The Importance

Escape

                                                                                     July 25, 2022

We tentatively push on the crazy swinging doors and luckily, Alex left them unlocked. I follow Devland down the dark hallway, both of us running our hands down the wall on our right. Neither of us has any sort of shoes on and I am glad, bare feet are quieter.

Any time we see lights on, we stop to listen for voices or any type of human noise. Devland seems to remember the way to the elevator. He must have an amazing memory because we only walked past it around three times.

We only went for three walks since we got here.

We do have to backtrack two times and I'm wondering where we are when a glowing sign above an elevator door explains that we have arrived. The silver doors are such a relief to view but a weird smell somewhat like.....smoke is in the air. The up and down buttons have tiny white glowing circles to indicate where the buttons are. Devland reaches for the up indicator.

Alarms scream everywhere and all of the lights instantly flick on around us. Devland hurriedly presses the up button over and over until the elevator doors slide open to reveal an unsettling face.

Devland doesn't know who it is but he instantly recognizes a gun at her waist.

She is only thirteen, why does she have a gun?

He pulls the dark object out of its brown holster on her belt and sticks it to Emma's head, holding her from behind in a threatening position as the elevator doors slide open.

There are so many floors.

I decide on 00. The knob lights up to orange when I press it. I search the entire elevator for a camera and when I find the tiny white piece of junk, I smash it with my small red flashlight.

"Oh you have know idea what my mother will do to you when she finds out.....do you even know who I am?"

Devland grips the trigger of the gun and fastens it against the side of Emma's face. "You are Emma Emmerson. You are thirteen years old and already a lousy spy," he whispers in her ear.

"Alexia, you have no clue who your little friend is, do you? If you only knew what he has done...."

"Shut it!" Devland presses the black gun into Emma's head and she gulps.

"I bet you don't know who his daddy dearest is."

I look back at Devland holding the small Glock and his eyes flash with a warning not to trust her.

"Oh...." Emma smiles. "You don't even know his last name," she sighs.

"Don't listen to her, Alexia, she knows nothing and you need to trust me right now."

Devland's expression is heavily drowned by guilt but I cover my ears. I can still hear the whistling alarms around us and hate the sound of my ragged breathing.

The elevator doors slip open and we are greeted by several angry people with an assortment of guns I would not care to be shot with. Mrs. and Mr. Emmerson stands behind them as the armored soldiers for a barricade for them.

I rush to hide behind Devland as he tightens his grip on Emma, one arm around her neck and the other holding the gun that he would gladly shoot.

The army of people raise their guns quickly but Mrs. Emmerson screams, "No wait!"

"Let our daughter go and I promise you that we won't force you to stay after we have found the algorithm," Mr. Emmerson pleads.

Alex sulks behind his parents but our eyes meet and he nods. I step out from behind Devland and he looks at me questioningly but quickly improvises.