Top pic credit: unknown

I slowly opened the door to the kitchen, quietly stepping back out into the empty hallway.

I had my bombs, my wooden spoon, and my pan. Quite the combination of weapons, I must say.

Looking around cautiously, I waited for Keigo's feather to guide me in the direction I should go, feeling him nudge me forward a few seconds later.

I didn't make any more smart ass comments to him. I wasn't in the mood. I was focused. I was determined.

I will get out of here alive.

Slowly continuing to push forward, I gripped my homemade concoctions of explosives....waiting for the moment I had to use them.

I only had enough resources and time to make two bombs. This means, I need to use them wisely.

Nudge.

Already feeling my senses heightened and alerted, I immediately ceased my steps at the feeling of Keigo's feather nudging me to a stop.

I pressed myself up against the wall, very carefully peeking my head around the corner....

There was a door, with two unrecognizable villains guarding the entrance.

Keigo's feather quickly swirled around one of my explosive devices, clearly urging me to use it.

Giving a nod that he couldn't even see, I stealthily made my way backwards down the hallway...setting one of my two bombs down very quietly.

Pulling out the matches, I couldn't help but fiddle with them in my hands unsurely-

Nudge.

"Okay, okay..." I breathed out to Keigo's feather, quietly pulling out a match.

I gave myself no more time to overthink things, as I quickly lit the match...carefully touching it to the twine, which would act as the detonator.

My heart leapt up my throat in panic, as the flame slowly started traveling towards the center of the mason jar. It was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. Which is terrifying.

"Shit. Shit. I can't believe I did that." I hissed at myself, as I quickly ran ahead in the hallway, getting as close to the exit as possible.

Ducking into one of the dark coves of the hallway, I anxiously waited for the boom that would set this whole thing in motion.

Once that bomb goes off, everyone will be looking for me. At that point, it's just a race to see who gets to the finish line first...me, or the villains.

My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I didn't care that Keigo could hear every beat.

Watching from the shadows, noticing the flame was now inches away from the center, I quickly covered my ears.

Here goes nothing.

BOOM!!!!

The ear piercing sound of the bomb went off in loud crackles, with glass, smoke, and fire shooting up from it.

Immediately, loud, blaring alarms started going off as the room filled with smoke.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" One of the villains screamed, as two pairs of feet ran right past me.

Even though Keigo's feather nudged me to get moving, I didn't need the help as I was already sprinting down the hallway.

The smoke was too thick for the villains to see me, and they were too occupied with the bomb anyways.

The exit was now free of villains as I threw open the door, starting to sprint down another hallway. Empty. Thank goodness.

"Where do I go now?" I asked Keigo's feather breathlessly, trying my best to stay calm.

There's no doubt Dabi and the others heard that explosion. They'd probably come looking for me within the next few minutes. I needed to really hurry. My window of opportunity was incredibly small.

Feeling myself being nudged to the right, I quickly turned the corner, breathing out a sigh of relief at the fact that it was empty.

Keigo, I have no idea where you are right now, or what you're doing....but you're actually doing a really good job of keeping me out of trouble. Well done.

A few moments later, Keigo nudged me towards another door. Luckily, there were no villains guarding it at the moment, but there was a half eaten sandwich and a cellphone lying a few feet away...meaning...someone was probably here just a second ago.

This means, that whoever was here most likely left this post to run towards the source of my explosion. Which further affirms that Keigo's plan was working so far.

Throwing open the door, I continued running, feeling my adrenaline through the roof. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a heart attack with how worked up I am right now.

I began panicking slightly as a different alarm sounded now, this one blaring louder and more intense than the fire alarm.

In the next moment, blinding lights quickly turned on in the vicinity, taking away the advantageous dark shadows of the place.

Damn it! Now, there was nowhere for me to hide.

Oh no. They know-

An intercom quickly came on, interrupting my thoughts.

"Attention, everyone..." Dabi's voice echoed on the intercom, causing me to sprint impossibly faster than before.

Ah, I've done it now. Just with those two words he uttered, I could already tell that crusty man was feral with anger for me.

"Ari Parker has escaped from her cell, but I have full confidence she is somewhere in this building. So, I'll tell you what. We'll make it a game. Whoever finds Ari first, gets to kill her. Have fun now. Don't go far, Ari. I've already sent some friends of yours ahead to meet up with you. I'm coming for you, too." Dabi chuckled lowly, before the intercom cut off.

"Damn it all." I groaned out, hearing some quick footsteps immediately echo from the floors above me.

That's the sound of villains. Blood thirsty villains, who are now trying to find me.

Dabi basically just sent a mob after me.

It's okay. I haven't been found out yet. I just need to-

NUDGE!

In the next instant, Keigo's feather abruptly yanked me to the ground. But, not before I felt stinging stab radiate from my shoulder.

"Ow!" I hissed out, grabbing my shoulder in pain. Keigo's feather disappeared inside my shirt to hide its appearance from the culprit.

I looked at my shoulder, seeing a knife sticking out of it-a kitchen knife.

I knew it! I knew she took those knives!

I didn't even have time to pull it out, as I quickly turned my attention to Toga, who was right in front of me.

She was giggling like crazy, slowly walking towards me.

Great! Cool!

"There's nowhere to run, Ari Parker. It's too bad I have to kill you, though. We could have been friends. But, Dabi said if I don't mangle you too bad, you can still become a Nomu. He also said, once you're a Nomu, you get to become my pet!" Toga grinned, twirling another kitchen knife between her fingers, before lunging right at me.

My eyes widened in panic, as I tried to gather my surroundings and my thoughts. My mind is still a little hazy from everything I've endured in the last four days.

Uhhhhh.......Weapons. Weapons. Weapons-AH! That's right!

Quickly yanking the wooden spoon and pan from my waistband, I crossed my weapons into an x, creating a makeshift shield to block Toga's knife stab.

Heh, I knew these kitchen tools would come in handy for something.

Feeling my commission training kick in, I began engaging in hand to hand combat with Toga, not wanting to make the mistake of using my quirk again unless I absolutely had to. That's what got me here in the first place.

I quickly swung the pan at her face, watching her dodge to the side, before the wooden spoon in my other hand smacked her in the knee harshly.

She groaned, losing her footing for just a moment, which gave me the time to kick her backwards into the wall.

Without warning, Toga quickly swung her fist at my face managing to get a hit and slam me back into the wall. The hallway was very narrow. Major disadvantage for both of us.

I grunted, as the air was harshly knocked out of me, holding onto Toga's hands that were now gripping my throat.

Keigo's feather remained perfectly stagnant in my shirt through all of this, and for that, I was grateful. Yes, he was one hundred percent aware of what was happening right now. He could hear all of the sense vibrations Toga and I were making. But, he also knew that one wrong shift or distraction from him could mess up my footing or my focus. Besides, I couldn't leave this entire thing up to him. I needed to engage, too.

Ignoring the bleeding pain in my shoulder from Toga's knife, I kicked off the wall, giving myself some momentum and slamming Toga backwards.

Leaving myself wide open, Toga easily kneed me in the stomach, laughing as she kicked me in my bleeding shoulder.

I groaned, sloppily shuffling backwards and almost losing my footing.

Damn. I'm weaker than I thought. I wiped the floor with her, back at the school. Now, I'm barely holding on in this fight-

My thoughts were interrupted as I watched Toga suddenly lose her footing and trip over nothing.

"Owww." She whined out in a pout, trying to scramble to her feet.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, wondering how the hell she managed to fall so clumsily.

That is, until I saw a flash of red quickly whoosh back inside the hiding of my shirt.

Keigo. He knocked Toga over to give me an opening.

He did it so fast, she didn't even see him.

That was a desperate move from him, which means he clearly knows I'm getting my ass kicked.

Come on, self. I'm not that weak. I don't need him to do all of the work for me. Get it together. I'm a hero. I've trained for this.

Not giving myself a moment to rest, I swung the skillet pan full force at Toga, watching her eyes widen as she barely dove out of the way.

Keeping up the offense, I kicked her harshly in her side, sending her flying into the wall.

Ripping a knife from her thigh strap, she swung it at me almost getting me in the face.

I was barely able to dodge, hitting her wrist with the wooden spoon and knocking the knife out of her hand.

Ducking under her high kick, I outstretched my spoon clad hand, knocking her feet out from under her.

Turning on my heel, I whipped a very satisfying pan smack across her temple...the big boinging sound of the action making me laugh slightly in amusement.

Toga cringed harshly, wordlessly grabbing her head in pain, before her eyes rolled back in her head.

To my relief, she slumped to the floor unconsciously.

Thank god, cause I was definitely losing that fight.

"Phew, okay. One down, about a thousand more to go." I panted out tiredly, already feeling gassed from that fight with Toga.

The blaring sounds of the alarms forced me to press forward, as I ignored the heavy pains in my body.

Don't pass out. Definitely not a good time for that.

Keigo's feather quickly slipped out from inside my shirt, obnoxiously tapping me on the cheek.

I knew what he was trying to say.

"Relax, birdie. I'm not...going to pass out...yet." I panted through heavy, exhausted breaths, as Keigo's feather nudged me forward.

I still have one bomb left, and I need to save it for something good.

Although, besides this little incident with Toga, this escape plan has actually been going pretty smoothly. Keigo's done an amazing job keeping me away from the villains. He really knew this place like the back of his hand. It's almost as if he memorized everything about it...who guards what doors. Time slots. Certain hallways. It's like everything about his actions was down to a T-

NUDGE!

I skidded on my heels, coming to a halt as Keigo's feather nudged me to stop.

Turning in the opposite direction, I began trying to move forward again-

NUDGE!

I furrowed my brows in confusion, halting my run, becoming panicked that I wasn't understanding.

"K-Keigo, there's only right and left! You've stopped me from going both directions!" I exclaimed in panic, trying to run to the right again.

Keigo stopped me once again, his feather not performing any other actions.

Gritting my teeth in anxiety, I began wildly looking around the narrow hallway in desperation.

Keigo's feather remained stagnant, only moving to stop me from trying to run away in a panic.

"What am I supposed to do?!" I hissed out to him, watching his feather remaining unmoving.

His feather wasn't moving, but he was still telekinetically connected to it.

He's only using it right now to stop me from moving.

Which can only mean one thing...

In the next instant, I heard stampedes of heavy footsteps closing in on my right side-

.....and my left side.

In other words...

I'm trapped.

And Keigo realizes it.

And he doesn't know what to do.

And neither do I.

I can't really use my bomb in this space without killing myself.

"Fuck. They are going to tear me apart." I sighed out tiredly, not in the mood to get dismembered by some crazy maniacs.

Keigo's feather remained stagnant, either trying to come up with a plan, or deciding to abandon me because it's hopeless.

I really wish I knew what he was doing at this moment.

I pursed my lips in thought, trying to think up a plan of my own....

"Keigo, which way is the exit supposed to be?" I asked him calmly, hearing the stampedes of footsteps closing in on me.

His feather quickly gestured to the right side in answer, before floating up towards the air vent.

He wanted me to hide in the air vent.

No, there's no time.

Even if I did get up there in time to hide, they'd find me eventually.

No. This is my only chance. My only opportunity at freedom and saving my life.

So, I'm making the choice.

I'm going to make a run for it. I'm either going to lose the race and run directly into the villains, or I'm going to survive.

But, I'm going to do it.

And there's no more time to think of it, because I'm already out of time.

Not even waiting for Keigo's feather, I wordlessly began sprinting down the right direction of the hallway, no doubt giving him a heart attack from wherever the hell he was.

I headed for the door, not knowing what to expect when I opened it.

A few seconds later, I suddenly felt my run getting a quick boost, realizing Keigo was pushing me forward with his feather.

He quickly figured out my plan and adapted, supporting me through it without a second thought.

With the help of his feather, I reached the door in half the time, thinking my heart would stop before I had the chance to open it.

"Here we go." I called out in tense anticipation, throwing the door open.

My eyes widened in overwhelming panic as the sound of blaring alarms was no longer muffled by the hallways of the building.

Flashing lights were going off, and a hoard of villains was charging at me in every direction.

I was in the thick of it all, in what I assumed to be the main part of the building.

Ignoring the crazy amount of chaos going on around me, I quickly assessed the area I was in.

Apparently, I was on the ninth or tenth floor of the building, as I looked over the railing of the balcony directly next to me.

Villains from the upper and lower balconies were charging at me, seriously wanting to take my head off.

I spotted the exit door in the very far corner of the first floor.

I just needed to get there. And I'd be free.

I had no idea where Dabi was.

But, there was no time to think about that. I needed to make a decision now.

And there was only one.

I quickly threw myself over the railing of the tenth floor, praying to everything I believe in, that Keigo would catch me before I hit the ground.

Please pick up on what I just did, number two hero. Please catch me. Please save me, hero!

I grit my teeth as Keigo's feather remained stagnant, twitching slightly as it tried to gather my actions from the sound vibrations.

He was still trying to decipher what I did.

I was about to call out to him in panic, when I felt his abrupt pulls on the fabrics of my shirt, catching me just before I hit the ground.

Due to his late response, I still hit the ground harshly. But, not as harshly as I would have, had he not registered my actions at all.

I did it. I was on the first floor.

I crawled to my feet, seeing the villains closing in on me again.

Grabbing my last bomb, I quickly lit the match, before sprinting full force towards the exit. I needed the smoke from that bomb to disguise me-

BOOM!!!

I almost lost my footing at the force of my bomb, coughing as heavy smoke began filling the air.

Villains were screaming in anger, tripping over themselves to try and find me.

C'mon!! Almost at the exit!!!

I felt tears pricking my eyes as the exit door was only a few feet away-

TACKLE!!

I let out a panicked scream as I felt arms tackle me to the ground, overpowering me easily. I tried using my quirk, realizing I was too weak to hold it for my usual time.

There was too much smoke to see much now, but somehow someone still managed to grab me.

"It's over, little girl. You're coming with me." The big, muscular villain said, clearly too strong for me to handle-

My eyes widened in shock as the villain was suddenly whipped off me in a second, pinned to the ground.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE!?" The villain yelled, seemingly being held down by nothing-

Wait....

Not nothing.

A feather.

A red feather is on his shoulder-

NUDGE!

Keigo quickly floated me to my feet, urging me to press forward.

Using the smoke screen I created from the bomb, I continued sprinting, before someone grabbed a hold of my ankle.

I quickly fell again, clawing at the ground as I was being dragged backwards-

Shoot.

The familiar sound of Keigo's feather whipped through the air again, as my leg was suddenly freed from the villain's iron grip.

Where is he? Can he see me right now? Is he around here?

Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.

I continued running to the exit in silent awe, as I heard feathers shooting everywhere. I couldn't see where they were being shot, I couldn't see the villains that were coming at me, due to the smoke.

But, apparently, Keigo could. From where ever he was. He could see the villains, and he could see me.

And he simply continued paving the way for me, using his own feathers to stop anyone from touching me.

It's like he was my guardian angel or something.

My eyes widened as I was able to witness the final seconds of my escape, watching five beautiful feathers pin down multiple villains to the ground, allowing me to finally throw open the door of the exit.

Oh my god.

The fresh breeze hit me like a bat to the face. So unexpected, it made me gasp for air.

The sun was blinding, but yet, I continued sprinting onto the street pavement, not daring to slow down.

I was so amped up on fear and adrenaline, I don't know when I would slow down. I physically couldn't stop myself from sprinting away.

And that's alright, because I needed to get as far away from here as possible.

My vision is going blurry. My body is going numb. Run. Just run.

I'll lose consciousness soon. Run. Just run.

No one was following me. No one was coming to attack me.

And I can only believe it's because Keigo is in the middle of that chaotic, loud, smokey mess right now...using himself as bait to hold everyone back.

Suddenly remembering the feather from my shoulder, I quickly looked down at it-

Realizing, it was no longer there.

I patted my clothes, just to make sure the feather was really gone.....and it was.

S-Stay awake. Don't pass out yet.

Just like that.

In the blink of an eye, it's like he was never here. Like an angel who vanished without a trace.