The Escape ~ Gally TMR

Chapter Three

"Touchy subject?" Chris said apologetically. I shook my head, giving him a small smile.

"It's fine. We were taken from our friends. We, we don't know what happened to them." My voice suddenly became hoarse and meek. Chris nodded, obviously catching the vibe that it was most definitely not something I wanted to go into detail on. Shai sighed, stepping forwards a bit.

"We're going to find a way back to them." Her words seemed dark and booming as she said them, not an ounce of self doubt. I nodded weakly, watching as Chris' mouth went slack and his eyes grew wide.

"You're...you're actually going to escape this place?! Are you crazy? Do you know how many traps there are in this building? How many security guards you would have to get through? This place is rigged from top to bottom, there isn't a single inch of this building that's gone unscathed." It was now his turn to have the darkening voice, as though scarred with tragic memories of his past with this building.

"Yeah, well we're different." Shai said, crossing her arms over her chest in persistence. Chris chuckled, taking a step forwards so that he was eye to eye with the girl who could often be referred to as Satan's Spawn.

"How so?" He tested. Shai smiled, tilting her head even farther up so that their eyes would meet, rather than her short, tiny body making eye contact with his chest.

"We designed this building."My mouth was left hanging in shock. At first, the idea seemed ridiculous, but as I began to think on it more and more, the memories of this place suddenly came flooding back. Conversations with Chancellors about Code Black and how Shai and I would run it one day. How everything needed to be maximum security. Shai and I had helped design the blueprints for this place, booby traps and all. Glancing around, suddenly everything began to look familiar, not from physically being here before, but the design of things. The way walls were shaped, the style of the staircase, the handles on the doors. All of it was by design- our design. I bit my lip, suddenly realizing every single familiarity that before this moment I couldn't seem to place. Suddenly, it all began making sense. Things that had once ben blurry and vague in my mind coming into focus as I took in everything around me. We really were completely different people before the Maze. I noticed that Chris was frozen in shock, staring wide eyed at us as if we had suddenly become some sort of phantom legend. The stuff of myths or something. I waved a hand in front of his face, but the residual look of shock, terror, and amazement remained plastered on his face.

"Y-you two...designed Code Black? That...that's impossible! You're probably only a little older than me?!" He said, completely and utterly shocked at this statement. Slowly but surely, I nodded my head in confirmation.

"She's telling the truth. I...I remember it now. The designs, the traps. Wow, the things they can make you forget, huh?" I said, staring up towards the third and final floor, as well as the ceiling, and everything around me. Chris seemed in awe, as if he had suddenly become witness to two of the greatest human beings in existence. Shai was first to break the silence.

"Hey! Buddy!?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face, making him jump slightly, then blush to look at the ground.

"Sorry, it's just...me and a few of the others, we always talked about who we imagined designing Code Black, we never even considered the fact that they were still alive! Let alone close to our age!" Shai smiled a bit, nodding. It was like she was suddenly dealing with an awe struck child. Somehow, this made her soften up slightly.

"Yeah, well, here wee are. In the flesh. Now listen up, ok? You can't tell anyone about our plan to escape, ok? It will take some time, we can't get out right away. But eventually, no matter what, we will escape. Is that clear?" Christ smirked, nodding as he ran his his fingers through his dark black hair as if in thought.

"Ok...I won't tell. On one condition." Shai raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared up at the lanky boy."Excuse me?" She said, as I suppressed a giggle. That was Shai, completely unaccepting of any situation where she wasn't in control of the power. Chris just mimicked her motion, crossing his arm and smirking.

"You heard me, hot shot. I have a condition." Shai's eyes widened, but surprisingly, she didn't lunge for his throat. Instead, she stayed silent. Chris continued.

"When you escape, I want you to take me with you." Shai burst out laughing, shaking her head as I stepped forward.

"Oh come on, Shai! What's wrong with him?! He's more familiar with the building, he's-" Shai stopped laughing, rolling her eyes.

"Lilli! We don't need him! He'll just slow us down! Besides, we designed this building!" I shook my head.

"Yeah, we also haven't been here in years, and our memories are blurred. You don't know that we have all of it back yet. They could be keeping crucial parts of information that could render our escape plan useless! We could use him!" I was mostly standing up for him because I felt bad. He had worked here his whole life, most likely. He just wanted a chance at freedom. Shai bit her lip, sighing as she stared at the ground in thought.

"Fine. You can come with us. But, I'm not gonna tell you twice. You mess up even a single detail of our plan, and you don't get to come. Understood?" The tall boy nodded, smiling like a giddy school child.

"I won't. I promise. And I won't tell a soul. I promise." He smiled, dashing off back down the stairs, leaving Shai and I alone on the second floor, not a clue where to look for our rooms. Shai sighed, starting up the next flight of stairs.

"How old would you guess he is?" She said after a moment or two of silence. I shrugged, even though I was behind her and she couldn't see me.

"Not sure. 14 or 15 maybe?" Shai nodded.

"That was my guess too. How old do you figure that would make us..?" I sighed, biting my lip.

"18, maybe?" I had no clue. Shai sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, I guess." The rest of the trip of the stairs was followed by undisturbed silence.