Caged Birds Don't Sing

Chapter 9

Standing outside the back entrance to Modest was literally the last place I ever expected to be. I used to fantasize about swimming the ocean and yelling at them for all the shit they put Harry and Louis through, but now that I was here? Completely different. Vanessa had a map of Modest clutched in her hand, which Zayn had e-mailed to Liam, describing how to get where they had thought the basement was, and we had all studied it the entire plane ride, trying to memorize it so we could get there as quickly as possible. The less time we spent in there the better. Besides, Niall and Liam had only guaranteed us 15 minutes at most.

"OK, guys...we will have to be quick about this. Follow the map. If you think you see anyone coming, you know the signal." I looked at my phone, which displayed the timer that would tell us how long we had left. I peered around the corner and saw a blonde head at the far end of the building. Niall waved and did a small Irish dance. That was the signal. It was time. I looked at the others and nodded, and Selina pulled the back door open just as Niall opened the front one.The little dings that happened when the doors opened would have to be perfectly together in order for us not to be detected. No alarms  went off, so we all slipped inside, following Vanessa as she hurried down hallways and staircases according to Zayn's map. I looked all around as we maneuvered through the halls and had to think that this place looked like a prison. All white walls gave way to padlocked doors, and there were no windows, at least not in these hallways.

Selina's phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to display a text from Niall.

"He says they are going into the meeting now and all of the management team are in there...so we should be good for another ten..."

A blaring alarm sounded in our ears and we all froze where we stood. This wasn't right. We had taken every precaution for this...someone must have tipped them off or pulled the alarm.

"We have to find them. No arguments, go go go," Roni called over the alarm, and we sprinted down the hallway. Left, right, left, another left, and a back staircase led us to a huge room, completely empty. This couldn't be it, could it?

"What the fuck are we supposed to do now?" Selina shouted, and Vanessa and Roni looked around helplessly. I, however, inspected the floor. Stupid to think that my theory would actually be correct, but I had to try. To my very great surprise, I saw the faint outline of what appeared to be a door in the floor. I dropped to my knees and felt all around the area, looking for a latch. The other three were staring at me like I was crazy, but my hand caught on a handle and they all were on the ground with me, tugging at the door. It was a lot heavier than we had anticipated, and over all the commotion, I could hear people's voices, and they did not sound happy.

"Shit...someone distract them! Tell them...anything!" I called, but two people were already hurrying into the room.

"Stand back," Liam shouted, and he grabbed the handle, his arms flexing as he pulled. The door came loose and flew up, causing Liam to go falling on his bum as the door banged against the floor, completely open. I crawled to the hole in the floor and felt my heart stop. Two figures were curled underneath the door, squinting up at us in the harsh lighting. I would know those faces anywhere, even if they were a bit pale and scared looking.

"Niall, you've gotta help me get them out!" I yelled, but Niall was preoccupied as he raced towards the stairs to head the management people off. Roni ran up next to me and shoved a folding ladder down into the hidden basement area, and I climbed down at once, jumping the last few rungs in my desperation to get to the floor. Selina followed me down, pulling out her phone.

"You...we have to get Lou...hospital..." Harry choked out, his voice shocking me. Never in my life had I heard his voice sound so broken and scared. Louis, who was curled up in a ball in Harry's arms, let out a moan of pain, and Selina wasted no time in dialing the emergency number. I knelt down next to them and felt Louis' forehead. It was so hot it almost felt like it was burning my skin. I looked up at Harry for an explanation, and he obliged, his eyes filling with sudden tears.