Zein's Point of View
I woke up in a dark, cold cell, my hands and feet tightly bound. I wasn't alone; there were a lot of us inside. Some were staring into space, while others were still unconscious.
"Z-Zein..."
I looked at the person beside me, and my heart sank. It was Mia. I promised I'd fight for them, but here we were. No. It cannot end like this. As long as my friends were here, I'd fight.
"Where are the others?" I asked. Where was Vanessa? Matt? Jerome?
"I-I don't know either, Zein."
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"Sshh. This will be over soon. We're getting out of here."
"Th-this is all my fault," she murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks. "None of it was an accident. The map leading here—I stole it. I overheard Allison talking on the phone. Hell University was one of her missions."
My sister, Allison, was a highly skilled secret agent. If she was afraid of this mission, it meant this place was even more dangerous than I imagined.
"She didn't know I snuck the map. I'm really sorry, Zein."
I smiled. "No, Mia. Thank you. Thank you for bringing us here. I wouldn't have met him if we weren't here right now."
She laughed weakly. "I will be braver from here, Zein."
"That's my girl."
The iron bars creaked open. Two men in surgical masks walked in and grabbed a girl who had been crying. They punched her in the stomach when she struggled and carried her away. I balled my hands into fists.
Later, they returned with the same girl. Her skin was parched, her lips black. She was dead. When they approached Mia, I didn't hesitate.
"Take me too!" I shouted.
They untied us both. The second I was free, I punched the first guy in the gut and slammed the other's head into the bars until he passed out.
"Let's go," I whispered, grabbing Mia's hand.
We tried to free the others, but guards were already closing in.
"Mia, listen," I panted. "Keep going down this hallway. Don't you dare stop. Someone has to stay behind to hold them off."
"I don't want to, Zein! Please!"
"I'll be right behind you. I promise! Run and don't ever look back!"
I faced the guards alone. I managed to knock a few down, but they cheated—someone injected me with something cold. My knees went weak. A punch to the gut sent me to the floor, blood dripping from my mouth. Then, a powerful shock zapped my back. I screamed in agony.
"You really are brave... but everything has an end. You're just like Samantha," Madame Violet's voice hissed above me.
"F-fuck you."
They zapped me again. My eyelids felt like lead. I looked toward where Mia had run. Please be safe.
Someone's Point of View
I smiled while looking at the photo in my hand. "We'll be together again soon," I said bitterly, tucking it back into my pocket.
I watched from the shadows as people scrambled out of the building. They were resisting, fighting for a freedom they didn't realize was already gone. But soon enough, they'd be exhausted.
"Let the battle begin... and victory will be mine."