3 | We Who Survive the Apocalypse | ✅

Chapter 16 - Almost

I can tell Seth is boiling over with rage as he jams the keys into the lock. I can't believe he managed to snag them off the creep. But that's adrenaline, I guess.

I hear the lock shift and then Seth yanks the door open. Doyle has to catch it to keep it from slamming into the bars, alerting anyone of our movement.

"Keep your head, dumbass!" Kat hisses from our cell, "and let us the hell out!"

"He took Izzy," Seth mutters through gritted teeth, his dark eyes flashing dangerously as he steps into the hallway, quickly unlocking our cell, "we have to find her."

Doyle is helping Hudson to his feet. "Yeah," he grunts as he heaves him upright, "first things first, though, we've gotta get out of here without being spotted."

Hudson staggers slightly, his hand grasping one of the bars of the cell.

"How are we supposed to get out of here with him?" Kat demands, nodding toward him.

"I can make it," Hudson says, his voice quiet but steady.

I lead Mara out of our cell as Kat joins the boys in the hall. "What's the plan?" I ask.

"I say we split up. Someone takes Hudson and Mara to the woods, hides out, waits for the rest of us to find Izzy," Kat says.

"No. Bad things happened last time we split up," Seth says, shaking his head. "We need to stick together."

"I don't think that's possible, okay?" Kat returns, "I mean, this guy's got a concussion," she gestures toward Hudson, "and this chick," she points at Mara, "well, she's in no state to be running around fighting people."

"I can make it, I just need a minute," Hudson says, though he doesn't look very well at all, "and I can take Mara out of here."

"What did I just say about splitting up?!" Seth demands, "we just need to find Izzy, and the sooner the better! I mean, that bastard —" He doesn't finish he sentence, but instead begins pacing, grabbing fistfuls of his hair, his eyes ablaze.

"Okay, there aren't any good options here," Doyle says calmly, coming to stand beside me, "so I think the lesser of two evils would be for Hudson and Mara to stay out of the thick of things. And Kat, you can go with them."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I want to kick some ass! You can't bench me, Doyle!" Kat explodes.

"You and Izzy are surprisingly similar," Hudson says, grinning weakly, "that's probably why you hate each other so much."

"Just shut up, Concussion Man!"

"Can we just go? Do something?" Seth snaps, "we don't have time for this!"

"Okay, okay," Doyle says, "Hudson and Mara need to get out of here as quickly and quietly as possible, okay? So Kat, just calm down and take them, head for the woods. We'll meet you there as soon as we can."

+++++

It's dark when we creep out of the building. There were no guards by the outer doors. Something about this seems too easy.

"Okay, Kat, take Hudson and Mara out of here, okay?" Doyle hisses at his cousin, who shoots him a sour expression. "Don't argue! Go!"

She groans, but begins leading them away until they are out of sight in the darkness, their hurried footsteps crunching in the hard snow.

"Let's go find Izzy," Seth mutters, and begins trudging through the snow in a random direction.

"Do we even have a plan on how to find her?" I hiss at his back, only getting a grunt in response.

We hug the side of the building, the cold biting through our threadbare clothes and the icy wind insisting upon blowing my hair in my face.

We remain unnoticed for longer than I thought we would, sneaking from one building to the next, ducking into the shadows when the sound of voices reaches our ears.

"...think some of them are still in the compound," one of them says, his voice dull.

"And our special guest?" Another man asks in a gravelly voice. The sound of it sends a chill up my spine. Because he sounds familiar.

"Gerry took her to The Cage," the dull voice replies, and he laughs, softly, but it's the worst sound, subtly terrifying. "She's waiting there."

The other man chuckles. "Good."

"What are we gonna do about the escaped prisoners?" A third man asks.

"Search the compound for any still inside, and leave the others to the elements."

"Yes, sir."

Several pairs of feet depart, the snow crunching, but a couple of them still head toward us. I press myself flatter against the wall, wishing I could disappear.

"Should we check inside the buildings?" One of them asks.

The other scoffs. "Obviously! Are you fucking dumb?"

And then a pair of flashlights rounds the wall, the beams of light blinding my eyes, and my heart sinks. 

It's over.

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I'm back, bitches! Hehe, anyway....did anybody pick up on the Supernatural reference I not-so-accidentally slipped in there?

Also, I'm so sorry it took sooooooooo long for me to update again - I guess time just got away from me, and also for some of the time I didn't have internet - but no excuses!

I'm just sorry. But y'all are so amazing for sticking with me despite my lack of consistency and my cruelty for making you wait like almost two months for an update that is too short.

You're the best. <3