The moment I finish my sentence, a loud shattering noise sounds from the hallway—shattering glass. Ripples of realization run through the dining hall as the girls' heads whip in our direction.
"Gallagher Girl…." Zach says, his voice trailing off.
My hand inches to the gun at my waist. "I know," I tell him. I open my pack and toss him a knife from it.
"Cammie, you guys should stay here for as long as possible. Let them get into the building before you leave. Lower the number of men outside," Bex advises.
"For every person who is in the school looking for us, there is a higher risk to the students and to you."
"And if you leave now, there is a higher chance you'll die."
"If we don't leave, one of you will die!" I shout. Some of the girls in the room gasp and I immediately regret how loudly I just spoke. "Damn it," I mutter, turning to face the girls. "Look," I say, "I know how hard it is to let somebody else protect you when you have been training to protect others your entire life. I also know how hard it is to watch somebody you love die because you couldn't protect them well enough. I don't know most of you, and my guess is the majority of you have only ever heard stories about me. When I went here, I thought that I had to run in order to protect the people I loved. Maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't.
"I know my reasons were right, though. I left so that nobody else would get hurt. As I'm sure you all know, I got hurt instead and it left me with pretty good instincts for running. Right now, I can guarantee you that if Zach and I don't leave, you will either end up with those same instincts, or you will end up dead. I don't wish either of those things on any of you.
"The people who are chasing us are ruthless. They will kill you. They will torture you. They will spit on your corpses as they leave. They will go through anyone here to get to us. So yes, Zach and I need to leave. We need to leave quickly. And I need you to let us." I direct this last part at Bex, Grant, Mom, and Joe.
"Baby…. I…." Mom says, but her voice breaks and she falls silent.
Joe lays a hand on her arm. "She's right. You know she is," he tells her. He looks at me. "Let some of them get into the building before you leave. Take the passageway you talked about before, but be careful. Contact us when you can, but not if it isn't safe." He lets go of Mom and lays a hand on my cheek. "You have to promise me that you'll come back, Cam. Promise me."
I stare at him for a few seconds. This man in front of me has become a father figure in my life and from the look in his eyes now, I can tell he thinks of me as his daughter. I want to make him proud, make him happy, reassure him, but I know I can't. "Joe," I tell him, "I can't promise you that. You know I can't."
He nods. "I know, but I wish you could."
I turn to Bex. "Will you and Grant cover us when we go up to the passage?"
"Of course," she tells me, taking my hand.
"Cam, be careful," Mom says after a brief moment in which the hall is silent. "I know how you're feeling right now, and I know how easy it is to lose your head—to act purely on instinct to save your child. But make sure you don't. Just…, be safe."
"We'll do our best," I say.
Zach grabs my hand. "We need to go. Now," he says as a loud BANG echoes throughout the hall.
I nod. "Bex, we're heading to the passageway near our old suite. Are you sure you and Grant want to cover us?"
"We're sure," they say at the same time.
"Let's go then," I say. I glance at Mom and Joe. "I love you guys," I tell them. "Stay safe. We'll be in contact if we can."
"We love you too," Joe tells me. "Both of you."
I give him a sad smile. "We'll see you," I say. Then I lead the four of us to a section of the wall that would normally be overlooked, and kneel down to press a section of the elaborately carved base board. The wall swings open, revealing a staircase. I smirk at Zach from the bottom step. He is still standing next to Bex and Grant, who all have their mouths open. I cock my hip, for a moment feeling like the young woman I was when I roamed these halls myself. "Are you coming?" I ask them.
We run through the passage at a full-out sprint, single file, with me setting the pace. I scan the walls, and jerk to a sudden halt. Zach, Grant, and Bex pile into each other behind me. I don't say anything, just push on a stone in the wall. A section of the wall moves downward, and I walk through the opening that it created.
Bex looks around. "How did I not know that this passageway was here?" she asks me, staring at the door in front of us.
"I didn't find it until senior year was almost done," I answer quietly. "I found it after Liz died."
"Well, it is in a really handy place, " Grant says, with a forced smile. He's right. The passageway leads right to the door of our old suite.
Zach nods."This would have made sneaking in and out of your room way easier," he says with a smirk.
I shove his shoulder. "Good thing I didn't find it until the end of senior year then," I say.
"If I recall correctly, you were perfectly good at sneaking into our room as it was, Zachary," Bex tells him.
Grant laughs, but sobers quickly when a shout from downstairs makes its way to where we are standing. "Let's hurry,"he suggests darkly.
"Where is this passageway we're taking, Gallagher Girl?" Zach asks me.
"End of the hallway," I answer, starting in that direction. "I've never liked to use it though, because the passageway itself isn't very safe, and it spits you right out into the open with no cover."
"What do you mean by 'not safe'?" Bex asks me, alarmed.
"It just has some bits that aren't overly stable, and a few places that are, well... booby trapped. It's not to bad though, just a couple of swinging things you have to duck and a stairway you have to zipline down because if you walk, they'll fall out from under you. In one spot a bit of the wall crumbled so you have to crawl." I try to say this all with a smile, but fail. I really hate using this passageway. "The biggest problem will be when we get onto the grounds," I finish, "but we'll deal with that when we get to it."
I am at the end of the hallway now, and stop in front of a painting of Gillian Gallagher.
"Cam, you realize you had a baby less than a month ago, right?" Grant asks me.
"Shut up," I say, sticking my tongue out at him. "I had a baby a few weeks ago. I can still function. However, if I don't get him back I may not be able to."
Zach squeezes my hand. "We'll get him back, Cammie."
I nod. "Give me a boost, will you?" I ask him.
He lifts me onto his shoulders and I hit a piece of crown molding with the heel of my hand. The painting slides backwards, and then down with a loud CLUNK. Zach sets me down, letting me slide down the length of his body in the process. I shake my head at him while Bex stifles a laugh. Nobody's laughing when I turn to look at the passageway though.
"Cam..." Bex says, her voice trailing off in a way that is entirely un-Bexish.
I look at her. "We'll be careful," I say.
She pulls me into a hug. "Good, because I can't lose another friend."
I sigh, knowing the feeling. "I'll bring them home," I whisper into her ear. "I'll get Macey and Jason home."
She releases me and the Bex I know is back, fierce, quick-witted, and scared of nothing. "I know you will," she tells me.
Zach turns to Grant a gives him a sad smile. "Take care of everyone, okay? Make sure Joe and Rachel don't do anything stupid."
"I'll do my best buddy," Grant tells him. "You guys just stay alive."
"We'll try," Zach and I say together.
I'm about to tell them to stay safe themselves when I hear a gun go off somewhere in the depths of the school. All of our heads snap towards the other end of the hall.
"Go," Bex says loudly, backing down the hallway and towards the fighting. "We've got it here. And guys?"
"Yeah?" I call, stepping into the darkness of the passageway.
"If you need back-up, we'll be there."
Then we are gone, and the picture of my oldest sister is sliding back into place.
Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but I hope you liked it. Don't forget to review, I would love to hear what you think.
~You-Just-Might