We're walking in circles. Every exit is guarded by Officials but we don't see any patrolling inside. It's oddly quiet as we turn a corner and walk along a corridor we've already walked along.

"We're not going to get out of here from the ground floor. I think the only way is up. We would try the 'restricted access' staircase we went past earlier. We could find out what's up there? We've got a few cameras left too. It may be useful."

"Sounds good," I say casually. The calm tone of my voice does not match my trembling insides. I cross my arms to hide my shaking hands and secure my body which is on the brink of falling apart. We're trapped in a building surrounded by Officials and even if we got past them, there's still an incredibly high wall preventing us from going anywhere.

"What do you think they're hiding? It could be a control room which will allows us to turn off all the trackers and open the gates." Sienna bounces slightly as we turn and head back towards the stairs.

"More likely it's full of delicious food which the Officials gorge themselves on before bringing down the leftovers which they use to beat the inmates into submission with," I say flatly.

"You're dark, Cady." Sienna sniggers manically. I'm guessing she's as terrified as me. "They've probably got a harem of gorgeous individuals up there that Officials can have fun with. I would fit in perfectly." Her face drops as she runs her fingers over her head. "Or I would have before I shaved myself bald."

"I think you look even more gorgeous now. The lack of hair enhances your already incredibly beautiful face," I say before shaking my head. "This is not the time for me to massage your ego."

"I don't know, I'm quite enjoying it,"

Sienna shudders slightly as we approach the staircase. A large sign next to it with red writing glares at me which I now know reads 'restricted access'.

My breathing is rapid and my heart thumps in my chest as we ascend the stairs. Walking up and away from the exits doesn't feel like a good idea. The fact that we've managed to get here without encountering any Officials inside means these stairs do not lead to a way out. We definitely won't be finding a control room holding the possibility of escape at the top.

Sienna stops me abruptly as I'm about to take the last step. Holding her finger against her lip, she indicates for me to remain here and before I can stop her she disappears through a set of doors. I hear an unrecognisable voice shouting at her then her voice follows, trying to convince the Official she's got lost and doesn't know where anyone is.

I'm revoking my earlier thought. I'm not glad I'm here with Sienna instead of Wes and Orla. Sienna is actually the worst person I could have ended up with because she doesn't think things through. Now, I have to step in because I can't continue to hide knowing she's about to get killed for being a spontaneous optimistic idiot.

I pull my blade from my waistband, inhale deeply and push open the doors to find Sienna on her hands and knees with a gun pointed at her head. The Official glances up distracted, his gun raises towards me and Sienna lunges at it. A shot goes off. The gun skids across the floor. I grab it and unsteadily point it at the Official who is grappling with Sienna.

"Get off her," I say but my voice sounds weak and pathetic. Even I don't believe I'll do any harm so it doesn't surprise me when the Official sneers at me while shoving Sienna down onto the floor.

I shoot him in the lower leg or that's where I aim. The gun recoils in my hands and I manage to hit him directly in the kneecap. His scream fills the corridor as he clutches his leg.

"Help me move him." Sienna pants.

We both grab an arm and drag him towards another set of solid doors. They're locked and I glance at the Birth Brand scanner on the wall.

"Scan us in or I'll shoot your other leg," I hiss at the Official.

The Official raises his hand to his ear but Sienna slaps it away and retrieves a small earplug. "Open the door or I'll make sure she aims for your head this time."

"You won't get away with this," He growls through clenched teeth.

"We know," Sienna replies, kicking the foot of his wounded leg which sets off more pained howls from his mouth.

His bloodied hand leaves red imprints on the wall as he steadies himself against it and leans his collarbone towards the scanner. The doors click open, we push him into a long white corridor then dump him on the floor.

Sienna gestures at me. "Give me your top."

Frowning, I pull off my long sleeved top and hand it to her. She rips it into shreds, swiftly bounds and gags the Official and even though I'm annoyed she ruined my top, I can't help be impressed with not only her speed but also by what look like very secure knots.

Sienna flashes me a quick smile. "It's not the first time I've tied someone up. It is the first time I've done it without the person paying though."

With a forced chuckle, I turn to inspect the corridor behind me. Small trays holding folders are positioned on the wall next to doors with tiny windows. It's quiet. Too quiet. Everything feels off. My instincts are screaming that something isn't right. I glance behind us but there are no windows in the solid doors we just walked through. This corridor was not intended to be seen by outsiders.

Sienna peers through a window of one of the many doors in front of me and takes a sharp intake of air. "You need to see this now."

Looking through the small pane of glass, I try to make sense of the what I'm seeing. It's some sort of large lumpy creature suspended from a metal contraption. No, not a creature. A person is hanging upside down, their blood-red eyes protrude slightly out of their puffy swollen face.

Sienna is flicking through the folder she retrieved from the tray next to the door and makes low whistling sounds. "They're experimenting on inmates. Can you believe this? They're testing out their bizarre theories on actual humans. This one is looking at the effects on the human body when suspended upside down for extended periods of time."

I walk to the end of the corridor which is a dead end. No more routes or alternative ways out. We're stuck here until an Official stumbles across the blood trail leading straight to us. This is our final stop.

Leaning back on the cold solid wall, I stare down at the gun still in my hand. I could end it now. It would be quick. I inhale deeply trying to settle the storm taking place inside me.

"Sienna..." I falter, not sure how to phrase my thoughts but Sienna isn't listening. She's too engrossed in reading the folders.

"It's like some scientist is just testing a bunch of random theories. This one's titled 'The physiological response to prolonged water submersion in humans.'" Sienna pulls a camera from her pocket and presses a button to turn it on. We were told they would start filming automatically and Sienna being her optimistic self assumes what they said was the truth.

"I set some cameras up in the sleeping quarters because I thought it would be impactful due to how disgusting it was but this is just as crazy and horrendous." Sienna directs the camera through the glass windows of different doors. She holds various bits of paper up to the camera and if this works she'll get the heroic death she wanted. She's exposing The State for what they really are: cruel inhumane liars.

Sienna flits around trying to get as much footage as possible; occasionally reading aloud the titles of the folders. I don't listen to the names of the experiments. I avoid looking in through the windows. I don't need to see the horrific scenes to know how depraved The State is. I have enough fuel for my hatred of them and enough nightmare material stored in my memory.

"This one is all about effective methods of persuasion in gaining compliance which by the looks of it mainly consists of being beaten." Sienna shakes her head.

My gaze involuntarily flickers beyond her through the window towards the victim. His arm's are chained above his head to the wall, high enough that he can't sit but instead has to stand up straight. His face is a hue of purples, yellows and black but it's not the map of bruises of different ages that draws me in. It's the familiar face and the recognisable marks across his arms. Marks I traced with my fingers on an intimate night of firsts which happened in what feels like over a lifetime ago.

"Grey?"

Except his name doesn't come from my mouth, it comes from Sienna who steps pass me and tries to open the door.

I look at her bewildered. "How do you-"

"It's my fiancé Grey," She says, rattling the locked door handle.

My stomach lurches. No, this has to be some kind of joke. Grey doesn't move. He doesn't turn to look at Sienna as she bangs on the door while her voice increases in urgency. "We have to get him out."

I nod, searching the door for signs of entry. I swallow the knot in my throat and croak, "There's a Birth Brand scanner to get access."

Sienna is already pacing towards the Official. I don't say there's no point because none of us are going to survive. I don't suggest we find a way out of here and come back for him later. Right now, I need to see him. I need to touch him even if it's only going to be one last time.

Dragging the Official, who has started to sweat profusely, we dump him on the floor as soon as he's opened the door. Both of us rush towards Grey. Handcuffs secure his arms above him. There's no sign of the key needed to open them.

Sienna is talking to him softly and stroking his head. I turn away, gazing at the room to try and find something which will be useful. Maybe, I'll also find something to rid myself of the peculiar sensation growing inside me. My insides are a convoluted mess of emotions, many I'm not proud of such as the overwhelming jealously.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Sienna asks

I take in Grey's bruised swollen face, his dry cracked lips. He's severely dehydrated. I've seen this look before on the multiple occasions my mother would decide her fluid intake would comprise of only alcohol.

"He needs water," I say, ignoring her question because I don't want to consider the possibility he won't be ok. Staring at Grey, I take in as much of his face as I can, every detail.

A low murmur of something inaudible passes Grey's lips and I'm sure it sounded like my name. I want it to be my name. Sienna automatically leans forward and I retreat slightly unsure how to act. Who's entitled to lead this scenario; the fiancé or the girl who knew him for a week and got pregnant?

A burst of footsteps snaps me out of trance. Shoes slapping against the hard floor make us both swivel to face the group of Officials gathering at the door. Guns pointed towards us but no one shoots as they stand blocking the door.

A short man pushes to the front and straightens up with a smirk plastered across his face. Two Officials step forward behind him, towering above him. I look at them briefly and I feel a punch to the chest. My lungs deflate as I take in Teddy's hard face then a surge of anger stiffens my spine. I point the gun at him but I know I can't shoot Teddy. Even after this betrayal, I wouldn't be able to kill him so I shift my gun and aim it at the short man. Every gun behind him moves and points at me.

"Calm down," The man says firmly, raising his hand. I'm not sure if's it's meant to be an instruction for me or for the Officials behind him.

"I have to say this is very exciting. Very exciting indeed. I see you're the Unmarked one. I've been waiting for your arrival," The man addresses me. "Why don't you put the gun down?"

"You're going to kill me so I may as well take you with me," I say forcefully.

"No, my aim is to keep you very much alive." The man grins. "Anyway, the probability of your shot being fatal is relatively low so I'm willing to take the chance. You'll be disarmed and under our control before you get to fire a second shot."

Grey murmurs something behind me, distracting me and the gun slackens slightly in my hand as I turn to face him. From the corner of my vision, I see Officials charge towards me and I press the trigger. The gun fires, my bullet hits someone who's sharp cry fills the air. I don't know if it's my target because a punch to my stomach drops me to my knees.

Shouts and screams are muffled by my gasps for breath as agony ripples through me. A kick to the side causes me to cry out before I'm being dragged along the floor while I struggle, lashing out with everything I have left. A hard sharp impact to the side of my head causes my vision to flicker then I fall into nothingness.

Authors Note

Ahhhhh... I'm so excited. Grey is alive!