Sudden Bloodshed

Chapter 22

Brooke's POV
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After a while of nothing, I had finally reached my limit.
When I sat down to think, nothing came to mind and I just started crying, giving up. Then I thought: 'hey, you promised yourself, and that girl, that you would stop them. Now look where you are. You have to get out of here. Now.'

I looked up around the room. There wasn't anything but the beds and the kids and the nightstands and the door.

A door! That's it!

A smile spread across my face. After a long time, I finally had hope.

I jumped up and went over to the door. By now it was nighttime and so most of the kids had fallen asleep. The ones that were awake just watched me as I twisted the doorknob.
Locked. Of course.
Why did I think that it would just be open?

I sighed but I wasn't just about to give up. I played with the knob for a while. Shaking it and pulling it. Only to get nothing.

I frowned. How could I open this door? I stared hard at the doorknob. Looking for something. I didn't know what. Maybe an idea?

Then I saw it. A hole. A little hole in the center of the knob. I smiled again. This is just what I needed.

I had seen this same thing in the doorknob to my bathroom door back at home. The door was the type that could only be locked from the inside. But then there was a hole in the knob outside of the door. It basically acted as a keyhole. If you stuck something thin enough inside, you would have to twist it around and wait for a click. This indicated the door to be unlocked and you could open it.

I turned around and looked around the room. What could I possibly use? Maybe a hair pin. Heck, I had a ton of those. I got on my knees and undid my braid. My hair hadn't been brushed for days so this could be difficult. I put the hair tie on my wrist and dug through my hair.

It didn't take long to find one and I slid it out of my hair. I had to fight for it though; it was tangled in a knot.

After getting it out, I stuck the pin into the keyhole. Pressing my ear up to the door, I fiddled with it, just hoping and praying that it would work.

My heart dropped when I heard the slightest click.

Cautiously, I slid the pin out. My hand was shaking, causing my arm to hurt, as I brought it up to the knob. But at this moment I didn't care about the pain.

The few kids watching me, were now holding their breaths.

My hand wrapped around the knob and I twisted it. All the way.
I slowly pulled the door forward. A loud creaking sound echoed into the room as the door opened.

I did it. I got the door open. Pride and hope filed me to the top. I smiled even wider than before. Kids got up and instantly ran over to me. We were all silent as I opened the door as wide as it could go. We poked our head out into the hallway.

I looked to my left; there was a long tunnel-like hallway, closed doors on each side and a door at the very end of the hall.

I switched my gaze to the right, just to see the same thing.

After a few moments of standing there, I took step forward.

We were going to get out of here and nothing was about to stop me.
"Wake the others." I told the kids around me. "We're getting out of here."

They rushed back inside to wake their friends. I ventured further into the hallway, taking to the left.

My group quietly spilled out in the hall, following me.

I went up to the first door next to us. Twisting the lock and opening the door, a girl grabbed my shoulders and whispered in my ear, "thank you for this."

I smiled in response. We all peered into the room. My eyes widened.

It was filled with older teenagers. Teenagers I knew! They went to my sister' school. I could see them after school when I walked home.

The ones that were awake, snapped their heads up towards us. They looked at us in shock. Some looked afraid.

I took a step inside. "Hello." I greeted quietly. Me and three other girls walked fully into the room.

This woke up more of them. They rubbed their eyes and stared at us.

At first I didn't know what to do. Then I saw Ashley. She and I were friends. Not the closest, but close enough.

"Brooke?" She stood up. She had been sleeping on the floor when I walked in.

"Ashley."

She let out a little squeal and pranced over to me. She embraced me in a tight hug. "You're alive." She whispered. I nodded.

Others were staring at us. They seemed to relax a bit, seeing that we weren't Tasitalens.

She let go of me.

"So you were put on this ship too, huh?"

"Yes I was. I did some thinking and I knew that I just had to get out of here."

Ashley nodded.

"B-Brooke!"

My heart jumped and I looked behind Ashly. I saw America in one of the beds. She had a little boy with her, which I though was odd at first but then I shrugged it off.

I ran over to the bed and jumped inside. "America!" I hugged my sister. "I thought that I'd never see you again!" A tear slid down my cheek.

More of my group walked into the room. They were hugging missed siblings and friends.

It was like a big family reunion of some sort and voices filled the room. The door was closed, so that no soldiers could hear us.

Suddenly America let go of me and shoved me away from her.

A boy stood up from the side of the bed and picked up the little boy. Him and the boy looked a lot like each other.

He was lucky that he got his little brother to be with him.

I looked at America." What's the matter?"

America seemed afraid of me. What was her deal?

She didn't answer me.

"America, what is wrong with you?"

She hesitated."Nothing, it's just that...the last time I saw you."

I frowned. The last we saw each other was at the hotel. She was being taken away by a group of soldiers. I don't know if she saw what Zayjay and D'Anna did but, if she did, she most likely only saw them taking me around the corner. Just to be sure, I questioned her.

"The last you saw me...what?"

"You-you...killed..." She whimpered.

My eyed widened. She saw that. She saw everything. She saw D'Anna's last moments. She saw me kill her.

I didn't know what to say.

The two brothers, at that point left, leaving me alone with America.

After I didn't respond America broke the silence. "Why did you do it, Brooke? Why?"

I still had no idea what to say. Then it hit me. Emery.

"I had too! They were going to kill Emery-"I loudly gasped in realization.

It had been days. I had only a limited time before Zayjay would kill him. And again: It. Had. Been. Days.

After all this time I had completely forgotten.

But no matter how much I regretted it and no matter how much I hated myself now, it was too late.

The job had been done.

Emery, my little Emery, was dead.