The Phoenix

Rescued

Lucy had been in the room? Cellar? Prison cell? so long she'd lost track of time. The people holding her refused to tell her the time, kicking her in the ribs, which were broken by now, every time she asked. It didn't even matter how much time she had left now. She'd accepted her fate.

There was no way the US was going to give them 5 million, even if it was in exchange for her life. Lucy knew that, and she understood. All she could do was hope that her death would be quick, but she knew it wouldn't be. They would make a show of it.

Her only wish was that Emily and Sawyer would go on without her. She and her siblings were no strangers to death, but her's would be different. Lucy could at least take comfort in the fact that Aaron would take care of Emily. Her sister would never have to go through it alone, and that was what was important. Then there was Leo.

She wanted him to move on. He deserved loved, even if it wasn't with her. The guilt and pain of his girlfriend's death shouldn't keep him from that.

Emily was still the main thought on her mind. There was no way she wasn't feeling guilty for what had happened to her. Lucy hadn't wanted to go to London at first, but Emily had encouraged her. It was impossible to imagine how much of a toll it would take on her sister. The guilt would only cause more problems for Emily if she let it show.

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by something that sounded oddly like gunshots. Her mind was cloudy at first. The time spent in that room had done a number on her already bad mental state. Then more gunshots, followed by yelling, and the pounding of footsteps above her. The sounds continued for what seemed like a few minutes before the sound of the door opening startled her.

"Looks like the cavalry's here. Your time's up Lucy," he said, turning the light on, knife in hand.

She didn't react at first, her mind in a daze. It wasn't until he approached her that she reacted. The plea for her life came out strangled.

"I really don't want to do this but, I have to." he explained, a hesitant pain in his eyes.

"No, you don't. Please, don't do this. Just let me go," she begged.

"I'm sorry," he said, bringing the knife to her neck.

That was the moment her survival instincts kicked in. Sink or swim. Kill or be killed.

She brought her knee up into his groin. He dropped the knife and doubled over. Lucy shoved him out of the way and made a break for the door, only to be grabbed by the ponytail and slung into a wall. Her head slammed into it, and her vision went slightly blurry. Still, she wasn't going to die this easily. Not when she had a chance to live. She had to see everyone again, Emily, Sawyer, Leo, Seth, Aaron, Eliza, Zimmer, all of them.

Lucy straightened up and punched him in the face, the skin of her knuckles tearing. He kicked her in the ribs, which were already incredibly sensitive, and threw her across the room. Despite the blurriness, she saw the knife sitting on the ground only inches away and grabbed it. The man didn't notice when he walked over and picked her up by the neck, holding her against the wall as he choked her. Just as her vision began to go black, she reached up and shoved the blade into his abdomen. She managed to keep her footing when he let go of her neck. She must have hit somewhere vital because he immediately fell onto the ground.

Lucy was still holding the knife in shock when someone kicked the door in. It was an Asian woman in FBI gear. She recognized her as Hannah Wells. She was often in the White House and was decent friends with Emily.

"Lucy?" the woman asked hesitantly. "My name is Agent Wells. I'm getting you out of here,"

That was when Lucy finally realized what had just happened. She registered the feeling of warm, sticky blood on her hands.