A Prisoner Of War

Chapter Eleven : Doubt

As we hear the brass knocker rattle, we wait with bated breaths and hope and pray that the soldiers don't decide to check the basement. The basement has a weak ceiling, so sound filters in from the floor above, which is both a blessing and a curse. We can hear more or less what's going on, but that only makes our panic increase. 

I force myself to breathe as quietly as possible as I hear Glenn open the door. There is a brief thump of boots as the soldiers enter the apartment. Then, a loud voice follows.

"Glenn! Long time no see. Ever since you left, the Commander labelled all of us on the team as incompetent. But what can we say? You were always the only one to survive her endurance drills!"

Wait a second. Glenn was a soldier? Robert, standing beside me, seems as surprised as I am.

Glenn's voice is filled with concealed nervousness. "Tom. I agree, it has been a long time since I left the army, but may I ask : what is the purpose of this visit?"

"Oh, you know, it's Crypt. He's even more of a taskmaster than the Colonel, and that's saying something! Don't worry, it's just a house check for a bunch of escaped criminals. Say, did you see any possible escapees?"

A brief silence follows, and I assume that Glenn is shaking his head. Suddenly, I hear the thumping of boots down the steps leading to the basement.

Our breaths still, and we stand pressed together, not daring to move as the sound of footsteps becomes louder. The soldiers walk around the basement.

I close my eyes and pray, hoping they don't notice anything untoward. 

"Glenn, looks like you haven't cleaned here in years! Dust everywhere."

The soldiers walk around for some time, until one of them approaches the mantelpiece. His boots grind to a halt, and a bead of sweat trickles down my skullcap. The walls seem to be closing in on me. The clock on the mantelpiece chimes faintly. We hear the soldier rattle some things, and my heart skips a beat when I hear him pause.

Suddenly, he shouts. 

"Say, Glenn - it's a surprise to me that your clock is still working, after all these years! It had the most horrible alarms. I don't know why you kept it after all these years..."

The footsteps become fainter, and the conversation ceases to a murmur as relief floods into my veins. I bend over in the little space, gasping in relief.

We can hear the mantelpiece scraping after some time, and our senses are on high alert. But as the trapdoor opens, we notice that it's just Glenn.

Alex stumbles out first, and Prudence's hands are shaking. I step out, glad to breathe the fresh air. I take lungfuls of it as Hunter and Alex try to calm Prudence, who, thankfully, is unharmed but badly shaken. I put my hands on my knees,  and take a deep breath.

Now that we're out, I realize I have no idea what we're going to do. It seems Prudence has had the same thought as me, since she says out loud, her light eyes wide and frightened,

"So, now what?"

I look up and realize everyone's staring at me.

"Why are you staring at me? How am I supposed to know what to do?" I say indignantly.

"Well, it kind of was your idea to break out, you know." Robert says, and smirks. 

I glare at him. "Well, kind of Alex's too," he adds.

No one else has anything to say. There's this heavy coat of silence that's fallen over us all, and smothered somewhere inside it seems to be a ticking time bomb.

____

So, yeah, it's been a while. This is mostly a filler chapter.

A lot of stuff came up, so I don't know when I'll be able to update next. I have a few short stories written up, so maybe I'll publish them separately.

About the song way above : Renegades is one of my favourite songs. X Ambassadors is a great band, and another beautiful song they've made is Unsteady.

Ooh, and if you have time, check out Parekh and Singh. They honestly have some great music. Recs : Ocean (you must listen to this), Summer Skin, Philosophize. Another reason to jump on board : they have great aesthetics.

Anyway, to the person reading this : thanks for taking the time to peruse this, and have a great day!

Cheers,

~ T.J.