The main hall—the most important breakpoint inside this building—connects the entire military zone. Mindlessly blundering around the corridor won’t be the smartest move, to say the least. Dzyuba’s lackeys must have had every crucial turning point covered. Right now, I’m already hearing the footsteps of at least a dozen people just along this corridor alone.

It’s not difficult for me to take down some mere guards alone, but having to keep an eye on another person is such a pain in the neck. With her puffy dress, she won’t be able to run more than ten steps without being detected. They won’t bother trying to target me. They will throw tear gas grenades, fire anesthetic shots, or aim at Alice’s legs to neutralize her. And if she drops dead, I have no reason to run anymore.

How are we ever going to get out of this mess?

Hold on. I’m such an idiot. I told her to leave everything bulky behind, but missed the biggest culprit of all.

“Actually . . .” I clear my throat. “Can we just remove your dress?”

The thing is probably a delicate commodity, a valuable gift, a whatever. Being alive is a bit more important than smooth fabric.

“Pardon?” She widens her eyes.

“Can you take—”

“I heard you. No.”

“Look at how clunky that crap is. You will trip on it. Listen, I’ll give you my jacket, okay?”

“It is not as cumbersome as it looks. I doubt it would be harder to maneuver with my dress than with your jacket—”

“Have you seen the freaking thing? The laces are strapped on it like vines. They drift on the floor as you walk!”

“”I am not taking it off! I cannot afford to lose it!” She hisses.

She’s starting to get on my nerves now. “Stop talking back! I’ve been out here long enough to know what kills you!”

Her face curls up as she bares her teeth. “You have no right to take it away from me. The dress is mine, and you are disrespecting my privacy.”

“Privacy. Priva—are you for real?”

“Is privacy a joke in your world?”

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I can just slit her dress open right now, but that’s a dumb thing to do. I can’t make her think badly of me. Fuck, Alexei. Be nice. Be like Roman.

“Who said anything about taking it or throwing it away?” I reply. “I’ll tie it onto my waist, so its life is attached to mine. I will protect it with my life, okay? I’ll give it back to you once we’re out of here.”

Her face softens. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Then we will protect it with our lives. Promise you won’t lose it.”

“Promise.”

I don’t know what expression I’m making, or if I’ve gotten my sincerity across. But she blushes a little as she licks her lips.

“I will not object,” she says. “But my, oh my, how indecent a sight it would be.”

“What are you on about? Just take it off.”

“I cannot just take it off in front of you.” She turns away. Her face flushes red as she murmurs, “You could have just carried me instead . . .”

“Wait. You’re right. I can carry you.” Gosh. My brain must have turned off today.

She punches me in the arm. “Alexei!”

“So do you want me to carry you or not?”

“You may.”

I kneel so she can climb on my back. She’s unbelievably light, and her skin’s soft enough to sink into my biceps.

“What are you planning on doing now?” She can’t focus her gaze on me when she talks. Her expression is probably one of either embarrassment or seething anger.

“See the turn ahead?” I start running. “We need to cut through this corridor alive. After that, we need to get to the control room. It’s just behind the dining hall.”

“Why the control room?”

“Oh. Good question. Why the control room? The control room is the place where all fire alarms and rehearsal bells are installed. Think about it.”

“Mhm.”

“We will infiltrate the control room and turn on the alarms around the gun depots. Most of their forces will head there, so we can run out through the western watchtower, to head to the mountains. You get it?”

“Yes. That is very astute.”

“Because it’s my idea.” I snort. “Seems like nobody’s up ahead. Time to roll.”

I stride like a Camp C danseur. As I land on my toes in the middle of the hallway, I notice how the main corridor is suspiciously empty, but for a couple of figures a few dozen meters from us. They’re beside a door, with their backs facing us.

I take a leap forward, feeling like a cat on the hunt for food. You see their shadows one second, and then you don’t.

As soon as I get my feet to the other wall, I crouch. I shake my shoulders so hard that Alice’s head almost crashes into the wall. I’m met by her eyes, a pair of glancing, venom-filled eyes. She must be fuming, but at least her skull’s intact.

I knock her close to my shoulder as I crawl even lower, trying to trace the path in my memory.

Time’s running against us. I can already imagine the full-scale alarm roaring in my head as soon as someone spots the bodies I’ve left in our wake.

Before reaching the junction ahead, I catch the sounds of footsteps, soldiers rushing in to hold guard positions in the hallway ahead. Their arrangement is on point. Two people stand at both ends of each narrow hallway, so those who charge towards them will be sandwiched like a piece of liver pâté. I don’t have much time to take a detour, but taking a few more lives means leaving them a few bodies to carry out.

While I’m pondering the solutions, a dry, thumping sound echoes from beside my feet.

“Our bread,” Alice whispers.

I stare at the loaves lying idly on the floor. Not now! Why is it always something dropping that fucks me over?

A stout voice rings out from the other end of the corridor. “Who’s there?”

Fuck.

We’re busted.