The sun sprayed its rays as wide as it could, but no matter how hard it tried, the inside of San Fernando Correctional remained illuminated, only by the artificial light man had procured. The outside, which was once assaulted by an unforgiving wind and fast-dropping pellets of rain, was now bathed with the arms of the daylight's King.

***

(West Wing: First floor)

Farlow and Demitri were having a hard time shaking off the numerous guards Rudolf sent to trail behind them. Those men were instructed to ensure both guards upheld their words.

Rudolf was suspicious of their loyalty, and rightfully so, because the two prison guards were planning to call for backup when they got to the warden's office. But with the predatory eyes of Rudolf's men glued on them, the guards had no choice but to relent.

"Hey, better keep your end of the bargain or you can kiss both your families goodbye." One man yelled. Farlow glanced towards the voice's owner, intent on punching him. He glared at the guy but his sight was met with a riffle.

"You ain't the one with the power now." The renegade muttered.

Demitri tugged on his companion's sleeve and gestured for him to continue walking.

"Why us?" Farlow couldn't help but question. Demitri shook his head and answered, "Don't think about it anymore; just focus on getting things done, and your family is free."

The hesitant guard peered at his companion, wondering how easy it was for him to say those words. Had Demitri not seen the number of dead guards lying inside the hallways of the prison building? The same group of men who just hours ago was eating with them? Who only yesterday joked with them? The same crowd who stood beside them during riots?

Farlow narrowed his eyes. He knew the circumstance that befell the two of them was something unexpected and could not have been avoided. Who would have known Rudolf was planning an escape? Who could have warned that Demitri and Farlow's family would find themselves in the clutches of the convict's brother?

"Get moving you two!" One of Rudolf's men yelled.

"Can we do this?" Farlow murmured. Demitri looked at him sadly. "You already killed a couple of our comrades, what's a few more?"

Farlow felt a pinch inside his chest. Yes, he had killed a few guards earlier inside the North wing, but that hadn't meant that he didn't regret it. It took so much effort to steady his hands as he pulled the trigger. It needed a lot of courage to calm his nerves. No one would ever understand the guilt he would eventually live with. He is now a stained officer. The man who once swore to prevent convicts from walking free became a criminal himself.

***

(West Wing: Fourth floor)

"He's dead, there's nothing more we can do for him," whispered Sheldon to Mark.

The guard whom they managed to save earlier bled out and was lying lifeless inside the warden's office. Melinda tried her best to subdue the bleeding. But, with lacking tools and an appropriate environment, her knowledge of wounds was of no use.

Mark sat on the warden's chair, covered his face with both palms and began to cry.

Sheldon kept himself busy by searching the office for something to cover the dead man on the floor.

The two other guards with them stayed beside the radio and phone, praying for a signal.

"I think these damned metal walls are keeping the signals blocked," Raffy complained.

The last of the four guards, a man by the name of Johnny Campbell, walked towards his comrade and said, "Hey if these walls were made to keep the criminals inside, don't you think there's a safe room? Maybe a place that can lead to the outside as well?"

Mark's ears perked up after hearing what the other guard said. He mused and realized that what was said made sense. Surely, the builders of the prison would have created an escape route when a lockdown of such magnitude was to happen. But the question was, where?

Mark turned to Melinda. "Did the warden have a blueprint of the entire prison," he asked curiously.

Melinda gazed at the dishevelled look of the man who held her heart. Mark looked worn out and laced with confusion. How she longed to wrap her arms around him and give an assurance that everything would be alright. She prayed for many nights, begging the heavens, to make Mark change his mind. She knew he was not hers, to begin with. But they shared something special. What she felt for him was real. Did he only see her as a pastime? Though Mark and she never shared a bed, his kisses were enough to tell her that he valued her.

"Melinda!" Mark yelled.

The young secretary cleared her head and tried to remember if the warden ever had a blueprint. She wanted nothing more but to give Mark what he needed. Unfortunately, Melinda had no recollection of ever seeing the warden with a blueprint, or finding one inside her computer.

Filled with disappointment, the woman shook her head and answered, "I don't remember if he has one, I never saw any blueprint since I started working here."

Another idea ends. But they shouldn't give up. Mark removed himself from his chair and instructed the three men with him to start searching every cabinet inside the warden's office. What Johnny suggested earlier was perhaps the only hope they had.

As Mark searched every corner he could get into, he couldn't help but question the whereabouts of the warden at that moment. Was he safe? Melinda communicated to Mark earlier that the warden left the office when a gunshot rang throughout the building but failed to notify her where he was headed.

Mark was worried. It was the first time in his life that he felt inadequate. Despite being crowned the best in his batch, he now felt lost and dumb. Yes, he was good at being a guard. But to lead? No. He wasn't someone who was born to lead. This wasn't what he signed up for. He was just supposed to watch and follow, right?

Another strain that weighed on his head was Harold. He had always known that his senior was stupid enough to try anything, but to run towards imminent danger fell below stupidity, it was suicide.

But why did the entire prison fall into such a defensive lockdown? It could only be the warden who could initiate such a fleet, right? How did he do it?

In the middle of his melancholy, Something in him sparked. Mark, in an instant, was on his feet. He started to rummage through the warden's drawer which earned a curious gaze from his fellow prison guards.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sheldon asked.

Mark was too occupied to say anything, he kept pulling one cabinet drawer after another. His movements began to worry the others inside the office, Melinda in particular.

So the young secretary stepped towards Mark, placed a hand on his ever-moving arms, and asked, "What is it? Tell us so we can help."

Mark stared at her, he let loose the heavy cabinet drawer from his hold and replied, "You said the warden ran outside when he heard a gunshot?"

Melinda bobbed her head in agreement.

"When he left, the metal walls began to encase the prison building?"

"Yes, because I ran inside his office the minute he stepped down the stairs and saw a flat metal-like thing running down the window over there," Melinda answered whilst pointing her finger towards the square-shaped window on their left.

"Where are you getting at?" Questioned Raffy to Mark.

Mark sat on the warden's chair the replied, "Look, the metal walls are not something we're familiar with. If there was anyone who received the knowledge of its existence or the right to activate it, that would be the warden, right?"

"So?" Sheldon answered with a raised brow.

Mark narrowed his eyes as he said, "According to Melinda's account of what happened, the warden ran towards the stairs and when she got inside this office, the metal walls began to enclose the building. It only means the warden made it happen before he left his office, that could only mean that the mechanism to activate these walls would most likely be inside this office."

"What if it's not the warden who did this?" Raffy added.

Mark shook his head. "It could only be the warden, something of this magnitude could only be given to a higher position inside the prison building."

Sheldon and the others gazed at each other. Mark made sense. So they switched from locating the blueprint to finding a mechanism that could potentially be the key to the metal walls. They checked every nook and cranny of the warden's office. Turning every piece of furniture that was left standing since their arrival.

After a few minutes of searching, Melinda squealed when she happened to find a lever-like thing behind the old cabinet, east of the warden's office.

"What is it?" Mark yelled.

"I think I found something." She squealed.

Just as Mark pivoted toward Melinda, the door to the warden's office emitted a thunderous sound. The small cabinet and chairs that the other guards used to reinforce the door stumbled and scattered in every direction as the door broke and gave way.

Farlow was the first to step inside, followed by a batch of tattooed grinning men with riffles.

One of them instantly had his eyes on Melinda and let out a grin. His stare reeked of malice.

Petrified, Melinda immediately left the side of the cabinet and ran to hide behind Mark. Unbeknownst to her, it was a move that would change the course of her life forever.