A shrieking siren blares through the room and in my surprise, I slip, almost falling down onto the tiled floor. Gripping the shower curtain tight, I keep myself from completely eating it and crashing to the ground. I right myself quickly, turning off the water and pulling the curtain open in a hurry. The shrill noise continues to pierce my ears as I rush to put on my clothes and dart out of the bathroom.

Red lights flash everywhere- In my room, in the halls, in the open space outside my window, painting the entire floor red. I walk over to the edge of my room, and with my palms pressed to the glass, I watch as panic ensues. Looks of shock, fear, curiosity, and surprise color the faces of all the girls around me. They mirror every emotion I'm feeling. But more than that, I'm anxious, a nervous excitement buzzing through me. Because it's time. Travis set off the alarm, I know it. It's time for us to run.

A few Hunters charge past my room in a hurry. They begin unlocking the girl's rooms, ushering them towards the back of the building. They must be sending them out the back door and up the stairs to the field outside.

My foot taps against the floor, my fingers beating a nervous rhythm against the window. Where is he? My mind races, wondering what he has planned, how the hell we're going to get out of here. Will we take off right now, or when I'm outside in the field? I wish he could have told me more so I could be ready.

What if I do something wrong, make one wrong move and ruin everything? I wonder, swallowing back the panic I feel beginning to rise to the surface.

Travis appears before me suddenly, unlocking my door in a haste. Thank God. I breathe a sigh of relief.

He guides me out of the room, his hand pressed firmly against my back. "Stand right here. Don't move from this spot," he quickly says into my ear, loud enough to be heard over the alarm still blaring through the halls. Then he takes off, unlocking the doors of the other rooms around us.

"Breeder, let's go!" a Hunter yells from across the room. Keeping my eyes trained on the floor, I pretend not to hear him, hoping to God he isn't talking to me. "Now!" he screams. He's talking to me. Shit.

"I've got her!" Travis yells. "Owens is in the stairwell, helping the girls out to the field," he gestures towards the back of the building. "I need you to unlock the rooms in the next hall, get the Breeders outside," he continues, motioning across the way to the second hallway of rooms. "I've got this section handled," he finishes, his tone authoritative and direct, causing the man, who has probably worked here a decade longer than him, to turn with his tail between his legs and follow the orders he's been given.

Travis turns and continues unlocking the girl's rooms, pointing them in my direction, and one by one, they walk over and begin forming a line in front of me. He finally makes it to Alex, letting her out of her small room, but his hand reaches out for her arm to stop her, turning her to face him. They exchange quick words as I watch the seriousness of Travis's expression. He points to me and she nods her head, turning to make her way over to the line. Travis's shoulders relax and he looks slightly relieved as she takes her place behind me.

...behind me. I've already been planning, concocting any way to drag Alex out of here with me, but it looks like Travis just took care of that for me.

Looking over my shoulder at her, I yell a quick, "Stay with me!" over the sirens just in case.

She nods, "I know."

So he did tell her. The weight of that worry, of that burden, falls from my shoulders.

A smoky, burning smell begins to invade the room and I turn, finding grey smoke swirling through the cracks of the steel door at the very end of our long hallway. My heart pounds against my chest as I stand here waiting. Our time is running out, closing in on us. There are only two ways out of here- the back door, where every other girl and who knows how many Hunters and personnel are, and that steel door, growing more and more obscure by a thick cloud of smoke.

My hands tremble slightly, but I take a deep breath, calming myself. I can do this; we can do this. We have to. Or else...I can't even fathom the repercussions we'll face if we don't make it out of here. We have to make it out of here.

Four more girls join the line in front us...Danielle moves in behind us...two more ahead...and last, a blonde girl, one of the oldest I've seen here, joins in behind Danielle.

What is going on?

"Single file down the hall and out the back door! Take a seat on the field when you get outside!" Travis yells over the constant noise competing with his words as he makes his way towards the back of our line.

"This is your chance," he says more quietly, "If you want to get out of this shithole, stay with us," Travis says. I turn to find him talking to Danielle, her eyes wide in excitement.

"Hell yes I'm coming!" she tells him.

"Alright, let's go, quick!" Travis says, grabbing my hand, pulling me behind him we as jog down the hall in the opposite direction that the rest of the girls are heading, straight towards the smoke. I glance behind me and reach for Alex. She clasps my hand in hers, and in those quick few seconds, I take in the expressions on each of their faces. Alex's face is one of determination, ready to get the hell out of here, Danielle is anxious but still holds that excitement in her eyes, and the blonde girl...she looks terrified, on the verge of panic.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it! If you get us out of here Brennan, I will love you for the rest of my life," Danielle says, laughing to herself.

I catch the corner of Travis's mouth turn up, but he bites his lip, stopping the smile, his expression turning serious. "Don't thank me yet," he replies.

We rush past each empty room, and the closer we get to the steel door, the smokier it becomes. I pull my hand from Alex's, covering my mouth with my arm while trying to keep up with Travis's fast pace.

Coming to a stop at the end of the hall, Travis quickly slides his badge through the reader, types in a code on the number pad, and presses his thumb onto the small scanner. A light flickers green and the door buzzes open.

"Hold your breath!" he yells just before he opens the door, smoke billowing through the open space and into the hallway. I take in a deep breath and hold it as Travis pushes through the door, tugging me close behind.

Alex grasps my arm as we plunge into the thick smoke, and I'm forced to close my eyes, trusting Travis's guidance. I squeeze his hand tighter, feeling the pressure building in my chest as the breath I've been holding begs for release. Our feet pound across the floor, echoing in the empty hallway; the slaps against the linoleum can be heard even over the still screaming sirens.

The pressure in my chest becomes too much to bear, and I let the air out of my lungs in a rush. Taking another deep breath in, I choke on the smoke filled air, my eyes watering.

We finally make it to the second steel door, past the interrogation rooms, and Travis slides his card through once, twice, and three times before the light finally flashes green, granting us access. We come out on the other side, coughing and gasping for air as Travis pushes the door closed, slamming it shut.

"You guys okay?" he asks, out of breath.

Leaning against the wall, I nod while trying to catch my breath. My throat scratches on each inhale and exhale, and I wipe at the constant moisture pooling in my burning eyes.

Alex nods and Danielle too, but the other girl's face is downcast as she wipes tears away from her face.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay," she whispers to herself.

Travis straightens. "Hey," he says to her, leaning down to look into her eyes. "You are okay, I'm gonna get you out of here."

She nods, more tears streaming down her face.

"Okay. We have to keep moving," he says and entwines my fingers within his once more.

We move slower now, taking each step with caution. My wet hair sticks to my face, and with both hands being held, one by Travis and the other by Alex, I attempt to wipe the hair away from my face with the inside of my arm.

Travis looks back at me, at our joined hands and my other hand holding onto Alex, and a genuine smile plays across his face. He starts to let my hand fall from his, but I grip his tighter, not wanting to let go.

The alarm suddenly stops, causing Travis to pause mid step, the front of my body colliding with the back of his. Our heavy breaths are all that can be heard as an eerie silence fills the space. The row of holding cells on my left, the desks to my right, and the entire room before us lie empty, completely void of anyone.

Travis tugs at my hand and I follow step behind him. It feels strange to be back here, minus the regular commotion of Hunters bustling in and out, workers chitchatting with each other, and orderlies pushing carts up and down these halls.

We round a corner, and I can feel my heart beating in my throat as we move down this new corridor. Windows line the left side of the wall. Outside of them, I see the darkening night sky and the moon, shedding light across a never ending field of brush.

We're almost to the end of the hallway when we hear them. Faint footsteps echo down the way, stopping Travis dead in his tracks. I steady myself with a hand on his back just as he says, "Maddie, start panicking. Now!"

"Wha—"

He swoops me up in his arms, racing around the next corner, and we come face to face with a small group of Hunters. I quickly catch on and put on the best act I can muster- heavy breathing, shaking hands, muttering words under my breath. It's not a far stretch from how I'm actually feeling.

"What's going on here?" one of them questions.

"The rear entrance is backed up. This one started panicking," Travis nods down at me, "I'm taking her and these Breeders to the front exit. Owens could really use your help back there getting the rest of them out safely,"

"We're heading down to put the fire out," another one of them says, fire extinguisher in hand. He continues down the hall and all but one Hunter follow behind him, extinguishers at their sides. The single Hunter stands there, eyeing us suspiciously.

"Hurry the fuck up! There are still girls locked in their rooms!" Travis yells at him as he continues to block our way.

It feels like time stretches out for an eternity before he finally mutters something in agreeance and takes off down the hall with the other guys. I let out a sigh of relief, and I'm almost sure I feel Travis do the same against me.

"Well done Hunter, now let's go," Alex says.

"Well done indeed Brennan," Danielle adds.

Setting me back down on my feet, he scans the area, pausing at the door behind me. He reaches around and grips the handle, but it's locked. Shifting his stance, he rams his shoulder into the metal door over and over again until it finally busts open. He peeks in, but comes back muttering a, "Shit," under his breath.

"What? What's the matter?" I ask in a rush.

"The stairwell is filled with people still trying to get out of the building. We'll have to find another way."

"Okay," I say, nodding. "We'll find another way."

"Wait," the blonde girl with us says.

Travis turns to face her. "What is it?" he questions.

"I change my mind. I don't want to go. Let me stay. Please, just let me stay," she pleads.

"I have to get you out of here Becca," he replies.

Becca. So that's her name. I briefly wonder what she's doing here and how Travis knows her. I glance between the girls, wondering why they're running with us. Why them specifically? And not any others?

"No. I need to stay. I don't want to get in trouble," she responds nervously as her eyes dart around the room. With her back against the wall, she starts slowly sliding down to the floor.

"Shit," Danielle comments under her breath.

"We don't have time for this!" Alex says, irritated. "We have to get the hell out of here. Now," she adds, shifting from foot to foot.

Travis closes his eyes in frustration, releasing a deep breath. "Relax," he says to Alex and Danielle calmly. He walks over to the girl...to Becca and kneels down, looking her in the eyes. "I need you to take a deep breath and try to calm down."

She inhales deeply but still looks panicked. "Just leave me here. Please, just—"

"Becca," he interrupts, "Your dad sent me. Brad. He's your dad, right?"

She nods her head, tears welling in her eyes. "He sent you?" she whispers.

"Yes, and he's eager to see you. But we can't waste any more time. We need to move," he says, reaching out for her hands to pull her up.

"Okay, okay." She nods, coming to her feet.

"Alright, come on guys," he finally says and grabs my hand once more. We continue through the building and each hallway we race down, each doorway we pass through, and every corner we turn all begins to look the same. I have no idea where we are now.

I look down at my hand joined with Travis's, the floor rushing by beneath them, and I can't help but wonder how deep he's gotten himself in to be here. Who is Brad? And why is he getting Becca out for him?

"We'll have to take hospital elevator up to the third floor and take the stairs down into the lobby on the ground floor. It's the only way out of here that won't be occupied," Travis interrupts my thoughts as we near two elevator doors.

He pushes the up arrow button, illuminating it in white. I take the small reprieve to try and catch my breath. No one says a word, each of us lost in our own thoughts, in our own worries, as we wait.

The buzzer dings and the doors slide open, a small sliver of my anxiety slipping away as an empty elevator is revealed. Danielle and Alex head in first, Becca following behind, then Travis as he pulls me in behind him.

Something yanks at my hair tugging me backwards.

"And just where the fuck do you think you're all going?" the voice that I've grown to hate growls in my ear, a cold metal blade pressing in at my neck.

***Author's Note***

Ahhh! Who's got the knife to Maddie's neck? What do you think happens next?

Please don't forget to vote if you liked it! <3 And as always, we'd love to hear your comments and feedback.

Stay tuned for Part Two coming Saturday!