The man never said a word. He fidgeted, but never got up. He looked uncomfortable, like
something was about to explode. He took a deep breath, and started digging in his bag. What was he getting? He dug around for a while, but soon found what he was looking for. Lachlan could not make out what it was that he held. He took another deep breath, and looked very shaken, though he did not say a word.

He stood up, still shaking. Lachlan was suddenly suspicious of him, so he watched him carefully. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. The man paused for a second. "Aron?" a voice called. The man stiffened. "Yes?" he asked, sounding courageous at the slightest. "What are you doing?" The man's face showed panic, but he tried to hide it. "I-I was gonna go use the bathroom. I can't w-wait until my shift's done..." He responded, his voice shakes. "Really? You know, the bathroom is the other way." The voice called back. The Aron smiled slightly, still trying to mask his panic. "Oh, y-yeah... right. Thanks." "Get some sleep tonight... okay? Newbie."

The man glanced warily in the kids direction, before going down the hallway the he had his back turned to. "What was that all about?" Vik asked. Rob shrugged. "I don't know. He's kinda strange, though. He always gets fidgety around me." "Only around you?" Lachlan asked. Rob paused to think for a quick moment. "He hasn't been around any of you yet... I don't know."

His breathing was heavy as he approached the cell once more. He pulled a pair of silver keys out of his pocket, which jingled in the silence. He returned but as quickly as he had left, Aron was back. Everyone was quiet once again, and Aron almost had his act together. All was quiet for a short while...

He etched forward, and pushed the keys into the lock. A soft click was heard as the door unlocked. Lachlan stood up. Of course, he was taking them somewhere. Rob opened his mouth to say something, but Aron was quicker. "Okay, I need you guys to follow me. Don't ask questions until I say so. Please! Got that? I'm here to help you." He opened the door, which creaked loudly, causing Aron to flinch.

But why should I trust him? Lachlan thought. Aron could have been acting his insecurities. He could be trying to help... Or he could be against him. This was Lachlan's first time seeing him. Aron could be secretly plotting against him. Who knew what would happen if they followed him? Why should he trust him?

"Lachlan!" Rob called, dragging Lachlan out of his little debate. "You coming?" Vik asked. He then realized he was the only person who hadn't left the cell. "Uh, yeah!" He was going to follow. Just in case he needed to protect his friends. He took a step forward, almost tripping once more, but the caught himself. No one laughed, but if this were any other occasion, Lachlan was sure they would have. He walked through the doorway and into the dim, stone hall. Even when the sun was high in the sky, the hallway was dark and forbidding, no matter how many torches were lined up against the walls. "If a-anyone asks, I'm taking you to another training session." Aron said quietly as they trekked down the dim corridors. He didn't say another word. They walked in silence.

They neared the hallway that lead to the training rooms and the inside-forest, and Lachlan couldn't help but glance in its direction. Instead of turning down the hallway, though, Aron had other plans. They continued straight, passing the hallway. The small group continued walking until they came to a sudden stop. "There is a passage here somewhere..." Aron mumbled, scanning the floor for something the teens weren't aware of. "A passage to where exactly?" Rob asked.

Aron turned to look at him, looking surprised. "Oh, I said that out loud... Sorry..." He started feeling along the wall. "Where does the passage lead, though?" Lachlan repeated Rob's question. "Oh, that..." he shifted his hand slightly to the left. "Will be answered... Just a second..." He pushed down on a brick in the wall that was slightly smaller than the others. Suddenly a large gap started opening in the floor. Lachlan jumped back a step.

"This... This is the Catacombs. Remember to follow my lead, and please, keep quiet. Even if someone is, uh, lost." "Lost?" Aron did not respond as he walked down the carved stone steps into the darkness. He stopped after a few steps to pull something out of his backpack. A click was heard, and then there was a light. It almost eliminated the darkness. Almost. Where the light from the flashlight wasn't, shadows danced menacingly. Lachlan cautiously followed Rob down the dark stairs. The Catacombs themselves gave off a dark and eeire feel. It felt like something would pop out of the dark at any second.

"There are traps down here, but if you follow me, then you should be s-safe... Yeah.. safe..." Aron mumbled. Their footsteps echoed against the stone stairs. There was a loud bang, which startled the group. Lachlan turned to the direction of its source to find no light came through the opening, and that the exit was closed. No going back now. He thought. As the bunch moved further away from safety the tunnels only grew colder with every step. Lachlan shivered. A split tunnel could be seen ahead, just as the stairs ended. Aron stopped dead in front of the two passages.

"One of these is a trap." He said, breaking the long lived silence. He took a glance down the right hallway before continuing left. The teens stayed behind. Aron didn't seem to notice. "Guys, I think it's safe to go now." Rob said, his voice echoing down the tunnel. "You sure?" Vik asked.

"I'm prettttty suuuure." Rob answered. "G-guys?W-where are you? I c-can't-" Aron stuttered from inside the tunnel. "We're down here." Lachlan called back. "O-okay... Can you please hurry up...?" Rob started walking forwards, with the others following close behind. The walk along the passage seemed to take forever, until they finally met back up with Aron, even though it was probably only five seconds. "I was worried... you see..." Aron looked down, like he was ashamed. "Dude, you don't have to worry about us as much as you do. We'll be fine. Seriously, man, let yourself go a little." Rob told the older teen. "But, I h-have to worry. I can't help it. If I let something happen to you, then I couldn't live with myself." No one really talked much after that, they just kept walking.

They didn't encounter any "traps" after that, really. It might have been because they were lead on the right path, or maybe it was because there were no traps to begin with. Lachlan shrugged it off. He was more concerned about this whole "Aron" character.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Can we stop here?" Vik asked from the back of the group. "Yea, my legs are starting to hurt." Lachlan agreed. "Alright, we can stop here." Aron said. "After a quick break, though, we really should go. My flashlight is running l-low on battery." They had been walking for quite a while. About an hour. "I'm curious, so, why did you take us into the Catacombs instead of just walking us out the door?" Lachlan asked. Aron shook his head. "It's not that simple. I can't just walk you out the door. Do you know how heavily gaurded that thing is?" He chuckled a bit. "It's like at an airport or something, but that, exepct times 10. Hundred."

"That's over nine thousand." Lachlan said. "Basicly." Aron agreed. Aron started messing with his hair, and he seemed to have a look of impatience. "I mean, uh... It would be hard to get you out the front d-door because-" "You don't have to stutter." Vik interrupted. Aron looked up at him, with a look of... panic? "Yeah, it's kind of obvious you're faking that now..." Rob admitted. "Alright, you caught me, but we really should get going now." He said as he stood up and streched. "We only have about twenty minuets on the flashlight." Lachlan looked at him curiously. "How do you know that?" He asked. Aron smirked. "I guess I just have a timer in my head or something. Just basic estimation." As if on que?, the flashlight flickered once, maybe twice, then the light it cast dimmed slightly. "We really should hurry, though, because once this battery is out, we're done for."

Lachlan glanced back at the darkness that surrounded them. He's right. He realized with fear. Once that battery hits zero, we're fucked.
The rest of the way was easy, with only a small puzzle or two along the way, which Aron solved
with ease. No one questioned how he knew these things about the Catacombs, they just went with it.

Pretty soon, Lachlan was able to make out the faintest trace of light at the end of the tunnel.
They had been walking for about fifteen minuets, or at least that's what Aron said. The flashlight's light only got dimmer. Now that he could see the light, though, he felt hope soar in his chest, like a weight was lifted. "Guys, I see a light." Rob declared. "No way." Lachlan said with half-hearted sarcasm. "I see it too." Vik said. Aron sighed. "Finally..." He ran forward into the light and out of the tunnel. Lachlan realized that he was surprisingly fast. Before he knew it, he was dashing after him. The sunlight was warm and welcoming. But then it hit him, as he stood there in the middle of seemingly nowhere... he just escaped. On his first day.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aron fixing his hair again. Instead of his hair curling just above his right eye, it now stuck up. It looked spikey. He did look different, but you could see his amber-brown eyes more clearly.

"Aron, you look... different." Rob commented. Aron looked up at him and smiled. "This is how I really look. The other hairstyle? That was simply a disguise." "Why would you need a disguise?" Vik asked. Aron's smile slowly faded. "I'll tell you later." He said quickly. "But we really should get going."

Rob lifted his head and glanced around. He was like a dog when they hear something you can't; head high, back straight, and on high alert. "He's right. They know we're gone. And if they catch us... well, it will not be pretty." Aron flinched. "I had a feeling you would say that. How close are they?" "I can't tell." Rob replied, worry in his voice. Vik sighed. "If I could fly to find them then I would." Lachlan looked at him and frowned. "Well, even if you could, they would probably see you."

"Rob, how many are there?" Aron asked. Rob paused. "Uh, I think eight. I'm not sure though." Aron looked even more worried than before. "We can't take them. They're probably stacked. We need to get a move on." He turned around, and began to walk forward. He then paused. "Follow me. I know a good place. But first," he started, glancing back at the make-shift group. "Are you okay with running?" Lachlan nodded. Rob shrugged. "I'm okay with it..."

"Vik?"

"I guess I'm out voted."

"Okay. Ready?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He took off, dashing through the thin growth on the hilly ground. But Lachlan was still faster. He was neck to neck with Aron, and was trying not to over take him. I guess the blurr can still blurr. He thought with satisfaction. Lachlan might have been faster, but Aron had more perserverence. Lachlan began falling behind, to where he was at the same pace as Rob, who wasn't slow himself. "Here!" Aron called, just a few meters ahead. Lachlan skidded to a stop beside him, and Rob followed suit, and last was Vik. Vik looked exausted. "These things... really weigh you down." He panted. "It's fine. As long as you're still here." Aron responded.

Aron didn't say anything as he walked away suddenly. It looked like he was about to walk right into a cliff. But he didn't. The entrance was hidden by lush, green leaves that hung down to cover it. "Oh."
  "In here." He said, poking his head out of the lush greenery. "Quickly." He didn't even have to speak, because Lachlan already knew what to do. As he entered, with the others following, he felt the vines brush against him. Inside it felt cool and dry. They all sat down, exuasted (some more than others).  

      Right now, only one question stayed in Lachlan's mind.

      "So, Aron, do you mind explaining?" He kept his voice low, though. He understanded the urgency if the situation.
      "First off my name isn't Aron," he said, taking off the long sleeved uniform overshirt to reveal a tan, long sleeved undershirt. "It's Mitch."
       Lachlan was suprised at this, and judging by the looks on the others' faces, so were they. "Why would you need to change your name?" Vik asked. Mitch sighed. "It's a pretty long story. I'll just explain the highlights because I don't want to ramble on and on, because that does get distracting, you know?" Rob nodded. Mitch took a deep breath.
    "The government wanted me, and we didn't know why. None of my family did. We didn't trust them, either. My dad had this idea that if I disguised myself, "started clean", then they wouldn't be able to find me. It worked for a while, but then I saw you, and I couldn't help myself. Rob, you were the first one I saw. I felt bad for you, really, but I had to keep up my act." Rob smiled a little. Just a little. "I thought you were actually scared of me-" "I was." "Oh."  
   "But I felt bad, too. I then realized; 'Damn. That would've happened to me if I hadn't agreed to the disguise."