I walked up and down the rows of cages, peering inside each one, searching for Ruby. Women in short hospital gowns and various stages of deterioration stared back at me with sunken cheeks and dead eyes, too far gone to even register my presence. Many begged for my help or reached their arms through the bars of the cages, pleading for me to free them. I held Gracie close, avoiding their touch for fear the lesions and hives that plagued them might be contagious.

There were so many women, it was hard to imagine I would find Ruby before the Guardians realized something was awry. I paced up and down aisle after aisle, becoming increasingly hopeless the more cages I passed. What if she wasn't here? What if the Guardians had already taken her to be experimented on like the other women trapped in these cages? What if she was dead? I shook my head, forcing the thoughts from my mind. Ruby was alive; she had to be.

After searching for ten minutes and finding no indication that Ruby was there, I was becoming discouraged. I had nearly given up when a flash of auburn hair caught my eye the next aisle over. I ran toward the young redhead like she was a beacon of hope in the distance.

Ruby laid against the side of the cage, unconscious and her skin so pale I wondered if she might be a corpse instead of a living being. I pressed my fingers against her wrist, letting out sigh of relief at the weak pulse. Her arms were lined with small needle marks that sent chills down my spine.

"Ruby?" I murmured, giving her shoulder a small shake. She didn't respond, and for a moment, I feared that she might be dead. "Ruby!" I shrieked in a panic, shaking her harder.

Tears of relief fell down my cheeks when her emerald eyes appeared in small slits beneath her heavy lids. She stared at me groggily, her eyes widening in terror when she recognized that it was me.

"What are you doing here!" she cried, gripping the bars of the cage until her knuckles were white and cracking. "You need to go before they catch you, too!"

I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Don't be stupid, Mia!" she spit. "It's too late for me, but it isn't too late for you. You have to take Gracie home before they throw you in here with me. Go back to the manor and be a good wife before our daughter is left alone with Mr. Moberly!"

"No," I said, squaring my shoulders stubbornly. "I'm getting you out of here and we're going to get out of Grayson, just like we planned."

"Mia..." she started, but I cut her off.

"I said no. If the roles were reversed, you wouldn't leave me behind. We're going to get you out of here and do what I've been too much of a coward to do before now," I said. "You and I are leaving Grayson, and I'm done arguing about it."

We stared at one another, brown eyes into green, lost in a battle of wills. We didn't break eye contact until someone cleared their throat nearby.

"I don't mean to interrupt your lover's quarrel," Quinn said. "But if you're going to do something, it needs to happen now. The Guardians will be doing security sweeps in the next hour."

I nodded, my eyes falling to the padlock that kept the bars of Ruby's cage firmly closed. "Can you pick this lock?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and smirked at me. "I can pick any lock you put in front of me. How do you think I got sentenced to life in this shithole in the first place?"

Quinn squatted in front of the cage and maneuvered the bobby pin back and forth until the door popped open. I helped Ruby out, helping support her weight as she tried to find her footing.

"Come on," I said, wrapping my hand securely around her waist. "We have to get you out of here."

"Not yet," she said, wincing as she put weight on her weak legs. "Not until we help set the other No Name women free."

"We don't really have time for that, Ruby," I said, pulling her toward the exit, but she stood firm.

"I will not leave them like this," her voice full of authority, but a single tear falling down her cheeks. "Please, Mia. We have to help them."

I let out a sigh but nodded, understanding that like it or not, we were all in this together now. We set to work, Quinn unlocking the cages and Ruby and I helping the women unsteadily to their feet. Some had been in their prisons for so long, their muscles had begun to atrophy. Others who were stronger had to carry those who were knocking on death's door.

There were so many of the No Name women that I wondered how on earth we could empty all of the cages with no one noticing. But Ruby was determined to set them free, and if I wanted to help her, I had to start by helping them.

We worked quickly and quietly, picking locks and emptying cages until all of the women were freed.

"Now what?" I asked, looking at the dozens of No Name women. If we didn't have a target on our backs before, we would the moment such a large group was spotted leaving the building.

Quinn smiled, her eyes alight like this was the most exciting moment of her life. "I've been here longer than any other No Name woman," she said, a slight sadness in her eyes. "I've befriended the guards and have learned every ally and backroad in this complex. I can get us out. I know I can."

I stared at her for a moment, then nodded when I saw the determination in her eyes. I had no doubt that if anyone could get these women to safety, it would be Quinn.

We tiptoed through the front door, careful to remain light on our feet and keep close to the building so we wouldn't be spotted. But our careful acts were for no reason, because the guards were consumed with a game of cards, oblivious to the hoard of women who'd escaped their cages and were on their way to freedom.

The sun was beginning to set in the distance when we made it to the cover of the nearby forest. It wouldn't be long before the Guardians realized we were missing.

"I think it would be better if we split up," Quinn suggested. "That way, if the guards raid the forest, they aren't likely to catch us all."

I nodded. "Where will you go?"

Quinn shrugged. "I'd never thought that far ahead. I was always so focused on getting from one day to the next that I never thought about what I'd do if I was free. I guess I'll start by trying not to get captured," she laughed.

I smiled. "Thank you for your help. Everyone here owes you a great deal of gratitude."

"It was nothing," she mumbled, playing it cool, but I saw the hint of a blush in her cheeks. "Good luck, lovebirds. I hope we meet again."

I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before she led a group of women east. Ruby and I made our way through the forest, heading west.

"Where will be go?" she asked.

"To freedom," I said, holding her close, never wanting to let her go again. "But first, I have to do something."

***************

Ruby was too weak to walk a vast distance, so we made the difficult choice to go back to the manor and use Pearl to aid in our journey. The massive horse would be more conspicuous than walking on foot, but between Ruby's injuries and Gracie, who was beginning to get fussy, we would certainly be seen by a Guardian without help.

By the time we made our way into the clearing just beyond the manor, there was hardly any light left. We were fortunate we'd been prepared to leave because we wouldn't have had time to visit the house and pack a bag. There wasn't much time before James would be home from work. I wondered how long it would take him to put the pieces together, to sound the alarm that his wife had run away with his infant daughter. We had to hurry.

We tiptoed through the yard and to the outside of the barn, squeezing our way between the sliding doors, trying to avoid opening them for fear it would alert the new groundskeeper of our presence.

The moment we were inside the barn, I heard a loud whinny and the stomping of excited hooves. It had been over a year since I'd been able to see Pearl, but there was no denying that she remembered me, and had missed me as much as I'd missed her.

"Hey, old friend," I said, laying my head against her neck. She nuzzled against my cheek happily. The movement woke Gracie up, and though she was startled by the large animal at first, she soon began giggling, reaching our tiny hand out and interlacing it in Pearl's mane.

I sat Gracie and our packed bag on a bale of hay next to Ruby while I pulled a saddle off of the wall and tried to remember how Caleb used to strap it to Pearl's back. After some experimenting and readjusting, I finally had Pearl saddled up and ready for our journey.

"Okay, we're almost ready to go," I said, leaving the stall and helping Ruby to her feet.

"You're not going anywhere," a deep voice said from the barn entrance.

My heart dropped from my chest- I would know that voice anywhere. I turned to see a man's silhouette walking toward us. James' face was scarlet, his breathing labored from anger.

"James," I said, my voice breaking. "We were just..."

"Save it. I know exactly what you were doing," he snarled. He paced back and forth in front of us, standing between us and the exit, reminding me of a predator circling its prey.

"Imagine my surprise when I came home from work and found my house empty, my wife and baby daughter nowhere to be found," he said. "It didn't take long for me to connect the dots. Your reaction this morning when I told you about the No Name woman gave it away. I should have known it would only be a matter of time before you did something like this, you stupid bitch."

I glanced behind us, but there was no other way out. We were trapped. James registered the fear on my face and he smirked. His arrogant expression sent waves of fury coursing through me.

"It's not stupid to care about someone, but I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" I said through gritted teeth. "You don't know a damn thing about love."

"Love?" James said, glancing from me to Ruby, understanding dawning on his face. He cocked his head to the side as if he was looking at me clearly for the first time. "No, I guess I wouldn't," he said, continuing his pacing. "Regardless, you are still my wife, and I am your husband. As such, I will be respected."

Before I had time to react, James lunged toward Ruby and pinned her against the barn wall, sending chickens scurrying about in their stall. Pearl whinnied and bucked in her booth, and Gracie screamed and cried at the sudden outburst.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed, tugging on James' arm, trying to pull him off of Ruby.

"It all makes sense now, why you've been so distracted," he said, wrapping his long hands around Ruby's neck. "The reason you've been such an ungodly and unfaithful wife. You've been corrupted by this devil. The only way to stop a cancer before it spreads is to cut it out!" he grunted, tightening his grip.

"It's not her fault, it's mine! Just stop it!" I said, fear coursing through me as Ruby's face started turning blue. She clawed and scratched at his hands, but to no avail.

Tears streamed down my face as the sound of Ruby's choking and Gracie's cries echoing through the barn. What was I supposed to do? James was going to kill her. The man she hated was hurting the woman she loved. She wouldn't stand idly by and let this happen. After everything we'd been through together, after how close we were to finally being free, I couldn't let it end this way.

I leaped on onto James back and tried to pull him off, but my weak stature was no match against James' strong frame. Desperate, knowing there was no time left, I leaned forward and bit his ear as hard as I could, pulling a piece of the cartilage off.

"Aargh!" James cried, letting go of Ruby's neck and reaching behind him.

She fell to the floor, gasping for air, as James turned his focus to me. Fire danced in his eyes, a rage the likes of which I'd never seen before. I was immediately terrified.

"You stupid bitch!" he yelled, rushing toward me.

I screamed and ran for the exit, but he was much faster than me. Within seconds he had me pinned to the floor, his fist meeting my face and leaving a large laceration on my forehead. I cried out as blood filled my mouth and tried to shimmy away, but James had a firm grasp on me. He hit me again, breaking my nose, and again, until lights flashed before my eyes and I started to slip away.

He pulled me toward him by the color of my shirt. "I should have killed you a long time ago," he snarled.

He pulled his arm back, ready to administer the final blow that would take my life, but before he could make contact with my face, a loud thump echoed through the barn. James hesitated, staring at me with wide eyes, before collapsing in a heap beside me.

I glanced up to see Ruby standing above us, her breathing labored, holding a blooded shovel in her hands.

"Are you okay?" she asked, helping me to my feet.

"Yes," I murmured, nearly inaudible.

I stared down at James lying on his back in the dirt floor, blood pooling around his head. His skin was pale, and he wasn't moving. Ruby gasped and dropped the shovel to the ground, covering her mouth with a shaking hand.

"What did I do?" she murmured, shaking her head as though that would undo what had happened.

I wiped the blood from my nose. "Listen to me," I said, stepping between Ruby and James' body so she couldn't see the life leaving him. "You did what you had to do. He would have killed me if you hadn't stopped him. You know that."

She nodded, still trembling with fear. "We should call someone."

I stared down at the lifeless body of my husband as he continued to bleed out. "No," I said. "We need to leave him. If we get caught, it's game over."

"Mia," she whispered. "He might die."

"Good," I murmured.

I stared at the man who had made me miserable for the past two years. With all of the anger and bitterness I had inside me, I brought my leg forward and kicked him in the ribs. Then I turned my back on the man who had hurt me more than anyone else ever had.

"We need to go before the Guardians come looking."

Ruby nodded, her forehead creased with worry. I knew she was worrying about James and didn't want to leave him in this state- she was no killer. But we didn't have time to call for help. James didn't deserved for us to risk our one chance at freedom just to save his life.

I lifted Gracie from the hay bale and wiped her tears, shushing her. When she'd calmed down, I put her in the carrier on my chest and mounted the saddle on Pearl's back, stretching my arm out to help Ruby up. She hesitated, glancing at James one more time, before taking my hand and climbing into the saddle behind me.

I gave the reigns a gentle shake and Pearl galloped out of the barn and across the clearing. Together, we made our way to the forest surrounding Moberly Manor, leaving James and all of the misery he had caused behind us.