The File

The File ~ Chap. 27

Tate

Everyday, I was taken into that interrogation room.  I was asked about the information, and I refused to give it up.  Davis, Labove, and even Reg came in and threatened to shock me.  I told them that I would rather die than give my secret up.  They said they wouldn’t kill me; they would just torture me until I wished to die, and wouldn’t kill me then until I gave in.  I still didn’t speak.  And everyday, the laptop never turned on.  There was no need to anymore.

Whenever I thought of Cole, my throat would constrict, and I would almost cry.  I would give in to the desire, but only when I was alone in my room.

My hope of escaping was recharged after the men began to keep me unbound again as they led me to and from the interrogation room.  If I was able to act fast enough, I could just maybe get out.  This time without having someone tackle me mere yards from the door.

After a lot of thought, I had finally decided when I would try again.  I had a vague plan of what I could do.

As I walked to the interrogation room again, about four days after I had first arrived there, I finally had the guts to make my move.  A guard I didn’t recognize was walking behind me, and he seemed aware that he had to pay close attention to me, but definitely wasn’t doing a good job.  He kept looking from side to side as though he wished to be anywhere else.

When we reached the door, and he stepped beside me to open it, I attacked.  I elbowed him in the gut, then held his shoulders and smashed his nose down against my knee.  The man had no time to react, and slumped to the floor, unconscious.  I ran as fast as I could.  My brain barely had time to process that I had succeeded in getting away again.

I didn’t know what way to go—again—so I ran down random hallways, hoping for the best.  And it was definitely the best I was going to get, since no one was going to give me a map for my birthday or anything.  But instead of ending in a helpful area, I made it back to my room.

“Really?” I muttered to myself, frustrated.  I couldn’t understand how I had gotten back on the second floor, but then realized I had gone up a big ramp a while ago.  I debated if I should go in.

I shrugged and went inside, grabbing my bag.  If I could have any one thing—besides Cole—it would be my stuff.  Before I ran out, I also debated on going out the window, but decided against that.  I had already jumped out of a train.  I didn’t need to experiment with jumping out a second story window.

I went back into the hallway and started running again.  Every time I almost ran into a hallway filled with guards, I would backpedal and go the other way.  I was also careful with how loud my footfalls were.  Those of all things could alarm the people and they could think I was a guard running for something.

But it seemed that I had been pretty lucky so far.  No one had noticed someone was running or that I was missing.  There was no alarm to say I was.  So I tried to keep it that way by keeping away from any crowded areas.  A few times I had almost been seen, but I managed to get away fast enough.

I was beginning to see a few hallways over again, and began to panic.  I was going in circles.  If I continued that, I would get caught and never have any free liberties again.  The option of my being a permanent resident here wouldn’t be an option anymore; it would be absolute.

I didn’t know what to do except keep running and continue to try to find my way out.  There really was no other alternative.

The longer I ran, it seemed, the fewer people I began to see.  I wasn’t sure if I was just going into an area where people rarely went, or they had all gone to lunch, or I was just super lucky.  I didn’t care which one it was as long as I found the exit.  I began to run faster, and a little less carefully.

“Tate!” a voice that I would answer to, even if I was at my deathbed, shouted.

My breath caught in my throat and my heart almost stopped at the sound of that voice.  I couldn’t believe I had truly heard correctly.  But then I looked to my left, down the hallway I had just approached, and saw the truth with my own eyes.  Then I ran down that hallway faster than I had through all the others.  When I was about a yard away, I threw myself into Cole’s arms and kissed him deeply.