(North wing)

The warden stood behind his men as Rudolf grinned menacingly at them. Five minutes ago, they heard multiple gunshots which seemed to have come from the other side of the wall. Rudolf immediately took that opportunity to yell at the prisoners and said, "My brother and his men are outside; this is your chance to escape!"

A pin-drop silence followed his words, and after, a few of the prisoners who once stood beside the warden walked towards Rudolf. The prisoner who was tasked to hold the renegade also relented and released his captive, giving Rudolf the chance to grab a gun and point it toward the warden. About seven prisoners took Rudolf's side, while five remained behind the warden and his guards. Unfortunately for the warden, the men who took the escapee's side were those that held the majority of the guns.

"Give up Protacio," Rudolf said as he kept a grin.

Sebastian, who at that time was standing beside Farlow, growled and attempted to raise his gun-but Farlow managed to subdue his attempt by grabbing the man's wrist, whilst pulling it downward.

"Take us to your office and open this damned building!" Rudolf said tersely.

Warden Protacio had two options-battle it out with Rudolf and risk the lives of numerous prisoners and guards, or open the building, risking the escape of multiple convicts.

But the decision was made for him, when Rudolf instructed the prisoners on his side, to raise their guns toward the other convicts. Rudolph then commanded his newfound companions to shove them all back into their cells.

Everything happened so fast, that the warden, his guards, nor did the convicts on their side, had a chance to retaliate.

When all the convicts were shoved back into their cell, Sebastian and the guards included, Rudolf asked the warden to close the North wing and commanded him to bring them to his office.
***

(West Wing - Fourth floor)

Rashid gazed absent-mindedly at the renegades who were desperately trying to free themselves from their restraints. On his left is a desk where a blood-drenched woman was slumped. She looked so pale and gasping for breath. Immediately, Rashid walked up to her and squatted down to feel her pulse. She had one, but it was too faint, one would mistake her as dead if they were not used to searching for a pulse. He could also tell that she was desperately trying to survive by the frowning of her brows and her clenched jaw.

The woman's eyes were shut, but he could tell she was awake.

"I'll help you," was all Rashid said before he picked her up in his arms. She felt so light and stiff, that he couldn't help but worry if she was capable of surviving the next hour.

Just when he motioned to leave the room, the renegades, who had been staring at them started to call out to him.

"Hey, you're not gonna leave us like this are you?" one of them asked.

Rashid turned towards them and grinned before he answered, "Why would I help you? That's not in my job description." Leaving those words as a bitter goodbye for the bound renegades, Rashid slowly made his way out of the office with Melinda cradled in his arms.
***

(South wing)

After he told them the story, everyone was silent. He knew they had questions and speculations, but none of them voiced it out. After a minute, Sheldon took all the letters and hid them inside his shirt. He and the others have decided to stop reading and face their current situation. Oscar managed to calm Sheldon down by vowing that he would help him talk to Maria about the truth. Though the convict was uncertain how he would achieve such a fleet, he managed to make it sound true and convincing, thus calming Sheldon's nerves.

By now, Oscar was certain that Sheldon was not normal. The man seemed to have lived with a trauma that prevented him from experiencing normal life. Even the way he interacted with them-before all the shit went down-was a testament to the man's hidden problem.

"Alright, let's go, Oscar whispered, "But what about Harold and this other guy here?" Kennedy asked worriedly.

"They aren't going anywhere," Oscar replied coldly.

"But we can't just leave them here!" Kennedy argued before he took a seat beside Harold's bed.

Frustrated, Oscar asked, "Do you want to stay with them?"

The convict bobbed his head in a mute reply.

Oscar released a heavy sigh before he said, "Suit yourself."
***

(West Wing - first floor)

Mark felt like his heart jumped out of his chest when he came face to face with a bunch of convicts who carried a gun. With them stood Rudolf and the warden, who had his arms bound behind his back.

"No sudden movements lad," Rudolf commanded, as he winked at one of the convicts. In an instant, Mark was apprehended and his gun was taken from him. They bound his arms the same way as the warden, then shoved him forward to lead the way.

Mark glanced back at the warden, his elder bobbing his head in agreement, knowing exactly that the young guard was pleading for permission to lead the convicts to the warden's office.

As Mark stepped on the first flight of stairs, he wondered if that would be his last day on earth.
***

(South Wing - Second hallway)

"Why are we going to the south wing again?"Asraf asked his cousin.

Corbin glanced at him and said," I need to get something in the infirmary."

"How did you know where the infirmary was?" his cousin replied.

"One of the convicts earlier told me."

Asraf felt the need to probe once more, so he questioned, "And what do you need in the infirmary?"

A smack on the head was what answered him. The man glared at his cousin before asking, what was that for.

Corbin grunted then replied, "Can't you see the blood on my arm, moron? It kept bleeding since those two got away from us. I need to fix this; besides, didn't you see the warden with Rudolf, we'll be out of here in no time. Let's wait it out while I clean my wounds."

"Princess," Asraf replied, and his words merit him another smack on the head.

Before the two of them rounded the curve to the hallway where the infirmary was located, they came face to face with the man that escaped from them earlier.

Rodney was the first to draw a gun, followed by Oscar.

Asraf was a second late and before he could process what was happening, his cousin fell to his knees. Immediately, Asraf too fell to his knees. Both men received a shot in the leg.

Oscar, in an instant, ran towards the two fallen men, he kicked Corbin in the back, forcing the thug to fall face flat on the floor. Rodney tackled Asraf, he grabbed the man by the arm and twisted it backward, which elicited a scream from the thug.

In a matter of three minutes, the sudden confrontation ended with both cousins bound and shoved inside a small room, where all the cleaning materials were kept.
***

(West Wing-third floor)

Rashid laid the woman on a bed inside one of the cells. He had no idea what to do, but if the woman would die, he might as well keep her company. He had no dark intentions, only to watch and be certain she didn't die alone.
Suddenly, he heard the woman whisper something. He leaned forward with his ear in line with the woman's mouth.

"He thought I died." The woman whispered. Her voice was barely audible, but Rashid understood.

"Who?" he asked softly.

The woman did not reply, she instead, slowly opened her eyes.

Rashid smiled; she has such beautiful eyes, he thought to himself.

The woman smiled again and said, "Thank you."

At that moment, Rashid felt like giving her a promise. He had no idea why, but he suddenly whispered, "If you survive, I will keep you safe forever."
***

(West Wing - warden's office)

A song of thunderous laughter echoed inside the warden's office when the already broken door flew to the middle of the room.

The bound men smirked when one of the convicts immediately freed them from their restraints.

Rudolf shoved the warden inside, freed him from his binds, and said, "Open the building."

Warden Protacio hesitated; he had lost the key hours back. Was it a good thing? He thought about the pros and cons of opening the building. They would be massacred if he refused, but if he relented, he would still die and the others would be given a chance to survive.

After weighing right from wrong, warden Protacio, with a heavy heart and footsteps, weighed down by an imaginary metal, walked towards the old cabinet. His hands shook, knowing Rudolf would blow his head off, the moment he finds out that the lever needed a key.

Protacio moved the lightweight cabinet, ready to die, but to his surprise, the key which he thought to have lost, was hanging on the keyhole of the lever's lock.

The warden thought for a while, hesitating again. Then all his worries came to reality when Rudolf shoved him away and the convict turned the key and pulled the lever down. In an instant, a deafening noise permeated from the building, and the metal encasement began to rise.

The dimming afternoon was what greeted Rudolf and the convicts when the windows were opened.

"Now, let's get out of here!" the convicts yelled collectively.

They ran like troubled mice towards the door, leaving Rudolf and the warden to stare at each other. Mark had remained silent throughout. He knew if he made a move without proper planning, both he and the warden would die.

Seeing that almost all the convicts have fled. He slowly bent down and tried to pick up the gun which he saw earlier, laying on the bottom of a fallen drawer. It was when he finally had his fingers on the gun, that Mark noticed-Melinda's body was missing.