***

The two months after Norman's shipment wasn't filled with everyone wallowing in their own self-pity. No way. They had still been planning for the escape. They had come so far and lost too much already for them to stop. While everyone thought that they were avoiding each other and everyone in general, they had been meeting up when no one was awake. Well, to be more specific, Alex, Don, and Gilda were. They would talk about the plan and some updates and then the other two would go tell Emma about developments in the plan.

It sucked for Alex to not be able to see Emma or Ray... But there was no way that she could. Mom was watching her and them like hawks. She would instantly know if the three of them were to meet up. Alex had to keep up an act which wasn't too hard seeing as it was how she really felt after what happened... It all came up in their favor though. They finally had everything ready for them to escape at any time. This is why Alex was risking being together with Ray and Emma for the first time in a while.

Emma smiled in response to Ray's earlier question, "Yeah. We haven't."

"Did you seriously think that we would just lay down and accept our 'fate'?" Alex said. That was what Isabella was wanting them to do. She had literally asked them to before she shipped Norman out. She thought that she had gotten what she wanted, but she had no clue that they were still planning behind the scenes.

"You're feeling the same way, aren't you?" Emma asked.

"That's right," Ray smirked, "We really do think similarly, don't we?"

"I guess we really do," Alex commented. 

"Our course of action was to pretend to have given up while continuing to plan inside," Ray stated. Alex knew that Ray wouldn't have actually given up. She just played it up in front of the others to make it seem like she had a reason for avoiding him so much. She told Don and Gilda about it too whenever they came to visit her. Besides, if what Norman said was right, and she didn't doubt it, Ray was planning to set the house and himself on fire as a distraction.

"Let's escape, Ray," Emma told him, "We're here to discuss our plans with you."

"Good. I'm mostly here for the same reason," Ray informed them. It was good to know that they were on the same page then, "After all, we haven't been able to talk much for a whole two months."

"Sorry about that, guys," Alex let out a nervous laugh, "I couldn't have Mom getting suspicious of us and start looking into my true intentions." That would have derailed the whole plan that Norman had set up.

"'True intentions?'" Ray questioned.

Alex nodded, "Yeah, let me explain. We all know very well how formidable Mom is. She barely took her eyes off of me for even a minute. I was a little suffocating, to be honest," At times it felt like she could feel the weight of Isabella's stare crushing her. "I couldn't let my guard down or slip up in any way. She was cautious to the point where it didn't matter if we did anything or not, she was still going to watch us. So I decided to use that to my advantage. Since she was so focused on me, she didn't pay attention to all of the other stuff going on around her."

"Don and Gilda?" Ray caught on fast.

"Mom's only human. Humans make mistakes. She was so invested in us that she wasn't able to watch over the others. I had put everything in their hands. They've done a lot to help too. They've trained the little ones and gathered the supplies we needed." Alex really had to give it to them. They really did come through for all of them. They did such a good job when it came to getting everything together and training the little kids.

"So in the end, how's their progress?" Ray asked.

"They've completed all preparations," Alex replied.

"We're ready to go any time now," Emma added.

Ray smiled, "That's amazing! So now all that's left... Is how we plan to escape."

That's right! They could finally start to put their escape plan into action. Alex couldn't be happier, though the small inkling of sadness still clung to her mind. What Ray didn't know was that they had already come up with the escape plan. Emma was the one to inform him of this, "We've already thought about that as well. Let's escape from this place tomorrow at noon."

"Hold up. Are you sure about that? I don't know if that's a good idea. I'd advise to leave during the night instead. Listen, take a seat and hear me out," Ray gestured to the many seats around them. Emma and Alex sat down in chairs of their own before listening intently to what Ray had to say. "Look. The other side of the gate was a cliff. We won't be able to escape by merely crossing it. Our only option is to escape from the bridge. The problem is, there's only one of those and it's coming out of the HQ. This is our situation right now. Here are the two main issues with our situation. One, Mama's on guard. Two, the bridge's security."

"The problem with the first issue... Is that Mama is always watching us, and she's always in contact with at least one of the toddlers," Emma said, "Even at night, she sleeps in the same room as the babies."

"She knew that if we wanted to leave with everyone, she had to keep one of them with her," Alex crossed her arms, "That way, we wouldn't be able to leave with everyone." Ray had probably told Mom about their plan to leave with everyone so she came up with the plan to always have at least one kid with her. It was a very smart plan for sure. Their mother was a really intelligent woman who they could not underestimate.

"Right. That's why in order to escape, we somehow need to distract her enough for her to look away," Ray made it seem like he wasn't sure how they were going to do that. If Alex didn't know about what he was going to do then she probably would have believed his act, "If we don't separate her from the babies somehow, we won't be able to take everyone with us. Next is our second problem... The bridge security. Since it's the only way to get to the other side, I'm positive that there's at least some security on that bridge."

"We can't put it past the demons. We already underestimated them once. Doing so again would not be the best course of action." Alex stated. They first underestimated the security measures. They just thought the tracking devices and the wall were the only sources of security. It was that type of thinking that made them surprised when they found out that there was a cliff beyond the wall.

"If there's an escape scare, the security will surely be ramped up to the max," That would definitely not be a good thing. Alex didn't want to think about how much more security they would add to this place. "Even if that doesn't happen, I'm convinced that the area is surrounded by those freaky demons," Ray was sitting on a chair with his arms resting on the back of it, "In short, we're screwed if Mama stops us. She'll contact the HQ and we'll lose our last chance. If they find us on the bridge, we're screwed. Honestly, it all seems like an impossible task."

"Now what will we do?" Emma asked.

"I say this is our best option," Ray went to the box that sat on the table. He opened it up to reveal multiple containers of oil. And there it was. His plan was finally revealed to him. Was he going to tell them that he was planning to set himself on fire too? Or hide that piece of information from them? "Let's set this house on fire at night."

Emma cast a nervous glance at the box, "So you're gonna use this oil to burn the house down?"

"That's right." Ray grabbed one of the containers.

"That seems a bit extreme..," Alex commented, "But I guess it's required for the escape to go smoothly."

"While Mama is distracted trying to put the fire out, we'll be able to take everyone outside for 'safety reasons.' To prevent Mama from being able to report anything to the HQ, all we need... Is to somehow jam the keyhole to her secret room with clay or whatever else we can find. With this, even if the HQ realizes that something is wrong, they'll just assume that it's a mere fire... Instead of an elaborate escape plan. With this, security won't end up being tightened over at the bridge... At least, not for a while. Since you'll be running at night, you'll be able to hide better as well," Ray didn't seem to plan his wording very well. Like Sister Krone told them, you can find out a lot about of person by multiple means. Ray had said that they were going to escape, but didn't include himself in that. He just said, 'You,' which was a dead giveaway. "This is why I prefer night over day. Also, as a bonus, I've prepared... Ten Molotov cocktails. Right now, they're hidden within a secret nook of the house."

"M... Molotov cocktails?!" Emma was taken by surprise when she heard it.

"I didn't waste six years of my life preparing for nothing," Ray said.

Alex's eyes were wide, "We didn't think you were planning down to that much detail." Six years was a lot of time to think about the plan in the smallest detail. She just didn't think that a little kid would actually be thinking about it that much. She probably should've expected it seeing as their circumstances weren't exactly normal.

"As your heading towards the bridge, chuck a bottle into each plantation you pass by," Ray ordered them. "If all goes well, we'll be able to start a fire in other plantations as well so that helping hands will be split into groups instead of concentrated specific locations. Don't worry, nobody will be in the forest at night, so you won't end up killing someone," He stepped toward the girls with a smirk on his face. He also had a box of matches in his hand. "Come on. Let's plan to begin here, tonight. Can you do it? Don and Gilda are both probably still awake. Our siblings have been trained. They're already used to even being split into groups," Ray shifted his gaze to Alex, "How're your feet?"

"They're perfectly fine," The redhead stood up from her chair without the help of her crutch. "I've just been acting hurt so Mom wouldn't be suspicious." It also helped them buy some time when it came to all of this.

"Good. Then let's begin now." Ray opened the container in his hand, plus another one he had grabbed. He started to pour the oil on the ground. Alex picked up her crutch so it wouldn't get touched by the oil. She gripped it tightly as she thought about what was about to happen. Hopefully, she would be able to stop him in enough time.

"Ray..." Emma trailed off.

"Don't worry," Ray must've noticed how anxious they were. He didn't look back at them though. He just continued to pour out the oil, "This room is the farthest from everyone's bedroom. Everyone will be able to get away safely before the fire gets to their rooms," Ray tossed an empty container to the side, "By the way... To tell you the truth... I'm still against taking everybody along. I think it's just not possible. Especially considering the fact that there's a cliff beyond the wall. If anything, I think taking Don and Gilda is the most we could ever hope to successfully achieve. We should at least plan to leave the toddlers behind. For your sake... And for the others' sake. But I also know that I won't be able to change your mind. Honestly, I'd rather support your crazy ideals than have you stay here to give up and await your death. I'd very much prefer the former option. That's why I won't say anything more. In the end, you decide," Ray dropped a container and grabbed another. He glanced over at Emma and Alex who hadn't moved from their spots, "What are you still doing here? Hurry, go and alert Don and Gilda."

A look was shared between the girls. They nodded just barely. They were finally going to confront him about it. Emma was the first one, "Hey, Ray... I've been wondering but... Even if we start a fire... What if Mama decides to abandon the building? What if Mama decides to continue watching us instead of putting out the fire?"

"Another thing... You keep saying things like you aren't planning on coming with us," Alex narrowed her eyes at him, "Why's that?"

The silence was all they needed. He realized that he had been caught. "So you've realized, huh?" Ray turned away from them, "You're right. This is completely a possibility. Simply starting a fire won't be enough to guarantee that she'll become distracted. Nobody will be able to escape from her... Unless we 100% distract her somehow. But don't worry. I have a plan. It's simple," He opened the container in his hand, "This is all we need." The oil started raining down on him.

"Ray?!" Emma exclaimed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Was all that Alex could say. She knew exactly what he was doing, but she was in so much shock that she couldn't think of anything else to say. He was really going to do it... He was so irrational sometimes!

"That's amazing, right?" Ray inquired, "The fullscore that she plans to ship out tomorrow up in flames!"

"Isn't this a bit drastic?!" Alex asked him.

"She won't have any choice but to be distracted," Ray replied, "I've been waiting for this day. I've decided long ago. Years ago, in fact. This is my childish way of getting back at her. Emma, Alex, you see... To be frank, I really don't like studying or reading all that much. But I sucked it up and worked hard. So that I could pull my own worth up to the top quality Mama was looking for! I am the prize... That I made them wait twelve whole years for. Tonight will be the night I take that prize away from them. On the day before the long-awaited harvest! You think you can eat me? You think I'll allow myself to be eaten? I'm food? Produce? I don't give a damn about your labels... Because I am a fucking human! Take that, you turds!" Ray leaned against one of the tables, "Anyway, this is fine... This is just fine. I've been letting so many of my siblings walk straight to their doom for years. Honestly, I deserve this. They were all such great people, too... They were all so kind and warm."

This was not okay! This was far from okay! They were going to escape here together because they promised Norman that they would. Alex stared at the boy with horror on her face. She started to run to him, "Stop!"

Ray held his hand out in front of him, "Don't move."

Alex stopped in her tracks, "Ray... Please don't do this."

"Listen, guys. You've only got one chance. Succeed. Please... You'd better not let our deaths all be in vain. Also... I almost forgot," Ray suddenly grabbed a book from the table. It was hidden behind the box so they weren't able to see it at first.  Alex stared at the book in confusion, "Here."

Slowly reaching out her hand, Alex took the book from him. The girl opened up the book and was surprised by what she saw. It was a bunch of pictures of their siblings. They were a little dark, but you were still able to make people and objects out. Emma peered over Alex's shoulder to see what it was. The orange-haired girl's eyes widened, "This is..."

"I took these with that camera Mama got me. They're kind of dark though, since the camera was missing the strobe," Ray commented. Two pictures caught Alex's eye as she was flipping through the pages of the book. Her heart dropped as she stared at them. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. One picture was of her, Emma, and Norman. Emma was looking away from the camera because Ray mentioned how people used to think cameras could steal your soul. Alex and Norman were laughing at her reaction. The other picture was of Alex and Norman sitting under the tree outside. They were both just laughing and talking. Why couldn't it have always been like that? The lighting of a match caught Alex's attention. The clock had just struck twelve. Ray had a small smile on his face, "It's time. As of now, I am twelve years old. I really want to curse my life... But honestly, I actually had a lot of fun with you guys."

"No... Stop-" Emma started to say.

"Thank you," The smile on Ray's face turned sad, "Bye-bye, Alex, Emma."

The match was dropped. It was like it was falling in slow motion. Alex ran as fast as she could toward it, "No!"