The Life of Jacob Track (Book Two of the 33X Series)

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

October 2015

Zacchya Packers was running for her life. Her lungs burned so much that she could barely catch her breath. Her feet pounded down on the cement, her body ached. It was a stupid, dangerous plan but it had to work. They had spent months working out the kinks. But of course, there was always trouble they couldn't plan for.

As she ran down the long gray corridors, dodging the soldiers, some with guns, she prayed they would make it out safe. She and Ben ducked behind a corner, sneaking quietly into a nearby open room. Ben shut the door behind them without making a sound.

She tried to catch her breath as quietly as possible, partially covering her mouth with her hand. Ben stood beside her, his hands on his knees, quietly panting. They hid in the corner of the room behind a shelving unit, out of sight from the doorway. They heard stomping footsteps outside the door, that echoed off the cement walls. Ben covered his mouth with his hand to hide his breathing; Zacchya did too, as the men ran past their hiding spot. Once the footsteps were gone, they both sighed in relief.

"Where did they move April and Tim? You promised we could get them out," Zacchya asked desperately.

"It's not far from here, really, only down a few corridors. It shouldn't take us more than five minutes if we don't get seen again," Ben replied, no longer panting for air.

"Did the cameras not get disabled?"

"Yes, of course they did, I did it myself. I'm sure it was the alarms on your cell that set them on our tail. Stupid alarms," Ben said, running his fingers through his short brown hair.

"Yes, probably so. I just hope Jacob is okay. I still can't believe he chose to go to the labs. It's so dangerous!" She nervously chewed on her nails.

"Yes, but he knew that ahead of time. We all did. It's what he chose, Zacchya. You know that," Ben put his arm on her shoulder, trying to comfort her worries.

"I know, Ben. It just scares me," she sighed.

"Yes, all of it does, but we'd better go. They should be long gone by now."

Ben and Zacchya snuck quietly out of their hiding place, checking the hallways for any sight of the soldiers. None.

Ben led the way, quickly and quietly, through the corridors leading to April and Tim. He knew the place better than she did since he worked there. He could have found their cells in his sleep. Zacchya followed him, trusted him, blindly.

She couldn't believe this had become her life, her actual real life. She was escaping from a facility with a soldier, a new friend, off to save her best friends. It sounded like something from a book or a movie, not something that happened in real life. She had read a lot of books in her time, and all the heroines never seemed as scared as she was in that moment. Of course, she wasn't a heroine, just a girl trying to break free from her captors. The past eight months of her life had been out of a nightmare. She couldn't believe it had all really happened. She never wanted to relive or even remember most of it. She wanted it gone forever.

Finally, they reached the holding area where Tim and April were. Beyond a large locked metal door, that Ben would use his keycard for, they were being held. If the guards inside were expecting them, it could be a lot of trouble. Ben pulled out his handgun.