Isaac and I jog back up the stairs, ducking under the windows. This time, we don't stop, not even to breathe. The stairs are clear, but when we round the last flight, we run into two of Hartley's guards. They look shocked, staring down at us.

"Don't think of them as people," Isaac whispers, coming to stand beside me. He cocks his gun, the sound echoing around us.

"You can shoot someone without killing them," I mutter, taking aim for one man's foot. I fire, the recoil sending me backwards. I must have hit my target, because the man falls, roaring in pain. The other guard looks shocked, taking aim for us.

Isaac jumps to the left, and I press myself up against the wall to our right. Keeping my body low, I crawl up the stairs, tackling him around the knees. He hits the door hard. The impact knocks the gun out of his hand. His hands wrap around my middle, pushing me hard away from him. I slide across the floor on my knees.

His gun is beside me, and we see it at the same time. In one swift motion, I push it down the stairs, and he dives at me. He lands a blow to my stomach, another to my chin. I stumble for a second, feeling the steps slip out from under me.

Like I'm stuck in the spin cycle, I roll down the stairs, coming to a stop only when I run into the wall.

That's when I hear Isaac running past me, throwing himself, shoulder first into the guard. Isaac yells as he carries the grown man back up the stairs and slams him into the door. Pinning him up by the neck, Isaac delivers one blow to the nose, knocking the man out cold.

"You alright?" Isaac asks, jogging back down and offering me a hand. I take it, trying to catch my breath.

"All good," I say, hands on my rib cages. It hurts to breathe, and I can feel my face swelling. "Does it look bad?"

Isaac touches my face, wincing.

"Absolutely hideous," he says, smiling. Rolling my eyes, I push past him, climbing the steps again. There's no more guards out here, but I can see several inside.

"How are we going to get through all these guards?" I ask, more to myself.

"Fire at will?" Isaac says, appearing behind me.

"There has to be a better way," I mutter, watching them pace the hall. I look down at the two unconscious guards, radios hanging from their belts. "What if we lure them out?"

Isaac follows my line of sight, picking up the radio.

"It might work."

Together, we drag the two bodies down to the third floor door, opening the door and shoving them in. I snatch a card key and a set of building keys before I shut the door on them, listening to the lock click. Isaac has the radio in his hand, inspecting the buttons.

"Here's the plan. I'm going to radio in and say there's been a security breach in the basement. I'll say to send as much help as possible, because they're fighting back. With any luck, most of them will leave," Isaac says, "That'll give us a few minutes at least to barricade the door or something."

I nod, pressing myself up against the wall behind the door. I give him a thumbs up as he joins me, radio pressed against his mouth. He grips it, pushing the button with his thumb.

"Attention all guards, there has been a security breach in the basement. Two of the detained have broken out and are fighting against us. Please send us all available units for assistance," Isaac says, making his voice deep and unrecognizable. I have to hold back my laughter. The radio crackles, and I hear swearing behind the door.

"We are sending help, officer."

I grit my teeth as the door swings open and guards pour out. At least five come stomping out the door, running down the steps with their guns raised. I hold my breath as they jog down the steps, their voices echoing intelligibly in the hallway. The door swings shut, masking the sound of Isaac walking to the other side of the door.

"I cannot believe that worked," I whisper, waiting until I can no longer hear their heavy foot steps below us. When it's quiet again, I pull the door open, ushering Isaac inside. The lock clicks behind us, and I look up, only to see a guard standing at the end of the hall.

He has to be twice the size of Stephen, and I hadn't thought that was possible. He's bald and snarling at us. His shirt sleeves are tight, chest of the shirt pulling against the buttons. He has his hand poised on a box on the wall. That must be how he locked the door. He doesn't have a gun in his hand; it's still holstered on his hip. Yet, he does have a long metal pole in his free hand.

Behind him is the door to Room 406. I can see the black plaque that's nailed to the wall. The letter's are glittering gold, and there's no windows to this room. I just have to trust that Howard knows what he's talking about.

"Jay, I'll handle this," Isaac says, running a hand over his hair to get it out of his face. He cracks his knuckles, handing me his gun. "You go around him and get in that room."

All I can do is nod, because Isaac takes off running towards  the man, spreading his arms out on either side of him like a bird. I watch in awe as Isaac tackles him, going straight for the throat.

After that, it's hard to tell who is screaming. I push myself up against the wall, trying to stay out of the way and hurry towards the door. The man has Isaac by the arm, seemingly dangling him off the ground. Isaac  throws punches, though, nailing him in the face several times. It's an amazing sight.

As I watch, Isaac pulls away from him, rolling across the ground before he bounces back up. The man looks around for him, swinging his metal rod around as he moves. Isaac tackles him again from behind, locking his arms around his neck.

I sprint for the door, digging the two different key cards out of my pocket. I can't remember which one is which. So, I scan the first one. The light blinks red, beeping loudly at me. Tossing that key card on the ground, I swipe the second one, jumping back as the door slides open, sucking itself into the wall.

"Isaac! Let's go!" I shout, turning back around to face him. He's still on the man, hitting him right and left. The man isn't budging, though. When Isaac looks towards me, he drops his guard, and the metal rod nails him in the back of the head. I watch as he slips, falling hard to the floor.

"Isaac!" I scream, unable to budge. I wouldn't even be a match for the guy. He could pulverize me in one hit. As he walks towards Isaac, though, who is curled up on the floor holding his head, I see that infected back in Dunlap, jerking him away from me. I see the fear in his brilliant green eyes, the desperation as he reaches for me. I hear him saying my name, screaming it as the man begins to kick him.

The switch activates, and I push away from the door, shoving the guy with both hands. He doesn't budge, turning to look at me with a sneer on his face. I stare up at him, swinging the gun around again. He pauses, lifting one eyebrow at me.

"You gonna shoot me?" he says, the voice coming from deep inside him.

"I- I- I might," I stutter, holding my ground. His body shakes with laughter.

"Yeah, right, Muney," he says, reaching for my gun. I stab him in the hand with the end, not letting go as he snatches for it. I aim the gun for the ceiling, pulling the trigger. He jumps, glancing up at the hole I created. That half second gives Isaac enough time to recover, and he grabs the metal bar out of the man's hand, jumping on his back and wrapping it around his neck. The man roars, swaying where he stands. He smacks the air as he tries to reach Isaac, his face turning different shades of red. Isaac holds his ground, his face twisting as he applies pressure.

The man starts to sway, his swinging getting less and less threatening. His red face is blue now, his eyes drooping. He thunders towards me a few steps, eyes rolling back as he falls forward, collapsing on his stomach.

Isaac looks up at me, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was awesome!" he says, bouncing up. I can't help but laugh.

"You were pretty great," I say, watching him pull the cuffs out of his pants pocket. I hadn't even noticed he brought them. Laughing, he struggles to pull the man's arms together, cuffing them.

"I thought I was done for," he mutters, standing up again. Now his face looks rough. The skin around his eyes has several cuts and bruises, but the smile on his face is contagious.

"I wouldn't leave you."

"I know," he says, patting my arm. I turn then towards the room, walking through the door ahead of him.

As soon as my body passes through, the door slams between us, locking him out.

Panic seizes me.

"Jay! Jaelyn!"

His screams must be loud, because I can hear them over his banging. On this side of the door, there's no place to swipe the keycard. I feel around the edges for somewhere to slide it under, but there's no cracks.

"Isaac, I'm fine," I yell. After a long minute comes his reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Barricade yourself in. Don't let anyone in until I come out," I say, pressing myself against the door.

"Please don't do anything crazy," he says, desperately.

"I won't."

He goes quiet, and I close my eyes. We've spent almost every waking moment together for days. Without him beside me, the fear sets in my stomach.

"Jay?"

"Yes, Isaac?"

He's quiet again.

"I love you."

The air I'm holding in comes out in a huge wave, and the fear that I feel disappears. I rest my forehead against the cold metal, opening my eyes finally. That's why he would fight infected for me. That's why he's always trying to make me smile. I pull up a hand, hitting on the door gently.

"Jay?"

What is there to say back? Do I love him?

When I think of him, I think of the monsters he draws. Isaac to me is his ability to find happiness in the smallest things. He is the curl in his hair and the way he spins it around his fingers when he sketches. He is a bright smile. He feels natural to me, like the wind and sunlight. He gives me strength and courage.

"Jaelyn?" he says again, concern laced in his voice.

"I love you, too, Isaac," I finally say, letting myself breathe.

Neither one of us says anything for a long time.

"You can do this," he says, "You have to."

I know I can, I want to say to him, because you're right behind me. Instead, I nod to myself, pressing off the wall and turning around to face Room 406.