Bryna's P.O.V

My head throbs from exhaustion, and my leg throbs double that. I sit on the floor of some building, allowing Brian to stitch up my leg again, as my previous stitches had broken when the one asshat thought it was cool to snap a kick into my leg like he was trying to break a piece of wood karate style. With his combat boots. On my injured leg. Directly on my injury. While his lackeys tried holding me down. Assholes.

I give a wry laugh. "Brian, you've become, like, my personal nurse these past few days."

He chuckles, looking up at me. "I suppose I have."

I grin at him despite my pain. "Next thing you know, we'll be falling in love and bonding over my copious injuries."

Brian barks out a laugh. "That'll be the day Hell freezes over."

I gasp, putting  hand to my chest as if he's wounded me."Are you saying I'm not love compatible?"

He snorts. "I'm saying we're not compatible. You're not my type."

"Ouch. Who is your type, then?" I ask.

He looks up at me. "I don't want to answer that."

"Brian, you hurt me with your secrecy. And here I was thinking we were getting so close!"

He snorts with laughter and has to set his needle down, so as not to poke me while he laughs. "You're hilarious, Brie."

I grin. "I know. And you're excellent at dodging subjects."

"It's a gift." He grabs the needle and finishes up my leg. "Alright. Please don't ruin the stitching this time, because there's only so much I can do if you keep reopening the injury."

"It wasn't even my fault!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up. "The asshat thought it'd be amusing to kick me in the leg while I was unarmed."

"Yeah, I'm still pissed about that. Seriously, the one time other Escapees make themselves known, and you are the one they run into."

I splutter out a laugh. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He grins. "It means that even though you're an amazing person, leader, et cetera, you are an awful people person."

I laugh harder. "Seriously? If I didn't love you as a brother, I'd take serious offence to that."

"We both know it's true," he chuckles.

I laugh so hard that tears escape my eyes. "Shut up."

Brian winks, closing his kit and helping me up. "Sure thing."

I roll my eyes at him, shaking my head. "You're something else, Brian."

"I know. You love me, though."

"Sure." I grin at him and walk over to Lea and Aaron. "Hey, you two."

"Hello, Brie," Lea says.

I grunt, easing myself onto the floor in front of them. "How're you two holding up?"

"Fine. Do you make it a habit of trying to kill yourself, or is this just a one time thing?" Aaron asks.

I laugh. "I don't do it often, no. And hey, I saved your hide earlier. You can at least be civil."

He grunts. "Right."

"Civil isn't even in his vocabulary, Brie," Lea says with a small giggle.

I grin with her. "I can see that. He keeps  grunting like that, and one will wonder if he isn't a caveman."

"Ha ha ha," Aaron says dryly. "The 'caveman' is sitting right here, thank you."

I smile at him. "You're welcome." I look back at Lea. "So. What's your opinion on Sabrina the Witch? Is she even worth the effort?"

"Ugh, don't even with her. I can't understand how one can be so sinister and yet so thick-headed at the same time," Lea says with a roll of her eyes.

I snort. "Tell me about it." 

"I have to say, when you said she was bad, I thought you were just being petty. But God," Aaron says, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

I snort again. "I'm not petty, Aaron. That's not in my nature. Keep that in mind." I subdue a yawn, my exhaustion clouding my vision for the briefest of moments.

"You should sleep," Alex and Brian call over at the same time.

I look over at them. "You two and your intuition," I say with a laugh. 

"They're right, though," Lea says. "You should sleep. You look worn out."

"Oh, even I can't deny that I'm tired. But that doesn't mean I'll be able to sleep, exhausted or not." I shrug.

Lea frowns. "Why not?"

"Because while I'm exhausted, my body's full of adrenaline still from the excitement of today."

"In other words, she's still peeved at Justin, and her anger is making it hard to wind down," Alex calls over.

I laugh, pointing my thumb at him over my shoulder. "He hit the nail on the head."

Aaron observes me for a moment, before making a face. I don't call him out on it like I usually would, instead looking around for somewhere to relax.

"Oh!" Lea perks up, and I look over to her. "There's a place on the roof that gives us a really great view of our surroundings." She grins. "I discovered it earlier."

I smile. "Lead the way."

I grab my pack, standing and following her up a ladder to the roof.

The sun has just set, casting an orange-ish blackish hue over the world around us. I pull my sleeping bag from my pack, rolling it out and setting it down. I slip inside of it, ignoring the pain in my leg as it brushes against the fabric. I lay down, folding my arms over my chest and staring up at the sky, observing the stars as they peek out of the dusk sky. I hear Lea shuffle and sit down next to me. 

"It's beautiful," she murmurs, staring up at the sky.

I look over at her, smiling at her wide eyes as she takes in the beauty of the night. Looking back at the stars, I nod. "Yeah, it really is. These moments sometime make me wonder how our world can be so... evil."

"There are moments when I wonder how our world was any different. It seems to me that everyone corrupts in one way or another. I'm just surprised it didn't happen sooner."

I let out an airy laugh. "Yeah, from what I know of our past as a nation, we fought over the most trivial things. Did you know there was a war over skin color?"

Lea snorts, shaking her head. "That's absurd. It shouldn't matter whether or not we're white or black, or blue or green. We still have the same blood and internal organs, in the end game."

I hum in agreement, shaking my head with her. "It's disgusting. And then... this. You know, I was only six when the war started. My parents were doctors, and I remember my brother and I waiting at home every day from nine to six because they had to work on so many of the injured, and there was no one there to take care of us other than them. We were six."

I feel Lea's gaze on me. "What happened to your parents? If you don't mind my asking."

I shrug. "I don't mind. Everyone finds out one way or another. They were killed in front of me when I was nine. They saved my life, and they paid a price. Apparently, they were secretly rebelling. They'd never do that, for my brother and I's sake, but that's what they were accused of. They refused to take responsibility for it - why take responsibility for something that you didn't do? - and they paid the ultimate price. It was brutal, but they spared my brother and I. Dunno why. They're supposed to be pacifists, and yet they murdered my parents." I shake my head in disgust. "We were in the Camps for a year before my brother and I managed to escape."

"And your brother?"

"He died a few days afterwards. They shot him down. I wish I could say he didn't suffer. But he did. For hours. It was horrible."

"Oh... Brian told me what happened to the leader before you. He said you didn't even cry?"

I shrug, closing my eyes. "I've never been one to mourn. Then, I've never really had the time to. I was struggling in the Camps and trying to find escape, so mourning for my parents was kinda out of the question. I suppose after my brother died, I kind of shut down for awhile, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that."

"What about you and Aaron? What's your story?"

Lea's silent. I look over at her, observing her as she stares up at the sky. Just as I'm starting to assume that she won't speak, she sighs. 

"Aaron and I grew up basically on our own. Our parents were always gone - my mom for work, and my father because of the drunk that he is... was. He was always out at bars and whatnot. We were semi-happy. When the war started, Aaron and I were home alone. Some Sentries found us, and assumed that we were refugees. They sent us to the Camps until my mother found us and demanded our release. We were there for three years before she came and got us. After that, the three of us lived in bliss, protected. Our father was God knows where doing God knows what. We didn't care." She inhales deeply, and I can see her tears. 

"We had only been back with our mother for a few months before he tracked us down. My brother and I were told to run. Mom stayed to spare us time. We had only gotten so far before we heard the gunshot." Her voice cracks, and I feel a pang of empathy for her and Aaron. "I was about as old as you after your parents died when he took her from us. And... he chased us. Aaron took care of us both for the last three years until he tracked us down again. Then you came along and saved us both." She looks over at me and smiles softly. "Thanks for that. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for getting rid of him for us."

I watch her brush a tear from her eye silently. "It's what we do," I say with a crooked smile. "Seems like all of us have our own sob stories. But I apologize for making you two orphans. Also for not keeping him alive and slowly torturing the hell out of him for you. I hate to say that his death was instantaneous."

Lea laughs. "It's alright. At least he's gone, and we're close to freedom, yeah?"

"Yeah," I say with a nod. "We can almost taste freedom. And if it's the last thing I do, you and Aaron will be free. With or without me."

~~~

Unknown P.O.V

The girl escaped. How, I am completely unsure. One minute, she was in our grasp, the next she's gone, and I'm down three guys. 

She obviously had help. Because there is no way she actually escaped on her own that injured and exhausted. But where did she go, is the question. She couldn't have gone far, and the only place she could have gone within distance is too far even then for her to have gotten there alone. And the gunshot was loud, but the walls are too thick for it to have been heard.

I'm intrigued, though. She wasn't even afraid of us. Just... Impassive. To all of it. Sure, she was in pain, that much was obvious, but she stared us down like she wasn't outnumbered four to one. Those odds out here are very daunting. Especially when it's guys against a girl with hardly anything on her. 

Her snide remarks are what intrigue me the most, though. She just laughed when we told her to give us her gun and come along. Laughed like she had just heard the most hilarious thing in the world, and then just shook her head and called us ignorant. Ignorant. If I hadn't been trying to keep my cool, I'd have killed her for that comment alone. I suppose I'm rather glad I didn't, though. Perhaps she's our new ticket to redemption.

To be frank, we'd been following her for awhile. It wasn't until I was sure that she couldn't take anymore that we stepped in. She's a fast runner, I'll give her that. Even on an injured leg. I can only imagine what she's like when she's not injured. I intend to find out.

I smirk. "Alan!" 

The guy in question pops into the tent. "Yup?"

"Get me the prisoner. We need to have a little... talk."

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I just moved into a new house, and the toilet's crap. It leaked, and flooded the house, so I didn't have time to finish the chapter yesterday.

The chapter's unedited, as I just finished writing it a minute ago. I apologize immensely for any mistakes.

So, who is this anonymous person, do you think? What do they want? Who is the 'prisoner'? What do they have to do with anything, do you think? 

I'd ask who you think the girl is, but that's just plain obvious. 

Anyways. I'm off to kill more innocent characters.

-Musical_Author