This part of the storyline -- this chapter particularly -- has been altered in my revision. Many scenes have been changed and the chapter is broken down into three parts, Part 44 in the rewritten version of Tethered Souls. Most scenes BEFORE AND AFTER THIS CHAPTER has also been revised, so the whole other book reads differently. I'd advise to read the newest version after this book. It'll be beneficial.

• • • • •

author's note . . .

This chapter is long, but it is intense, fun, and thrilling. Enjoy the ride, Tethered Readers!

Spoiler for this chapter: It's the Great Escape! There are twists, turns, and a lot of havoc along the way, my lovelies. By far, the biggest chapter, and it is separated into three phases! I did not want to split it into separate chapters. It would ruin the momentum. Plus, I've read and seen chapters on Wattpad with 10K words, and this one had to be written like this. Leave feedback and a vote, if you'd like.
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Phase 1

*Luna*

As I sat against the wall on my bed, deep in thought, the door to my room slightly opened up, and Decker strolled in. "Luna, please come with me. I am here to escort you to another part of the building."

Not really wanting to go, I jumped up and obliged. Then Amir stepped in front of me with a cute, tiny smirk playing on his lips. I was about to question him, but I kept my mouth closed.

All three of us ambled to the elevator, and I watched as Dr. Kim and a patient headed in the opposite direction. When we were all alone, the elevator doors slid open and then shut after we each stepped inside. My heart was pounding with fear of the unknown.

Nudging Amir with my elbow, I got his attention. When he glanced my way, I mouthed to him what's going on? He only smiled and smirked, then bit his lower lip.

Shortly after pressing a button on the panel that I couldn't see, Decker turned towards me. Amir stiffened, and then Decker's arm shot out, stopping the elevator from going further. My breath caught inside my throat as I wondered what was about to happen next.

His gaze shifted to me, then to Amir, and he slightly grinned unexpectedly. "Mr. Khan, you know where Camille Taylor is in the hospital, don't you? Jesus. You have her kept hidden. They haven't found her. Like anywhere. Ahmed told me you are slick." His eyes flickered at me and back to Amir. "The cameras are all disabled. I can't believe you both are planning to escape. Ahmed was right about you two and your teamwork."

My mind was swirling with a million thoughts, and I couldn't believe Amir planned to break us out now. "How do you know Ahmed?" I asked him.

"I don't have time to explain. If you both are trying to escape, now is the time." Decker turned his frame toward Amir's. "I know what's going through your mind. Why didn't I make myself known beforehand that I knew other Tethered Souls? That isn't what I'm supposed to do. It's not what I'm here for, and I can't make myself a target. No, I am not one of you. But my wife is. And her partner is within this building, receiving shock treatments up the ass." There was a momentary pause in his speech. "And your plan for escape is crazy, Mr. Khan. Ahmed asked me to look out for you both."

I was thinking about the children in the children's ward, and then my mind shifted to who was his wife's companion. Are we freeing them too? I wanted to distract myself with anything so I wouldn't focus on asking too many questions. Now wasn't the time.

Decker made a face at me. "Seriously, you guys?" he said, pulling off his beret and shoving it into his back pocket. "How are you two going to escape? What's the plan?"

"You can't be serious," Amir smarted off. "I don't know if I can trust you. Either of us." His shoulders stiffen.

"I don't really care," Decker murmured, turning to me. "I can get you both out of here, but I need to know where Cami is."

Apparently, only Amir knew. He hid her away somewhere. Clever.

I gulped. "Don't tell him anything," I said to Amir, not looking his way.

Decker's eyes glanced toward the doors. "Listen, I know Amir has a plan to let the kiddies downstairs run wild. Let the freak show out. But what's going to happen after that? You'll try to make a run for it? Besides, I can help free you and anyone else you want. You're going to need an extra set of hands. I think you should trust me."

I shook my head. "I don't know. Okay? You don't understand. Our kind can't just trust anybody. We could get burned. Telling you what he knows..."

"Ahmed would never betray you, would he?" When I shook my head, he stepped back an inch. "And I won't betray him. I respect him. He has been there for me. He saved my life."

I turned to Amir. "It's your call."

A moment of silence passed, and then Amir said, "I know it's my call, but if you think..." He was now looking at Decker with a snarl coming from lips. "You better think twice before screwing us over. Got that? Because I won't think twice about peeling your eyelashes off your eyelids, or peeling your fingernails off one by one. You don't want to mess with me."

"And we are going to save my friend. I'm getting her out of the building too," I said, making sure my voice was loud and clear.

"That's fine with me. I can't worry about Joanna right now." Decker looked away and twitched his nostrils. "She's my wife's companion. She's on the ninth floor."

I remembered our conversation about the man a few weeks ago who was adamant on raising hell against this place, and now I understood why Decker kept his secret, why he never let on about his knowledge of us. I couldn't figure out why he was helping us or why Ahmed never told us they knew each other, or how he will get the patient he was here for out later. Swallowing hard, I nodded and then began feeling nauseous, like my life depended on what we will do next. Amir told him what he needed to know, and they both looked back at me. I took Amir's hand in mine and smiled.

"Let's get going before midnight. That's when the shift changes begin," Decker said, eyeing Amir as he reached down and started the elevator again.

"Where is Cami?" I asked Amir.

"She is wearing a nurse's outfit I smuggled from a linen closet." He flashed me a daring grin. "Getting a tour of the hospital was useful." He straightened his shoulders, and the lift jerked. "We should figure out a plan of action."

You think?

"Yeah." I snickered, then leaned to him and kissed his lips. Decker gave me a grave face and frowned.

"I just want the both of you to know that I am sorry. I hated to watch the pain you went through."

"Don't mention it," Amir said, cuddling my waist. "Help us get out of here."

"How are we going to do this?" I asked.

"We need to discuss the quickest way to get off this floor," Amir said, staring at Decker.

I tucked a few strands behind my ear and sniffed. "We have little time."

"Just so you both know, escaping from here will not be easy. It will literally be World War Three to leave this hospital. And Amir, your life will never be the same. You will lose everything you've ever worked for by helping a patient escape a psychiatric hospital. To the outside world, this is still concidered a hospital," Decker explained, eyeing Amir. "There's no going back. There will be violence. We may have to shoot to kill. The staff is adamant about keeping patients' inside, even if it is against their will. Are you sure about this? Both of you?"

I gulped and looked up at Amir, my lips trembling. "You worked so hard to become a doctor and work where you are in Pakistan. You have a great reputation. You shouldn't have to do this. We can go back. We'll figure out another way."

Amir shook his head as he cupped my cheeks. "No. I am getting you out of this, Moon. You and I are a team, and I didn't come all this way to play volunteer. I came to help you escape. Your life is my life, and I'm not going anywhere. You hear me?" I nodded and felt him wipe a few tears away from my eyelids.

"Where I go, you go," I said, holding Amir's wrist with my hand as it was holding my cheek.

"I swear. You two are like a damn Hallmark movie. They should cast you both," Decker remarked, earning a snort from me and a glare from Amir. Then Amir straightened up and took control of the conversation.

"We should go downstairs and let the kids loose, then jump back onto the elevator and head up to the rooftop." Amir kissed my forehead. Then he looked at Decker and gave him a stern look. "All the security guards and staff members are asleep. Their drinks have been spiked, courteous of me. We only have to worry about the ones who are up and walking around. Especially in the ones working in the labs." My eyes shot open, and I laughed. Great going baby. "Luna and Cami can go down a fire escape to get to ground level."

"If we are setting the kids free on the first floor, then why not run outside?" I asked him.

Amir shifted my way. "All the doors that lead to the outside are all locked. The system is down. Darren hacked into the fire walls and disabled them. Those doors only work by a key card, and a password."

"Oh."

"The doors inside each part of this facility are all controlled by a password. Few of them uses key cards. The guards outside in the field are who we have to worry about more. But the manic children running amuck will cause for distraction." Then he took a breath and laid his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes. "Once we are outside and on the ground, I will need you to run. You must go as fast as you can. This facility sits on fifty acres of grass."

"It's because this building was used for a prison," Decker piped in. It was still a prison. What's he talking about?

"Do you think you can run, baby?"

I smiled and nodded back, then curled my arms around his waist. "Let's get out of here."

This plan wasn't the best, but I think it could work. I wished I could grab anyone who was part of us in the process, but I couldn't think about that right now. All I could do was focus on running away with Amir, grabbing Sarah and heading to Africa.

Decker leaned forward and placed his finger on the control panel. "You guys ready?"

We nodded at the same time, then stood in a military poster in case the doors opened up for any reason. He hit a button, and then the elevator jerked into movement, causing my emotions to skyrocket.

Then the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.

Crap. I forgot about whoever was still awake.

"Don't worry about that," Decker said. "We will take another elevator to the children's ward from here."

Terror rolled through me like a tidal wave as we stepped out into the quiet hallway. This could all be a trap or a setup, but I knew deep down there wasn't no going back. We had to proceed with our plan.

Decker stood on my side and wrapped a hand around my upper arm, like he normally would when he escorted me around the building. Amir stood on my other side, breathing heavy. He was nervous too, but his expression remained the same, like an out-of-town doctor.

Only two people were in the hall, but neither of them paid any attention to us or what we were doing. When we arrived to the end of the hall, we climbed onto an even bigger elevator. Decker hit a button marked C, and the elevator jolted. Now it was descending downward. Once it stopped, we entered another hallway and stepped in through a set of French double doors of another building.

As we walked through the colorful hallway, we notice two staff members sitting at the counter in the lobby. They nodded their heads immediately as they saw us.

"Mr. Khan. Sergeant Decker," one housekeeper murmured, making eyes at the both of them. Girl, the one in white clothes and brown skin was mine. Hands off. "What can I help you two with?"

The other petite lady's eyes shifted to me, and she opened her mouth. "May I ask why Luna Carlyle is down here? If you wanted to see Mr. Marquette, well, he just left." I wanted to throw up at the mention of his name.

Decker stepped forward and stood at attention. "Dr. Kim wanted her to see the progress that Matthew has made. Perhaps it will give her a better understanding of why the children are admitted here."

I kept my mouth shut and held back a laugh. The words that came out of his mouth were exactly like Dr. Kim's. He studied him hard by working alongside him all this time.

The two women exchanged looks and shook their heads. One of them spoke. "We don't think that's a good idea. Matthew is asleep for the night."

"If not him, it can be anyone else," Decker said. "Are you questioning Dr. Kim's orders?" 

I chewed on the inside of my jaw, ready to punch their faces. I held back for now.

"No, but Dr. Kim specifically said that no one goes in or out after ten pm. It's almost ten."

"Should we give him a ring and let him know you aren't respecting his wishes?"

"That's not necessarily," Ms. Talkative said, eyeing me, Amir, and landing back on Decker. With each minute that went by, I knew we were wasting time. All we had to do was give these ladies some sleeping tranquilizer and proceed with our mission. But they didn't seem to let up. "We have protocols in place that we have to uphold."

"So you will not let us see any of the progress the children have made?" Decker asked, staring at her.

"We can't-"

"You know what?" Amir stepped forward with a syringe in the palm of his hand. I looked around at the cameras, and they weren't beeping. They were still down. Then he brought his hand up and said, "Protocol my ass."

The next thing I know was Amir plunged the needle into her right arm and the other woman screamed like crazy toward the door. Decker ran up to her and did the same thing. Why didn't they let me know they were carrying loaded needles in their pockets?

Soldiers.

"Okay, two down, and several more to go," Decker said loudly. "We don't have long."

Amir cast me a look. "Run and get those doors open. Wake the children. Can you do that?"

"I got it!" Decker yelled.

Then he side stepped around the two bodies after lying them neatly on the floor, and he pressed a button on the wall. The lights on all the doors flipped green and the airtight doors slid open.

Looking around, this floor had a different layout than what I was used to. The huge room was in a shape of a round circle with several doors and large windows. I went to the window and peered outward, gazing at how many acres of land were out there. I stepped around to the nurse's station and looked around for any kind of weapon in case I needed anything.

But Decker dropped something cool and heavy in my hand, and I gazed down to see what it was. A pistol. I was startled to see I was holding a gun.

"Protect yourself. You may not need to use it, but it's there." I mouthed to him a thank you, and then he stood beside Amir as he was working on getting all the doors to open up. "We've got one minute. I'll get the doors open. The children already know we're here. Be careful with them. They have telekinesis powers and move things with their mind."

An icy chill went through my body. What he just said exposed them. They were all Tethered Souls. And they have more advanced powers than any of us. Oh my God.

"I know we should do something for them, but we can't," Amir said on the other side of me. "Stay close to me."

I nodded as we stepped away from the station and headed toward a bank of elevators while Decker stayed right behind us. Then a man came out from a sliding door and gasped.

"Sergeant Decker-"

Amir punched his face, making the man fall down. His blue lab coat flapped in the air like it was the wings of a bird, and then his eyes closed a second later. Amir's punch knocked him out cold. Then we heard someone screaming somewhere on the floor, and more men in lab coats came rushing through to get in on the action. Amir looked like a hitman, ready to break anyone who came one foot in my direction. Decker spun around, catching a few people by the neck.

In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted.

Phase 2

Decker took security beside a set of double doors, kicking and punching each staff member who walked through. They went flying and soaring into the air one after another, like they were his play toys. I never realized how awesome this man was until now. Decker had always been an ally for the Tethered Species. He was always the person we needed by our side.

Amir stepped around and stood in front of several lab workers who continued to flood through the halls.

"You all should go back to where you came from. We aren't done here," Decker said, eyeing each of them.

Some of them ran off like rats, but two tried their luck by saying behind. "We can't let you continue-"

"Run!" I yelled, raising my gun, and then I surprised the room by shooting the wall behind them. I barely missed their faces. "Now!"

They scurried away.

Which made me feel better. This was the first time I'd ever shot a gun in my life, and I don't think it'll be the last. Amir took ahold of my wrist and ushered me with him. Then the sound of locks all around the small space echoed through the air. I huddled close to my baby as the doors opened up.

None of us were prepared for this. And we didn't know what to expect next.

Matthew walked out of his room with a sad face, then came several young boys his age, all running around like ants. Same hairstyles. Same white pants. Same white shirts. Same white shoes. All had a look of keen intelligence as I felt each of their aura's hitting mine. Some grew up in here, and some have endured worse pain than I'd ever felt. This was all Chase's doing along with Dr. Kim. They find Tethered Souls and experiment on them.

But Chase couldn't know about us, could he?

No. He never said anything. But then again, I never knew about Matthew. As I glanced to a corner where Matthew's room was, I saw a woman lying on the floor, facedown.

"Thank you." The way Matthew said that sounded a little creepy. But I ignored it. He stepped in front of Decker and lifted his arm. A small red bracelet was wrapped around his wrist. "She's on the third floor now. Room 310. And your son is okay in Japan."

"Thank you, Matthew. You've been a big help," Decker told him, shaking Matthew's hand, like this was a business deal.

He got the information he was needing, apparently, and then he removed the bracelet from Matthew's arm. Then Matthew turned to the huddled staff members who were sitting against the wall, scared out of their minds. "All we wanted was freedom. We weren't allowed to see the fireworks last night."

That's when I turned around and heard the screams of several people.

Matthew and his gang of miniature Terminators stuck each person with a loaded syringe; the syringes smelled like poison.

When I faced the wrath of the madness, I saw some of the staff dropping like hot potatoes, and some were clenching their knees while Matthew snarled at them, a syringe hovering in front of him, aiming at the staff members. 

Telekinetic.

Some tethered souls has telekinesis abilities.

"Let's go," Decker said, wheeling a gurney across the room. He shoved it in place so the doors wouldn't end up closing. "You kids are allowed to run wherever you like. Let us leave first."

"Thank you!" Several children yelled out. And my stomach hardened into a ball. The children were about to do something horrible to the staff, and it was all on us.

Amir came to me and locked his fingers with mine. "Are you okay? I can hold your gun for you."

"No," I replied. "This is what I need to get out of here. I am ready to leave this fucked-up place."

He nodded and murmured, "Okay, but try not to shoot yourself... or me."

"Or me!" Decker yelled in front of us.

As we stepped onto an elevator and Decker pressed a button, I rolled my eyes. "You guys don't have any faith in me."

Amir tilted his head, and his gaze found mine. "I have faith in you, doll. I just know of another loaded gun you should be having in your ha-"

"Don't even think about saying anything dirty or flirty or naughty as we are trying to run from this place." I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back, then thrusted my body against him. "Save your naughty nature for later. Prince."

Amir laughed and kissed my cheek. "My feisty, kinky girl."

Decker cleared his throat. "Can you two focus on the task at hand?"

The elevator jerked to a stop on the third floor as we heard a siren going off somewhere in the building. The lights dimmed, and a red light flickered on the ceiling.

"Now, it's showtime," Decker said, easing out of the elevator door after it slid open.

In the hall, there were soldiers and staff members scattering about. I heard different people barking orders. And Decker started taking out several soldiers left and right, while Amir helped in the process. I knew Amir was part of his country's army once upon a time, but seeing him in action like this caused my nerves to squirm. He served many years with the Pakistan Army, and I was proud of my baby for holding his own.

A soldier started to pull a gun on me, but I lifted mine quickly and shot at him, hitting his left shoulder. Amir started following Decker and kept his gaze on me, making sure I stayed close.

"What?" I asked. "You don't think I'll stay by your side?"

"Stairs. That way!" Decker shouted as we rounded a corner.

"Didn't realize you shooting a gun could look so sexy. I'm kind of turned on, Moon." I loved it when he called me that. "We have to hurry. Cami is waiting."

We ran as quickly as we could down the hallway, a few inches behind Decker. Then all the overhead lights went out, replaced by flashing red domes. Both men were shooting at the people who were behind us, causing the crowd to fall back. Both of them had military training, and I felt safe around them. Passing by a set of elevators, two of them opened and a handful of children ran out of them. Even though we kept going, I had to look back to watch the children get their revenge. I wanted to see what they were capable of. I had to know.

They truly did their part. I was impressed.

All the adults' attention were on the kids, not even focusing on us anymore. One of the little girls stopped in the middle of the hallway, picked up a gun on a fallen soldier, and I noticed she had a pissed off gleam in her eye. The sad thing was is that her body was covered in bruises with her veins showing along her forehead. I had to watch what she was going to do. She pulled a trigger and shot one of the lab staff members in the leg, then she dropped the gun and giggled. The staff member fell over, facedown, tased by a taser gun.

Then I saw her run straight for a male guard who yelled out, "Lydia! Stop now. Please!" But she didn't. She grabbed a used syringe on the floor and stuck it quickly in his wound.

I fell backward. I was shocked.

Fuck!

Was letting them out the right thing?

What if they escaped and ran out into the real world, causing havoc in people's lives? These children are emotionally damaged and could do some astronomical destruction. At least that's what I think.

Amir and Decker ushered me away to focus on what we were doing. I'll just have to worry about the childen some other time.

We stormed around another corner at full speed, and I was suddenly surprised when somebody aimed a pistol at my forehead. They were so close that I could see the sweat pouring off their shaky hand and a finger dead-set on the trigger. But then Amir slammed his gun into the side of the man's face and knocked him on his backside. He kind of went all Rambo on his ass. I stood back and grinned like a happy little girl who saw her first MMA fight. This was surely the sight to see.

The guard finally plopped his head backward, and a little boy walked around another corner, sticking a guard in his calf with a large syringe. They must be running into all the opened medical rooms and taking anything available.

"We'll go that way," Decker urged, breaking my eye contact with Chucky. I smiled. He looked like he was having fun.

Before disappearing from his view, I turned back around and locked eyes with him. "Thank you."

The young soul nodded.

I spun back around and stepped around  piles of bodies, the thin soles on my shoes covered with gunk... and blood. It was seeping inside my shoes, but I couldn't worry about that right now. We had to keep running.

Decker pushed the door to a stairwell open, and I ran in quickly, a little too quickly, almost slipping over the side of the stairs. Strong arms grabbed ahold of me, pulling me against their chest. I glanced up and my eyes fluttered. Amir. Saving me again.

"I almost lost you before. I won't do it again." His lips brushed over my cheek and forehead, then he ran his hands up and down my limbs. He pulled back and then brought his mouth back over mine, kissing me, a deep and forceful action that made me feel slightly dizzy. I didn't mind it one bit.

"No time for baby-making, guys," Decker muttered, causing us to give him a strange look and laugh at the same time.

Then we were racing up the stairs, hand in hand, and Faisal joined us in the action.

"Where have you been?" I asked Faisal.

"Keeping my sweetheart company on the humid rooftop as she sits patiently for everybody's big escape," he replied, running with us.

Decker saw me talking to the air, but he smiled and returned a greeting.  Several guards kept running behind us, but both of my soldiers kept all three of us safe. A lot of them kept falling over the stairs, while some just fell over as they were hit by bullets shooting everywhere.

Phase 3

Once we reached the rooftop, Decker looked over his shoulder at me. Then he slammed the door open, and Cami jumped up from her chair, prancing over to me. We hugged it out like the sky may fall any moment now, and then Decker broke the latch on the door, securing our escape to go down the flight of stairs.

Smiling at Cami, I asked, "What's with the nurse's outfit?"

"Oh. It was for Plan B. I was going to keep my head down and pose as a nurse to ensure our way out the front door. Plus, I've always wanted to wear one of these. Just to try one on."

I giggled and hugged her neck as we stopped talking, and continued going on our mission.

We both followed the guys on the roof and made our way to the staircase. It was straight down a line and difficult to climb down, but the guards and people inside weren't able to go outside. The doors were still secure. Two seconds after letting Cami climb over the rail first, we were met by Darren and Ahmed.

"Cami," Darren said, peeking over the ledge. "Be careful. I am with Liberty and Ahmed in New Orleans. We'll see each other soon."

My mouth opened. Wow. Darren came all this way to meet Cami. But they can't meet. They weren't like Amir and I. They weren't immune.

"I brought the serum, Luna," Faisal told me as I stood still, amazed how much our little circle has grown. "I formulated it. I created an antidote."

"Really?"

"Hey, everyone needs to talk later guys," Decker said, causing me to focus once again.

"Also..." Faisal stopped me from climbing down the stairs. "You and Amir could be injected, and if it works correctly, then you can live together anywhere. Any place. Still keep your telepathy."

"Okay." My voice was shaky as I stepped down two steps at a time, then Faisal and Darren disappeared, and Amir stepped over to climb onto the stairs after me.

Decker was the last in line, and we all climbed down slowly, hoping we wouldn't get caught or fall. When we got to the third floor, I could see the wreckage that was displayed inside, but what surprised me the most was to see all the patients stabbing the staff members and cheering for us. We had a few allies inside who shot bullets toward the guards who were posted around the outside of the building.

"Listen." That was Decker. "When we reach the ground, we can't take any of the vehicles from the parking lot. They all have tracking devices in them."

"Mine doesn't," Amir informed him.

"Yours does, I'm afraid."

What? Fuck Dr. Kim. Where the hell was he?

"Are you serious?"

Decker stopped for a moment and caught his breath. "Yes. Chase instructed each car to have a tracking device installed under the driver's door." He moved down one step and continued his plan. "I know an opening in the fence. Once we get to it, we open it up and run south. That's toward New Orleans. If we are separated, we will meet at Crescent Park. It's a small bayou that's open all night, with cabins, and people camp out there. It's thirty miles away."

"Thirty miles? No ride?" I inquired.

"The hotel that Faisal and Amir stays in is twenty acres away. The hotel might be watched now. We don't know. Contact Faisal and tell him to meet you guys somewhere," Decker said, climbing down slowly.

"Do you know of another hotel, Decker?" That was Cami.

"Yes. There's a motel called The Frenchman's, and it's used to having people come in from out of town a lot. They hardly check for ID's. Y'all could get a room there." While I wondered what kind of people came from all over, I realized that was silly. What seemed like an eternity, we finally got on ground level. Then Decker reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking a few hundreds out.

He placed it in Amir's hand. "I hope this is enough. I know you didn't bring any money today. They check everyone's belongings as they enter the building." Wow. I swear, I hated this place even more.

Amir gazed at Cami and me as her arm was linked with mine, and he nods curtly back to Decker. "Thank you. Where to now?"

"To the far right over there," he instructed. I tightened my fingers around my weapon. And Cami's eyes opened wide as she saw me holding it.

With fear so thick inside my throat, I could taste the bitter tang. I took a deep breath and darted along with them to the fence. Then Decker stopped for a moment and gazed at a van parked beside the front entrance. We stayed still, watching as the lights to the car was still running.

Then we heard shouting and screams around the front of the building. Between us and freedom was the small army of G. I. Joes at our feet. It wasn't as many as I expected, but it was a pretty good number of them running around looking for escapees.

Amir and Decker wasted no time shooting bullets and keeping us safe. I saw rockets hitting Humvees and cars blowing up. Sparks were flying everywhere. And Fireworks were shooting in the sky.  I assumed that was the cover-up they had in case anyone asked why they heard loud booms from this area. Punches were thrown on people's faces, and I sure as hell tased anyone trying to harm my girl or my man. His pearly white outfit wasn't white anymore. Moon was pissed.

As I crossed over the mile long part of the parking lot, I spotted an artillery load lying in the back of a flatbed truck. "Decker! Prince!"

He smiled as I called him by his pet name I gave him awhile back.

Both guys turned around and saw what I standing next to. I grabbed a gun and took off, shooting another round of bullets into the chaos. I saw soldiers falling to their knees, feeling the pain they felt after getting hit by one of our bullets. Energy pulsed through me, and I felt like Wonder Woman who was ready to escape from this dreadful place.

I noticed several soldiers running behind several unharmed Humvees, taking cover. But that meant nothing. Cami shot off her rocket launcher, and several vehicles went up like the Fourth of July.

A thick, gray cloud of smoke filled the air from afar but ended up traveling our way. For a split second, I lost sight of everyone. But then I felt someone take my hand. Cassie.

She guided me over to a small guard's post, and I whipped my body around it. I said thank you as I heard popping explosions around the front entrance. I even hear Dr. Kim screaming in the distance.

"Find them! No one can leave this facility to go into the outside world!" he screamed, pacing in many directions. "I'll fire whoever lets these patients escape! They can't leave this property!"

Whoa. Dr. Kim really didn't want anyone to leave his hospital. We were surely his prisoners.

I was shortly joined by the rest of the group and squatted as low as I could so we weren't spotted. Out of the thick, heavy flame, a soldier appeared in front of us. "Lookie what we have here. Hey, I found them!" he yelled to his comrades.

But then I brought my gun up and said, "Trust me. You don't want to do that." Then he took off running, but not before I pulled the trigger, hitting him on the soles of his foot. He fell down immediately.

The next thing I know, my ear started ringing, and I felt an intense pain hit my stomach. With Amir near my side, he caught me just before I fell onto the muddy ground beneath us. I realized then that I wasn't shot by a bullet, but by a tranquilizer.

I felt drowsy and light-headed, then ended up flopping my head on his shoulder. He scooped me up into his arms and held me tight. "What-" My thoughts were incoherent. I could hardly keep my eyes open. "We need to... to... go. Amir. Get. Us. Out. Of. Here."

"That's what I'm doing, Moon. We will escape."

I heard Faisal, Cassie, and Darren all talking about what we needed to do as Decker and us stood behind the wall. So Faisal came up with a plan to steal a car from the hotel's parking lot and dash through the large field to meet us somewhere nearby. But I could feel Amir wasn't too thrilled about that plan.

"No," Amir said, jolting my nerves. His voice vibrated in his throat.

We all glanced as we noticed Chase walking out of a set of doors, surrounded by guards and with Matthew in tow. His blond hair was sticking everywhere, and his face was filthy. Matthew was being held by the hand by a guard, and Chase apparently ordered him to place his son in the back seat of a large pickup truck. Then we watched as Chase and Dr. Kim scanned the wreckage in front of them, looking for any movement.

And while all this was still going on, the damn fireworks were shooting off into the sky.

The children inside were all clapping and screaming with joy of seeing their fireworks that was taken from them. The adult patients were all standing beside the windows, in awe. They got two nights of free shows. Whoopie-do. There was chaos going on down here, and Dr. Kim was trying his best to keep the escapees held hostage.

"They are somewhere in the yard, Sergeant Trent!" Dr. Kim yelled next to his guard. "Find them. Now!"

"Dr. Kim." That was Chase. "If we don't find her, we are in big trouble."

Damn right you are, you fucking Asshole.

"I know that, Mr. Marquette. Luna and Cami had help."

"Catch them before it's too late. Or you'll have hell to pay!" Chase yelled at him, walking away.

Amir looked around, and his eyes stopped at a truck with their floodlights still on. A grin appeared on his lips, and he caught me staring. "I know what we can do," he said, giving me a quick wink.

He put me down and kept his grip around my waist as we trekked across an opened field of grass and then began creeping along the side of several cars. Peering my gaze upward, I could see that the coast was clear. We started running as quickly as we could, and then Amir stopped behind a large black SUV.

As we were about to jump inside the truck with the keys still in the ignition, Sergeant Trent spotted us and began dashing our way. "Stop it right there!" he screeched. "Whatever you're about to do won't work. You can't leave!"

To hell we can't.

It took all the strength I had to mosey on over to him and throw my gun up at his unarmed body, then placed my finger on the trigger, aiming for his heart. "Don't. Please. I have a husband. Kids. You don't have to do this."

Decker whipped around me and brought his gun up to Trent's body. "I've been waiting a long time to do this, brother."

Trent's eyes scrunched, and he flinched. Then Decker shot his taser to Trent's family jewels and caused him to tumble to the ground.

"Come. We have to leave now!" Decker barked, ushering the four of us into the truck. Faisal, Cassie, and Darren were still with us.

And then, just as Decker put the car in drive, he sped off. Before I slipped away into oblivion, I watched as he slammed into the front entrance barriers, driving down the vacant road quicker than the speed of light.

One thing was for sure, though.

We were out.

We were finally out.

   
***

Yay! The group is out. Or are they?
I know this was a thick chapter, but so much had to be written. Thank you all for the votes, comments, and most importantly, for reading Tethered Souls. I ❤ you, Aluna fans.