The Grave Digger

Chapter 14: The Escape

By the time a few days rolled by, she had already become the most feared in the prison. Even by the biggest men there. They were nothing compared to her. She may have over exaggerated some of her stories, but it helped. She wouldn't have lasted a day on Death Row. But as her looming 'death day,' as she called it, came ever closer, she was getting terrified. They said they would execute her a month from her sentencing, but what if they had lied to her? She could never trust authority figures, after how many times she'd nearly been screwed over by the bulls, how could she? But it had only been a week. They had never made her change into the clothes the other prisoners wore because they couldn't find any that would fit her, at least close enough it wouldn't really be a problem, and they let her keep her money, cane, ring, and hat.
She wasn't scared of the other prisoners. She could make them do anything she wanted because she knew all about them. At least, she said she did. She was incredible at reading people and manipulating them. It was how pick pocketing had been so easy for her. And it came in handy with the other inmates. They couldn't tell you a thing about her, but she could tell anyone everything about all of them. But she was lonely, and she really missed the Newsies, and getting to smoke with Race everyday. And her long conversations with Spot about any random thing that came to mind.
About two weeks after her arrest, she didn't have to miss that anymore. She was told she had a visitor, and they brought her to the room where she could talk to them. It was Spot. Her face broke into a smile upon seeing him, and his did, too. Eventually, they were left alone in the room, with only one guard standing by the door. How stupid are they? What if the prisoner killed their visitor?, she thought, although she'd never even think of killing Spot. "So, why'd ya come see me?" He smirked. "'Cause, you's my bes' friend, an' I's wanted ta make sure you's okay." She smiled, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. How're all da newsies?" Spot nodded, and said, "dey're all okay, an' we ran Spaz off somewhere. He ain't nevah gonna hoit ya." Bones laughed lightly, but stopped. "He's not da problem, Spot. I's got ta git outta here. Dey're gonna eggsacute me in a few weeks. It means dey're gonna kill me." "I know wha' it means. Ya're right, we's gotta get ya outta here. Bu' I's gotta go. I'll try ta come back soon." She nodded, and she motioned for the guard to come take her back to her cell.
And Spot did come back. He came back every other day, and by the time her month was almost up, they had a plan of getting her out of there. They got Race in on it, too, and the day before she was to be executed, was the day they put it in motion. Spot had visited her that day, and she secretly passed him her cane. She'd have to deal without it for a bit for their plan to work.
That night, as all the prisoners had gone to sleep and the day guards were leaving to go home, she tied her ring into her braid, and tucked it beneath her cap. She had been studying the guards shifts and movements, and calculated the distance from her cell to the door, and how much time it would take for her to get there, exactly 4 and a half minutes. One of the guards leaves her block for the next, and it takes precisely 5 minutes for the next to get there. She also learned that during the same 5 minutes after the guard left her block, a few of the guards would reach the door and leave. She had been studying this for over a week, and it never changed. So, after the guard turned the corner for the next block, she silently slipped through the bars, being small enough to fit through, and stealthily made her way to the front. She hid herself in the shadows, and waited for the guards to come. After they had all been present and accounted for, she got on her hands and knees and crawled out of there, and being so small, none could see her. She crawled until she was sure she was far enough away to get away with it, and she got up and ran like her life depended on it, no matter how much her knee hurt. As she was running, she was thinking of how they would find her cell empty, minus a note she had Spot write for her. She smiled thinking of what it said: "Ya can't cach me now losahs." She wasn't sure everything was spelled right, but she didn't care. She ran all the way to the bridge, where she met Spot and Race. She couldn't stop herself, and she ran into Race's arms, for he was closest to her.
Race caught her as she almost fell. She was breathing really hard, and he realized she was crying. He'd only ever seen her cry twice. Spot walked over, and hugged them both. He and Race chuckled about it, and Bones looked up at the two of them. "You guys are both losahs," she laughed through her tears. They laughed and hugged her tighter. Race kissed her forehead, "I can' believe we almos' lost ya forevah." She pulled herself closer to his chest, and said, "me neida." Spot had pulled away, and sat next to the two of them. "So, Bones, ya obviously can' sell in Brooklyn no more. Wha' are ya gonna do?" She looked up at the two of them. "I'll sell in 'hattan, so's I can still be close to my newsies here. And I's known Race an' Jack fo' such a long time. Bu' Spot, ya gonna have ta lead dem fo' me. I trus' ya more den anyone, even Chuckles." He nodded, at first a little terrified, but he gained confidence, knowing she hardly trusted anyone, and usually only the people she had known the longest, and he most certainly did not fit in that category. She had known most of the newsies before him, and yet, it was him whom she trusted the most. "I's gotta give ya ya're cane back, here," he handed it to her, but she declined. "No, you's keep it. It'll be ya're sign of power or whatevah. I's can find summin else." He knew not to argue with her, but he felt bad. But if that's what she wanted, then that's how it would be. By then, the sun was starting to come up, and they figured they should get her out of there, and Race and Bones left before Spot could ask where her ring was.