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Late at night, a select few people stood assembled around my desk-Alex, Jacob, Brad, Brandon, Nikolai, & Hannah. "All right, let's go over this one more time. Alex & Hannah, you're going to seduce the guards, allowing me & Brad to slip in." Pointing to Brandon & Nikolai, I said, "You two are going to ask to work in the hangar. Get the cruise ship that arrived today started up so we can leave as soon as we get there with everyone else. While we load the ship, everyone with a weapon will be fighting off the guards. Any questions?" Everyone solemnly shook their heads. "Good luck, everyone. Dismissed."

The next morning, harsh sunlight streaming into the cell from the upper levels, jolting me awake. Pulling myself out of the ragged bed, I reached underneath the cloth & wrapped my fingers around the pistol given to me by Thomas last night. I pulled on my patchwork jacket & slipped the sidearm into a hidden pocket on the inside. I walked over towards the cell door where the rest of my work group stood assembled. The guard unlocked the door, & we followed him out. That's odd, I thought. Thomas was the guard who was supposed to be escorting my group today. Then, I got my answer through a large crack in the brick wall. Thomas' body hung from a leafless tree by a rope noose, blood spilling out of a ragged gunshot wound in his head. So much for Thomas' help, I thought.

As we rounded the corner, I ducked behind a stone pillar & watched until my group disappeared, then moved quickly, silently, through the halls towards the armory. I stopped as I neared the bend leading to the armory & took a peek. Brad stood at the opposite wall, watching in the same manner I was. Then I saw them. Alex & Hannah walked up, laughing & flirting with the guards. As I watched them lead the two men away, I nodded to Brad & we both made a mad dash for the armory, throwing the door open & carefully shutting it behind us. "Assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols...This'll do quite nicely." I said, taking a shotgun off the wall & testing its weight. "This bad boy'll be mine." I heard Brad say. I turned around to see an enormous minigun slung over his shoulder, a belt of ammo stretching into a backpack on his back. Grabbing a similar pack & dumping the ammo out of it, I filled it to the brim with weapons small enough to be carried inside. "All right, let's get out of here before the guards show up." I said.

Just then, the door flew open, & Duke stepped in, carrying a massive shotgun. "Well, well, well." he said triumphantly. "Ain't this a coinky-dink." He pulled the trigger & a large section of the wall near my head was obliterated. Running & sliding underneath him, I cocked my fist & rocketed it straight up into his groin. Duke wheezed & crumpled in a heap. Brad ran out after me & we took off running. "We gotta hurry", I said, "If Duke knows, we've got to work fast to evacuate all the kids." Running through the halls, I turned left & right, blasting the locks off cells & shouting to their inhabitants to follow us. "Keep going towards the hangar!" Brad shouted. "I'll head to the upper levels & free the kids there!" Nodding, I ran left towards the hangar, my group in tow. Tossing my pistol to a boy behind me, I took aim at the first of 2 guards with my shotgun & fired. His head exploded in a spray of blood & the half-decapitated body fell to the ground. I heard 3 shots pop off as the second guard toppled to the ground, an expanding halo of red around his head, neck, & chest. As I heard the boat's horn 3 times, I shouted, "If you want to get out of here, get on that cruise ship!" Before the boarding ramp had even completely lowered, kids jumped on & carefully walked up onto the deck of the ship.

Hearing the sound of feet thundering down the hall, I raised my shotgun but saw Brad & an even bigger group following behind him. "Start handing out those guns!" he shouted. "Duke & the guards are right behind us!" Looking farther back, I saw he was right. Duke & a horde of guards were rushing after them, firing at the kids in the group. Duke pumped his shotgun & fired, his shot slamming into the back of a girl of about 14. I heard her scream & watched her spasm once, twice, then die. Unable to control my anger, I rushed away from the boarding ramp, lifting my shotgun & firing. The shot tore through Duke's arm, and he cried out & dropped his shotgun. Walking up to him, I pumped the gun & placed the barrel right between his eyes. "Lights out, you son-of-a-bitch." I said, squeezing the trigger. A hot flash & a deafening bang accompanied the backspatter of blood that signified the end of John Duke.

Rushing back towards the boarding ramp, I stopped to close the eyes of the girl Duke had shot, then straightened up & tossed my bag of weapons into the crowd of guards, rushing up the boarding ramp. "What the hell are you doing, Sam?!" Brad shouted angrily. I whipped a detonator out of my pocket & said, "Giving them a little surprise." I pressed the button & a massive explosion signified the end of the guards. I turned back & stared at the island which for so long had been my life...And turned away. Alex walked up to me & squeezed me tightly. "You really are a hero, Sam." she said, kissing me lightly on the cheek. "You're my hero." I smiled & collapsed to the deck, staring up at the early morning sky, still specked with stars.

Epilogue:
Waving to the driver of a white truck as it peeled off, I stepped onto the front porch of the house I could never forget-My house. I wondered if my family even still lived here. Cautiously, I knocked on the door. Even if they were here, would they recognize me? I looked down at my torn & dirty clothes. Would they believe where I'd been? My thoughts were interrupted as the door creaked open. "Can I help you?" a woman of about 41 asked, a white streak creeping through her otherwise blond hair. "Mom." I said. I watched her eyes flash with recognition & fill with tears. "Samuel...Samuel, my boy, my son..." she sobbed as I stepped inside. "Who's at the door, Mom?" a boy of about 13 asked as he rushed down the stairs. Drying her eyes, Mom said, "Sam, this is John. John...This is your brother." I smiled & ruffled his hair as he stared up at me, brown eyes shining. "Hey, little bro", I said, "Guess we've got some catching up to do."