William could smell salt and something dirty mixed with burning rubber. He felt consciousness return along with Panic.

I just killed Derrick. I promised not to hurt him and his family and now he is dead! William thought.

"Good to see you back William." Cristy said snapping the sniff box shut. The smell disappeared immediately.

What the hell happened to me??

"Go wash your face. You look like a mad man." Cristy joked.

William looked at her blankly and got to his feet suddenly.

"I can't do this! Where are the boys?" William said.

"William, what's wrong with you?" Cristy asked looking alarmed.

"Where are the boys?" William asked again.

"They are with the rest of the prisoners, locked near the maze control room." Cristy replied.

Without another word, William turned and left the room. He went straight to the parking, to find the captain.

He failed his mission.

He would rather spend the rest of his life in jail than go back and pretend to be part of that life. He was done!

William scanned the cars, looking for the one he arrived in with the captain and ran to it.

"I'm sorry sir! But I cannot do this!" He bursted out as he opened the passenger car door. Then he stopped. His breathing became shallow when he realised what was wrong.

The captain was slumped in his seat, eyes closed. His body felt cold as William tried to find his pulse.

"No no no!" William yelled looking at the captain. Then he could hear something behind him.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"We need an ambulance. There is a man unconscious in the car. I think he had a heart attack or something." said a familiar voice.

William expected it to be Cristy but it was Aaron.

Aaron did not look angry or evil. He looked like a worried young boy.

"What's your location?" Asked the 911 responder.

"2nd street, Raven street, Lanchester. Please hurry." Aaron replied before cutting the call.

"We are not in Raven street!" William said angrily. He was not sure if Aaron was there to help or taunt him.

"We are not bringing an Ambulance to the Maxwell Manor." Aaron said firmly. "Help me move him to the passenger seat, let's take him to Raven street. It's  just a block away."

William took the wheel as Aaron slipped into the back seat.

"Aaron wants me gone, this is the perfect way to get rid of me." William thought watching Aaron through the rear view mirror, half expecting him to jump forward and strangle him. "I bet he plans to finish me off once we get to Raven street."

"I don't want you dead you know." Aaron said as William slowed to a stop at the end of Raven Street.

"Oh?" William said as he got out and gently moved the captain back to the driver seat.

"Now that I know you don't really want this business, I don't see you as a threat." Aaron said calmly as he got out of the car too.

William's head snapped up. "What do you mean 'I don't really want this business'?

"Come on! Isn't it obvious?" Aaron laughed. "Your reaction to what you did in the torture chamber said everything."

Before William could respond they heard the siren of the ambulance. William turned away and flagged down the van.

"Help! I don't know how long he has been like this!" William told the Paramedic who came rushing with his kit.

"He is alive!" The paramedic said as he and another paramedic moved the captain onto a stretcher.

William stayed out of the way but watched fearfully as they carried man who was most like a father to him into the Ambulance.

"You should go to the hospital. I'll tell John what happened." Aaron said from behind.

William clenched his fists angrily. He did not say anything as he got back into the car.

"Hey! Unlock the door!" Aaron called from outside. But William started the car and drove off back to the Maxwell Manor leaving Aaron behind.

"Fine! I'll just walk back then!" Aaron called after him. He felt calm. William's reputation was already damaged by the torture room incident, but now saving his Driver's life would force John to disown William.

Aaron grinned to himself as he made his way back to the party.

******

William gripped the wheel tight as he drove to the Maze.

The captain was most likely going to die so there was no point going to the hospital immediately. His priority was to complete the task given to him.

Get Osborn arrested instead of him and rescue Dana and her family. Although he killed Derrick, he could not let the others go.

First he would get the boys out from the prison under the maze.

William remembered the way down from the last time he was there. He felt his way through the dark passage till he reached the large control rooms. 

The computer screens were still on and the empty maze was on display.

William strode across the room and opened the first room and gasped.

It was the right room but the sight was heart wrenching.

There were several human size cages and tonight all the cages were occupied.

Everyone were in their underwear, shivering and coughing, some too weak to notice William enter.

William's eyes darted from one cage to the other looking for the boys.

"Please!" came a wisper. William looked down in one of the cages and saw a young blonde women on the ground. She had wrapped herself with her arms and was crying. She did not seem to have any more energy to talk but her eyes looked at William in utter desperation.

William swallowed and backed away from her, but he had walked too far and fell onto another cage where an old man caught the back of his jacket and tugged hard.

"You cage us like animals then we will behave like animals!" He growled and with a swift motion he scratched William's neck.

"Ouch!" William gasped pulling himself out of the old man's grip and sped down the rows of cages filled with people moaning and crying.

At last he found them!

"William!" David cried.

"There you are!" William cried in relief looking at David.  His eyes moved down to the crumpled figure in the ground.

Eric!!

"What happened to him?" William asked worried.

"I don't know!" David sniffed, crouching down and cradling his brothers head. "When they threw us into this cell, I lost my balance and fell. I was holding him up at the time and he tumbled and fell on me. I think he hurt himself again."

William looked at Eric closely, he was unconscious and very pale.

"I'm going to try and get you out of here." William said pulling off his jacket.

Within the lining of the jacket he pulled out some narrow tools. It was to help him pick the lock. He was prepared for this.

Then he swung open the doors and carried Eric in his arms with ease.

"Come on, stick to me." William told David who immediately grabbed the back of William's jacket.

The moaning of the people in the cages got louder. They could see William helping the boys and began to bed him to set them free too!

"Please!"

"Help"

"Take us too!"

William felt his insides twist. He could not look at them, he just walked as fast as he could with the boys.

******

Hey!!

William finally got the boys but there are still so many in distress!

Can he save them all? Or will there be more losses like Derrick?

Stick around to find out.... just a few chapters left!

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