Escaping?
Sirius and Remus are out shopping for souvenirs before they go to the next town later tonight like they always do. Sirius gets a call from Peter when they leave they’re final store with a bag full of new clothes and a few other bags filled with random objects from other stores. “Hello!” He sing songs to one of his best friends after putting the phone to his ear.
“Hey, have you seen James this morning? He hasn’t come down from his hotel room at all. Neither has Marlene or Dorcas. We’re getting really worried and no one would answer their doors.”
“Maybe they just went out somewhere.” Sirius responds, setting his bags on the ground to scratch his nose then picking them back up and continuing walking with Remus a little bit farther ahead.
“Someone had to have seen him, right?”
“Probably.” He replies, running to catch back up with Remus. “But sometimes he sneaks out without anyone noticing.”
“You’re right, but I am getting worried. It’s almost noon.”
“I’m sure they’re fine, Pete. It’s not like they can get kidnapped. They’re pretty good fighters.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But if they’re not back by three, I’m busting down their doors.”
“Yeah, yeah. Bye Pete. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” The man responds from the other side of the phone before Sirius hangs up and puts his phone back in his pocket.
-
Marlene tries to kick the woman when she walks by her, but with her legs restrained to the chair she is currently sitting in, it makes it hard. “We trusted you!” She yells at the two women in front of her.
“You shouldn’t trust so easily, blondie.” The older one replies.
“Why was your door unlocked that day?”
The younger one sighs. “To bait you, of course.”
“Where’s James?”
“Somewhere.” She replies, doing something on the table at the other end of the room.
“Where’s Cas?”
“Somewhere?”
“Are you just going to keep saying ‘somewhere’?”
Aurora shrugs. “Your boyfriend hasn’t woken up yet and I want some answers.”
“Not my boyfriend.”
“Sure, act like it.”
Marlene rolls her eyes. “If I don’t tell you?”
“What do you do to people who don’t tell you?”
“Torture them or kill them.”
Aurora smirks as she glances up at her. “Perfect.”
“Shit.” She whispers. “Any chance we could negotiate?” Aurora just walks towards her with a pair of leg irons and a vest.
-
James can hear Marlene’s screams from wherever she is and he winces everytime. He hates hearing or seeing his best friend in pain and he hates it even more when he can’t help her. He’s always been there to help her since this whole thing started and now he can’t. He should never have mixed her up in all this. He should have never told anyone. He should have never accepted the job. He shouldn’t have personal connections.
That thought has circled through his mind for years. One of the other assassins told him to never have personal connections and maybe they were right. I mean, they got killed in the end because they didn’t have anyone to worry about them, but still. He should have cut all contact with his friends and parents when he got the job.
That would also mean cutting contact with his boss, but she has the same friends as him and that never put her in any danger. But she also doesn’t go out and do missions. This wasn’t even a mission, though! He was only sitting in his room! He needs to go help his best friend. Now.
He struggles to get his hands free of the rope tying them. Amateurs. He thinks. Use zip ties. It’s harder to get out of. He was able to free his hands from the rope and then leans down to his ankles where another rope binds them to the chairs legs. He undoes those and rushes to the door. He pulls and pushes multiple times, but then realizes it’s locked. “Shit.” he looks around the room and sees nothing to help him. They barely left anything in here. Except…
He rushes over to the table behind the chair and grabs a knife that’s sitting there. He runs back to the door and slips it between the crack where the door locks. He tries slicing the lock, but it only scrapes it. He throws the knife to the ground and looks around again. He goes to the wooden boxes in the corner and rifles through them. Covered by a sheet, there’s a crowbar.
He smiles and runs back to the door and pries it open. He only gets it open a crack but it’s enough for him to use his hands the rest of the way. He shimmies out the crack that he made bigger and walks down the hall. Multiple doors loiter it and he hears screams from the other end of the hall.
He wants to go to that door to save her, but instead he walks to the other end, checking every door for the other two people he’s worried about. He doesn’t find either at the end, but there’s a second hallway. He looks down it and sees another turn at the end. He looks back down the hallway he just came from then the other one and decides to turn back. His best friend needs his help now, not later.
He rushes down the hall, careful not to make noise, and peeps in the little window on the door, still hearing her screams. He sees Marlene tied up in the middle of the room, her side facing him. He spots the older girl, Ophelia he thinks, at the table watching in admiration as the younger tortures Marlene.
He about yells at them to stop when realizes he can’t let them know he’s here, yet. Instead he turns the handle quietly and slips in, hugging the walls so he goes unnoticed. He slips down to the floor as Aurora stops and turns back to the table. He’s still against the wall when a shout comes from down the hallway.
“The prisoner has escaped!” Both girls twist their heads to the door.
“Don’t move.” The older girl says.
“She can’t move, dumbass. She’s tied up.”
“Right.” Aurora rolls her eyes and runs out of the room, Ophelia after her. James slides up the door peeking out the window to make sure they’re gone before he starts walking to Marlene.
“Marls,” He whispers. “Are you okay?”
Marlene nods. “For now.”
James unties her wrists then legs, hoisting her up on her feet. “Can you walk?”
She nods again. “I think so.” James holds her arm as they walk out the door and past doors. The exit is right where they were held captive. “The exit is right here?”
“I guess.” He walks out the door, alarms going off, but they continue walking, not knowing if Marlene can run.
“We have to hurry.” She says, starting to run.
James jogs with her, but not full-on sprinting as he knows Marlene can’t do that. “Come on.” He hears a harsh whisper from the side of the building behind him. He stops Marlene and turns around ready to fight but stops when he sees who it is. Regulus and Dorcas.
“How did you-”
“Not important.” Regulus replies, walking with Dorcas to them. “We need to go.”
James nods, grabbing a hold of Marlene’s arm again and running with Dorcas and Regulus beside them down the gravel road, which is becoming increasingly longer as he hears shouts from behind him. Marlene collapses on the ground as she tries to run faster. James grabs her bridal style, running again and hoping that they don’t get caught. If they do, Marlene might not make it.