Page 24 of Bishop
I let my eyes trail over each of them. None of them have had anything to eat in a long while. They don't have shoes or anything to protect them from the elements outside. Still, I know this is our only shot.
"Come on." I slowly push open the door. The old hinges groan, and I silently curse them.
Gabrielle grabs hold of April, who is behind her, and April grabs hold of Uma, who is at the end of the line. We're so close together I can feel Gabi's breath on the back of my neck. As long as I can feel her, at least I know she's okay.
I take the first step out the door and look both ways down the long hallway. I don't see anyone.
"Stay close to the wall," I order the girls, and just like old times, I fall back into my role as leader. I've been in battle situations before. I know how to get in and out without anyone noticing me, but I'm not at my peak. My eye is a little blurry from the beating Liam gave me earlier.
I let out a breath when we make it up to the first flight of stairs. It's been a while since I've seen these stairs, but I remember this being the way they brought me when we were first captured.
I take the stairs one at a time, listening closely with every step.
"I can't wait until they shut this place down. I'm so sick of this shit." I hear a guard above and stop the girls from moving.
The four of us hold our breath until the guard seemingly walks away.
The adrenaline pumps through my veins, and I thumb the small paring knife I used to break out of the cell. I'll have to use this as my only weapon. Once it seems like the coast is clear, I start up the stairs again, and the girls follow behind me. We make it up to the second floor, and there are windows scattered around. I don't see any windows around, but I think I'm on the final level. I don't remember going down more than one flight of stairs. Across a large open space, there's a ladder that seems to lead up to the surface. I remember one of the guards pushing me into a small hole, so this must be the way out. The only problem is there's no real place to hide. We're going to have to run straight through in order to get to it.
"Alright, do you see the ladder?" I whisper to the three of them, and all three nod their heads.
"Get to the ladder and climb out. I'm going to be behind you just in case anyone shows up."
"Okay." Gabrielle's voice shakes, but she takes the front, still holding onto April's hand.
"I can't believe we're here," Uma says. I'm just as shocked as she is.
My shock is quickly replaced with anxiety. I can hear guards coming in this direction. Not walking fast, but if we don't move now, they'll be on top of us before we can make it.
"Go now!" I snap. The sound of my heart beating fills my ears as I watch the three of them sprint across the open area until they make it to the ladder. Gabrielle goes up first while April and Uma follow close behind. It's easy.
But nothing comes easy to us.
The moment Gabrielle twists the handle to pop open the hatch, an alarm blares to life.
"Shit! Move now!" I yell, no longer worrying about staying hidden.
"Hey! Where the fuck are you going!" Three guards begin running down the hall in our direction. Guns are being pulled from holsters, and the window for us to get away is becoming smaller and smaller.
"Go, go, go!" I yell, and the four of us hustle up the ladder.
I can't even appreciate my surroundings. It's the first time I've seen trees in months, the first time I've tasted fresh air, but my focus is only on escaping.
"Run!" I yell just as the first guard pokes his head up out of the hatch. I pull my foot back and kick him square in the jaw. His head snaps back, and I watch him crumble down the hole. It's just enough to give us a little head start.
"Which way?" Uma calls out.
"Straight. Get into the trees!" I point in the direction I want them to go. Honestly, I don't care which direction we head as long as it's away from this place.
The four of us run as fast as we can. Uma falls a few times. She's still hurt from the beating she took more than a week ago. I know she's giving her all, but we can't slow down. I grab hold of her arm and take the majority of her weight so we can keep up with the group.
"Fucking stop! Now!" I hear someone scream out behind me. Fat chance in hell that's going to happen.
"Keep going!" I order the girls, and we dodge behind a tree at the last second. A bullet whizzes by my head. When I turn to see how many are behind me, there are at least six. No way I'm going to be able to take them on, especially when they all seem to be armed.
"Stop!" Gabrielle screeches from the front, and I see her skidding, trying to get her feet to stop her motion. There's a drop ahead of us. "Fuck! Turn right." I don't want to go in a circle, but there's no way we're going to be able to scale down these rocks. It's too steep, and I don't have nearly enough strength to get them down.
"What about there?" April points off into the distance. The trees open up a bit, which is not the best for us, but I do see a small ledge that looks as if it leads further into the dense trees above. If we get into those trees before the guards can catch up to us, then we may be able to outrun them. They won't know which way we've headed.