After Aster bolted out of the room, he quickly looked to his right and then his left, ensuring that Rigel was nowhere in sight. He continued moving as tiny bits of relief filled his veins.

Aster shook his head. I can't get too happy yet. Who knows if I'll see his ugly mug along the way, and he won't hesitate to cut my throat out, he thought as a shiver ran down his spine.

Finlay was easygoing and rarely showed off his temper. Rigel, on the other hand, had a special knack for getting under people's skin with his sharp tongue and was eager to see blood spilled, especially if he was the one who got to do it.

Aster cautiously approached a circular silver elevator at the end of the hall before slipping inside. Let's see, what button is it...uh? Aster thought as a tiny bead of sweat rolled down his cheek as he stared down at the buttons on the door.

Crap, just my luck! Aster angrily thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. Fuck it! I can't go wrong with up! Aster screamed inside his mind as he hastily pressed the arrow, aiming upward. The button glowed white after he pressed it.

Creak!

The squeaking sound the metal made as it shifted inside to send the elevator into an upward spiral made him think the thing was ready to break down. Aster nervously gulped when the piece of junk took its sweet time going up, each number on the screen above gradually increasing.

Can't this thing go any faster? Aster thought as his jaw tightened. He anxiously watched the neon numbers before his heart dropped when the elevator stopped and opened its doors without warning as if welcoming his killer inside.

Aster quickly hid in the corner to avoid being seen by a guard outside of the entrance. He carefully peeked around the doors and looked around. Not seeing a single guard in sight so far, he stepped outside.

It's still just more damn cells! Aster thought while running through the halls. He stumbled forward and gripped onto the railing in front of him to prevent himself from falling over to the lower deck. His head snapped to the right in a panic in the direction of the faint sound he thought he heard.

"I'm sick of looking at all these damn criminals; I just want some food already," a woman said with irritation tainting her voice.

"Our shift is only a bit more; you'll survive," a man spoke out in a teasing tone, clearly aimed at getting under her skin.

Aster's eyes widened in shock when three silhouettes danced along the wall down the hall as they were heading closer. You gotta be kidding me; there are three on this floor? he thought, disturbed that the guard amount had increased unexpectedly.

Not having much time to think about it, he jetted across.

Squeaaak!

Aster lowly cursed when his shoes rubbed against the floor too roughly, causing a good enough noise to permeate the air.

The footsteps not too far from him suddenly stopped.

"Did you hear that?" the woman said to one of the men next to her.

"Probably just your stomach," the other man teased as he leaned forward.

"Shut up already!" the woman hissed, sounding more annoyed than before.

Aster didn't stick around for long and booked it to the next elevator he saw. The problem was that the hunk of metal wasn't too far away from the three prison guards heading his way.

Aster felt his lungs burning with each breath he took. He dove inside and frantically looked at all the buttons, unsure of which choice he should make. Damn it, I don't have time for this, he thought, panic welling up in his eyes when he glanced up and saw the shadows around the corner getting closer.

Damn piece of junk, take me out of here already! Aster screamed inside his mind as he repeatedly hit the up button in a state of panic, hoping to get away from the danger looming down the hall.

Hiss!

Aster retracted his hand as he gritted his teeth when the button sent an electric shock through his fingertips and blinked multiple times. He glanced up when he heard the metal scraping against each other. The doors soon shut, and the elevator preceded upward.

Maybe that wasn't my brightest idea. But at least it's moving much faster now, Aster thought. He leaned against the wall. His heavy breaths were the only noise breaking the silence. The tension in his muscles barely left since he didn't know what to expect next wherever this trash can was taking him.

Aster nearly choked on his spit when the doors flung open, and he heard two guards chatting with one another just outside. The color drained from his face when a single black boot stepped inside.

"Hey, you're not going to up on a different floor and leave me with all this paperwork, are you?" A man complained outside as he waved the papers in his hand around.

"That depends. Are you buying me lunch then?" The other man teased before Aster inhaled a shaky breath as the man stepped out of the elevator.

"Geez, you're such an asshole. But, if I do, there better not be a single mistake in this paper," the man explained as he started walking off.

"Anything you say, boss," the other man exclaimed in a purposely cute voice before he followed after him.

Aster's heart was pounding a mile a minute to the point he heard it in his eardrums. Once he calmed down a bit, he stepped nervously outside, unsure of what to expect.

He heard footsteps in each direction, and it became difficult to tell which one of them was getting closer or was off in the distance. I have to move quickly; if I'm too slow, I'm dead for sure, Aster thought as he swiftly moved forward, careful not to make a single misstep.

Something in his gut told him that if he made one bad move, it would be curtains for him, as if he was going to allow himself to die in a place like this. Looks like fate just loves giving me bad options, he thought as he moved around a corner.

Now, when I think about it, it's surprising that the alarms haven't gone off yet. Maybe Rigel hasn't found Finlay yet? Aster thought before he nearly fell on his face when he suddenly forced his feet to stop, causing a soft squeak to leak into the air.

Aster bit the inside of his cheek when he heard footsteps not too far from him. He would have to be an idiot to assume that the guard didn't just hear the sound he made. He took a couple of steps back, only to freeze when he heard footsteps coming closer behind him from another hallway.

Shit! I'm so screwed! Aster thought frantically as he looked around before he saw a small vent. Inside was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything past the darkness. He took a deep gulp before crouching down on the ground and slipping into the small space. He cupped his hand over his mouth when two pairs of boots stopped in front of where he was.

"Hey, didn't you hear something just a second ago?" A man asked, who possessed silky dark, short brown hair and bright green eyes.

"I thought I heard a small noise, but it's probably just that damn elevator again. They really should fix that shit, its an annoying as hell," the woman in front of him complained. She had beautiful, long red hair that flowed past her shoulders.

"You know, maybe it was a bug~," The woman said after thinking about it for a moment since she knew that the man in front of her hated them.

"Don't get my hopes up. Besides, if it was a bug, I could've tried my new toy on it," the man remarked with a sadistic smirk.

Crackle!

Blue electricity raced around the fingers of the metallic glove he was wearing on his right hand.

The woman leaned forward, her lips curving up into an amused grin. She reached up to pull him playfully forward by his black tie. "Then, how about you and me punish the criminal in cell 8? He still needs to be punished after all for spitting food into my face," she suggested with a crazed look in her eyes.

The man leaned closer, almost as if he was going to kiss her. "I thought you would never ask," he said with a bright smile, seeming quite happy about her request.

Aster watched as the two psychopaths briskly strolled away. Damn it, I thought I was going to die, he said as a relieved sigh left his lips.

Now, I just gotta..., he thought as he tried to move his left leg, but his eyes widened when he heard a crack. A yelp left his lips when he fell through the floor.

He plummeted into endless darkness before he harshly landed in a dimly lit room after crashing through the ceiling. "Fuck!" he cried out, forgetting for a moment that he shouldn't be talking out loud.

Confusion washed over his face as he looked over at a large cell that had three different laser walls going into numerous patterns that made it hard to look at. "What's up with this damn light show? It's a hundred times worse than my cell," he grumbled to himself as he stumbled back to his feet.