I've fallen asleep thirty four times since Zac was dragged kicking and screaming away from me. Those are the ones I've realised anyway.

There are probably plenty more moments where I've passed out that I just haven't noted, or known of, but I've counted to thirty four and have no idea whether that means it's been thirty four days, or that I'm just sleeping continuously throughout the day.

Either way, it feels like an eternity.

Every minute spent awake, I'm worrying over Zac's wellbeing, terrified that I'll never see him again. Is he close? Is he well? Has he been fed? Harmed? Beaten?

Whenever the Enforcers enter my cell, I try my luck, launching myself towards them, ready to take them out. If only I had the strength to even make them flinch.

Instead, I've ended up flat on my back every single time, utterly breathless and bruised. Meanwhile, there's not a single scratch or bruise on the fucking enemy. They leave me coughing and spluttering until my vision goes hazy, fading away to black once again.

I resign my conscious hours to lying on the ground, staring up at the tiny, dank, cracked window at the top of the wall in the far corner, praying that one day we'll all be able to see the outside world once more. The trees. The rain. The sun. I never thought the day would come where I would miss staying outside with the Slayers.

Sometimes I recognise when the days fade into night but I don't dare move around my cell. I'm trying to reserve the little energy that I do have. So, my arms stay down by my sides and every so often I graze my fingertips along the gravel beneath me, reminding myself that this is reality. 

I am here. I am trapped. I'm locked away.

My eyes are shut when I feel something tickle my arm. I frown, but try to ignore the rat, wriggling my fingers to startle it. 

The tickling continues. In fact, it gets more insistent. Gritting my teeth, I force my eyes open and peer down to find the culprit.

It's not a rat.

It's a hand.

The flash of long brunette hair above me has my heart rate spiking and I shoot up, fighting against the pain in my skull to wrench my hand away from the girl. Gia. Panic claims every inch of my body and I dart my eyes around the cell, past the open door, searching for the Enforcers that flank her.

There aren't any.

What?

"Em! Em, calm down! It's me!" The girl hisses as she lifts her head. Wide, warm brown eyes meet mine. My panicked breathing slows. It's Poppy. She averts her gaze down to the rest of my body. "I just wanted to help." She points down to my wrist.

I follow her finger to a half wrapped bandage that's falling off my bloodied arm at the elbow. I blink at it before looking back up at Poppy.

"Oh," I breathe out.

"Can I?" Poppy asks quietly and I slowly nod before lifting my wrist towards her. She grabs on, effortlessly and skilfully continuing her work. I watch her silently. I want to trust her, but... there's something clawing at my chest. I can't be sure that it isn't another of Gia's games. At this point, nothing would surprise me.

And who am I to know whether she's brainwashed Poppy into believing that her way is the right way? After all, she promised Zac that she'd make Poppy believe her. I don't know how long we've been down here...

"Have you seen Zac?" I don't trust her, but I don't care. I need to know.

 Poppy shakes her head as she winds a clean bandage around my arm. It stings slightly and I hiss. She's put something on the bandage.

"My plan is to see him straight after you," she tells me quietly. "Hopefully I can help him as well."

"He's alive though?" My voice is hoarse.

Poppy visibly swallows before nodding. "As far as I know he is," she replies. "And if he isn't, I'll have two dead siblings by the end of the day," she promises. I purse my lips as she finishes bandaging them. "There's some ointment on there, so hopefully it won't get infected. You'll have to try and keep them hidden or take them off when they come back down tomorrow," she adds.

I nod. "Thank you," I tell her.

Poppy leans forward, pulling me in for a hug. "I'm going to get you out of here, Em," she promises. It's said with such conviction that I raise an eyebrow. Does she truly mean it? She hasn't been corrupted by Gia? Even though she's her sister? Her family...

"You will?"

"Of course," she mutters. Tipping back on her haunches, she grabs onto a large bag beside her and tears it open. "Here. It's not much but..." She pulls out a bread roll, some cold chicken, and an apple. I smile, reaching out and taking it from her before biting into the delicious bread without a second thought.

The gorgeous taste fills my mouth and I nearly moan out loud. Poppy grins, giving me a mini salute before ducking out of the cell and shutting the door behind her. I barely take notice as she says goodbye, disappearing down the corridor.

I savour every ounce of the bread, not wasting a single crumb. The measly portion of rice that's given to me at the end of each day is nothing in comparison. But today, when they bring me my rice, it'll be my second meal.

I grin.

As soon as I'm done, I slouch back against the edge of the wall. My chest fills with a warmth that I haven't felt in days. Poppy's loyal. Zac's baby sister is still with us. My eyes flicker close and I drift back into another uneasy sleep.

*~*~*

Now that Poppy visits me every day, I feel far more confident about counting the days.

On the first day she brings me cold potatoes, beef, and green beans.

The second day, bread, chicken and corn.

Third, pasta, tomatoes and some more chicken.

By the fourth day, I'm feeling far stronger in myself, and start incorporating some exercise into my days. I manage twenty push ups, ten squats, and two pull ups against the cell doors.

The Enforcers return on the fifth day, stringing me back up in the chains and questioning me over what our plans are and where the rest of our Resistance is. I don't cave. In fact, I manage to sling a few punches their way. They leave me hanging up there until night falls.

Poppy is laden with medicinal supplies when she enters the next day. Tears slip down her cheeks as I nibble on some crackers and she re-bandages my wrists.

From then on, her food supplies get bigger. I warn her not to risk everything for us down here, but she insists.

"I can't live up there forever, Em. I need to get you strong enough to get out of here," she tells me.

By the two week mark of Poppy's visits, I'm able to hold a plank for three minutes and force my body through fifty push ups.

I stretch my arms above my head and step towards the edge of my cell and reach my hand into the dark crevice in the wall of my cell. I pull out the apple that Poppy brought me yesterday and bite into it, enjoying every second of it before chucking the core back into the hole. I'll give it to Poppy when she comes down here.

Stretching my arms up once more, I ignore the healing cuts on my wrists and step forward, curling my fingers around the metal bar above my head, near the entrance of my cell. Taking a deep breath, I yank myself up, breathing in and out as I lower, then rise, over and over again.

I complete my fifteenth pull up before collapsing onto the floor and cursing. Zac would laugh teasingly at me if he was here. He's forever egging me on and urging me to improve. After all, as he always likes to point out, he can do way more than me...

Arrogant twat.

A sudden screech from my cell bars has me whirling around, eyes wide. I relax at the sight of Poppy and she smiles, holding out a small piece of bread. I quickly take it, biting into the food and scoffing it down.

Before I can swallow the final bite, she holds something bulky and dark towards me. Only then do I notice the rucksack on her bag, and another in her other hand. I gulp the food down, the lump barely moving, instead clogging up my airway and causing me to choke.

Coughing and spluttering, I reach for the metal, curling my hand around the gun before Poppy lets go and steps back.

"Are you ready?" she asks. I suck in a breath at the reality of the moment. I've been waiting for this, ready and as prepared as I can be, but still unsure when the hell Poppy would be able to do anything. And here she is...

"Now?" I clarify.

Poppy grins. "It's better to be sooner rather than later," she replies. "Who knows how long I could get away with all of this." She gestures behind her. "It was only a matter of time, but Gia shouldn't have ever continued to trust me." She smirks. "She really is as stupid as Zac said."

"Zac said that?" I exclaim.

She nods, smiling. "What did you think?" Poppy retorts, pulling her own gun out of her jeans. "That he was living the life of luxury here and falling into Gia's clutches?"

I shake my head before ducking it slightly in shame. "I had no idea," I admit. "I was worried though."

Poppy nods, before stepping one foot back and peering up and down the corridor. "Doesn't matter. It's over now," she says before sparing a glance at me. "We just have to make it out of here alive." As soon as she finishes talking, she lifts her hand and presses down on the trigger, aiming down the corridor. I hear an Enforcer grunt before there's a crash. She hit her mark.

"That's all," I echo before looking back up at the tiny window. That's all we have to do. Make it past the Enforcers and back into the dangerous forest. That's all.

I've faced worse odds.

Slowly, I begin to nod, as determined as ever for us to make it through the enemy. And even if we don't, the chance to see Zac again is enough for me to risk it all. I'd die happy knowing that I'd helped him escape.

"Let's fucking do it," I exclaim before stepping forward, out of my cell for the first time in weeks. Beside her, I raise my own gun towards the brown uniformed guard running our way. I narrow my eyes to slits before pressing down and shooting him.

Slowly, we begin to inch backwards, deeper into the depths of the prison, towards where I know Zac is being kept. There aren't any more Enforcers. For now, at least...

Poppy soon stops in front of a cell, swiftly grabbing hold of the door and shoving a key into it. I grip onto the bars as my heart pounds, my eyes wide as I squint to see inside the dark room, silently praying that Zac is less beaten than me. Only yesterday, an Enforcer sent their fist ploughing into the side of my cheek when they delivered my rice.

Instead, two people step out of the darkness and I stumble back, eyes widening at the sight. "Heidi? Jordan?" I exclaim just as Poppy hauls the gate open.

"What did you think?" Jordan replies, slipping out of the room and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "That we'd just let your disappearance go?"

"I..." I trail off, tightening my grip on him before yanking Heidi in for a hug too. Neither one of them look like any Enforcers have laid a hand on them. Thank God.

"I didn't want you to worry more than you needed to," Poppy says, shooting me an apologetic look. "But for now... can we leave all of this reunion shit until we escape?" she adds.

I quickly let go of my two friends before nodding at Zac's slightly amused sister. She hands over a gun to each of them before turning and heading further down the corridor. I hurry to keep up with her, quickly lifting my gun to shoot at an Enforcer who rounds the corner in front of us.

My heart is pounding harder against my ribs the deeper we go into the prison. I still don't understand why they didn't just put Zac in a cell closer to us... but then again, I guess they don't want us conspiring against them. Talking to one another. Reassuring one another that we're alive.

The joke's on Gia though. The key conspirator has been living beside her ever since she decided to lock all of us up.

I inhale a deep, shuddery breath as images of a bloodied and bruised Zac fill my mind. My hand curls tighter around the gun, the pure desire for vengeance taking over. If she's touched him...

Poppy stops with a start and I nearly stumble into the back of her. She reaches for the door on an identical looking cell beside us before wrenching it open. My armed hand drops, the gun hanging down uselessly as I peer into the dark cell with bated breath. My heart pounds. My legs shake.

Zac is suddenly in the entrance way, a menacing look on his face as he glances up and down the corridor. Instant relief fills me at the sight of just only one bruise above his eyebrow. Everywhere else is clean and I'm suddenly absurdly thankful that our enemy is his sister.

Maybe she does have a heart somewhere deep inside that demon body.

She didn't hurt him.

"Emi," Zac breathes out, reaching forward and hauling me into his arms. I inhale his musky, slightly sweaty scent and smile, curling my fingers around his shirt. "Are you okay?" he asks and I mutely nod against his chest.

This is where I've needed to be every single day. The place I've craved. Desired. Dreamt of. It's the only place I ever feel truly safe.

And even though we could both be killed at any moment, it's all the better that we're together instead of wrenched apart when it happens.

"Don't lie to me," Zac retorts, moving his hands to my shoulders to push me away slightly. He holds me in front of him and his eyes trail over my slightly swollen, puffy face, clearly scanning over all the damage that's been inflicted. I shake my head, leaning up and greedily pressing my lips to his.

I can taste the blood that still stains my own, but fight through it, instead swiping my tongue over his lips and deepening the kiss. He doesn't resist, clearly needing to feel our love for each other as much as I. It's still there. We're still there, affecting one another.

His hands are cupping my face, keeping me close as his lips move, stirring against mine and resurrecting every nerve inside my body, awakening the fire inside me. In all senses of the word. 

"Really... once again, can you just wait until we escape?" Poppy interrupts. Breathless, we pull apart. Zac rests his forehead against mine, a small, content smile on his face. My insides turn to mush at the sight and I thank the high fucking heavens that he's still here with me.

"Okay," Zac reluctantly pulls back, "Let's get out of here." He cocks the gun that Poppy provides him with before gesturing for me to do the same. I look down, my gun still hanging from my hand, completely forgotten since I set eyes on my husband. 

Quickly, I raise it in front of me and nod to everyone. I'm ready. We can do this.

Escape. It should be easy.

"This is going to be a battle," Jordan comments, pursing his lips and grimacing. Poppy sucks in a breath and turns, heading back the way we came, up through the winding prison corridors and beyond. We all follow, Heidi and Jordan keeping a look out behind us whilst Zac and I scan the sides, checking every side avenue that we come across.

A sudden rush of Enforcers suddenly appear in front of us and I quickly shove Zac out of the way. He slams into the wall beside him as I take his place, shooting towards them as Poppy ducks to her haunches, firing her own weapon and splitting the Enforcers attention.

We easily take out every single one of them and Zac curses loudly before pushing away from the wall and grabbing onto my arm with fire in his eyes. I shrug at him. I just want to keep him as far away from danger as I can.

His jaw is tensed as we move forward. At a set of stairs, Poppy hesitantly peers up them, her finger on the trigger of the gun before she gestures for us to follow. It's clear.

We make it to the top and Poppy gestures for us to follow her towards the glass French doors that sit only a metre away from the steps. As soon as she wrenches them open, I breathe in, letting the strong, cold, fresh air inside my lungs and grinning.

As we step outside, every single one of us have our weapons high, loaded, cocked and fucking ready. Our eyes are wide, on high alert as we flicker our eyes around every corner, every window. It's deathly silent.

I step forwards and a twig snaps beneath my feet. Nothing moves. The entire compound is silent.

I inhale sharply before whirling back to face the others. Zac's hands are clenched into fists, Heidi's eyes are wide, Poppy's wary. This is wrong. 

"Something's not right," Jordan mutters. Zac nods, clutching his gun tighter before stepping towards me.

"Agreed," he murmurs. Slowly, he makes his way around me, peering around the edge of the mansion to the grounds beyond. He doesn't make a sound, doesn't look back at us, doesn't fire. There's nothing over there.

I slowly walk the other way, into the square courtyard, with Heidi and Jordan on my tail. My eyes move over every single window, tracing every inch of the huge building, looking for anything that's out of place. Nothing. Everything is still.

Where is Gia? Is she inside? Is she watching us? Waiting to pounce? Does she know that we've escaped? Did she let Poppy free us? Knew what was happening the entire time?

My heart pounds against my ribcage.

Where the fuck are all the Enforcers?

A sudden barrel of war cries sounds out and I spin on my heel to see hoards of Slayers running straight through the elegant, stone archway and into the courtyard towards us.