"Yeah," Cass said. "Then we're gonna go help Rapunzel and hopefully end all this shit once and for all."

The four of them huddled together, with Flynn still resting on the table.

"We don't have any time to waste. Rapunzel's mother could have taken her anywhere by now," Flynn said. "She mentioned having a car."

"Then we need an escape plan," Cass said. "We need to hurry before Quirin gets back. We can't let any of Vladimir's people know what we're up to."

Lance raised a hand. "I actually know a person who could help."

"Who?" Flynn asked.

"There's a woman on patrol – Adira. She told me about a way out of the fence, where we wouldn't be spotted."

"Adira, aye?" Flynn wiggled an eyebrow.

"She is stunning," Lance responded.

Cass tsked. "Boys. we don't have time for this."

Flynn sobered. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Cass is right. Where did Adira say the exit point was?"

"Near the side of the courtyard. It's tucked away, not many eyes back there."

"Well, I know where our weapons are," Max said. "Rapunzel told me they're hidden around the back of the mansion near the stables in a locked box, partially hidden underground."

"How did she find out?" Cass asked.

"She said Varian told her."

"Maybe Varian is on our side?" Flynn asked. "We could recruit him for help. You know, our first day here, he did warn me and Rapunzel about this place. Said not to get too cozy."

"Too late for that," Lance said.

"Ok, so we know of a way out, we know where our weapons are, and we might have two possible allies," Cass said, ticking off her fingers. "Now we just need to go get Shorty and the kids."

"I think we should stick together," Max said. "Flynn, you're too hurt to go off alone and I don't want anyone falling into trouble without any backup."

Normally his ego would be bruised, but Flynn knew Max was right.

Max and Lance helped Flynn off the table, right when Quirin came back in. He frowned, staring at the scene of Flynn's arms slung over Max and Lance's shoulders.

"You shouldn't be up," Quirin advised. "You need more rest."

"Doc, I'd rather do it in my own bed. This table here is not the most comfortable."

Quirin pondered for a moment, before nodding and letting them past. "Just don't exert yourself too much."

Oh, how worried the doctor would be if he knew about their plan. Flynn didn't have time to rest – he needed to go save his girl.

But first, he realized something. He was still naked.

"Uh… could one of you go grab me some clothes?"

"Sure thing," Lance said, rushing out of the infirmary. It was an awkward few minutes as Cass, Max and Quirin stood around a naked Flynn. Finally, Lance returned with Flynn's jeans, shirt and jacket.

After leaving the infirmary, Flynn, now fully clothed, tried walking on his own. He could manage, but barely. This was gonna be tough, but for Rapunzel, he'd handle any amount of pain to see her face again.

"Why didn't Rapunzel tell us about her mother?" Cass wondered as the walked across the courtyard, keeping an eye out for Vladimir. With it being nighttime, they had darkness on their side. Most of the community's residents were asleep and the only people awake were the patrol guards.

"Because that woman mind-fucked her. Made Rapunzel believe that she needed her. She took Rapunzel from her own parents. Rapunzel didn't fully realize until recently."

"That's terrible," Cass said, shaking her head. "I'm going to stop at nothing to make sure she's ok."

"I'm right there with you."

For once, Flynn and Cass were in complete agreement.

They found Shorty lying on the picnic table, asleep (like always) and sucking his thumb (like always).

"Shorty." Lance poked his arm, causing the little man to jerk awake and shout, "Visas! Get your visas!"

Flynn and Lance exchanged a look. "I don't even wanna know," Lance said.

"Shorty, we're breaking out of here," Flynn whispered. "So, keep your voice down."

Shorty blinked. "That's a great plan."

Flynn frowned. "I haven't even told you the plan."

"Oh. What's the plan?" he slurred.

"Shorty, just follow along and stay quiet. Can you do that?" Cass asked.

Shorty 'zipped' his lips. "You're wish is my command."

This probably wasn't gonna end well.

They walked to the mansion, going to Angry and Red's bedroom. Cass knocked on the door, waiting. After a minute, the two girls were standing in the door frame, confused expressions on their faces.

"What's going on?" Red asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Angry crossed her arms. "Yeah, why are you guys all huddled around like someone died?"

There was silence.

Angry widened her eyes. "Wait. Someone died?"

"No," Flynn said. "Rapunzel was taken. We're breaking out."

Angry squinted at him. "Why do you sound so weird?"

"I was stabbed in the stomach, thanks for asking."

"So, grab anything you girls need," Cass said. "We're never coming back here, that's a given."

The girls exchanged a look.

"But we like it here," Red said.

All the adults looked at each other, even Shorty, who was pretending to look invested.

"You like it here?" Lance asked, his voice dripping with doubt.

"Yeah," Angry said, "it's cool. We like the school."

"You like the school?" Flynn asked, dubiously. "Oh, if that's all, then you're welcome to stay."

"Flynn, enough with the sarcasm," Max said. "Girls, we're leaving."

"But we don't wanna," Angry said. "Mrs. Crowley was gonna teach us more about the claw tomorrow."

Cass lifted her eyebrows. "The claw?"

"What the hell is the claw?" asked Flynn.

"We don't really know," Red said. "Just that Pascal was chosen to help with it."

"Pascal isn't here?" Cass said, pointing at his door.

"No. He went with Mrs. Crowley earlier today. Hasn't been back since," Red said.

Flynn rubbed a hand over his face. "And you didn't think to tell any of us because…?"

Angry shrugged. "It didn't seem important."

Flynn stuttered. "I-I-it didn't seem… important? You mention something about some claw – which for the record sounds like an extremely inappropriate sex machine of some kind – and that Pascal is there with it and has been there all night? And you didn't say anything?"

Angry eyed him. "Jeez, what went up your butt?"

Flynn just couldn't believe this.

Before he could yell at them, Cass placed a hand on his arm. She looked at Angry and Red. "Rapunzel was taken," she said. "It would worry her more if Pascal were in any danger. We need to find him."

"We don't know exactly where he was taken," Red explained.

"It's got to be somewhere," Max said, placing a finger on his chin.

"Great deduction skills, Max," Flynn said. "This entire mansion is huge and last time I checked, there are tons of other little buildings surrounding it. Pascal could be anywhere."

"You know, Rapunzel came to the class earlier today," Angry said.

"It seems Raps was getting into a lot of stuff before she was taken," Cass said.

"What happened to her?" Red asked. She walked over and grabbed her Ken doll.

"It was her mother," Flynn explained. "Or well, sort of. We're running out of time. Just grab your things and let's go."

The girls finally did what they were told. Each adult went and grabbed their respective bags as well. Armed with nothing but empty bags, they set off in search of Pascal.

"We can't just check every single room," Cass whispered.

"Why can't we?" Flynn asked. "Let's split up into teams, with each team taking a part of the mansion."

"It's not a bad idea," Max said. "We should all just be careful and quiet."

Flynn, Lance, and the girls set off in one direction, while Cass, Max, and Shorty went the other way. They tried door after door, most not opening. The few that did revealed sleeping people. Flynn tried to be as discreet as possible to prevent waking anyone up.

They opened one door to reveal Vladimir asleep on a bed. Flynn hastily shut it, but the door closed louder than he had intended. Flynn, Lance, and the girls were silent for a moment, waiting for the sound of Vladimir's footsteps coming towards them. Fortunately, the sound never came.

Flynn breathed a sigh of relief and they continued on their way.

After they headed downstairs, they were greeted by a long corridor.

"Let's keep checking," Flynn said, trying to suppress his irritation. Where could Pascal be? Opening the door at the end of the corridor brought him into a science lab. Beakers and concoctions lined the walls.

Varian was seated over a desk, scribbling away in a notebook.

"Varian?" Flynn murmured.

Varian jumped, letting out a shriek, and knocking over a beaker filled with some green goo. He turned around to face Flynn, calming once he saw him. "What are you doing here?" he hissed, wiping at the green goo.

Flynn entered the room, Lance and the girls following. "We're looking for Pascal. Angry and Red say he was taken to the claw? Whatever the hell that means. Do you know where that is?"

Varian closed his eyes for a second. "The claw?"

"You know it?" Lance asked.

Varian nodded. "I know it. But I thought it was a myth."

Flynn frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I heard rumors about Vladimir having this… contraption. A contraption to provide heat all over the community since electricity is in low supply. I overheard some of the other members talking about the claw – that Vladimir was… using children to run it."

"Using children?" Flynn asked, feeling his stomach twist into a knot and it wasn't from his stab wound.

Varian walked closer, lowering his voice even more. "Apparently, it's a cult of some sort. We all know Vladimir likes children." He eyed Angry and Red, who were standing stiffly. "He collects ceramic unicorns for goodness sakes. But I think that Vladimir likes children a little too much. I've heard whispers of him using the classroom as a way to train the kids into submission, into believing in this thing called 'The Claw.'"

"Mrs. Crowley only ever talked about the claw," Red said.

"Yeah, she made it sound like it was this glorious thing," Angry said. "That we should all be so blessed to see it."

"What does the claw do exactly?" Lance said.

"That's where I'm not too sure," Varian said. "I just think it has something to do with heat and children. He needs children for it."

"Where is this thing?" Flynn asked.

Varian looked around as if he might get caught. "It's in the classroom. Or well, below the classroom. I just know that Vladimir wants me working on a different system for central heating, but I remember him mentioning that I'd have to bring materials down underneath the classroom. There must be a secret door in there."

"Well, let's go then," Flynn said, turning around.

"Wait." Varian walked back to his desk. "The door is locked with a combination. You'll need a key to unlock it. Vladimir gave me the correct numbers in case I ever needed to head down there." He grabbed a paper, handing it to Flynn.

"I guess we're lucky that Vladimir trusts you so much and that you don't like him."

Varian shrugged. "I do what I have to stay alive in this world."

"Come with us," Lance offered. "We're getting out of here."

Varian hesitated. "I can't. My dad would never leave this place."

"You don't need to stay for your dad," Angry said. "My dad sucked. I never would have done anything he wanted."

Varian's shoulder's caved in. "I just… cant."

Flynn held up the paper. "Well, thanks for this." Varian nodded is return.

They left Varian standing all alone in his science lab as they met back up with Cass, Max, and Shorty in the foyer of the mansion. Lance got them all caught up as they headed to the classroom. Upon entering the room, it was almost pitch black inside, except for the light of the moon shining in.

"Where's this mysterious door Varian was talking about?" Flynn asked, stumbling into a desk. The pain in his side intensified.

"He said it was on the ground," Lance said.

"It's over here," Angry said. "I saw it before but didn't really question it."

She led them to a trapdoor in the corner of the room. A lock with a passcode was hanging on the handle.

"Thank god for Varian," Flynn murmured, looking at the paper. He punched in the code, watching the lock light up green, and pulled open the door – it creaked, making Flynn grimace. He didn't want to get caught.

He stuck his head down, noticing a glowing light emitting from down below. He turned to look at his friends. "So, who wants to go down into the creepy underbelly of this classroom first?"

Everyone looked at him. He sighed, walking down the steps, which led into a dark, dingy basement. A huge metal machine was front and center in the room. It wasn't making sound or moving at all. It was just still. The Claw, he presumed.

It was quiet in the room, except for the sound of someone sniffling. Once everyone was behind him. Flynn walked further into the room, going around the machine. He made it to the backside and saw a sight he really wished he hadn't seen.

Pascal was standing there, his hands bloody – the skin torn off and dangling. In his hand was one of his pocketknives. He clearly didn't give them all away when Vladimir demanded they give up their weapons. At Pascal's feet lay the body of an older woman. Mrs. Crowley.

She was dead.

"Pascal," Flynn said slowly, "what happened?"

Pascal was crying, staring down at his hands.

Cass rushed past Flynn and approached Pascal, pulling him into a hug. Pascal clung to her, his bloody hands leaving stains on the back of her jacket. She stroked his hair, shooshing him, trying to calm him. It was a side he had never seen in Cass. Rapunzel would have been proud.

Pulling back, Cass asked, "What happened?"

Pascal pointed at the machine. "The Claw."

Max approached slowly, stepping over the dead body of Mrs. Crowley. "Pascal, can I take a look at your hands?"

Pascal let Max peer at his hands. Max reached into his bag and pulled out his first aid kit, wrapping gauze around Pascal's hands, tying it.

"Pascal?" Angry said. "Why is Mrs. Crowley dead?"

"She made me go into that thing." Pascal pointed at The Claw. "She made me stick my hands into this…small space within the machine. There was a moving gear inside. I had to clean out the gunk so the machine would keep moving. She told me it produces the power to keep this place running, so it needed to be clean."

"Why did she make you do that?" Cass asked, an arm still wrapped around his shoulders.

"Because only a kid's hands are small enough to fit inside and clean out the machine. It's impossible for an adult."

"So, she hurt you?" Flynn asked. He knew once they found Rapunzel, that she would probably never let Pascal leave her side ever again.

Pascal nodded. "It tore up my hands. She made me believe that what I was doing was for the good of the community. But… that wasn't true."

No one wanted to say what they were all thinking, but someone needed to say it.

Flynn sighed and said, "Pascal, did you kill Mrs. Crowley?"

Cass shot him a glare, but Pascal nodded and said. "Once I realized what was going on, I pulled my hands out of the machine. You see, when she had me put my hands in the first time, the machine was off. She purposely turned it back while I was sticking my hands in to clean out the gears. She didn't need to turn it back on." Pascal wiped tears from his face. "But she did. She wanted to hurt me. So, I hurt her back. She didn't know I always keep extra knives on me, no matter what."

"I'm so sorry this happened," Cass said, hugging him close again. "We should have seen some signs… anything. We should have stopped this from happening before it got this far."

"Rapunzel tried to stop it," Pascal said, standing back. "She begged me to go back with her, but I didn't listen. Mrs. Crowley really led me to believe that what I was doing was the best thing I could ever do for everyone here. But Rapunzel knew something was wrong. I didn't listen," he repeated. He looked around at everyone. "Where is Rapunzel?"

Flynn hated to tell him, but…

"Rapunzel was taken," Flynn said. "We're gonna go get her back."

"Taken by who?"

"Her mother. I should really say the woman who kidnapped when she was a child and pretended to be her mother."

Pascal nodded, wiping more tears away. "Rapunzel did talk to me about her. She sounded really mean."

"She is," Flynn said. "So, Pascal, are you gonna help us get her back?" He was hoping to distract the little guy from all the shit he had just gone through. Give him a purpose.

"I don't know if I can." He lifted his bandaged hands.

"Pascal," Flynn said, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this. You've always fought for Rapunzel. Once we find her, she'll be so glad to see you. You know that."

Pascal nodded, his eyes brightening. "You're right. I promised to protect her when we first met. I can't let her down."

"That might be a difficult promise to keep," a voice said behind them.

They all whirled around and looked up at the trapdoor's entrance. Vladimir was poking his head through it. Flynn could see a bunch of other people next to him, peering down at them all.

"Seeing as you're not going anywhere," Vladimir finished.

He gestured at his people and a swarm of both men and women flooded the basement, Vladimir following. His people pointed guns at Flynn and his friends.

Shorty lifted his hands. "I surrender!"

Vladimir chuckled. "I'm sure you do." He looked straight at Flynn. "I seem to remember you promising me that you would try to be good. And I seem to remember saying that I'd kill all your friends if you stepped out of line. I'm much better at keeping my promises, wouldn't you say?"

Flynn gulped. This wasn't good.

Rapunzel watched the forest zip by as Gothel drove the car further away from Rapunzel's friends. From Pascal. From Cass.

From Flynn.

"Are you really taking me all the way back to the cottage?" Rapunzel looked at Gothel, who was staring intently out the front window.

"Why, of course, my dear! You belong nowhere else except there."

"I belong with my friends."

Gothel waved a hand. "Please, dear. You do not. You belong with your wonderful mother."

Rapunzel sneered. "My real mother… she could be dead for all I know. You are not her."

Gothel's hands clenched around the steering wheel. "There's no point in arguing with you on this, so let's just agree to disagree."

Something in Rapunzel snapped at those words. Maybe it was Gothel's condescending tone. Maybe her dismissive attitude. But Rapunzel wanted to smack Gothel across the face, maybe give her another scar.

This anger in her was frightening. She was normally so kind and happy, but Gothel brought out the worst in her.

"Let's not," Rapunzel replied, crossing her arms.

"Did you just talk back to me?"

"I did. And I'll keep talking back for the rest of my life."

Gothel tsked. "Well, that just won't do."

"You don't own me, Gothel." It was the first time Rapunzel had called Gothel by her name. Rapunzel could tell on her mother's face that she wasn't too pleased with that development.

"You do not call me by my first name, you understand? I am Mother to you."

Rapunzel didn't respond. She stared out the window once more, knowing that the further Gothel took her, the less chance she'd ever be reunited with her friends. She'd have to do something about it. But what? What could she do to stop her mother? She was without a weapon, she was scared and alone. There wasn't anything she could do.

And Gothel wouldn't stop talking.

"I just don't understand how I raised such a brat. I mean, Rapunzel, you need to control that attitude of yours. It's not healthy for a growing girl."

Rapunzel wanted to say that she was already grown. That she didn't need to work on her attitude when the woman that kidnapped her was kidnapping her again.

Gothel looked over at her. "Besides, you're getting a little chubby. When we get back home, I'll help you lose some of the weight."

Rapunzel knew that she wasn't overweight. Being on the run had actually made her lose a couple more pounds. Gothel was just trying to get to her. She wasn't going to allow that.

Gothel tried another tactic.

"Rapunzel, you're just not fit to be out here on your own. You need me to care for you. You're too incapable of doing it yourself. You're just so naïve." Gothel paused, then she went in with the jugular. "You really think that man of yours is going to come rescue you? Honey, he's probably already dead. He's not coming for you."

Those words were a punch in her gut. There was a good possibility that Flynn was dead and if so, she left with Gothel for nothing. She didn't save anybody then. She thought of Pascal. How was he? Last she left him, something strange was happening with him and Mrs. Crowley. The further the car drove, the less Rapunzel would ever know if her fears were unfounded or not. She thought of Cass. Her new best friend. Cass would have to go on without her.

And she thought of Flynn. The man she loved. The man who begged her not to go with Gothel, while he bled out and couldn't stop her. Was he proud that she had the strength to sacrifice herself for him? Or was he disappointed that she gave in so easily to her mother, the only person who held such a grip over her mind? She wanted to be able to ask him. And the only way to do that was to get out of here.

She couldn't just sit here and let Gothel get away with this. Rapunzel knew she needed to fight, just like the night she left Gothel in the first place. And she needed to act fast.

She couldn't blatantly look around the car, lest Gothel get suspicious, so she discreetly flitted her eyes around the front of the car. There was no weapon she could grab. Her eyes settled on the steering wheel. There was only one thing she could do.

She'd have to stop the car. Even if it meant dying herself.

Rapunzel threw her body over the car console and grabbed the steering wheel, yanking it towards her. The tires screeched as Gothel yelped and pressed her foot on the brakes.

Gothel smacked Rapunzel's arm, but Rapunzel kept turning the wheel, using her entire body strength to overpower Gothel.

"What are you doing?" screeched Gothel, frantically pressing her foot on the brakes.

But it was too late.

The car swerved off the road and smashed into a tree. Rapunzel felt, more than saw, the explosion of glass around her as her head hit the dashboard.

Gothel stopped screaming and all was silent as Rapunzel's vision faded to black.

Flynn expected the punch, but the pain that radiated throughout his face wasn't any easier. Vladimir laughed as that stupid Mustache Man wiped Flynn's blood off his hand, then proceeded to punch Flynn in the gut, which hurt even more due to his kidney injury.

He really hated Mustache Man. Besides, a goatee was a thousand times better than a mustache.

After Vladimir found them in the basement, he dragged them all outside and tied them up, so they were sitting on the ground in a circle. The guards surrounded them with guns in their hands.

Vladimir placed a hand on Mustache Man's shoulder, then crouched down to look into Flynn's eyes. "I did warn you not to act out."

Flynn spit, blood dribbling down his chin.

Vladimir sat back and nodded at a few of his other people. Those people then punched Lance and Max in the face.

"Leave them alone," Flynn rasped, as Lance moved his jaw, checking for injuries, and Max looked dazed.

Vladimir pondered for a moment. "No, I don't think I will." He nodded at his men again, who rained punches down on Max and Lance.

"Hey, dumbass, why don't you pick on someone your own size," Cass said.

Vladimir looked at her. "Who do you mean?" He looked her up and down. "You?"

Cass gave Vladimir an annoyed look as he laughed. "I'm tougher than I look," she said.

Vladimir sobered. "Oh, I don't doubt it." He stood up, placing his hands on his hips. "You see, you people weren't supposed to find out about my little experiment down in the classroom."

"What, that you torture kids to make them clean a machine so this whole place has electricity?" Flynn asked. "Yeah, we kind of figured that." He was amazed he could even speak after Mustache Man punched him, but nothing could prevent Flynn Ryder from making a snarky comment.

But thinking of his name made him think of his other name. Eugene Fitzherbert. If he ever managed to reunite with Rapunzel, he'd have to start seriously considering changing his name back. After all this shit, he was sort of done with hiding.

Vladimir quirked his lips, even though his expression was angry.

But before he could speak, Flynn cut him off. "And hey, what was with that whole ceramic unicorn thing?"

Vladimir dropped his arms. "How do you know about that?"

"Your collection? A little birdie told me."

"A little birdie you say…" Vladimir nodded at one of his men, who wrangled a struggling Varian into the circle. "I think I know exactly which little birdie told you." Though Flynn knew Vladimir wasn't just talking about ceramic unicorns.

Quirin stepped forward. "Vladimir, why do you have my son?"

"Dad, don't," Varian said, shaking his head so hard his goggles began to slip off his head.

Quirin looked at his son, confusion on his face. "What's going on?"

Vladimir squeezed Varian's shoulder tight. "You see, you're little son here, is a rat. He told these outsiders about The Claw and my ceramic unicorn collection."

"I-I-I'm sorry," Varian stuttered. "I didn't know the unicorns were a secret!"

If Flynn weren't in so much duress right now, he would have laughed his ass off at that comment.

"I find that hard to believe. You can join your new friends." Vladimir pushed Varian towards the prisoners, one of Vladimir's men tying him up, forcing Varian to sit next to Flynn.

Vladimir rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Now that we have that out of the way. I have a promise to keep. It's time I delivered."

Flynn hung his head, knowing Vladimir was about to kill all of them.

I'm sorry, Rapunzel, he thought. I tried to fight.

But all of a sudden, the loudest bang went through the air. Flynn looked up, watching as one man clutched at his chest, his body riddled with bullet fragments, blood pooling down his body. The man fell to his knees, then face planted in the grass.

Pascal stood behind him, his bandaged hands holding a shotgun.

Angry's shotgun.

Let's go back a few minutes.

Pascal knew they were out of time as Vladimir's men punched his friends to a pulp. He needed to act fast. Lucky for him, he had spare knives he used to cut through the bindings.

Also lucky for him, he was able to sneak away from the group and go find their weapons.

He wasn't called the chameleon for nothing.

Right before he killed Mrs. Crowley, he had asked her where the weapons were. She only told him because he put a knife to her neck.

He rushed to the back of the mansion, staying low, letting the darkness shield him. He found the grassy spot, but no weapons. Mrs. Crowley told him they were in a locked box buried under the ground, so Pascal got to digging.

It took him a few minutes to reach the box, but only a few seconds to pick the lock. It was like finding treasure when he opened it. He hastily grabbed all the weapons, which was challenging with his small frame, but he somehow managed.

When he came back and heard Vladimir say he was gonna kill all his friends, he knew what he needed to do.

So ergo, the shotgun came out.

Back to the present moment.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Then Vladimir shouted, "Kill them!" But Pascal blasted another two people, getting them both with the shotgun. All of Flynn's friends began to move. They stood up, trying to tear at the bindings around their wrists. Quirin ran over and undid Varian's binds, allowing Varian to help untie the rest of them at a rapid pace.

Flynn was thanking his lucky stars that Vladimir's people really sucked at tying knots.

Pascal tossed the shotgun to Angry, who caught it perfectly. Then he threw Cass's sword at her, Max's bows and arrows at him, Lance his shovel, Red her hunting rifle, and Flynn his pistol.

"Let's fight!" Shorty exclaimed as Flynn rushed right at Vladimir, punching the big brute across the face.

Cass quickly cut down another two guards before they could fire at her. Max fired an arrow at another man in the leg and arm, making that man drop his weapon. Lance smacked his shovel into a woman who was trying to attack him.

The girls got in on the fight, with Angry blasting and Red firing away.

And Shorty… well, he just cheered all his friends on.

Varian whipped out a small vial from his pocket, thrusting the contents on one of the guards. It was an acid, the liquid burning the man's face, making him scream and fall to the ground.

"We need to get out of here," Cass said to Flynn, who had backed away from Vladimir before the brute could punch him.

"That's a great idea," Flynn quipped.

"Lance said we could sneak through a hole in the fence," Cass said as she swung her sword, keeping a woman at bay from attacking.

Flynn ducked a man's fist, turning back to Cass. "I think we're a little late for stealth. I say we just make a run for the front gate and get the hell out of here."

Cass shrugged, panting. "Good idea."

As their group continued to fight Vladimir's people, one of the guards, a tall brown skinned, white-haired woman, starting using her gun to knock out Vladimir's people, helping Flynn and them.

Just as Flynn wondered who she was, he heard Lance shout, "Adira, you are amazing." She threw a small smile in Lance's direction.

So that was Adira. Lance was right. She was pretty amazing.

She began to take down more women and men, but only knocking them out, never killing any of them. Fortunately, this gave them an opening to run.

"Let's go!" Flynn shouted at his friends, indicating his head that they should start running towards the front gate.

Varian turned to his dad. "Dad, come with us!"

Quirin was just about to step forward when a bullet when right through him. He jerked and then fell down, dead.

"Dad!" Varian screamed, looking around for the culprit who did that to his father.

It was Vladimir.

"Why?" Varian asked. "He was nothing but nice to you!"

Vladimir shrugged, lifting his gun. "He betrayed me the minute he decided to help you lot."

"Dad!" Varian ran over to his father's body, touching his face.

"Varian, come on!" Flynn shouted at him.

Varian looked up. "I can't leave him," he sobbed.

Flynn didn't have the time to convince Varian to leave his dead dad behind. It was too late anyway. Vladimir shot Varian in the head, killing him instantly.

Flynn felt a pang of guilt. Varian was the one to save them. He was the one who warned them about what was happening. And he paid the ultimate price.

Adira was continuing to fight against her people when Vladimir shot her in the back.

"I don't have time for traitors," Vladimir said, as Adira fell, bleeding out.

"No!" Lance shouted, only pausing when Flynn stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Lance. We need to get out of here."

Lance gave Adira once last sad look, before nodding and running away with his friends.

Flynn pushed through his pain, picking up his speed as him and his friends ran through the front gates, Vladimir and his people hot on their tails.

Well, Flynn thought, whether I live or die, at least I never need to see Vladimir's creepy ceramic unicorn kid-obsessed mansion ever again.

Rapunzel woke up, a stabbing pain in her forehead. Crushed glass surrounded her, the smell of gas and steam in the air. Looking out the front window, she could easily see that the front of the car was totaled. Her body was pressed against the dashboard. Rapunzel looked over at Gothel, finding her slumped over the steering wheel, a trickle of blood oozing down her face.

Rapunzel reached a hand out, pressing it against Gothel's neck. She was still alive. Which meant Rapunzel still needed to get away.

She tried opening her door, but it was stuck. She needed to free her body from her seat to give herself leverage. Pressing her hands against the dashboard, she pushed and wiggled her body until she was able to free her legs. She touched her legs, testing for any damage. They were miraculously fine.

She kicked at her door, desperate to open it. She breathed a sigh when the door popped open. Rapunzel glanced back at Gothel once more, before shimmying her body out of the car.

Or at least she tried to if a sharp pain hadn't ripped through her scalp right at that moment. Something was tugging on her hair. Turning her head, Rapunzel saw that Gothel had woken up and was now twisting her hair around her hand, preventing her from leaving.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gothel rasped, tugging Rapunzel's hair tighter.

Rapunzel screamed, the pain in her scalp was unbearable. She knew that she risked Gothel ripping a chunk of her hair out if she continued to pull away.

But to get away from the woman who kidnapped her and tormented her, Rapunzel was willing to risk it.

With another scream, Rapunzel propelled her body forward, falling out of the car. When she looked back, she could see Gothel was holding a few hairs in her hands. Rapunzel rubbed at the back of her head – she still had hair there.

But before she could feel relieved, her panic reared up again when Gothel scrambled out of the car. Rapunzel had no choice. She needed to run.

Running into the woods, Rapunzel couldn't help but remember the last time she had frantically sprinted through the forest on another night. The night she had left Gothel behind.

But Gothel was behind her now. Rapunzel could hear the woman's footsteps and ragged breaths.

Even though her legs were not seriously injured, they were still sore, which prevented Rapunzel from moving as fast as she could. Her body was slowing down. Rapunzel shoved a large branch out of her way as she pushed her body to move.

A strong weight hit her back – Gothel wrapped her arms around Rapunzel's waist, bringing her to the forest floor.

"You're never going to leave me!" Gothel screamed, smooshing Rapunzel's face into the ground. Breathing became difficult as dirt filled her nose and she scrabbled at the cold earth, trying to find something to use as leverage. The only thing she got was more dirt under her nails.

Gothel pulled back a second, allowing Rapunzel room to suck in a breath and flip around, trying to roll Gothel off of her. But Gothel stayed strong, keeping Rapunzel pinned down, only now they were face to face.

"I was the one who raised you. The one who took care of you. Who loved you," Gothel spit out.

Rapunzel had déjà vu. Those were the same words Gothel had said to her the day she had decided to leave. It was another moment where Gothel had the upper hand, also pinning her to the ground.

Unfortunately, Rapunzel didn't have a pair of scissors anymore to use.

But she did have her words.

"You never loved me. You only pretended to love me because you were obsessed with being a mother. You were so obsessed you needed to go claim another woman's child." Rapunzel noticed Gothel's expression go from anger to hurt. Rapunzel channeled her inner Gothel to say her next words. "How pathetic is that?"

Gothel snarled, picking up a large rock next to her. She brought it high. "If you refuse to be my daughter, then I have no more use for you." Gothel slammed the rock down, but Rapunzel quickly twisted her body to the side, knocking Gothel off of her. The rock hit the earth, leaves fluttering from the impact.

Rapunzel pushed herself up as Gothel huffed and panted, losing more and more control. Gothel ran at her with the rock, trying to bash her head in. But Rapunzel was faster. She pushed Gothel away so hard that the older woman fell onto a tree. There was a sickening crunch as Gothel gasped, dropping the rock.

Rapunzel looked on in confusion, until it dawned on her.

Gothel looked down at her body, a long and sharp branch sticking out of her stomach, drenched in blood. When Gothel brought her gaze back to her daughter, Rapunzel was amazed to see that Gothel look… surprised.

Surprised that she was dying.

Surprised that Rapunzel managed to beat her – that her meek, mumbling daughter had one upped her.

But Rapunzel wasn't meek or weak – she had grown a strength in the time she had known Pascal, Cass, and the rest of her friends.

And most importantly, Flynn. The one who believed in her, the one who believed she'd fight back.

And she had.

Gothel didn't say anything as more blood gushed down her body. She didn't say anything as her skin became pale. And she didn't say anything as she took her last breath. She just stood there, attached to that tree, her body slumping forward.

The moment Rapunzel realized Gothel was dead, she immediately fell to her knees and began bawling. Hard, wracking sobs.

Sobs from all the terror her mother had put her through. Sobs of relief. Sobs from guilt. Even though Gothel had kidnapped her, Rapunzel still never wanted to kill someone. She had never killed anyone before. She was a killer now.

Rapunzel finally calmed down enough to stop crying, wiping her tears away. A snapping twig made her jerk up, looking behind her. Footsteps, lots of footsteps. Rapunzel stood up, ready to run, excepting a zombie horde to be approaching.

Except it wasn't a zombie horde.

It was Flynn. He was alive. The relief that coursed through her felt like she was standing on a cloud.

The rest of her friends were following behind.

She started to smile, feeling her chest constrict at the love she had for him, the sight of Flynn making her more happy than she ever realized she could be.

But then she noticed something else.

They were being chased.

Chased by a whole group of people with guns and other weapons.

As her friends got closer, Rapunzel knew what that meant. She couldn't stop to smile for a moment. She needed to run.

Nothing was truly ever over.

Hope you enjoyed!