Facility 42 was not the nicest of places to be. This was particularly true for those who it was designed to be holding, but the facilities guards didn't exactly have a good time of it either. It was isolated, both by its status as a prison and by its status as classified. There was no reason for anybody to be there unless they were forced to be, and so everybody who was there, was forced.
It was therefore perfectly natural that McFreeman should end up there; life mocking his name repeatedly even as he tried to prove its truth. And so he trudged through the mud of the road to the mines, surrounded by a downtrodden group of like-minded individuals, watched constantly by irritated guards, just as he had every day for the past two months.
But this morning would be different. Had any of the downtrodden prisoners been paying attention, or the guards alert for exterior threats as well as interior, somebody might have noticed the signs on the road of an obstruction. True the megaspider web was not easy to spot in the dim light, but neither was it invisible. Unfortunately for them, they did not spot it.
The front two guards hit the net. Unaware of the sudden obstruction, the next two found themselves caught in it. Before they could take stock of what had happened, the first row of prisoners poured into the guards. Even as the screaming began, momentum forced on the next row of prisoners into the lump. Fortunately for some of them, the bodies already clinging to it prevented many getting snared. It did not matter much. No matter what happened, the Megaspider would eat well.
At the back of the group, McFreeman was fortunate enough to avoid the immidiate disaster. He was not able to avoid the chaotic breakup of the entire group however, as screaming men, and indeed women, began running panicked in every direction. Even the guards were not beyond panic, yelling contradictory orders whilst firing wildly into the trees as if under attack.
As McFreeman watched in horror, the Megaspider descended into the crowd, somehow producing a horrific screech with means beyond his ability to fathom. As it began laying into the guards, McFreeman's mind popped back into action. RUN! But where too? SAFETY! What was safe? After a second of calculation, McFreeman turned and began sprinting down the road he had just arrived along.
A few short seconds later, he found himself with a companion, a young woman he had met upon arriving named Another McSurvivor. For a several moments, they ran in silence, before McFreeman abruptly realised it was easier to run beside the road and veered off, prompting a suprised "Whoa, come back!"
After a minute of further running, McFreeman spotted the guard towers of the camp. Already he could hear the alarms splitting the air, and faint shouts from within the compound. He kept running. "What are you doing? Why are we runnign towards the guards?" McSurvivor clearly didn't understand the plan Gordan had created in his head. No matter, he didn't have time to explain it.
As they swerved around the final corner before the camp, McFreeman began to pull away from the road, beelining for a small hut that had been left unguarded in the panic. He slammed open the door, and grabbed hopefully for the first large thing he could find. He needed to make this fast, no time to spend dithering about what to take.
Moments later, McFreeman was back outside, running for the camp proper. He had a weapon, now he needed food and other such things. The chaos of the attack would provide perfect cover for one more man running around in panic, and with luck he would be long gone before they realised he was even escaping. He glanced back slightly, and found Another right behind him. Okay, maybe it would be them escaping rather than just him.
One quick looting of the camp later, the two of them were fleeing into the trees, followed by the sound of gunshots, along with the occasional scream as the megaspiders ever-present webbing snared yet another victim. Finally, McFreeman could once again claim to live up to his name, as, he supposed, could McSurvivor. He could finally return to working towards his dream, of a true democracy.
"Stop right there!" The yell came from somewhere to their right. As Gordans head spun, he caught the image of one of the camp guards, pistol raised towards them. For a moment, his mind froze, then for another whirred frantically. He turned to the side as he ran and hurled the Crowbar he had picked up with all his might. A puff of smoke blossomed from the gun.
McFreeman slammed to the ground as pain exploded within him, blackness taking him in an instant.