The Chosen.

Escape

The group stands collectively staring at Valerie as she sits on the couch in the pod. She smiles back innocently, not a thought behind her eyes. I honestly wonder how she made it through nursing school.

"We have to tie her up. Make it look like we roughed her around for her key card." Zeke says with his arms folded snugly across his chest.

"I have some duct tape in my bag!" Mia slides her backpack of her shoulders and unzips it.

"Why do you have duct tape?" Bill asks through narrowed eyes.

Mia pauses momentarily before saying "Mind your own business, Billy."

I giggle while Bill steps away from Mia letting her through with the duct tape. "Sit here." Mia instructs Valerie. With out hesitation, she switches from the couch to one of the dining room chairs.

Mia begins taping Valerie's legs, one to each of the legs of the chair. Zeke pulls her hands behind the backing and duct tapes her wrists firmly together.

"Here tape her mouth shut, June." Mia hands me the duct tape.

"Gladly." I rip a piece of the gray sticky tape from the roll.

"June wait. I just want you to know that i didn't know about you and Bill. Cross my heart." She attempts to move her arm but remembers she is restrained. She gives me a soft smile but i'm honestly not in the mood.

I slap the piece of duct tape over her mouth, glad to be free of her voice. 

"Can't kiss Bill with duct tape on your lips." I whisper with a smirk before rising from where i knelt on the ground. She furrows her eyebrows and i respond with a haughty grin. I love that she can't talk back.

"Let's go." I order as i snap the key card from its holder around Valerie's waist.

Quietly we tiptoe our way down the long dark hallway, making sure to stay close to the wall. Over the past few weeks, Zeke had slowly been moving the cameras every day. Now, just along the left side of the wall is right out of view of all security cameras.

We reach the first door and i scan the card. The light turns green and we all pass through with out issue.

Making our way to the second door, i scan the card. The lights abruptly turn red. My heart jumps into my throat.

Fuck.

I scan it again. Green.

A collective sigh of relief echoes behind me.

I throw open the door and am met face to face with an empty stairwell. Feet shuffle behind me as we all run down the stairs as fast as we possibly can. I know they probably haven't noticed we're missing yet but if they have, we have no chance of making it out.

At the bottom of the stairwell, my fingers fumble with the cold steel of the door knob. I scan the card, pushing the door open.

My heaving breath flows from my lungs making a cloud of vapor into the night air.

I'm outside.

I close my eyes taking in just a moment of a little bit freedom. The outside world feels so close i can taste it. But the job isn't done, i have to keep going.

Mia and i rip the backpacks from our backs, pulling tiny hand held mirrors and a pack of gum from the smallest zipper. We make a brief moment of eye contact as we each run to a corner of the yard.

I slip the piece of peppermint flavored gum into my mouth, chomping down harshly as i run. As i approach the corner, i fall down to my hands and knees. Using the vapor from my breath, i breathe a big sigh towards the tiny box in the corner of the yard.

The red beams of light become visible. Pulling the gum from my mouth, i stick it to the ground next to the box and place the mirror towards the laser light. Stuck to the gum, the mirror reflects the beam of light straight up into the air.

I nod to the boys. They begin to run through the yard now free from any alarm tripping lasers. Mia and I follow closely behind.

Tom pulls wire cutters from his back pocket and begins to snip at the incredibly tall chain link fence, careful not to snag any of the barbed wire. Turning around, i study the building looking for any inclination of us being caught.

The corner of my eye catches a house keeper as she cleans a window. Every muscle in my body freezes.

Her eyes stay glued to her hands as she streaks across the glass pane with a rag. Suddenly, her eyes fall to mine.