Freedom

FREEDOM

BOOK ONE: ROTTEN JUSTICE TRILOGY

GALE PYKE

Copyright © 2020 Gale Pyke.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or

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or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the

case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized

reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-6847-1962-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6847-1964-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6780-9170-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020903498

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/08/2020

Dad & Mom,

You made me the person I am today, and if this book ever gets published, it is because of you two. Words can never express how grateful I am.

Sis & Sis,

For not giving up on me and listening to this story until the end. I love you both. Pursue your own dreams.

Yunni,

For always being there along the way and teaching me the true meaning of strength, wisdom, and happiness.

R.C.,

For encouraging me to pursue my passion. Thank you for tolerating a massive number of drafts and crazy ideas for this book. Mambo!

Mal,

Thanks for believing in me when I didn’t know how to do it. Keep shooting for the stars in the same way you taught me.

PROLOGUE

LOST

PROLOGUE

Reflection

Because, what’s worse than knowing you want

something, besides knowing you can never have it?

— James Patterson, The Angel Experiment

Oh, this crappy food again, Nathaniel thought.

He was tired of eating dirty fruit every single day of his miserable life. Today, the fruit was a dark and half-eaten pear. Nate would’ve left it, but that was dessert compared to the rest of the food. The water was dirty, and it had chunks of food and garbage inside of it.

Nate took a deep breath to avoid the feeling of throwing up in front of everyone.

Every day, Nate ate fruit with egg, bread, and beans in the morning, some sort of dry pasta, meatballs, or chicken at lunch, and leftovers at dinner. Only God knew what the heck that really was. The water, juice, and coffee never changed, but Nate preferred to drink the disgusting water than take his chances with the other ones.

Yes, the food tasted horrible. And although the food was like eating shit, it was the uniform that was intolerable. It was bulky, ugly, hot, and — well, Nate could go on. But the point was that it sucked. After a couple of days stuck in here, Nate started realizing that everything was about to go from bad to complete shithole. There wasn’t one silver lining, and he hadn’t had a good meal in days. Worst of all, he was always tired.

That was why Nate was no longer staying in this lame excuse of a school.

He was going to get out one way or another. He had found a weakness. No one noticed it, but that was the key. Nate knew that if he concentrated enough, he could observe the little details that most people ignored. After all, that was what Dr. Watson was learning to do, right? Or was it Dr. House? Maybe it was Dr. Wh—Well, the point was he was going to escape soon. Nate knew that, and he only needed time. Nate could get out of here anytime he wanted, but the only problem was that he couldn’t leave Raven all —

"Hey, you little bastard! Can you please get out of the way? Us, the mans are getting hungry!" A big guy yelled at Nate, making a considerable pause with a sarcastic tone.

Nate knew this guy. He was a new one, but still, he was older than Nate. His name was Grayson, and he looked like he was around twenty-six years old — maybe even twenty-eight. Grayson had bothered Nate ever since the first day he entered. He was just an idiot. This guy usually tried to get him into trouble by starting a fight, but Nate constantly outsmarted him. Grayson was ridiculously tall and muscular, but the lack of human intelligence made him an easy target. So, Nate was waiting for the right moment to kick his ass.

What the hell do you want, Grayson? Nate asked.

Do you plan on moving forward? Or do you need somebody to help you? Grayson grunted.

Nate opened his mouth to respond, but he thought about it and decided to close it again. Why should he bother with him after all? Grayson was just an asshole. So right before Grayson said another stupid thing, Nate walked away toward the tables to search for a place to eat.

The entire place was dimly lit. The Cafeteria was full of white tables, and a little less than a hundred guys. Every one of them was completely quiet. Nate usually sat with Raven, but today he was absent. He could bet that Raven was in one of the punishment rooms again. Why the hell was Raven so stupid? He just needed to follow a simple set of rules, and all his problems would be solved.

Although Nate was worried about the guy, he never made a big deal out of it. Nate knew that whatever the punishment was, Raven could take it like a champ — big time. Raven was a tough guy. And completely crazy. Nate smirked at the thought of it. The latter was more accurate and reassuring.

Nate sighed, and without realizing it, he started to eat his pear. Nate feared that he was beginning to feel acclimatized to the institution. In the beginning, like most of the time, it had been arduous to get used to a new environment. The harder part was —

Oh shit, Nate thought.

Grayson was coming straight to his table. Nate clenched his fist and prepared for the worst — there was no turning back.

He tried to be reasonable, but Grayson’s attitude made it difficult.

Look who’s on my table? But isn’t little Natie eating his pear? Grayson laughed.

How the hell did he found that so funny? Nate was so much clever, and he was going to prove it.

Oh? Didn’t you get the banana? That’s a shame. I heard those are your favorites, Nate blurted sarcastically.

Suddenly all The Cafeteria started to laugh. That meant trouble, but Nate prepared himself for what was about to come. It was a shame that they only gave out plastic utensils and napkins. It would be more useful to have metal silverware. Nate would have to kick his ass with his bare hands.

After several seconds, Grayson understood the joke, and then he called two other guys: Atlas and Jude. They were both tall and muscular and had several injuries on their arms. One of them had a long scar across his face, which made him look hideous. The ugly one was blond, and the other had black hair. The blond guy stood on Grayson’s right side, while the other one positioned himself on the left.

They came closer, so Nate grabbed his pear with his left hand and stood up. He wasn’t worried at all. They didn’t impress him. They weren’t anything he hadn’t beaten up before.

This should be fun, Nate thought.

Do you really think your three-musketeer group is gonna beat me up? You’re more stupid and arrogant than I thought. Nate said with a mocking tone as he gave another bite to his fruit. He knew that was going to provoke those bastards to make the first move.

And, as expected, Grayson reacted violently by pushing Nate. Merely losing his balance, Nate spat his chewed food into Grayson’s eyes. As Grayson turned away, Nate pushed him, making him lose his balance.

The rest happened in seconds.

The blond guy rushed at Nate, trying to tackle him. Nate moved to the right and hit him with his right palm in the ear. The strike left the blond guy disorientated and made him fall to the ground. Then, Grayson tried to punch Nate, but Nate used his left forearm to stop the strike and punched Grayson with his right fist.

Without pausing, Nate hit the black-haired guy on his face to avoid his attack. Then Nate threw the pear to his right hand and smashed it into Grayson’s face. Next, he grabbed Grayson’s arm with his left hand and punched the black-haired guy again with all his strength, breaking his nose and filling his face with blood.

Nate used his adrenaline to uppercut Grayson’s elbow, breaking Grayson’s right arm. There was a scream as Grayson moved backward, and before the blond guy came to his help, Nate made a clockwise turn and hit the blond guy’s chest with his left palm. The blond guy flew about twenty feet and landed on a table. He was out of combat.

Finally, Nate turned to face Grayson, who was trying to get his broken arm fixed. Nate could see that his face now showed confusion and a lot of fear.

But before Nate could reach Grayson, everyone in The Cafeteria stood up and started fighting.

Nate had expected this scenario and known it would become a riot. They didn’t fight for Grayson or Nate; they just loved to get in problems, kick somebody’s butt, get revenge for something, win a bet, and so forth. Nate could feel people being thrown above him, but he didn’t flinch at all. He only cared about Grayson.

Nate ran toward Grayson and tried to punch him in the stomach. But Grayson was ready, so he jumped backward and tried to punch Nate in the chest. Nate moved, but not fast enough, and Grayson’s punch hit him in his shoulder.

Nate took a few steps back. He breathed deeply and bolted forward to attack the bastard again. He tried to punch him in the nose, but Grayson avoided Nate’s attack. Grayson counter-attacked with a left swing, which Nate managed to stop with his left hand. Nate, taking advantage that he was holding Grayson’s arm, punched him in the liver repeatedly. Grayson bent over as Nate grabbed his head and kneed it. Finally, Nate hit Grayson’s face with his right fist, knocking him out and leaving him with his lips and nose bleeding.

Just as Nate was regaining his breath, some guy punched him in his left cheek.

The guy hadn’t finished hitting him when Nate returned the favor and uppercut the guy in the chin. The person fell to the floor directly.

However, Nate’s sight was all blurry. He couldn’t see a thing. And he had a sharp pain in his right hand along with a salty taste in his mouth. Was it blood or sweat?

Shit, Nate gritted his teeth as he tried to close his right hand. I must’ve broken my bones.

Nate didn’t pull back. The rush of energy kept coming, forcing Nate to focus and make sense of the party he had started. But he had a hard time analyzing the fight. Nate couldn’t recognize anyone close to him, and he could barely defend himself from any attack that came his way.

After many seconds and three more hits to his abdomen, Nate recovered his vision just in the time to avoid a kick that came from the right. Nate smacked the guy on the neck with his left hand and hit him in the left thigh with a right hook, making him lose balance and fall to the floor. The guy desperately tried to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth. Nate spat blood into the fallen guy’s body, but before he could move away, more fights surrounded him.

The only sound he could hear was the non-stopping screams that filled the place. There was nothing left of the once peaceful Cafeteria. The whole situation was a mix of indistinguishable yells, punches, and kicks coming from every direction, and a sequel of blurry movements, dancing from one side to another. Nate felt the burning sensation of the sweat getting into his eyes and the pain coming from the broken bones in his right hand. He grunted with every punch he gave, but even in his mangled state, no one could stop him.

Nate raised his sight in time to stop a right hook heading straight to his face. Then he moved to the left to avoid another punch and hit the person twice in the chest. Finally, Nate broke the guy’s jaw with a left hook, and the person fell to the ground. As he regained his composure, Nate saw three men with a dark blue suit heading down to The Cafeteria from the upper hallways. He knew what that meant.

Hell was about to get worse.

Pumped up, Nate started to make his way to the exit, knocking any person who interfered in his path. Nate knew that he only had a few minutes before they grabbed him, and brutally torture him for the riot he had caused. Nate wasn’t going to deal with more punishment. This changed everything.

He needed to escape right now.

Hastily, Nate urged toward the nearest exit door. But moving across the fight was more difficult than what he expected. Nate punched and kicked his way through, and still, many persons returned the attack.

By the time he was near the gate, he already had many bruises on his entire body. They were nothing severe that he couldn’t shake off, but his right hand was starting to swell. Nate gulped and pushed through.

A few feet ahead of him, Nate could see two guys in blue standing in front of the door. They were laughing at the utter chaos. Nate caught a glimpse of something that both of them had in their hands, but he couldn’t distinguish what it was. However, that didn’t matter to Nate. Those guards were the only thing standing between him and salvation. So, Nate quickly scanned the area for alternatives.

Suddenly, a bearded guy collided with his right shoulder. Nate smiled at him before punching him in the chest and in the face. Then Nate grabbed him by the shirt and threw him toward the guards who stood by the door.

Fucking Adrenaline! Nate smirked viciously.

The force of Nate’s throw pushed the two guards against the door and knocked them out. Not wasting a second, Nate ran toward the exit. He kicked one of the fallen guards in the stomach with his right foot as he jumped over their unconscious bodies. Then he tried to open the door.

The door didn’t budge.

Nate struggled to open it, but nothing worked. Desperately, Nate checked the bodies of the fallen guards until he found an access card hanging from one of their belts. Nate slid it briskly. The door had barely opened when Nate ran past it. A few seconds later, Nate heard loud noises and the racketing of the door being wrecked. Since he could still hear the commotion from The Cafeteria, he didn’t need to look back to know that the door had several bullet holes on it.

I’m out. Now, there’s no turning back! Nate thought.

This was his only chance to get out of this place. Nate ran through the corridor, and as he did, he quickly looked around, examining all the rooms as he passed by them. All of them were isolated so no one could talk with anyone else, but luckily for him, they were all empty. Since everyone was inside The Cafeteria, Nate knew that every single bastard in charge of running this institution was inside of it as well. Therefore, no one was patrolling the other areas of this level. The only place that was always crawling with jerks was the Control Center.

And sadly, that was where Nate needed to go.

The Control Center connected his current level with the rest of the facility. That was why the place was always guarded. It was the key that revealed the secret of the maze he was currently living in.

Nate sighed and shook his thoughts away.

After running for several minutes, Nate reached the stairs that lead to the second floor. He found himself in front of three doors. The right one had the letters E.R. on top, which the prisoners refer to as the Experimental Room. So that was not the one. Still, Nate had to choose between the two other doors, and he had no clue which one was which.

His anxiety was starting to get the best of him.

Nate knew it was only a matter of time before the guards tracked him because the place was full of cameras. The only reasonable choice was to abandon the current area and try to reach The Control Room, where Nate had located the exit he planned on using.

But no one knew about the exit. It was a weakness Nate had found inside the complex. He had only trusted Raven with that information. And that was part of his predicament. If Nate left his current area, it meant that he was going to abandon Raven as well.

Don’t get all decent, Nate reprimanded himself.

Nate ignored all his instincts of going back for Raven, and instead, he stayed a few seconds staring at the two doors, deciding which one he should open. Impulsively, Nate tried to open the one in the middle.

It was locked.

Nate rolled his eyes anxiously. He was so desperate to get out of his current area that he didn’t give a second thought of what lay behind the locked door. Nate moved away from the middle door and decided to open the left one. It was unlocked, so he stepped quickly inside. Before closing the door, Nate made a 180° turn to check for any danger or anything that could seem like a threat. Feeling secure, he closed the door, and all the lights went off.

Nate opened his eyes widely to adapt himself to the darkness, but he quickly wished that he hadn’t done it. Nate found himself in a place he had never seen before. It was a massive circular hallway, with a metallic structure supporting it, and a dark blue light coming from the walls. Nate stood still in front of the corridor, thinking if following this path was a good idea.

He was unsure how long he stood there, but he started hearing footsteps coming from the previous area. Nate ignored all the warnings from his head and started running through the hallway.

Everything was pitch black. The only thing that gave Nate comfort was the dark blue light. However, the hair on the back of his neck stood up as his sixth sense told him to stop and go back. Nate was tempted to halt, but between facing the darkness and the guards, he decided that he would take his chances with what lied ahead.

A loud thump raged and echoed through the hallway.

Nate gulped. He knew that his persecutors would take a while before they could track him down, so Nate had a couple of minutes to put as much distance as possible between him and them.

His body gave him the first warning, sending a wave of pain from his head to his toes.

Due to his injuries, Nate wasn’t running as fast as he usually would in excellent conditions. However, he continued pushing his body as hard as he could to keep it together. With his face full of sweat and blood, intense pain in his abdomen, a dry mouth, and broken bones and bruises, Nate ran. He ran for several minutes, which felt like hours.

Suddenly, he collided against something that made his entire body bounce back and fall to the floor. An aching pain ran from his forehead through his chest, waist, and right leg. Nate tried to lift himself using his right hand, but the pain worsened. His broken bones remembered Nate that he had worse injuries than he thought. Feeling exhausted, Nate stayed on the floor, trying to regain his strength. But even in his agitated state, he felt more confused than hurt.

What the fuck was that? Nate’s head was throbbing with pain.

As he forced himself to set aside the discomfort from his injuries, Nate looked at what lay in front of him. It took him several seconds to finally see it was another wall that was barely visible.

Then, the dark blue light started to make some sense. Nate opened his eyes widely when he understood what it was. He almost punched himself for not realizing it sooner. The corridor didn’t have lights on the walls — it was the reflection from outside!

Great. We are all going to die, Nate thought sarcastically.

Nate stood up slowly as he pressed his body against the wall he had slammed into. Then, he looked around to see where the corridor continued. The dark blue light revealed that there was a narrow path that extended to his right. The opening was so tight that Nate wasn’t surprised that he had missed it before. The passage, however, led to a set of stairs that descended into darkness. Taking a deep breath, Nate climbed down the stairs and found himself in another narrow passage with the same characteristics as the previous corridor. Realizing there was nothing else to do, Nate kept running forward.

The corridor expanded as Nate continued running. It wasn’t long before he found himself at an intersection — one path that led to the left and another one that kept straightforward.

He hesitated.

Nate was starting to get desperate of this maze. Everything was so similar and confusing. He didn’t know where he was, and he didn’t recognize the hallway. The pain coming from his body only worsened his anguish. Nate was almost tempted to make a rash decision and keep going straight, but a hideous smell stopped him from heading that way. Nathaniel wasn’t sure if the scent was better on the left side or if his mind was playing tricks on him.

Eventually, the exhaustion won. Nate rolled his eyes and stopped overthinking. He turned left and kept running.

He was alone on the vast corridor. The only thing that accompanied him was the echo of his footsteps. Even the blue light seemed to get fainter as he advanced. The loneliness forced Nate to wonder why he hadn’t found any guards. The maze, the outer reflection, the empty hallways — something wasn’t right. Nate was no longer sure if he was inside the institute. A monstrous fear got ahold of him and convinced him that maybe he had taken the wrong —

Dong!

Nate was so concentrated in his thoughts that he crashed against the glass wall for the second time. Nate hit his head and his chest so hard that he was forced to remain on the floor for a couple of minutes as he recovered his consciousness.

Nate stood up slowly, and very annoyed, looked around.

This time, there was a left turn and another one to the right. Nate was even less sure about this decision — the right one continued straight, but the left one followed a steep path. He thought about going back to the previous intersection and taking the straight corridor, but he had no time to waste. So, very slowly, Nate started descending as he immersed himself into darkness.

Two left, Nate reminded himself.

Nate wanted to keep track of the direction he came through in case it was necessary.

As he descended, the space between the walls narrowed again. The pale blue light disappeared completely. His steps got louder as his breath got heavier. Nate was scared that someone would hear him, but there were no signs of life. All he could hear was his breathing and his footsteps.

After a while, Nate gathered trust and started moving a little bit faster.

Faint white lights, immersed on the floor, replaced the darkness of the hallway. The lights didn’t illuminate the whole area, but they made it easier to look ahead. Nate, taking advantage of this, quickened his pace, fearing that the guards were hot on his trail.

The hallway stopped descending and finally started going straight. Nate moved his left hand over his face and discovered he was bathed in sweat. He had trouble breathing, and his muscles were aching with every step he took. Nate’s brain constantly reminded him of the harsh truth that he was choosing to ignore.

Coming here had been a mistake.

Nate kept trotting, knowing that it was too late to turn back. He got lost in his thoughts again until he came across several red lights that blocked his path. Nate’s first impression was that the red lights were lasers. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him, so he approached them as carefully and closely as he could. Once Nate was close enough, he was taken aback when he saw that they were, in fact, lasers.

What the — Nate muttered.

Nate stared in disbelief.

What the hell was this thing doing in here?

Why did this hallway need this level of protection?

Where the hell was he going?

Nate bit his lip.

He checked the area, looking for a way of turning them off, but he didn’t find anything. Nate was on the verge of frustration and anxiety. What made the whole situation worse was that he wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating the whole thing or if the lasers were real.

He sighed.

Nate wasn’t feeling all the pain and the heat because his concentration laid on finding an escape. However, Nate knew that his excited state wouldn’t last much longer. His body was screaming louder and louder with every step he took.

Having no other choice, Nate turned toward the lasers and analyzed his situation. He quickly noticed that his best shot was a small horizontal gap in the middle, where the lasers didn’t cross themselves. Nate was scared to jump through, but he soon realized that the small opening was his best option. Nate tensed his jaw and took a few steps back.

He only had one shot. If not, he would die horribly. He would die in this forsaken place.

Was it better to go back and take the other path?

Nate no longer knew if he was more scared of the guards capturing him or jumping and fitting his whole body through the laser wall.

Nate gulped, and ignoring all the warnings in his head, he ran forward.

He made an incredible side flip in the air as he fit his headfirst, and then the rest of his body. Nate felt how the time froze as he jumped. However, a high-pitch scream resonated in the hallway and shattered that illusion. The yell broke Nate’s concentration, and instead of rolling on the floor and landing on his feet, he crashed against it with his chest. Nate shook his head to regain his concentration and stood up as slowly as he could, taking quick breaths in the process. Even with the amount of pain he felt, Nate smiled with relief, barely convinced that he was alive on the other side of the laser wall.

Someone screamed! Nate remembered.

Nate finished standing up and dashed his head between the two ends of the corridor. He was sure that someone had yelled.

Nate stared into the endless hallway as he placed his left hand over his right shoulder. A burning sensation made him pulled his hand back as he grunted. Nate looked at it and saw that one of the lasers had burned him.

Shit, Nate muttered in frustration.

However, the burn mark made him wonder if he had heard someone screaming or if he had listened to his own scream.

Nate convinced himself that someone else had shouted, and started moving down the hall again, looking for the source of the cry. The white lights grew stronger as he moved forward, but there was no indication of where he was or where was he supposed to go. There was nothing other than an endless path — an infinite maze, built to keep him going on forever. And Nate kept running.

You are lost, A voice reminded him.

Nate knew it. He was lost, and it was just a matter of time before they found —

Fuck! Nate thought as he stood still.

He was so distracted with his thoughts that he failed to see the guard ahead of him in time. Now, it was too late. The guard was standing a few feet away from Nate, and there was no place to hide. The guard turned around, and Nate only had one second to check the area before locking eyes with him.

What are you doing here, you idiot?! The guard asked as he grabbed his gun.

Crap! Nate bit his lip.

He needed to do something fast, or he was going to face something worse than the maze. Sadly, Nate didn’t have any good ideas — only shitty ones.

Sorry! I think I am lost! Can you tell me where the exit is? It’s hot in here, and I don’t want to get naked, so would you be a dear — Nate talked fast as he approached the nearest light on the floor.

Do not move! The guard shouted, enunciating every word.

Nate saw how the guard grabbed his radio and turned it on. That could only mean one thing: They were about to get company. Nate knew he needed to take him out immediately, but the distance between them was too far. The guard was standing at least fifty feet away from him — probably sixty-five. There was absolutely nothing that he could throw at the guard, and Nate wouldn’t risk making a hasty movement.

There was only one way out of this.

Attention! All units we have an — The guard screamed through the radio at the same moment that Nate destroyed one of the lights on the floor.

The glass cracked, making a rattling sound and turning all the lights off. Luckily for Nate, the shoes he was wearing prevented him from getting electrocuted.

Nate dashed to the other side of the corridor as the guards fired several shots that got lost among the darkness. Nate didn’t stop. He ran toward the guard moving in zigzag — from one wall to the other.

Attention! Attention! We got a situation! Two-one-eight-nine! Type two! He’s heading toward the elevator! The guard said as he tried to shoot at Nate.

Luckily for him, the sentry was shooting at random. And it was useless. Nate knew the guard wasn’t able to see where he was. So, as the guard lost his time pulling the trigger relentlessly, Nate moved closer to him, cutting their distance until they were inches apart.

First, Nate hit him on the neck, silencing his vocal cords. Rapidly, he kicked his right knee, breaking his leg and forcing him to fall on the floor. Finally, Nate stomped his face with the sole of his boot. There was a soft crack, and the guard stopped moving. Nate knew he wasn’t dead, but he was out for good.

Jeff? Jeff? A voice came out of the radio.

Nate, distracted by the pain in his body, ignored the radio, and instead, he grabbed the gun that the guard had dropped. He waited a while until his eyes adapted to the darkness before examining the weapon. Nate felt the difference in the grip and the trigger but didn’t understand why that was until he could see the gun more clearly.

The weapon wasn’t a standard 9 mm. It was an electromagnetic gun.

Nate turned the firearm around his hand as he checked everything on it. The electromagnetic gun was black, with the same dimensions as a 9 mm with an equipped silencer, but a lot heftier. The barrel and the muzzle were thinner but more prolonged. Nate pulled the magazine out and saw the needles instead of the bullets. The electromagnetic guns didn’t shoot standard rounds — they shot half- inch thick needles which contained a purple chemical inside of them. The needles’ elongated head made it easier to penetrate the skin and release the substance. Nate counted fifteen needles left but noticed that the magazine could hold twenty-five of them.

A chill ran through Nate’s back as he stared at the ammo. Shaking the nausea away, he pressed the magazine back into its place.

Nate had never held one — less seen one in action. But he knew what they did. This gun was the World War II of all the weapons. A single shot released enough chemical to render the body useless, leaving nothing but pain — a non-stopping agony. Once inside, the substance burned every single one of the nerve endings, leaving the subject broken. The person would no longer have control over his body, and he wouldn’t be able to move. Additionally, it caused blindness, deafness, and a massive amount of pain, which prevented concentration.

Nate didn’t know if such thing had a cure, and he wasn’t willing to find out. He was sure that nobody could be restored after something like that.

Raven was the living proof of it.

He was the only person, that Nate knew, who received two impacts of the electromagnetic gun and survived. Raven had told him the story many times. He had spoken about it when he was —

We know where he is, don’t worry! We are coming after him! Just stay still! Don’t let him reach sector — The voice on the radio spoke again.

Nate stomped on it and destroyed it.

That took Nate abruptly away from his thoughts. He had lost too much time, and now, they were coming after him.

What sector had the person been talking about?

And what had Jeff meant when he said type two?

Nate decided to leave his thoughts for another time. Right now, he needed to get out of there. So, forcing his body to walk again, Nate continued moving down the hallway and through the darkness.

He trotted until he reached another steep path. Nathaniel paused and grabbed his gun tightly. He placed himself near the wall trying to see if there was any movement. Nate didn’t want to encounter another guard because he might not be so lucky to escape alive. However, the darkness only got worse as Nate advanced. Even though he took slight moments to adjust his sight to the void, Nate still couldn’t see anything.

No sound. No movement. And the corridor stretched infinitely.

Nate wasn’t sure if he was taking the right path. He wasn’t even sure if he was alive anymore. The only thing Nate could control was whether he walked or ran through this hell. So, Nate started running again as if he could leave his solitude behind.

Exhaustion quickly embraced him.

For the first time since the fight with Grayson, Nate noticed that his uniform was getting heavy. It got more uncomfortable with every step he took, but even though his entire body was begging him to stop, Nate continued running. Because he knew his life depended on it.

Bet you can’t complain about the half-eaten pear now, Nate joked, forcing himself to remain positive.

As he ran, Nate kept a tight grip over the gun because he knew that he could bump into anything at any time. However, he wished that he wouldn’t find more guards. Not because he was scared, but because Nate didn’t want to kill anyone.

Despite the fact he was locked down on the edge of the world, Nate didn’t like the idea of killing someone. Nate almost smiled when he remembered that he was holding an electromagnetic gun. It didn’t make any difference if Nate wanted to kill someone or not since the effects would always be the same. Still, he would rather avoid conflict at all cost.

Shaking his thoughts, Nate advanced carefully.

The corridor, to his surprise, was getting wider and wider, but he started to feel weak and disoriented. Nate felt as if an invisible force was crushing him. It took him a while before noticing that the oxygen was getting thin. Nate had no other choice but to control his breathing. Instead of inhaling and exhaling quickly, he started taking deep breaths and long pauses between each one.

Even if Nate tried to stay focused on the path, his fear was starting to get the best of him. He could taste the salt of his sweat and the warmth of his blood. His eyes were burning from his exhaustion, and his right hand had swelled twice its original size.

Don’t be such a wuss! Nate thought for himself and continued walking very cautiously until he lost track of time.

Nate wasn’t sure how long he walked, but after a while, he heard a faint sound.

It disappeared as quickly as it came, not leaving a hint of what could’ve caused it. It had been as if it never happened. But Nate heard it loud and clear. He stopped and remained still, waiting to listen to it again.

Although standing still was counterproductive, he didn’t move. Nate didn’t want to be found, but he desperately needed a sign of life — an indication that something was at the end of the hall. He was tired of running around empty hallways.

He felt disappointed when he didn’t hear anything other than his accelerated heartbeat and his heavy respiration.

Swallowing all his indecisiveness, Nate started walking again. His pace was slower, but he was more alert than before. Nate used both of his hands to squeeze the grip of the electromagnetic gun, not caring about the pain of his right hand and the overflowing anxiety he felt.

Then, the sound reverberated again. A soft noise that quickly got lost among the vast area of the hallway.

A footstep! Nate whispered as he realized what it was.

The echo made it difficult for Nate to identify if the sound came from behind or the corridor that laid in front. Nate refused to believe that the guards had caught up with him already. So, deciding that the sound came from ahead, Nate aimed carefully upfront. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to see movement, but there was nothing.

Nate stood quietly, waiting for another sound — waiting for an indication that someone was in front of him. His sight couldn’t pierce through the void, but Nate soon realized that there was no one ahead.

Where are you, you asshole? Nate thought as he scanned the area again.

Nate was almost sure that it was another security guard who lied ahead. Nate knew he needed a plan to pull him out of hiding — force him to make a mistake. But he couldn’t be so bold. Taking a chance, and squeezing the trigger blindly, would only reveal his location, allowing the sentry to kill him.

C’mon asshole, move. Nate muttered very softly.

He stood still for a long time, aiming his gun forward.

Nate tried to control his breath as much as he could to avoid making any noise. But his body was tired, his muscles were burning, his uniform was hot and heavy, and his right hand was pulsating in agony. Every inch of his body was begging Nate to move — to sit down and have a little rest.

No. Can’t risk it, Nate convinced himself.

Several minutes passed by, but there wasn’t a single noise. Nate didn’t move and didn’t make a sound, but he soon noticed a little flaw in his plan. His sweat was increasing intensely, and before he could do something, a small drop fell to the floor. It made a faint sound, but Nate heard it as if it had been a cannonball. Nate gulped, fearing that it had revealed where he was.

However, he heard nothing.

His eyes couldn’t penetrate the dark corridor that extended ahead of him, so he had no idea why the guard hadn’t move. Nate could only hope that the sentry had missed the noise, but he didn’t want to underestimate him. Since his face was dripping sweat, Nate decided that standing still only worsened his situation. So, Nate started walking as silently as he could. He cleaned his face, but the sweat kept revealing his location.

Might as well shout, Hey, here I am! Shoot me! Nate thought annoyed as drops of sweat marked his path.

Nate complained and bit his lip with frustration, but he didn’t find anyone. Instead, he came across a Y path.

What? Nate shook his head in disbelief. Where is the guard?

Nate felt as if he had been wrong from the beginning — that he had imagined the whole thing.

He turned his back away from the Y path. Desperately, Nate searched the area, looking for the source of the sound. He wanted to see if he had missed someone or something. Nate wanted to make sure that he hadn’t been distracted by his many ideas and thoughts.

Footstep.

Gotcha! Nate smiled.

There was no denial. Nate had heard another footstep.

But it had come from the right corridor — the right path from the Y bifurcation.

Slowly, Nate took a few steps as he approached the hallway with extreme caution. He stood quietly, waiting to see if there was any response. But again, there was only silence.

Not convinced that he should take the path with the guard on it, Nate retraced his steps back to the corridor on the left. He had barely entered when he felt the hideous smell again. It was a strong stench of putrefaction that Nate didn’t tolerate for more than a minute.

Frustrated and unable to go any further, Nate settled for the path on the right.

Two left, one right, Nate reminded himself.

Nate walked into the darkness of the right corridor, holding his firearm in front of him. The safest choice would’ve been to walk slowly and silently, but Nate picked up the pace. He no longer cared about what path he took anymore.

Something inside of him had accepted that he wasn’t going to get out — not at the moment, at least.

Nate hated to admit that he was lost, but ignoring the fact, was even more foolish. The only solution that would keep him alive was hiding. Nate needed to find a place to stay low until he could come up with a plan to create a huge distraction. Once amid the chaos, Nate would have the perfect opportunity to escape, just as he had done in The Cafeteria.

Footstep.

This time there were two noises.

Nate’s anxiety rose. He had been forced to take the corridor that led him to another person, and he didn’t like that. Nate wasn’t curious, and he didn’t care about the secrets that could be hidden inside the complex. He only cared about finding an exit or a hiding place. But having to face more guards wasn’t —

Clink!

A distant echo made Nate feel goosebumps.

For the first time in his little adventure, Nate felt terror as he heard the soft sound of footsteps, yells, and clicks coming from the hallway behind him.

The guards had finally caught up with him, and they were close.

Nate couldn’t distinguish how many guards were coming after him, but he wasn’t willing to find out. Without a second thought, Nate started dashing through the corridor. He knew that a slight mistake would cost him his life, but he couldn’t be so unadventurous now. Nate wasn’t going to let them ambush him on both sides.

I won’t die here! Nate kept repeating.

Nate continued running, wondering where the sentry could be.

He didn’t recognize any of the places he was passing through. The once white Cafeteria now seemed like an old memory. An empty and despairing maze had replaced the despicable lame excuse of a school.

He had gotten out of the frying pan and landed in the fire.

Nate couldn’t stop wondering how far the corridor extended, or if there were other places like this inside the prison. Since he wasn’t sure if there were more traps ahead, Nate constantly looked around to see if he wasn’t missing anything in his desperate attempt to escape. Every time something startled him, Nate tightened his grip over the gun. The hardest part for him was not knowing if he was heading toward an exit or if he was running in circles.

More and more questions kept rushing into Nate’s head as he tried to increase the distance between him and his chasers. He knew he was going to make it. Nate was faster, even if —

Three shots flew past him, and Nate never saw them coming. He only heard the metallic sound of something hitting the wall.

Immediately, Nate jumped to the right. In mid-air, Nate shot once at the location from where the gunshots’ noise had come. The needle disappeared through the darkness, but Nate knew that one was enough.

There was a loud grunt, and a loud thump as the guard’s inert body hit the floor.

Nate didn’t want to look, but it was inevitable. He couldn’t take his eyes away in time and saw how the guard curved into a ball, convulsing unceasingly. The guard tried to scream, but instead, saliva started dripping from his mouth. His eyes turned red, and his limbs flopped around.

Horrified, Nate watched as the guard tried desperately to breathe but seemed to have forgotten how to do it. Nate never meant to do this to him. He had no idea that the subject reacted like this. Nate expected the effects to be silent and less theatrical.

But this was barbaric.

Feeling remorse, Nate closed his eyes to avoid the guard’s gaze, which was filled with despair. Nate bit his lip and clenched his teeth as he slowly knelt and tried to pick up the gun from under the guard’s trembling body. The task was more difficult than what Nate had expected, but once he picked it up, Nate quickly walked away. He never wanted to see something like that again.

Get out, Nate kept shaking his head. Don’t think of anything else other than getting out.

But he couldn’t.

The images kept coming back at him, and Nate couldn’t stop them. Nate kept reliving the same moment when he had shot the sentry, and how the guard had fallen to the floor, overcome by fear and pain. He could see the foam coming out of his mouth and his eyes crying tears of blood.

Look for an exit! Nate closed his eyes, doing his best to block his thoughts. Search for a hiding spot!

Nate tried to distract his mind, but the images arose stronger every time. It was an endless vision. The face of fear. The memory of horror. The gaze of pain. He couldn’t manage to shake them off. Even if he pressed his eyes as hard as he could, they didn’t go away. And Nate didn’t understand why he was so affected by them.

Suddenly, Nate gasped and screamed.

A throbbing torment invaded his legs as he lost his strength and hit his left temple against the floor. Nate was more confused than in pain, but as he tried to touch his legs, the extreme tenderness sent an alarming amount of agony through his body. He screamed and screeched, not caring if the guards could hear him.

Fuck me! Nate muttered as tears came out of his eyes.

Nate couldn’t stand up or move his legs. He didn’t understand what was happening. He made one more effort to move his lower body and stand up, but his ankles and legs no longer obeyed his desires.

Please don’t let me die here, Nate cried.

A loud noise echoed in his ears. Nate felt it resonating to the rhythm of his pulsating discomfort, almost as if it was mocking him.

Crying from the pain, Nate moved his head slowly to see what had happened. He turned his head to both sides of the corridor. Between his blurry vision and his tormented body, Nate managed to catch a glimpse of what laid behind him.

There were several lasers placed in a single column on the wall. They stood a few inches above the floor but ran up to the height of Nate’s waist.

Nate couldn’t understand how he could have missed it. He wanted to punch himself in the face for being so stupid, but the laser wounds were doing a better job punishing him.

Nate gulped and stopped sobbing.

He looked at the lasers again and noticed they turned themselves off. Nate started scanning the area to comprehend how he activated the trap that incapacitated him. Nate searched for a switch on the floor, an alarm, or a string, but he quickly noticed the movement sensors on the floor. Nate guessed that, when he dashed through the hallway, he stepped over the sensor, and the lasers burned through his legs.

Great, my legs look like Swiss cheese now, Nate thought, trying to humor himself.

Nate needed medical attention immediately, or he was going to bleed to death. Sadly, Nate knew he wasn’t going to get it. Everything was lost at this point. The probability of standing up again was zero. The lasers had crushed his legs. He could only crawl, which meant he wasn’t going to escape. Nate was going to get caught, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was the end of the road — the closure.

But he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

No, Nate thought. It won’t end this way. I’m not gonna die like this. Not without a fight.

Nate glanced around and noticed that a few feet ahead, there was a right turn.

Ignoring his wounds and the blood-loss, Nate crawled to the corner. He shouted every time he moved his legs through the floor, but he didn’t stop moving. Nate was willing to make that corner his final stand. He was going to delay the guards as much as he could. If this was the end, then Nate was going to die in his own way.

He was only certain about one thing: He was not going back.

The noises got louder and closer as Nate reached the corner and hid behind it. He took a few seconds to recover his strength. Then, Nate bit down the grip of one of his guns as he turned his whole body around. Nate screamed and grunted but managed to lay flat on his back.

Just a bit more, Nate groaned.

He laid down on the floor for a few seconds, watching his legs bleed intensely. After regaining his breath, Nate grabbed his gun again and struggled to sit down. His pain fought back, forcing him to remain on the floor. However, Nate tried several times until he finally managed to sit up and lean his back against the corner.

There we go, Nate exhaled.

The noise of several footsteps approaching was more than evident now, and Nate could match it to the sound of his beating heart.

Two heartbeats, one footstep.

One heartbeat, three footsteps.

One heartbeat, one footstep.

Three heartbeats, four footsteps.

It was as if his chasers were dancing to the sound of his death.

Nate grabbed both of his guns firmly. He still didn’t want to make anyone else suffer, but if this was going to be his deathbed, then Nate was going to give them hell.

His heartbeat increased as the footsteps approached. Nate listened to his dying melody as he took quick breathes and tried to remain awake. He felt how his body kept embracing the cold. It was like a warning — a shivering sensation of entering the next life.

Nate moved to his right side and then stuck his head out of the corner. Holding the electromagnetic gun on his right hand, Nate aimed toward the hall, waiting for his chasers to appear. He waited until he saw five little shadows approaching from the corridor. Nate sat up straight and did his best to ignore his suffering.

Five, Nate thought. Yeah, I can manage.

Not that the number mattered anymore.

Nate took a deep breath and, without looking through the corner, he aimed at the second guard, counting from right to left.

Stop. Nate raised his voice as high as he could.

His chasers did Nate had told them, but not because he said so. They halted because they were trying to find the source of the voice.

I can quickly kill the five of you before you reach me. Or you can walk away and call it a day. It’s your decision. Nate continued talking. This is a one-time offer.

Nate didn’t expect them to turn around.

The guards were pigheaded. Nate knew that if he wanted to convince them, he needed to try harder. He needed to show them that he wasn’t messing around and that he was going to make good on his threat.

So, Nate waited for one of the guards to take a step forward. Before the guard realized it, Nate pulled the trigger, and a needle left the chamber of the electromagnetic gun. Nate didn’t need to see to know that it had hit the floor in front of the guard’s foot.

Next one goes between your eyes! Nate yelled.

There were a few laughs and one grunt.

You’re not in a position to negotiate, lad. There are five of us, and you are merely a useless rat! One of the guards mocked him.

This time, Nate chuckled.

I have the location advantage, and I am a far better shooter than any of you. Nate swallowed with great difficulty. Go back before I put five needles in each of your heads.

Nate already knew the flaw in his threat before any of the guards noticed it. His blood was spread throughout the floor, and since Nate had crawled to the corner, he had left a trail of it. The marks revealed that he was the one who was hurt.

You’re bleeding to death, and you have nowhere to go. A guard, with a squeaky voice, spoke this time. Even if you succeed in killing all of us, you will be dead before you crouch fifty feet.

We can gladly sit down and wait till your body is a corpse, One of the guards said as he laughed.

Nate knew the guard was right, but he hadn’t had enough time to evaluate all his possibilities. However, Nate wasn’t going to let the situation get out of his hands.

Have it your way, Nate thought angrily.

He took a quick look around the corner and saw five persons aiming at him. As Nate turned away from them, he heard how the guards fired several shots. Luckily, they all collided against the wall.

Nate breathed heavily and started analyzing his current situation.

There were five guards.

The guard on the farthest left was short, thin, and had a red beard. He was standing one step ahead of the rest.

The one next to him had blond hair and was thinner but taller. He was standing four steps behind the first guard.

The third guard was two steps ahead of the latter, but he was the most muscular of the five of them. He had a medium height, and he was holding two guns — one in each hand.

The fourth guard was the one who stood behind all the others. The first three guards covered him, so he was barely visible. He had a thick, black mustache.

The last guard was the tallest of the five of them, and he had a large scar across his right cheek, which also cut through his mouth. He was standing in the same position as the second guard.

Nate processed everything in seconds.

He identified the first and the third guards as the most experienced shooters since they were taking point. Nate suspected that the fourth one was the youngest and the least skilled since he was behind his comrades.

Nate smirked. He knew exactly what he needed to do.

Take the biggest threat first, Nate gulped and cracked his head.

Nate waited silently, biting his lower lip to avoid screaming from the pain. The guards stepped forward, but Nate closed his eyes and waited until they were closer. He needed to land precise shots to make them dubious about facing him. Nate was going to make them appreciate their lives.

However, he couldn’t. Nate froze at the moment that he was going to shoot at them.

The images of the sentry convulsing helplessly on the floor kept racing through his mind. Nate didn’t know if that sentry was still crouching on the floor, unable to do anything.

Another four steps, and then five steps more.

They were gaining confidence, and even in his shock state, Nate knew that he couldn’t let them get any closer. Against his impulses, Nate raised his gun and turned toward the five guards.

The biggest threat first, Nate mumbled to himself.

Quickly, Nate leaned out of the corner and shot five times at the guard in the middle. He could feel the tension in his arm every time he pulled the trigger. With every hissing sound, Nate clenched his teeth harder. The remaining guards fired at Nate, but each of the shots missed him. They were crushed against the corner and the wall.

Nate didn’t wait to see if his shoots had met their target. He already knew that his aim had been perfect and that the five needles had impacted the third guard. As Nate regained his breath, he heard the blaring noise of the officer falling to the floor.

Nate had made good on his promise, but at what price?

Keep going, Nate reminded himself.

Nate didn’t want to look at the guard who was currently trashing around. He didn’t need more of those images in his head. So instead, Nate tried to focus on the small advantage he had: The guards were occupied watching his companion lose all sense of reality.

Nate didn’t waste time.

He closed his eyes, and before the guards paid attention to him again, Nate moved away from the wall and pulled the trigger. This time, aiming based on memory, Nate shot at the fifth guard. The three needles that left the electromagnetic gun penetrated the guard’s face, just inches above his scar.

Before hiding behind the corner again, Nate saw the expression on the remaining guards. Scared didn’t come close to it — they were terrified.

Nate heard how they all stepped back. He took the opportunity and moaned loudly while taking in as much air as he could. His heart was beating so fast that Nate thought it was going to come out of his chest. He no longer cared about how much noise he was making. Nate only cared about neutralizing the guards.

He tried the best he could not