In the darkness, I lost myself in long hallways and tripped over steep stairs. My head was ringing, and my thoughts were feverish. My only guide was my desperation to escape the men in grey. As I climbed upward, a glint of light shone over the crest of the stairwell, and a bud of hope blossomed in my stomach. I steadied myself and finished my ascent.

I had entered an unassuming hall with a series of small windows. I rushed to the closest sill and peered over it, desperate for a glimpse of the outside. It was as though I was seeing the world for the first time. The first rays of dawn were beginning to shine over the city, washing the grey and beige buildings in brilliant reds and oranges. In the distance, the horizon promised a fresh new day. A lump formed in my throat. I want to go outside again—I want to live.

I looked down. The Fortress lawns lay four stories below, separated from the city by the great iron gates. There was motion behind them, and I squinted to see the agitated remnants of a crowd. It was shocking to see so many people out after curfew. This is what we were hearing in the Forest, I realized. Daichi’s distraction was a protest.

Moving among the crowd were dozens of officers in dark uniforms. Soon, the distraction would be completely contained. My features pinched together―dozens of people had sacrificed their livelihood in the hope that Peter and the raiding party would be successful. But we had failed, and nothing awaited them but jail time.

I looked down again. I was at least forty feet in the air, and the sky was already lightening. When the protesters had been contained, the police and the Amberasta Private Force would turn their attention to the Fortress and discover the theft. They would place the whole city under lockdown, and escape would be impossible.

I whipped around as motion caught my eye down the hall. An officer was rounding the corner with his pistol extended. One side of his head was plastered with blood. Gasping, I pushed myself against the wall and drew my own weapon. My thumb found the safety and depressed it.

The officer caught sight of me and shouted something unintelligible. My finger trembled on the trigger. I have to end this as fast as possible, before he alerts someone else.

I stepped out into the hall and fired twice. One shot ricocheted off of the wall, and the other struck him in the arm. He screamed, and the weapon dropped from his hand. I stumbled back, fumbling with the gun. I planted my feet, aimed, and fired again. The trigger clicked, but nothing happened. I squeezed it again. Nothing.

“Shit!” I cursed. Still clutching his arm, the officer charged at me. He swung at my face and I ducked at the last moment, moving much more slowly than I was accustomed to. I tried to lift my leg to kick him away, but it was as heavy as lead.

The officer lunged forward, grabbing my arm in a vice-like hold. I struck him head-on with my elbow, and his grip loosened. I turned to run, but he pushed me from behind, and I sprawled across the floor. He dropped down to pin me with his knees. I struggled, but I couldn’t break free. He reached into his pocket, pulling out handcuffs.

A black object glinted in the corner of my vision. I pulled my left hand out from under his knee and grabbed the gun at my side, striking him across the face with the last of my strength. Flesh gave way and he fell backwards, clutching his face, and I scrambled to my feet. Through the curtain of blood, his eyes shone with rage like dying embers. He reached for my ankle, and I kicked him in the head. At last, he slumped down and lay still, and a pool of blood began to spread across the carpet.

I doubled over with my hands on my knees. Black spots danced in my vision, and I thought that I would pass out again. My chest heaved as I tried to bring air back into my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut, and the spots finally receded.

Once I had gathered some of my strength, I stumbled over to where the officer’s gun had fallen. It was another pistol, identical to the one I had used. I picked it up, flicked the safety back on, and turned it over in my hands. It was surprisingly light. I fiddled with it for a moment, trying to check for ammunition. I pushed down a lever on the side, and a rectangular container dropped out of the handle. It was empty. When I slid open the front of the gun, the chamber inside was also vacant. So he was bluffing, I realized. I looked down at my blood-stained hands. He was out of bullets the whole time.

I took the empty gun and walked to the other end of the hall. A desperate idea began to form in my head. Peter had warned that the only way out of the compound was through the Fortress itself, but I knew without a doubt that if I reentered the maze of underground hallways, I would never return to the outside world as a free woman.

I looked through the furthest window. It was closer to the back of the Fortress, and I could no longer see the protesters in the distance. I placed a hand on the pane and glanced at the officer’s body, making sure he hadn’t woken up. I’ll have to move quickly. Without my sense of hearing, there’s no way to know if the sound of breaking glass will be loud enough to draw more attention.

I peeled off my shirt and wrapped it around the pistol, hoping that the fabric would muffle the sound. I swung back my arm and struck the window with the back of the gun. It rebounded off the glass and dropped from my hand, jerking my wrist, but there was a hairline crack where I’d struck. I gripped the gun and swung again, harder. This time, the cracks formed an outwards spiderweb. With one more hit, the middle of the window shattered, spraying glass in every direction.

I pushed myself onto the sill, ignoring the shards slicing my skin. The ground seemed to pulse below me―it was terrifyingly far away. Even if I survived the fall, I would only be able to wait in a puddle of my own gore until Keon’s agents found me.

I craned my neck to see the wall. The surface consisted of large interlocking bricks, and where each new story began, there was a decorative ledge that jutted out almost a foot. It would be a difficult climb―maybe impossible. My heart thrummed with fear. What choice do I have?

I pulled off my mask to give me full range of vision and lowered myself over the sill, with my chest facing the hallway. My feet scrambled to find a foothold, and for a second I thought I would fall before I had even begun. When my feet finally found a stable hold, I was only gripping the sill with my fingertips.

I steeled myself and began to climb downwards. The edges of the bricks stuck out in only a couple of inches, leaving my heels dangling over the precipice. My hands and arms shook, but I forced myself to move with caution.

I kept my eyes on the wall, ignoring the drop below me. Several times, my muscles twitched and my grip threatened to fail. When I finally reached the first ledge, I collapsed against the stone. I glanced at the ground between my legs; I was still thirty feet in the air, far too far to jump. I gasped for breath, feeling tears prick at my eyes. I’ll never make it.

I shook my head and gritted my teeth. If I stopped moving for too long, I would succumb to unconsciousness. I began my descent to the second ledge, racing against my own exhaustion. One, I counted, two, three... Nothing existed but me and the stone wall. Hand over hand, foot over foot, I climbed down the side of the Fortress.

When I looked down again, the last ledge was only a few feet below. I’m almost there, I thought. My mouth was sour with bile. I searched for a foothold with my left shoe, thrusting my leg out until it found a small hold. Once again, my vision alternated from white to black.

Suddenly, my right leg gave out. Gravity tore my fingers from their hold and overtook my body, and I dropped like a stone. I reached for the ledge, but my body twisted and my chin collided with the stone with a violent crack. I fell the remaining ten feet into the bushy shrubs against the Fortress wall.

A current of pain spread up my leg, and I shouted out loud. My head was splitting, like carrion being pulled apart by bony claws.

I was so close.

And my consciousness faded away.