Escapists

Chapter 1

 I held onto the side of the wall with all my might. My fingers ached, but I tried not to make any noise. This was my third attempt at an escape, and I didn't want to fail. I pulled myself up, my back muscles hurting all the while. Once on top of the wall, I rolled onto my back and stayed as still as possible. I didn't want the snipers to find me. I felt my muscles cool down, and decided that I was ready to make my way down. I grabbed the end of my grappling hook, cutting my finger on it. I slowly pulled the rope up. There was 20 feet of the stuff, and I didn't want anyone to see me. I finally had all the rope, and attached the end of the grapple to the other side of the wall. I grabbed the rope, and began my decent down the wall. Halfway down an alarm went off, and spotlights began their search for me. They glided around the prison, attempting to find the escapee. Searchers with flashlights were running along the top of the wall, lights flashing. One settled on me and burned my retinas. "FOUND HIM" a voice yelled, and I instinctively let go of the rope, falling to my doom.

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I reached out, trying to grab the rope. My hands closed around it, and I felt my skin rip away as the rope burn became more severe. My stomach lurched as I realized that I still wasn't slowing down. Blood stained the the rope, and my hands no longer burned, but a pain ripped through them as the rope tore away the flesh underneath. The ground was getting closer every second, but despite the ripping flesh, I was slowing down. I hit the ground, twisting my ankle, hands dripping with blood. I looked back at the prison, and a mix of relief and adrenaline washed through me. I looked forward to see a forest. I clenched my hands into a fist, and the pain traveled up my arms. I unclenched my fists and ran into the forest as fast as my legs could carry me.

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I woke up, hands sore and crusted with dry blood, and body aching all over. I took one look at my surroundings and knew that i was in danger. I was in a cave, with no exit points other than the front of the cave. I stepped out, the forest seeming to grow the more i took it in. Suddenly the forest became filled with life, birds chirping, squirrels running. I didn't have a phone, so I had no idea where i was. I walked through the forest, not caring if I ended up out of the forest or not. I occasionally looked up, to find that no search copters were looking for me. I felt free, and was saddened when i reached the end of the forest. I saw a town ahead of me, and knew i had to go there. It was midnight now, or close to it, and the only store open in the town was an LCBO. I stepped inside, air conditioning chilling me. I was the only shopper in the store, other than a small man who looked like he might have a paranoia issue. He looked around constantly, reaching for some wine and then stopping himself. I eventually found myself in the same isle as him. I wasn't sure if he even knew that i was in the store, let alone the same isle. I picked up a bottle of Malibu, knowing full well i couldn't afford it. I heard a click, and looked to the end of the isle to see the small man pointing a gun at the cashier. The safety was off, and I could see his hands twitching on the trigger. He was going to shoot the cashier. Money, alcohol, ransom. He didn't want any of those things. He wanted to shoot the cashier, plain and simple. I crept behind him, holding the bottle of Malibu. He didn't say a word, just pointed the gun, like he was dealing with some inner struggle. His hand shook, and the cashier began to sob. I was behind him now, and I swung the bottle as hard as i could. It smashed into pieces as it connected with his head, and he crumpled to the floor, dropping the gun. I was holding the neck of the bottle now, and i dropped it beside the man's body. I stepped over to his gun, then bent over and picked it up. I clicked the safety on and handed it to the cashier. The cashier was silent, but took a wad of cash from the register and handed to me. I pocketed it as he called the police. I stepped out of the store into the cold night, looking for somewhere to hide while the police checked out the store. As I looked around, i noticed a car. It was a Mustang, and had dents and scratches all over it. There were no license plates on it, and as i stepped towards it, noticed a cracked windshield. I stepped around to the passenger side, and found the door unlocked. I opened it, finding guns and an array of drugs. At the same moment, an alarm inside the apartment behind me went off, and before I could fight back, there was the crack of the butt of a gun and I crumpled to the floor. My vision was blurry, but i could see three men hop into their Mustang and drive away. I pulled myself to my feet and stumbled into an alley. Blood trickled down my temple and I sat down, my head resting against the wall. My vision doubled, then tripled, and I passed out.

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When i woke up my head didn't even hurt. I tenderly touched the side of my head to find that there was no lump. I stepped out of the alley onto the sidewalk, and began to wonder if it had all been a dream. I reached into my pocket to find the wad of cash still there. "20,40,50.....80,100...." I mumbled, counting the money. "150" said a deep voice from behind me. I spun around to find a large man looming overtop of me. "You got 150 there. And i want it." "Thats too bad" I said, faking confidence. I put the money back in my pocket. "Excuse me?" He seethed. "I said i wanted the cash." He was clearly angry. I stared at him, straight into his eyes. Then I abruptly punched him in the nose, throwing all my weight into it, and ran down the street in the opposite direction. I stopped at the LCBO. The automatic doors seemed to take forever as I watched him run down the sidewalk towards me. I grabbed a random bottle, intending to knock him out when he got in. He entered the store, and I ducked into an isle, holding the bottle like a baseball bat. He checked each and every isle until he finally came to mine, and before he could even move, I had smashed it over his head, and dropped what was left of it. I stood there, as his massive frame wavered. Then life returned to his eyes, and he picked me up and threw me into a shelf like a rag doll. The bottles broke around me, and I lost consciousness for a moment. Then i was awake again, and aware that he was once again holding me. I tried to fill my muscles with strength, but I was drifting in and out of consciousness. The last thing i was aware of was a gunshot, and I fell to the floor, limp.

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