WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

CHAPTER 4: THE ALPHABET ESCAPE

Chapter 4

THE ALPHABET ESCAPE

Five Years Ago

WHEN IT CAME TO AN ESCAPE PLAN, THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A way out, even if it meant going to plan B, C, and on, but some‐ where down the alphabet—

It ends there too.

Venus anchored her locked ankles. She kicked the dirt and gravel from beneath her. Sweat trickled off the end of her eyebrow. The bitter taste of warm salt and water seeped into the corner of her mouth, but not enough for her to notice. She closed her mouth, and her lungs swelled, pounding against her rib cage as every countless breath only brought more damage. Every breath weighed heavy in pounds she couldn't carry. The pressure of fear and anxiety were the only things that could sustain her.

It seemed like everyone was running from external circum‐ stances out of their control those days.

Everything in her peripheral vision blurred at the speed of her steps. Her hands locked in an Olympic sprint, catching nothing but gusts of wind and a lack of oxygen all at once. Running down the empty hallways, she barely brushed past the two maids carrying a pile of white towels in their hands.

The screams stretched faintly to the sound of shoes clumping after her from a distance. Venus climbed the first three steps and then skipped the rest with giant leaps as she entered another capacious hallway. As she slid into the kitchen, chefs scraped metal spatulas and knives against each other. Pans slapped against the ceramic countertops. Hot steam evap‐ orated into the air from the sink water. Some of the chefs dashed away and yelled, too slow to move out of the way as Venus's shoulder bumped into their white aprons.

From her line of vision, Venus picked up a butter knife and chucked it behind her. She swiveled around to a flame leaping out of a pan. Her heart jolted out of her chest. A sharp inhale caused her to freeze. Venus halted on her tippy toes. The eyes of the chef enlarged as he stood only two millimeters away from giving her a second-degree burn.

There wasn't enough time to stop there, though.

Her instincts could feel her chaser closing in as she ducked along with the chef. She rolled on the metallic countertop with greens and diced ingredients, skating over it and tumbling down to break into her next getaway sprint. The balls of her feet felt inflamed. Venus took off and ran out of the kitchen and back into the empty hallways. The sound of the bulky shoes clumped even louder as they picked up the pace. She accelerated at top speed.

Breathing out of her mouth, she gasped more loudly than the chaser's feet ever could. Venus cut a corner and grabbed the end of a weighty cobalt curtain to turn and head for the gardens. She took off under the shaded pergola. The elegant passageway of greenery was brought to life by the sun. She pushed past some of the gardeners who were clutching garden hoses and jolted away. Reentering the palace, Venus descended the stairs and into the open hallway. She swiveled around the tight corners, her stomps echoing behind her into the cellar. Sweat leaked from her heated forehead, her focus concentrating on one and one thing only—to stay alive.

Quick punches flew in her direction at once. Venus ducked left. She ducked right. She returned with her boomerang attacks. Three jabs struck her right in the abdomen. She ducked and rolled. Venus swung out her leg to clock him right in the chest for the finale as he fell backward.