Chapter 7: The Great Escape

"You fascinated me
Cloaked in shadows and secrecy
The beauty of a broken angel"

― Beth Crowley, "Warrior"

Antigone hardly had any time to process what was going on.

M.K. reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist, eliciting a very innocent gasp from her as he pulled her down the hallway.

She looked behind her, not daring to speak until Minerva was completely out of sight. When Minerva was finally gone, Antigone turned her head and spoke. "What's going on?" She jammed her heels into the ground, forcing M.K. to stop in time with her.

He stopped and looked at her, still smiling, but it wasn't a smile like before. It was a smile that was a cry for help. "Nothing is going on," he said. "I just wanted to be the one to show you the ropes, that's all."

She raised her eyebrow, trying to squirm out of his grip. "I don't buy it. How about you tell me the truth instead?"

"I am telling you the truth," he insisted.

"Not the whole truth," she retorted, still trying to escape from his grasp. Finally, she grew frustrated at his firm grip. "Let go of me!" she demanded through gritted teeth, practically spitting the words out at him as she jerked her hand around to escape from his hold.

His smile dropped and he immediately released her from his grip. "Sorry," he said quietly, lowering his gaze like he was a kicked puppy. "I didn't mean-".

"It's fine," she said, interrupting him, her patience wearing thin as she rubbed her wrist. "Can we actually have a real conversation instead of you giving me mysterious looks from afar and dragging your blood across my face like a weirdo?"

His head shot up and his eyes grew wide when they met hers. "Shh!" he hissed, looking around to see if anyone was watching.

She looked around as well and then turned to face him again. "No one is around. Now seriously. I want answers."

He sighed and looked around again. It took him a few moments before he looked at her again. "I can't give you the answers you want," he said, his voice hushed and low. "Not right now."

She leaned in closer, so close that she could see the pupils of his bloodshot eyes dilate when she neared his face. "Is it because of Minerva?" she asked, speaking in the same hushed and low tone of voice that he was speaking in.

His breath hitched when she said the name and she noticed her breath fan his eyelashes. His eyes fluttered closed. She watched his Adam's apple bob up and down while he gulped.

He had a very tiny, barely noticeable Adam's apple.

He blinked open his eyes moments later. They were now shining with tears. "Antigone," he whispered. "I can't give you the answers that you want right now."

She felt his breath fan across her face as he spoke. It was shaky. He was afraid. She recognized the sincerity in his voice and demeanor, so she decided to drop the subject.

"Fine," she said. "Then...I need you to clue me in on other things."

"Like what?"

"Like you. How do I know that I can trust you?"

His eyes softened. He backed away, leaving a polite and deliberate distance between them, but his eyes did not once leave hers. "You don't," he said. "I haven't given you any reason to trust me. I just don't wanna see you end up like me."

Now she was getting somewhere. "What do you mean, M.K.?" she asked. "How did you end up? What's happening to you right now?"

His eyes softened again. It looked like the tears that were crystallizing in his eyes were threatening to spill. He looked away from her, casting his eyes down to the floor. "Let's just say that if I had a choice, I would be anywhere but here," he whispered.

He sounded so sad, like the life had been drained from him and he was hanging on by a thread.

"I don't understand," she said softly. "You're Minerva's house guest. She took you in and gave you a home and she's training you to be strong, right?"

Right?

Dear God, she hoped that she was right.

He refused to meet her eyes. "Antigone," he said, his voice so quiet that she had to lean in even further to hear him. "There's so much that you don't know."

He looked up to meet her eyes, only to realize how close their faces were. The tips of their noses touched.

His nose was cold.

Too cold.

He looked away. "You shouldn't be here."

"Where? In this hallway?"

"In Butterfly territory or near the Widow at all."

"Why not? What's wrong with the Widow? She's a hero. Right? She's a good person."

M.K. laughed bitterly under his breath and backed away slightly. "Sure." He turned his head to look at Antigone with a smile that was undoubtedly sarcastic. "A hero. Right."

"M.K." She inched closer to him. "I need to know the truth about the Widow. I need to know where the other Butterflies went. What happened to Tilda?"

M.K.'s eyes softened at the mention of Tilda. "Tilda left," he whispered. "She's with someone who makes her happy. She's...She's okay. I hope."

Antigone was unsatisfied with his answer. He was clearly afraid to divulge more, but she sensed a connection between him and Tilda that intrigued her. "Are you close with Tilda?" she asked.

He frowned. "I used to be."

"What happened?" she pressed. She was curious.

He shrugged. "We grew apart, I guess. Wanted different things."

"Does she know that you're here with the Widow?"

He nodded.

"Has she tried to come and help you?"

He hesitated. Then, he shook his head.

Surely, she tried, Antigone thought. Tilda wouldn't just leave him alone in his time of need. She wouldn't do that to anyone. She's not like that. Besides, maybe this whole situation with Minerva is just a misunderstanding.

"Minerva is probably just doing what she thinks is best," she insisted. She didn't believe herself. She was holding onto nothing but a dream that seemed so far out of reach.

But it's not like she could trust M.K. either. For all she knew, he was playing her. She didn't think so, but she couldn't rule out that possibility.

"Minerva does only what she thinks is best for herself," M.K. said quietly. He looked around, clearly paranoid, and then back at Antigone. "I've already said too much."

"How do I know that you're not just using me in some kind of revenge ploy that you have against the Widow?" she questioned. "How do I know that I'm not just a means to an end? A rag doll being tossed around and used? How do I know that you're not gonna feed me to the wolves if I believe what you're saying? How do I know that you're not just playing me?"

He watched her carefully as she spoke. His eyes softened again. He seemed extremely humbled when she said those words. He looked down at his feet and then lifted his eyes so that they met hers again.

"You don't," he said. "There's nothing that I can say or do to make you believe me. I'm telling you the truth, but if you don't believe me or don't want to believe me, I won't hold it against you. You have every right to walk away from this conversation and never associate with me again." He inched closer to her, daring to look her closer in the eyes. "But I'm telling you this at the risk of my own peril. I've been witness to so many injustices at the Widow's hand and she continues to get away with more. I don't wanna see you end up like me. The Widow wants something from you and when she wants something, she gets it. Run now, while you still can."

Something about his words chilled her to the bone. Why was she so chilled by what he said? She knew why.

Deep down, she knew.

He was telling the truth.

"Jeez," she breathed. "I feel like I'm the main heroine in one of those Old World movies, when she's rescued by a mysterious attractive guy who's trying to save her life and it turns her whole world upside down."

The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. He briefly met her eyes and she saw that same spark return to them from before.

Her heart lurched. "Uh oh," she said. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"You did," he said, his smile inching wider as he spoke. "You're right though. It is kind of like that." His ears turned a barely noticeable shade of pink. "And thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome," she muttered, still embarrassed at what she said.

He beamed. "Shall we continue our tour? I know of many hard-to-find places that can lead to excellent escape routes."

She caught on to what he was doing and smiled smugly. "I suppose."

He looked around again and then turned to face her, motioning for her to follow him. "Follow me."

He turned around and then, just as quickly, turned to face her again. A playful glint shined in his eye. "My apologies," he said dramatically. "I mean, will you please do me the honor of following me?" He grinned. "M'lady?"

She didn't think that she had ever rolled her eyes so hard in her life.

-

Erastos was frantic. He just wanted to get out of Butterfly territory, but it wasn't like Phoenix territory's army had anywhere else to go. Minerva had promised that the citizens and refugees of Phoenix territory were being taken care of, but taken care of how?

Erastos didn't trust her one bit.

However, he had to go about this delicately.

Making himself look busy, he stepped into the room that had been set up for him right next to Antigone's room. He closed and locked the door behind him, frantically looking through everything in the room. He was afraid that he was being spied on.

It didn't help that he wasn't thinking clearly following his spat with Antigone. They argued all the time about petty stuff, like who made an annoying noise or who was being overly dramatic about a certain situation, but rarely did they ever get into heated arguments about deep subjects, especially when it involved war. It was as if Antigone's ability to think rationally had disappeared ever since the Butterflies rescued Phoenix territory's army. At least, that was what it seemed like to Erastos.

To make matters even more worrisome, Antigone's demeanor and attitude towards Minerva had changed in merely a day since they arrived. Antigone seemed much more cautious and afraid, a far cry from how she was still putting Minerva on a pedestal just one day earlier. In her panicked frenzy, Antigone had mentioned M.K., a boy she met whom Minerva claimed to be her house guest. According to Antigone, he looked tortured and afraid. That alone raised so many red flags, not to mention that Minerva had originally invited Antigone to sit in on a Butterfly training session and then changed the plans last minute. Erastos did not even want to think about what happened during the training session that made Antigone so afraid.

Something bad was definitely going on. It was like everyone from Phoenix territory was sitting on a ticking Butterfly time bomb and it was only a matter of time before that bomb exploded, destroying everything in its wake.

They had to evacuate immediately.

But how was it possible for a large group of people to quickly leave such a dangerous environment without drawing suspicion?

Erastos did not know, but he was determined to find out.

He pulled open drawers and looked behind curtains and scoured under pillows and investigated every place in his room that he could think of that might have some sort of secret passageway.

No luck.

Now, it was time to try elsewhere.

He rushed towards the door. As soon as he pulled it open, he was met with Antigone, whose fist was raised as if she was about to knock on the door. Beside her was a very malnourished and small boy whom Erastos assumed to be M.K..

"M.K. knows a way out," Antigone said quietly, confirming Erastos's assumption. She released her fist and dropped her hand to her side.

Erastos flashed M.K. a comforting smile. "You're a lifesaver. Lead the way."

M.K. seemed rather intimidated by Erastos. Perhaps because Erastos was much taller than him. M.K. could hardly even look up to meet Erastos's eye. Whatever the reason, Erastos did his best to appear as friendly and non-threatening as possible.

Thanks to the encouragement of Antigone, M.K. was able to communicate. "The Widow thinks that I'm showing Antigone around the training area and other areas that I'm allowed to go in," he explained, whispering as he held the door open for them while they walked out of the room. "That's what I'm going to pretend that I'm doing anytime we run into someone who isn't a Firebird, so just go along with whatever I say and don't be too obvious." He closed the door quietly. "We'll pick up the other Firebirds as we go along and tell them to spread out so as not to arouse suspicion. Before they spread out, we'll tell them to meet up at the library one at a time, separately, which is where they'll find the secret passageway."

"And we escape from there?" Erastos asked as he, Antigone, and M.K. breezed down the hallway.

"Yes," M.K. replied. Suddenly, he raised his voice ever so slightly and slowed his pace. "We'll be nearing one of the training rooms shortly," he said, almost as if he was announcing his words. "As you can see, Butterfly territory is home to some of the most lethal fighters in the Badlands. You've made a good decision by forming an alliance with us."

Antigone and Erastos immediately realized that M.K. was acting like he was giving a tour as a cover-up, meaning that either the Widow or another Butterfly was nearby.

They quickly switched gears, going along with his act.

"I'm a tough person to impress," Erastos said. "Antigone seems sold though."

Sure enough, two Butterflies strolled past. One of them was Cleo, who eyed Antigone suspiciously.

Antigone made it a point to stop and smile at Cleo.

Erastos and M.K. stopped in time with her, confused as to what she was doing.

"Hi, Cleo," she said, catching Cleo off-guard.

Cleo stopped and the Butterfly who was walking beside her stopped as well.

"What is she doing?" M.K. whispered to Erastos.

"I've learned to just trust her instincts and go along with whatever she does," Erastos replied quietly.

Cleo smiled, that same bright smile from when she tried to intercept Antigone earlier. "Hi, Antigone," she said. "Need something?"

"Actually, yes," Antigone said, smiling in the same manner. "M.K. is showing me and Erastos around Butterfly territory. He told us that the best place for training is in the ballroom, but I disagree because the floors are very slippery. Think that you can provide a second opinion?"

Cleo exchanged a glance with the other Butterfly and then looked at the three people before her again. "The ballroom is a dumb suggestion for a training area," she said, rolling her eyes at M.K. in a condescending manner. "You might wanna try the actual training room when it isn't being used."

It looked like M.K. was resisting the urge to roll his eyes in return. "Thanks. You know that I have to be careful with where I go. The Widow might not like me going in there."

Cleo's eyes softened. She seemed less tense. "Oh. Right. The Widow did mention that you were giving a tour."

M.K. gave her a smile for good measure. "We should probably get going now." He bypassed the two Butterflies as quickly as possible.

Antigone and Erastos followed suit. Erastos avoided eye contact with the Butterflies, but Antigone smiled at them for good measure, following M.K.'s example.

She noticed Cleo tilting her head ever so slightly, her eyes tinted with what seemed to be confusion.

Antigone's smile did not falter. She turned her head swiftly as she left, following perfectly in time with M.K. and Erastos.

A few moments later, Erastos asked, "Is the coast clear?"

Antigone turned her head to scan the area behind her and saw M.K. do the same. She locked eyes with him while they were both looking and felt a little jolt of...something rush inside her again.

What was that something?

She couldn't bring herself to break eye contact. Luckily, he was the one who did so. "All clear," he whispered to Erastos, looking straight at him.

When Antigone looked at Erastos seconds later, he was wearing an odd expression, almost as if he had been observing Antigone and M.K.. He seemed rather...disappointed or underwhelmed.

Antigone couldn't figure out why.

She was given no time to do so. They had to move quickly.

They ran into a few of the Firebirds on the way and quickly explained the plan to them. Some of the Firebirds left to inform the others. A few minutes later, Antigone, Erastos, and M.K. made their way to the library, swiftly followed by a small group of Firebirds. Bilal was the first to arrive.

"We told the others to split up into small groups and come at different times so that the Widow doesn't get suspicious," he explained. "Just like you asked."

"Bless you," Antigone breathed. She checked on the other Firebirds.

Meanwhile Erastos approached M.K. curiously. "So?" he asked. "Where's the secret passageway?"

M.K. smiled slightly and pressed his hands against the bookcase in front of him. Then, he pushed forward.

At first, Erastos could not figure out what M.K. was doing, until there came a clicking noise that echoed throughout the library and the bookcase slid open to reveal just what M.K. said would be there: a secret passageway.

Erastos couldn't believe his eyes. "Well, I'll be damned."

Antigone gasped in delight. "There it is," she whispered, smiling brightly.

"And you're sure that it's safe?" Erastos asked.

"I'm sure," M.K. replied. "Tilda sent me down this same passageway and I was able to make it pretty far. The only reason why I'm still here is because I was caught, but as long as you know where you're going, then you should be just fine."

"But we don't know where we're going," piped up one of the Firebirds, a young girl named Poppy, as another group of Firebirds arrived.

"Then just keep running," M.K. said. "Worst case scenario, you'll end up in the wastelands, but that's better than being trapped here under the Widow's thumb. You could even run into some friends of mine who might be able to help. Their names are Sunny and Bajie. Sunny has black hair and is average height. He has a bunch of tattoos on his skin. Bajie is a fairly big, round guy with red-hair and a beard. You can't miss him."

Erastos was not entirely convinced, but they were running out of time. If this was a trap, it couldn't be any worse than staying with the Widow. "Got it," he said. Another group of Firebirds arrived seconds later and he ushered them towards the passageway. "Everybody in," Erastos instructed. Quickly, but one at a time."

The last group of Firebirds arrived. Erastos made sure that the passageway stayed open while Antigone helped her teammates through and M.K. kept watch to ensure that they wouldn't get caught.

Finally, Antigone and Erastos were the only two of their team left.

"Come on, Antigone, let's go," Erastos said, trying to usher Antigone towards the passageway.

But Antigone was watching M.K., who had his head turned, keeping watch cautiously.

"M.K.," she whispered.

He turned his head to face her, eyes wide. "What are you still doing here?"

"Come with us," Antigone said softly.

His mouth fell open in disbelief. He shook his head. "N-No. No, I-I can't!"

"Please," Antigone pleaded. "You of all people deserve to escape."

"I can't. The Widow will track me down and it'll make you a target."

"You don't deserve to stay here."

He teared up. "Maybe I do."

"No," she said, squeezing his hand. "You don't."

He tilted his head sadly, his eyes filled with hopelessness.

"Antigone, we have to go now," Erastos said urgently from behind her.

"Please," M.K. begged. "I would rather you and your team leave safely. I'd feel more at peace if I stayed here. I'm dangerous anyway. You don't need me dragging you down."

"Dangerous?" Antigone asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't say anymore," M.K. said desperately, putting his hands on Antigone's shoulders and turning her around. "Please. Go." He ushered her towards the passageway.

Erastos held out his hand to pull Antigone in, but she stopped him. "Wait," she said, holding up her hand.

He stopped.

She turned around to face M.K. and intertwined her fingers with his. "Thank you," she said, looking straight into his soft brown eyes that were clouded with sadness. "For everything."

The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. Not a cocky or amused one like she had seen before, but a soft, genuine smile, one that shone of gratitude and true adoration. "It was just the right thing to do," he told her, squeezing her hand gently.

She forced herself to let go of his calloused hand before turning around to walk over to the secret passageway. She locked eyes with Erastos, who had that same odd expression on his face from earlier.

She was too focused on the great escape to be worried about what he was thinking and turned her head to smile at M.K. once more. "Goodbye, M.K.," she said. Then, she slithered through the secret passageway.

The last thing that she saw was Erastos turning around to thank M.K. before she was shrouded in complete darkness.