairs. Piper looked at Hannah. 'You're looking for your friends?'

'Yes. Um... We have been looking for help, but I can't find them. I was wondering––' Piper glanced at Jacob, 'Well, I'd really appreciate the extra help.'

'How long have they been out there for?'

'About two, maybe three hours.'

'Ah.' Hannah winced. Looked at her husband in doubt.

Piper knew what she was thinking. It was possible Alex and Nicky had already succumbed to the cold, but Piper refused to believe that. 'Look, I really need your help. I'll look with you. You have a jeep. If we go out when it's not snowing––'

'Chapman, I want to help, but... well, there's a risk.'

'We don't want to save more than we can manage,' Jacob said. 'Start forming a rescue party, and soon survivors are chasing you right and left. It's selfish, but at a time like this, you wanna stay in small packs.'

'Please. M––' Piper sighed. 'My wife is out there. You both must understand how horrible this must be for me.'

The couple exchanged glances and to Piper's relief, suggesting Alex was her wife seemed to do the trick. 'Okay. We'll help you out. You need to eat something, though, and get warm. The snow is beginning to calm down. When it's safe, we'll go. Sound good?' Hannah queried.

Piper felt so relieved she could have burst into tears. 'Yes. Yes. Thank you.'

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author's note: Hi. I'm so, so, so, so sorry for taking years to update. I don't intend to do that again. I've missed this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed these past few months! I'll see you soon with the next update. Please do leave feedback on this chapter, too; I'd love to know what you think.