As we started walking back up the stairs, I decided to stay towards the back with Mark. Darrell stared at me while being held upside down. His black hair waved back and forth every time Mark took a step.

“So mister, are you a mortician too?” Darrell asked me.

“Me? Uh, no.”

“Are you a chef?”

“No?”

“Can you cook me saka soup? I love soup.”

“Um, I can ask the chef for you.”

“Are you a doctor, mister?”

“Uh, no.” Maybe I should’ve stuck with Dans.

“Now, now.” Mark readjusted Darrell on his shoulder. “Give the new man a rest.”

“But Maaaark, I’m just trying to make him feel welcome!”

“You can do that later, Darrell.”

“Fiiiiiine.” Darrell swung back and forth again, letting his arms sway. It seemed like he enjoyed being upside down.

What a good kid. Maybe a little too hyper.

I didn’t realize until we were back at the prisoner floor, but the alarm seemed to have stopped. Most of the freed prisoners were also gone. Hopefully they were causing a big enough distraction for us to get out of here. 

As we walked past the open cells, I saw a few prisoners who were still there. Some seemed to have given up; they glanced up at us passing by, but did nothing else. They didn’t even try to remove their collars. But there were so many who were slumped on the ground, unmoving. Their skin had an unnatural tone and their eyes never seemed to blink. It looked like they were already dead. 

Dans and the others didn’t seem to care… or at least they were avoiding any eye contact with the prisoners. I stared down at Darrell. He had his eyes closed and I could faintly hear him snoring. 

When we got closer to the door into the warehouse, I started to hear a lot more shouting and yelling. The door was also wide open at an angle. The hinges seemed to have been broken. I peered out to see a chaotic mess unfolding. 

Even with the low number of prisoners who did escape, the warehouse was crowded with people. There were hundreds of people attacking each other. The number of guards seemed almost equivalent to the number of escapees. 

I didn’t notice until now, but there were two other levitators on each end of the warehouse. There were a bunch of prisoners grouped together in front of each levitator. It seemed like they were readying an attack on the guards who were protecting the levitator entrances. 

The guards swung around their electric batons wildly, attempting to disperse the group. Some prisoners who weren’t with the group were already being detained. 

Dans gestured to me and Mark. “We’re not leaving through those levitators. There’s a platform above us. We can probably find our way out through there.”

“But how—”

“Just follow.”

I shrugged. An awake Darrell giggled at me. 

I peered down at him and smiled. Did I do something funny? What a funny kid. 

Dans led us through the warehouse, trying her best to avoid any confrontation. We moved swiftly, hiding behind the capsules of dormant dragons around us. 

She suddenly stopped in front of one and touched the side of the container softly. The longing look on her face was something I hadn’t expected from her. I followed her gaze. This one didn’t look any different from the other encapsulated dragons. Up close, it was quite frightening to look at. The sharp teeth were exposed and the claws reminded me of daggers. But they looked so similar to Merlovak. Merlovak’s kin, maybe? Should I free them? He’ll like that, right? I haven’t paid him back for his hospitality earlier… And I left him there all alone—A voice abruptly disrupted my thoughts. 

“Hey! There’s a few over there!”

I jumped at the unfamiliar cry coming from behind me. I quickly turned around. Three guards were rushing towards another group of prisoners. Oh, I’ve got no time for this. We need to get out of here. I was about to turn back when I suddenly heard another voice.

“And what do we have here?” I looked up to my right. A guard holding a baton on his shoulder peered down at me. His attire looked a little different from the others. 

Ah, damn. There goes my luck. “Oh hello, officer!” Think. What do I say? “Um…” To my left, I saw Dans and Darrell hiding behind a dragon capsule. Where’s Mark? 

The guard seemed to inspect me. He looked at me up and down. “Hmm, you don’t seem like a prisoner with that outfit… A children’s outfit?”

“O-oh,” I stammered. I looked down at my red suit. “I’m sorry. This is, uh, my son’s suit that I accidentally wore today.” Oh god. That’s a terrible excuse. Please don’t question it. “I just wanted to get a closer look at the dragons… I came from up there.” I pointed to the platform above me where a bunch of tourists-like people were once staring the dragons down. “I’m kind of lost? And I really want to get out. Do you know how I could get out of here?”

“Ah.” The guard nodded. “VIP. I’m so very sorry for the commotion. Could I quickly see your VIP identification card? I’m sorry. It’s just protocol.” 

Card? No one told me about a card! “Uh, I… Officer, not to be rude or anything, but couldn’t that wait a little longer? There’s real danger happening all around us right now.”

The guard glimpsed over at the surrounding chaos that was unfolding. He seemed to nod in understanding. “Of course. That could wait. Here, I’ll get you out quickly.” He started showing me the way out, but then stopped in his tracks. He took a few steps closer to one of the capsules. 

Oh no. That’s where Dans is. I gritted my teeth in anticipation. Where in the world is Mark?

“Mam?” The guard asked. “Is… someone there?”

Dans popped out from behind the capsule. Darrell poked his head out from behind her. “Hello there, lieute—”

“Oh, darling!” I blurted out. “Officer, you found my family! Oh my goodness, you’re a lifesaver!”

“Oh?” the guard replied. “Well”—he chuckled—“I do have experience finding lost children.”

“Yes, officer! Thank y—” I just noticed Mark. He crept up behind the guard as if to surprise attack him. 

 “Um, is something the matter?” The guard asked. He turned around and saw Mark. They exchanged awkward glances. 

“W-whoa. You’re not one of the prisoners.” Mark lowered his arms. He gave me a death glare. 

I quickly looked away, acting as if I saw nothing. 

The guard inspected Mark’s stolen uniform. “A measly guard? You mistook me?! Do you not see my rank?” he exclaimed. “Stay right there.” He turned back to me. “I’m so sorry about that. Please, follow me. And of course, your wife and son too.”

Dans? Wife? My face flushed bright red at the thought. Never. No, no, no. I came up with the idea! Why was I embarrassed? Calm down. Just calm down… 

“Are you okay, sir?” the guard asked. “You’re very red.”

Oh no, I need a diversion. Quick! I immediately started coughing heavily into my sleeve. “Ah, yeah. I’m totally fine. Just some pollen—I mean, something got in my throat, that’s all…” I started fanning my face. “Wow, it sure is hot in here.”

Then Darrell grinned from ear to ear. That wasn’t a good sign. “Gosh mommy!” he called out. “You should give daddy a kiss so he feels bett—mmph!” Dans clasped her hand over Darrell’s mouth. She quickly turned Darrell around and hugged him so tightly that I couldn’t make out any words Darrell was saying. 

Dans glared at me before turning to face the guard with a smile. “We really wish to leave this terrible place as soon as possible. Could you please lead the way?”

“Of course, mam.” The guard suddenly did a double take. “But you do seem awfully familiar… Could I ask your name, please? If it isn’t too much to ask?”

“It’s… ah, Hans.”

I let out a quiet snort. Dans glared at me again. I quickly clasped my hands over my mouth and looked away. 

“Hans…” The guard pondered for a moment. “Well, that doesn’t ring any bells. Maybe just a coincidence. Please, follow me everyone.” He pointed at Mark. “And you too! I need to have a talk with you.”