I slid through the cold air vent, my small body easily fitting in the oversized compartment. The small vent was wide, but the near inability to move my arms made my claustrophobic.

'How close are you?' Clover's voice whispered in my ear.

Touching the little button on the small bud, I answered. "Not sure. I'll just check the meter markers on the side of the vent."

'You know what, I was just trying to make conversation.'

"Glad to know you're friendly and all, but this isn't really the best time to-ah."

'What? What happened? Are you okay?'

"Fine and dandy. The air vent just smoothed out. I'm not on a slope anymore."

'Okay, okay. So, that means you're close, right?'

"I don't know. I'm not the one looking at the map."

'Right, good point.'

"Look, do you need to hand the mic over to someone else. Like...anyone? Seriously. I'd take Mila over you."

'No, I'm good. You have about five feet after the vent smooths out before you reach the grate.'

I started crawling on all fours. The vent was nearly high enough for me to walk, but not comfortably. I held one hand in front of me when I reached the five foot mark. I was met with a grate.

"Alright, I'm there."

'Good. Next step, let's see. Hmm... Okay, here we go. After you get past the grate, you should be in the office. Remember, we're not sure if he's there or not so be careful.'

"There aren't any candle lit so I think I'm good. I'm going in."

My hands pushed against the grates. Not surprisingly, it swung open with ease. Made sense, I mean it was used for emergencies. It didn't squeak or creak as I opened it. Using one hand to keep it steady, I grabbed the small flashlight off my utility belt. With a flick of my thumb, it flashed over the room, revealing a wooden desk covered in papers. Two green chairs sat opposite of the desk.

I dropped down from the vent, which stuck to the wall opposite of the door.

"I'm in."

'Alright, good. Now the files. Find out where Rosy Carnez is being held. He should keep information like this in in a filing cabinet.'

"Umm... Nope, no filing cabinets. He does have a desk though. I'm gonna go through that."

The was no reply, so I assumed it was okay.

I quickly moved around the desk, and faced the four locked drawers that were behind it.

"They're all locked."

'Can you pick them?'

I bent down to examine the golden locks. They were rather simple old fashioned pin tumbler locks. Similar to the locks used on houses. They looked secure, but not so much.

"Easy peasy," I replied. "Might take a little time though. There're four of them."

'Well, don't take too long. You don't have all night.'

Smiling, I pulled my lock pick set out of the utility belt. "Obviously, you don't know who you're talking about." I grabbed my tension wrench and pick, or rake as I like to call it. I fit the tension wrench into the bottom of the lock and the rake. Dragging the rake back and fourth, I repeatedly applied pressure to the tension wrench. It opened in a matter of seconds.

"First drawer, open."

My fingers skimmed over alphabetical files, I found the 'r's, but they were organized by last name. Clicking my tongue in dismay, I quietly slid it closed. On to the nest cabinet. I slid my tension wrench in the bottom, and then the rake. I gently applied pressure to the wrench while I raked the pick over the pins. The simple lock quickly gave way to my spectacular lock-picking technique.

"'A'...'B'...and 'C'. Here we are. Carnez, Rosy. Cell A359. Alright Clover, you're up."

'A359,' she mumbled. 'Got it. Head out of the office and make a right. But be careful, right outside of the warden's room are cells.'

I slinked over to the door, turned off my light, and felt for the lock. With an obnoxiously loud click, it unlocked. I grabbed onto the handle and pushed it open. From the little crack in the door, I could see candles flicking at every fifth cell.

Here we go.

I glided out the door with inhuman grace and into the dark hall, my sanctuary.

"Guide me," I whispered.

'Alright. Run back five rows, careful of guards.'

I scampered down the halls, avoiding the flames flickers. Hearing a guards footsteps, I quickly retreated, my back now pressed against a sleeping prisoners cell. I waited, counting seconds until they were gone. Once again, I turned down the hall.

"Now?"

'Turn left and then make the first right turn.'

I followed her instructions, meeting the eyes of only one prisoner who remained silent.

'Head straight for ten rows, then make a left.'

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I turned left.

'Eight cells down and then another left.' She kept talking while I followed her instructions. 'Between two cells, you should find a door. That's A section. It seems different from the rest. Be careful.'

I, again, was met with a door. Just as she'd told me.

I easily picked the pin tumbler lock and waltzed inside. A single candle was lit in the center if the room. Around it, twenty small cells lined the walls. Three pairs of eyes stared directly at me.

"Well I'll be," a male voice said. "Didn't think anyone would wanna break in here."

"Who're you?" A female voice inquired.

The third, a man, didn't say anything.

"Why hello all," I improvised. "You can call me Shadow. I'm here to pick up a little something."

"Shadow?" A familiar voice asked. I turned to meet Rosy. She was looking at me with wide eyes and a smile. "Don't tell me you came all the way here for little old me?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"As touched as I am, I'm afraid you won't be able to get me out."

"You say that like you don't know me."

"She's telling the truth," the first man's voice said. "It doesn't matter if you're the Wizard of Oz or a genie, you're not getting into a forever lock."

"What?" I cried. "How the hell do they have forever locks on cell doors."

"For people like you to not break in?" The other girl prisoner said in a sarcastic tone. She gave me a lopsided smirk.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but who's on the other side of the cell right now? Not you, that's who." I placed my finger on the ear bud's button and spoke into it. "We've got a problem. The locks here, they're forever locks."

'Can you pick them?'

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a problem if I could, now would it?"

'Right, sorry. Why don't you ask around, see who has the keys.'

I turned back to the prisoners. "Who keeps the keys around here?"

"Why should we tell you," a new male voice said from the other side of the room.

"I'll unlock all your cages."

"Good enough for me. The head guard keeps them. He's the one who comes in and out."

"What dopes he looks like?"

"Tall man, brown hair, usually wears a blue uniform. He's got this gold pin on his shirt coat thing."

"Alright then. All of you keep tight and quiet while I go kill someone and steal their keys." Breaking out of prison to start a revolution was grounds for killing someone, right? Yeah, it is.

I slid out the door and back into the halls. Running around for what felt like an hour, dodging guards and avoiding prisoners, I finally found my guy. He was rather tall, had brown hair, a blue shirt coat thing with a gold pin. He had a sword strapped to his waist. To my luck, he was completely alone, patrolling and empty hall towards the front of the building.

I silently came up behind him. My body went on auto as my legs came up and wrapped themselves around his waist. My right hand covered his mouth while my right dragged a dagger across his throat. We both fell to the ground in a silent thud.

I dragged his bleeding body off to a wall where I set him in a sitting position.

"Sorry, friend. It had to be done. I doubt I would've liked you anyways."

I grabbed a silver key ring the hung from his belt and ripped it off. There were a total of twenty keys. Perfect.

I backtracked to the A section and slid back in.

"Don't tell me you actually did it," the first man's voice said.

"Yep," I replied smiling, "slit his throat, stole his keys, and laid him against a wall. Gotta hurry."

I ran over to Rosy's call and started working on the lock. It was complicated, more so than I liked, and took a minute to open. When I did, she came strutting out, stretching her arms up, cracking her shoulders.

"Hey Little Fighter," and eerily familiar voice said, catching my attention, "think you might wanna take me with you?"

My eyes shot towards a man in a cell in the left of the room. In it, sat a man with an unfamiliar face. He had dark skin and black hair. His eyes were a dark brown color and his lips were pulled up in a smirk.

"And why would I do that?"

"Well, I figure, you owe me."

"I owe you? How do you figure?"

"Well, you're alive aren't you? That's all thanks to me, isn't it."

"Come on, Shadow," Rosy whispered into my ear. "Throw them the keys and lets get out of here."

"Shut up," I bit back at her. I looked to the man now. "Why should I?"

"Well, don't you at least want revenge on me?"

"Why do you wanna get out?"

"Don't tell me I saved your sorry ass so you could make excuses." I glared at him. "Right, sorry. I want out because I've been in here the last ten years, and I'm never comin' out. I know things the outside world shouldn't. You're my only chance."

"I said I'd give you the keys."

"Yeah, but if I go with you, I have a feeling something interesting's gonna happen."

I looked at him for a second, taking in his calm smirk.

I touched my finger to the ear bud and said, "Tell the others that I'm bringing one extra."

I went over to the man and unlocked his cell. When he stepped out, I brought my right dagger to his throat.

"Still a Little Fighter, I see," he commented, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Let me make this clear. If I see so much as a hint of betrayal in you, I'll cut off your arms inch by inch starting from your fingers with a burning knife so you won't bleed out. Then, I'll move on to your legs. If you're still alive by then, I'll drop you off at the front door to this prison with an arrow sticking out of your back, got it?"

"I like this girl," the other female prisoner said.

"Loud and clear," the man at the end of my dagger replied, smiling.

I watched him for a minute before sheathing my dagger. I tossed the keys into a sleeping prisoner's cell.

"When he wakes up, you're all free. Au revoir."

The three of us slipped out the room.

"Directions," I said, placing my finger on the bud.

'I hope you know what you're doing,' Clover said to me.

"Don't I always."

We followed her directions back into the wardens room and into the vent. With two people, we easily made it up the vent, Rosy, then the man, then me guarding their backs and making sure he didn't escape.

"I never asked your name."

"It's Chris. And I already know yours."

"Of course you do."

"Hey," Rosy said, "I see light."

"Stop when you reach the grate. I already broke it open. Right now, it's just leaning on the wall. Make sure you check for guards before you go out."

We stopped for only a moment before we were all outside the prison.

I lead the two escaped prisoners to the abandoned ally where Theo and Mercy were waiting. On the roof of the nearest building, Mila was holding onto a small steel bow.

"Who's this?" Theo asked.

"Guys, meet Chris. This is the guy who killed my parents."