History ScrewThisImOuttaHere / Literature

** Hugo is quite proud of himself for fleeing from Sunnydale before Buffy could encounter and stake him after he rose from the grave. He spent two years traveling down the coast, killing people for their blood with impunity, before getting homesick enough to risk returning to Sunnyvale.
** Once their EnemyMine moment with Buffy is over, Billy Bob and his gang leave Sunnydale for "greener, bloodier pastures", although Buffy speculates that the pull of the Hellmouth and the oppurtunity to get famous by killing a Slayer will bring at least some of them back one day.
** In he short story "Absalom Rising" [[note]] Collected in the short story collection ''How I Survived My Summer Vacation Vol. 1'' [[/note]], SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan {{Mook}}s Jay and Corvelle want to flee Sunnydale due to how their new master the Anointed One is an incompetent leader who doesn't keep his subordinates well-fed and kills them for minor infractions. They repeatedly contemplate or attempt to slip away from their fellows once Absalom arrives in town to help the Anointed One, but are constantly stopped by risky circumstances or nearly being caught.

*** The Malfoys' [[spoiler:defection from the battle of Hogwarts in the [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows film]]]] has shades of this trope.

* ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'': A downplayed example: Ivy Maggs couldn't handle the discussions about opening a decapitated man's head (that was being kept alive artificially) and experimenting with the MyBrainIsBig trope, so she declared she'd had enough and left the room. She didn't abandon the good guys; she just walked away from that conversation.

** ''Literature/TheFallOfNumenor'': When the mighty army of Ar-Pharazon's army approaches Mordor, Sauron's own forces become so frightened of the Numenoreans that they desert their master.

* [[TheSmartGuy Finarfin's]] entirely sensible reaction to [[KillTheOnesYouLove the Kinslaying at Alqualondë]] and TheProphecy stating that everyone is going to die horribly, in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. He was initially reluctantly on board with the [[RageAgainstTheHeavens rebellion against the Valar]] because the BigBad [[YouKilledMyFather killed his father]]. After learning that his half-brother Fëanor started a fight with his wife's family though, Finarfin realizes that he has gone completely AxCrazy.
* Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: In the book ''Final Justice'', Stu Franklin ends up pulling this. On his way out, he warns Isabelle Flanders that they're going to get caught and that they should flee. This may qualify as a HeelFaceTurn. Then, again, maybe not, if the book ''Cross Roads'' is anything to go by.

* ''Literature/TrueGrit'': One of Lucky Ned’s men turns his horse away from Rooster halfway through the climactic shootout and gallops out of the meadow.

*** In ''Darksaber'', when Bevel Lemelisk hears his employer prepare to use the poorly-constructed super weapon he just built, he excuses himself to leave the room and then runs for the shuttle bay to get off the installation before the battle starts and the ''Darksaber'' is either destroyed by attacking forces or blows itself up due to the aforementioned construction flaws.

* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': An incoming student-witch named Minjin tries to flee during the opening ceremonies for her new (and evil) magic school after an older student kills one of Minjin's classmates in a WizardDuel. However, she doesn't survive the escape attempt.

* [[TheSmartGuy Finarfin's]] entirely sensible reaction to [[KillTheOnesYouLove the Kinslaying at Alqualondë]] and TheProphecy stating that everyone is going to die horribly, in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. He was initially reluctantly on board with the [[RageAgainstTheHeavens rebellion against the Valar]] because the BigBad [[YouKilledMyFather killed his father]]. After learning that his half-brother Fëanor started a fight with his wife's family though, Finarfin realizes that he has gone completely AxCrazy.

* ''Literature/TheHardyBoys:'' : Done fairly often by villains, with varying degrees of success or originality.

** In he short story "Absalom Rising" [[note]] Collected in the short story collection ''How I Survived My Summer Vacation Vol. 1'' [[/note]], SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan {{Mook}}s Jay and Corvelle want to flee Sunnydale due to how their new master the Anointed One is an incompetent leader who doesn't keep his subordinates well-fed and kills them for minor infractions. They repeatedly contemplate or attempt to slip away from their fellows once Absalom arrives in town to help the Anointed One, but are constantly stopped by risky circumstances or nearly being caught in the act.
* In ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow'', Scrape the Otter attempts to get the other animals to desert Chauntecleer's army because he is afraid of fighting Cockatrice. Chauntecleer defies the trope by dealing with Scrape immediately, picking him up [[LaserGuidedKarma and dropping him in with the Weasels]], persuading him to abandon the plan.

* ''Franchise/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In ''Mortal Fear'':

** Once his EnemyMine moment with Buffy is over, Billy Bob decides to leave Sunnydale for "greener pastures", although Buffy speculates that the pull of the Hellmouth and the oppurtunity to get famous by killing a Slayer may bring him back one day.

** Once his EnemyMine moment with Buffy is over, Billy-Bob decides to leave Sunnydale for "greener pastures", although Buffy speculates that the pull of the Hellmouth and the oppurtunity to get famous by killing a Slayer may bring him back one day.