The night had been peaceful until -

BOOM!

The left side of the main cabin erupted like a volcano, engulfing both the conference room and the interrogation room in flames. Proxies startled awake by the noise hurried into their clothes and ran out of their respective cabins - some of them still barefoot - to see what the commotion was all about. The previously crisp air was ruined by the stench of smoke and gasoline. It was a horrific scene, the flaming building serving as a beacon of light in the dark forest.

"What the fuck happened!?" Kate shrieked over the blaze.

"I s-swear it wasn't me th-this time!" Toby yelled.

"Doesn't matter, we gotta put it out!" Wilson shouted. "Get the hoses!"

Hoses attached to nearby cabins were switched on, and everyone did their part in trying to put out the blaze. For now, nobody was focused on who might have done it. But among the growing crowd, a few souls were wrought with worry.

"Tim and Keith are still in there!" someone shouted.

"Who gives a fuck about Keith!?" another countered.

In a flash, Brian had lifted the hood of his sweatshirt and had dashed into the burning building. Despite the protests of Jeff and Rouge, Alma followed after him, using her long brown plait as a feeble mask. It wasn't long before she lost sight of Brian, but she knew she had to focus on getting the prisoner instead. Her resentment of him didn't matter: he still withheld valuable information.

Smoke stung Alma's eyes as she danced around the flames. She started coughing almost instantly, and her chest tightened. Everywhere she looked, there was fire. When it came to her fight or flight instinct, she was usually flight, but she knew she had to use fight right now. She trudged on, tears beginning to trickle down her face, dodging pieces of flaming wood that fell from the ceiling. She was almost at the infirmary. . . .

What the hell caused this? Alma thought to herself.

Suddenly, Alma tripped, and she toppled over onto the floor. She started to panic as she struggled to get up, but when she gazed up, she stopped in her tracks.

A man was standing over her. His deep brown eyes reflected the fire that surrounded him. A low ponytail of ginger hair was slung over his shoulder. His tawny skin was dusted with freckles, and he had a muscular figure. In one hand, he carried a jackknife. On the side of his face were the remnants of an acid burn. The fury in his eyes was almost tangible.

It seemed as though the man recognized her, and the feeling was mutual: even though she didn't want to admit it, Alma knew who this guy was immediately. It made her stomach drop.

"The fuck are you doing here, little girl?" Randy demanded in a low, dangerous voice. Alma could barely hear him over the crackling of flames.

"Someone help me!" a voice shrieked desperately.

Randy glared at Alma before disappearing into the inferno. Alma started seeing spots, and she passed out.

Later on, nearly all the proxies had gathered in front of the main cabin, half of which was now starting to fall apart due to the explosion. Eyeless Jack was panicking over the state of his infirmary. Tim and Alma were both brought back to consciousness, but Keith was nowhere to be found. It was silently agreed on by all that whoever had started the fire had done so in order to break him out.

Slowly, the fire had started to die down, aided by those who had thrown buckets of water at it and used the hoses. The infirmary had been greatly damaged, so Alma and Tim were tended to in their home cabins. Some of the proxies swore that they had seen a man carrying Keith away into the trees with a bat-weilding teenager at his side.

"I told you this would end badly!" Tim accosted Wilson through coughs.

~

Keith struggled to stop coughing as he was gently sat down on the forest floor. Randy was slashing through his binds with his jackknife, and Chris shone a flashlight so Randy wouldn't injure Keith by mistake. While this was happening, all Keith could do was keep his eyes glued to his lap. He wanted to cry, but he forbade himself to do so.

"You were supposed to be watching Arielle and Bowie!" Randy scolded Chris over his shoulder.

"C'mon, Indigo's taking care of them!" Chris shot back. "Besides, you really think I'd provide you with gasoline but willingly miss out on the action?"

Randy groaned in frustration. At last, the ropes binding Keith's hands and ankles were cut away. But as Keith was massaging his sore wrists, Randy suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. There were tears in his eyes.

"What were you thinking!?" Randy cried. "You're always telling me to bring my phone whenever I leave the house! And then you go do the same thing!? What the fuck, Keith!?"

A tense silence fell between them; Keith's eyes were wide with fear, Randy's with anger. Randy's calloused hands were shaking as he grasped Keith's shoulders. At last, Keith dissolved into tears.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry . . ."

Keith's tears seemed to trigger Randy as well, and he pulled Keith into a hug. His grip was tight, but tender at the same time, as though Keith were made of glass. He started to stroke Keith's hair, which had become greasy after a week of not washing it. He felt awful for yelling: after all, Keith flinched whenever someone so much as raised their voice at him. It often made Randy think that he didn't deserve someone like Keith, especially with his short temper.

"Shh, shhh . . ." Randy cooed, his voice shaking. "I'm sorry, too, baby. I'm just glad you're in one piece."

Keith snuggled up to his love, nestling his face into his shoulder. Once Keith stopped sobbing, Chris handed Randy a rag, which he used to wipe the soot away from his and Keith's faces.

"D'you need me to carry you home?" Randy asked kindly.

Keith took a moment to ponder this. On one hand, he had missed Randy's touch. But on the other hand, he didn't like the sound of Randy's hands pressing into his injured back once again.

"I-it's okay, I'll walk," he reassured him. "I need to stretch my legs, anyway." He managed a small smile, and Randy's eyes smiled back.

"You guys are so weird," Chris complained, as she was repulsed by anything romantic.

"Shut up, you idiot." Randy snapped.

Keith chuckled weakly, and Randy helped him to his feet.