Hope

The Escape

The sound of metal doors closing echoed down the long hallway.

Riven, Nyra, and Eloen sat quietly in their dark cell. The only light came from a small c***k near the ceiling, where thin rays of red light flickered in from the hall outside.

No one had spoken for a long time. The air was cold, and every breath they took felt heavy.

Riven stared at the ground, his hands shaking. “They’re using people,” he said quietly. “Turning them into monsters just to fix their mistakes.”

Nyra leaned against the wall. “That’s what people do when they’re desperate.”

Eloen sat beside Riven. Her voice was soft. “We can’t stay here. If the Overseer plans to test on us tomorrow, that means this is our last night alive.”

Riven looked up at her. Even though her face was tired and dirty, her eyes still held warmth — the same look Lio used to give when he believed everything would be okay.

“You have a plan?” he asked.

Eloen gave a small smile. “Always.”

A few hours later, footsteps echoed in the hall. Two guards passed by the cell. One of them yawned and turned away for a moment. That was all Eloen needed.

She pulled a thin wire out from her sleeve — a small tool she had kept hidden since the Deep. “Thank you, Dray,” she whispered, remembering the engineer who had taught her how to make it.

She slipped the wire into the lock and turned it carefully.

Click.

The cell door creaked open.

“Let’s go,” Nyra whispered.

They moved quietly through the dark corridor, keeping to the shadows. The halls were empty except for the humming sound of machines below. The smell of smoke and oil grew stronger as they went deeper.

They turned a corner — and stopped.

Three Raiders were standing by the next door, guarding it. Behind that door was the lab — the place where the Overseer had said they kept Mira.

Riven’s heart raced. “That’s where she is.”

Nyra nodded. “Then we fight our way through.”

Eloen took a deep breath. “No. We can’t take them all. We need a distraction.”

Before either of them could stop her, Eloen stepped out from the shadows.

The guards saw her immediately. “Hey! Stop!”

She ran the other way, shouting, “Come get me!”

“Eloen!” Riven hissed, reaching for her, but Nyra held him back.

“She knows what she’s doing,” Nyra said, voice tight.

The guards chased Eloen down the hall. She turned corner after corner, leading them away from Riven and Nyra. Bullets hit the walls around her. Sparks flew. She kept running, her lungs burning.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she saw a control panel — and a fuel tank next to it. Her hands shook, but she knew what she had to do.

She pressed a few buttons on the panel. Alarms began to ring throughout the base. Then she grabbed her small knife and stabbed the fuel line.

The sound of gas hissing filled the air.

The guards caught up. One of them grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall. “Got you now!”

Eloen smiled weakly. “Yeah… you did.”

Then she pressed the ignition switch.

The explosion was deafening. Fire rushed through the hall, knocking the guards off their feet. The light was blinding — a wave of heat and dust filling every corner.

Riven and Nyra were thrown backward by the shockwave.

“Eloen!” Riven shouted, trying to run toward the flames. Nyra grabbed him, pulling him back.

“She’s gone!” Nyra yelled. “She gave us a chance — don’t waste it!”

Riven fell to his knees, eyes wide, heart breaking. The fire crackled in the distance. He could still hear her voice in his head: You have to survive.

He clenched his fists and looked up, his face hard with grief and anger. “We’re getting Mira out of here. No matter what it takes.”

Nyra nodded, her eyes wet but strong. “Then let’s move before more guards come.”

They ran through the burning halls. The fire alarms screamed above them, lights flashing red. Every step echoed with the memory of Eloen’s final smile.

They reached a sealed lab door. Riven swiped the keycard he had stolen from one of the guards earlier. The door opened with a hiss of air.

Inside were rows of glass chambers — some broken, some still glowing. In one of them, Riven saw a small hand pressed against the glass. His heart stopped.

“Mira…” he whispered.

She was alive.