Escape: Unravelling The Shadows

The Ultimate Decision

"What if there's a way, Ethan?" Chris leaned forward, his voice low but unwavering. "Are you willing to take that chance? Or should I say, take the risk?"

His words hung in the air, a challenge I hadn't expected. I met his gaze, feeling the intensity in his eyes. Chris wasn't one to offer empty words or false hope. If he was suggesting something, it wasn't just to comfort me—it was a real possibility.

I swallowed hard, trying to push through the fog of doubt.

What could he mean? What could I possibly do from here?

"What do you mean, risk?" I asked, my voice laced with uncertainty.

Chris didn't answer right away, his gaze fixed on me, as though he was waiting for the weight of his words to sink in. Finally, he spoke, his tone deliberate, measured. "The only way to find new evidence... is if you're outside."

He paused, locking eyes with me, his stare unwavering. "Ethan," he said, the urgency clear in his voice. "You need to escape this place."

The words hung in the air, heavy with the implications of what he was suggesting. My heart skipped a beat. Escape? It felt almost impossible, yet the way Chris said it made it sound like there was a chance—like it could be done.

For a moment, I couldn't even process the thought. The risks, the consequences—everything about this place was designed to keep us in, to trap us here. How could I even begin to think of escaping? But then again... what choice did I have? The death penalty was closing in.

"Even if that's his only way, how can he escape this place?" Vivian asked, her voice tinged with scepticism. She leaned forward, eyes narrowing as she processed Chris's words. "I mean, this place is built to keep us in. If there was a way out, people would've done it in the past, right?"

Her doubt was understandable. The walls of this prison were designed to hold people like us, and the thought of slipping through the cracks seemed impossible. But something in Chris's expression told me he wasn't speaking out of desperation. He believed it was possible, or at least, he was willing to try.

Chris leaned back, his expression thoughtful, as though considering how to explain. "You're right, Vivian," he said, finally breaking the silence. "I built this prison seven years ago. I worked in the police area until I was convicted of murder nine months ago. I know this place inside out. Escaping would be easy for me."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, neither Vivian nor I could respond. It wasn't just the shock of what he'd said, but the weight of it. Chris hadn't just been a prisoner here; he had helped construct the very walls that now confined him. He had access to things we didn't, and that made his words both a promise and a terrifying reality.

Vivian blinked, processing what Chris had just revealed. "You... built the prison?" she asked slowly, her voice filled with disbelief. "But if you know it that well, why haven't you escaped already?"

Chris shrugged, his eyes distant, as though weighing his options. "Escape is not my main priority, Vivian." He took a deep breath before continuing, "There's more to my case. If I were to escape, it would mean I'm admitting to the crime, because my case is different from Ethan's. Only in here, in this prison, can I prove my innocence."

The weight of his words settled between us. It was clear now—Chris wasn't seeking freedom just for the sake of it. His situation was tangled in a web of complexities, and he believed that staying inside was the only way to clear his name. That was something I hadn't even considered, a whole other layer to this place we were all trapped in.

Vivian and I exchanged a look, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind, just like mine. We were caught in a vicious cycle, each of us locked in a different kind of prison, and yet, Chris seemed to hold the key to something neither of us had fully grasped. He wasn't just a prisoner; he was a man with a plan—one that had nothing to do with running away, but everything to do with fighting for his innocence from the inside.