another minute to make sure he was not going to return. When she made her way back to the grate, the man that looked up moved a chair over to talk to her without shouting. “How did you get up there?” The man asked. “We are being held captive in another room. We must be one floor above you. Is everyone ok?” “No. We have one person that may not make it. She is hurt pretty badly.” The man looked back at the other three huddled in the corner and then back to Miranda. “We need to get out of here.” “I know. I am trying to find a way to get help. Just stay quiet and follow orders. Everything will be ok.” Miranda was reassuring the man even though she was not sure herself. She worked her way back through the vent, taking a different turn. She hoped that she could find something useful to get them out of here. As she came to the next grate, the sound of men talking became louder. There was a mix of languages, one being Italian and another was a form of English. She could not place the others. Several men were standing together in the room in a heated conversation. She recognized Giorgio and Armando next to the small desk to the side. “I told you that they would not give us the money.” Armando was saying. “Then we kill more people.” Giorgio picked up his gun from the desk and held it next to his shoulder. “They know the deal. The longer they take the more people we execute.” Armando was trying to calm him, “This is not working. They have seen us ‘kill’ three people already and they are not giving us the money.” He took a step a little closer, speaking in hushed tones. “We need a new plan. We lost our scapegoat and they are not meeting our demands. What are we going to do?” Giorgio looked Armando straight in the face and replied in a serious tone, “Then we kill them all.” Without another word, Giorgio motioned to the men to follow him and he walked out of the room. Armando was left there by himself, stunned by what he just heard. All of the hostages are going to die, they will not have any money, and their leverage would be gone. This will not end well for anyone. Miranda made her way back to the closet where Adrian was pacing the room. When he heard the grate move, he rushed over to help her get down. “You were gone a long time. Are you ok? Did you find a way to get help?” When she turned around, the look on her was worry and shock at the same time. She threw her arms around Adrian’s neck and pulled him close to her as she could. She whispered in his ear, “Don’t react. I do not want to alarm the others. They have decided to kill us all; for real this time.” Adrian pushed her back to arm’s length to look her in the eye. “Are you sure?” “Yes. They are doing it now.” “That does not make sense. Why would they do that? They would not have leverage.” Adrian was speaking louder, confused at the actions of their captors. It did not take long for Sophie to interrupt. “What does not make sense? What are you talking about?” There was no use trying to hide it any longer. Miranda spoke up first. “They are coming to kill us. They will be here shortly.” “Just like they killed us last time? Maybe they will kill you first so I can watch.” Sophie spat at Miranda, the venom in her words thick with hate. “Careful bitch or I will break your nose some more…..”Miranda started to leap forward before Adrian caught her. “Stop!” Adrian commanded to both women. “This is not the time. We do not have a lot of time. Men will be coming through that door any second to put a bullet in our heads. We have to figure out a plan.” The two women shook their heads in agreement, calming immediately before panic set in. They were both looking to Adrian for the answer. ‘Great.’ Adrian thought. ‘Once again the leader for something I have no clue about.’ He scanned the room to find anything that would be useful. The room was pretty empty except some