It was 6:48pm and we still hadn't yet decided what we were going to do regarding a rescue mission. Aaron was suggesting a back door idea while Rowen was pushing to go in disguise; I was sure he just wanted to dress up, but I didn't call him out on it. Both ideas sounded feasible, but the fact that no one could agree stalled our progress. I didn't care which idea we went with so long as we got actually made it in the building in the first place.

"It'll attract more attention if we go as guards," Aaron said. "Not to mention, if we mess up, they'll know our faces. If we use a back door, we can get in, find Cliff, and get out without being noticed."

"But if we go in as guards or doctors, we can get our hands on information about where Cliff is and find him faster. Besides, if anyone gets in our way, we can always just kill them," Rowen replied, crossing his arms.

Kevin looked at me and I looked at Rowen. "We can't kill anyone," I said.

"Why not?" Rowen retorted. "These people locked Cliff up, these people are the enemy. We should kill them-"

"They're just doing their jobs. If we kill them, that's more fuel for the police to catch us and Cliff," I said, effectively shutting Rowen up about killing. He sulked and I sighed impatiently. "Why can't you guys just make up your minds already?"

Irked by my accusation, Rowen pointed a finger at Aaron. "Well, if someone would just listen-"

"You're the one who won't listen," Aaron cut him off.

They went back to ignoring us and arguing about what to do. After sitting quietly for several more minutes, slowly growing irritated, stood up. "Why don't we do both?" I asked. They looked at me like I was crazy, so explained. "We could take out some guards and get the uniforms just in case we run into anyone. Then we can go in the back door. That way if we meet someone not so friendly, we can pose as guards."

Aaron and Rowen looked at each other, seemingly baffled by my suggestion. Then Rowen leaned towards me. "You know, you'd make a great killer. Ever think of trying it out?" he asked.

I glared at him. "No."

"It's not a bad idea," Aaron said thoughtfully. He turned to Rowen. "What do you think?"

Rowen nodded. "I agree. Where are we headed?"

"I hacked into the county database and found he's in a prison not too far from here. Looks like they wanted to keep local," Aaron said, typing something into the laptop he had brought with him. His eyebrows knit together unhappily.

"So, are we leaving?" I asked, impatient to get moving.

After everyone made sure they had what they needed; Rowen grabbed one of Cliff's carving knives and Aaron packed up his laptop, we finally left the house. Though local, the prison was about a half hour away, so we were in the car for a while, giving us plenty of time to contemplate what we were about to do and what would happen to us should anything go wrong.

Aaron sat behind the wheel, Rowen in the passenger's seat. I was in the back with Kevin, running my fingers over the bookmark as I stared out my widow; the trinket had turned into a sort of comfort blanket for me. It wouldn't really help me where we were going, not the way Rowen's weapon would, but it was a small relief to hold it in my hands.

I felt a firm hand on my shoulder and I turned to Kevin. He smiled encouragingly. "We'll get him back," he assured me. "And when we do, I'm going to punch him for making my best friend worry so much."

I chuckled, feeling a little better. "I thought we were saving him," I said.

"We are," Kevin replied cheerfully. "But he needs to know that anyone who hurts you has to go through me."

I was about to respond in gratitude for Kevin's support, but Rowen's snide comment beat me to it. "Aw. Look at the cute little couple."

Aaron chuckled, but Kevin's face went red with embarrassment. "We're just friends," he said, scowling. 

"Don't be jerk," I told Rowen.

He winked at me for the second time that day, really beginning to push my buttons. "Only for cuties," he promised.

I rolled my eyes. "Ignore him. He's just trying to get under your skin," I said, turning my attention back to Kevin. He nodded, but I could tell he was still bothered by Rowen's suggestions.

The car ride was quiet after that, and I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until someone shook me awake. "We're here," Kevin said.

I looked out the window and saw us getting close to a gate with barbed wire wrapped over the top. There were security guards standing in a guard booth by the entrance, each with a radio on one shoulder and a handgun on their belts. Aaron slowed the car as we approached. He pulled down the window and the guard came towards the car. "This facility isn't open to the public," the guard began.

However, before he could tell us to leave, the guard stopped in his tracks and fell backwards onto the gravel road. I peered out my window and saw he had a small dart in his shoulder. Aaron looked at me, a wooden dart gun in his hand. "I don't like hurting innocents," he said.

"Don't lie," Rowen said. "You just wanted to use that silly stick."

The other guard had heard the sound of the first man falling and stepped out of the booth to investigate. When he got close enough to see his comrade on the ground, he shouted at us. "Hey! What did you do?"

He grabbed for his weapon, but only a moment later he collapsed to the ground, also unconscious. We waited to see if they were really out before Aaron got out of the car took their clothes. After he dragged them into the security booth, he tossed a shirt and pants at Rowen. "Hurry. We don't know how much time was have," he said.

They both slipped into their disguises. Kevin and I didn't have any to wear, but we didn't argue. Once Aaron had opened the gates, he got back in the car. The gate swung inward and we drove in. As we went through the trees, I could see the top of a large building. Finally, we arrived in a small parking lot. The car came to a stop as we looked up at a dark, gray, almost windowless structure. It felt like a scene from a horror movie.

"How are we supposed to find him in there?" I asked.

*******

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