Sebastian and Juliana continued running toward the desk, then ducked and squatted in front of it.
“This is your last chance!” Seth shouted in German. “Come out or die!” He winked at Juliana, then stood and pointed his pistols over the desk. Nothing happened, so he jumped up on the desk and walked across it.
Bullets fired up at him, and one caught him through the leg. Sebastian toppled to the desk, pulling the triggers on both his pistols, but they were empty.
Juliana stood in time to see Seth growl and leap on the Nazi guard in the gas mask, who waved a smoking pistol of his own. Juliana ducked as he fired it wildly. She crawled around the desk, and found Seth had pinned the Nazi with his legs and stripped off his gas mask, and was now beating the guard’s head with the butt of an empty pistol, drawing blood from his nose and jaw.
Juliana touched the guard’s head, killing him fast. She looked toward the guard who’d only been wounded, but he was curled up in convulsions. She killed him, too. Seth dropped his empty gun and took two more pistols from the dead S.S. guards.
“Everyone must have heard that,” Sebastian said. “It’s probably still echoing in Kranzler’s office. They’re all coming for us.”
“Then let’s prepare to kill all of them.” Juliana opened the door to the maternity hall. They found Mia in one of the spacious bedrooms, sprawled on a quilted bedspread on a queen-sized bed, next to an empty bassinet with a teddy bear dressed like a German soldier. Her stomach had grown much larger. Her eyelids barely lifted as she saw them, and she gave a drowsy smile.
“My friends,” Mia said in a drugged voice, half-heartedly waving one hand without raising it from the bed. “I love you both so much.”
“We’re leaving,” Juliana said. “Get moving.”
“Leaving? No...Why?”
“We have to escape,” Sebastian said. “Can you get up?”
“Hmm, yeah.” Mia’s eyes closed. She was deep in Alise-induced ecstasy.
“We have to go now!” Juliana took her by the shoulders. Mia’s dress had shifted, leaving one shoulder bare, and Juliana accidentally burned her with her touch. Blisters welled up on Mia’s shoulder and neck, and she hissed and pulled away. She sat up, rubbing the infected area and scowling at Juliana, as if the pain had woken her. Then a flash of recognition crossed her eyes.
“Juliana!” Mia looked from her to Sebastian, then touched her swollen stomach. “Oh, God. What have I done? Oh, God, Juliana, I’m sorry...I....” She started to weep, covering her eyes. “I’m an awful person.”
A shrill, clanging alarm echoed through the entire base at a deafening volume.
“They’re coming for us,” Juliana said. “We have to go. They could be here any second.” The barracks and armory were in the southeast quadrant of the base, while the cellblock and dormitories were on the southwest quadrant, not far away.
Mia nodded and pushed herself to her feet, ignoring Sebastian’s offered hand. “I’m ready.”
They hurried out along the corridor, Juliana and Sebastian side by side, Mia protected behind them.
“They could already be waiting for us outside that door,” Juliana said.
“Let’s go out shooting, then,” Seth said.
“Wait, I can look.” Mia grabbed Sebastian’s arm and closed her eyes. “Not yet, there won’t be anyone out there. But a lot of them are coming, we’re going to have trouble.”
Juliana opened the door and led the way out.
“The stairs to the exit are just one level up,” Sebastian said, angling toward the stairwell.
“But there are probably more guards on that exit than any other,” Juliana said. “In case we try to escape. I think we should cut across to the administrative area and use that exit. It’ll be less protected against us escaping.”
“But the stairs are right there!” Sebastian argued.
“No, I think she is being smart,” Mia said. “They would expect us to try and leave the same way we entered.”
“I’m going up the stairs!” Sebastian insisted, tucking one pistol in the back of his pants. He grabbed Mia’s hand, startling her.
“You’ll die up there,” she said quickly.
“Just checking.” He let go of her hand. “So we go right through the center of the base, through the labs, towards the offices and apartments of the people in charge. Is that actually our plan?”
“Yes.” Juliana began to run. He hurried just behind her, trying to catch up.
Mia took Sebastian hand’s as they ran.
“What are you doing?” he asked.