The Cure

XXIV

"Is this going to be bad for our health?" I ask. "I mean, we are going into the place where they makes such awful stuff, and so many people die working here, what if-"

"For the last time, shut up!" Reese is visibly anxious, sweat shining in the early morning light. I turn my nose up at his sarcasm, but it still hurts, a little. "Trix," he finishes, "open the vent." I watch as the girl takes out a small device, it looks like a pin, and places it on each corner of the vent. I watch as she begins to unscrew the latches and the vent gives way, falling towards our feet.

"Now, before we go in, does everyone remember the getaway arrangement?"

"Our bags are in the woods just over that hill," Ciel says. 

"We all grab our stuff, going over the fence and meet at the railway twenty miles west." Griffin says it with a frustrated tone, he's heard it so many times. 

"But, if we stick to the plan, that shouldn't happen." I try to sound positive but it's having little to no effect on our party of five.

"Otherwise," Trix goes on, "We all go together, getting our bags and heading out."

"Wait," I interrupt. "If all goes according to plan, Griffin and I won't have to go with you. I mean, we want to stay here...right, Griffin?" I wait for a reassuring nod and I get one. 

"Unless we're almost nigh death, there is no way I'm gonna leave this town to face heaven knows what outside that fence."

"Let's just go already!" Reese is getting so antsy, I want to shove his whinny little butt right through the vent. Instead I settle on, "Since you're our wise and noble leader, why don't you lead us in first?"

"I need to watch out from the rear."

"Ha!" Griffin snorts, "I think I'd best be suited for that job. I'll know when someone's approach and from what way faster than you."

Reese straights up and puts his hands on his hips. "Oh? I think-" 

"Oh, shut up already!" I yell, then cover my mouth and mouth an apology. "You two, stop it, now. You'll get us all caught if you gabber and argue on like this." I step through the vent and go on my hands and knees crawling my way through. "Come on," I echo back, and I turn to see Trix go in followed by Ciel, Reese and Griffin in the rear. He got his way, congratulations. 

"We need to get to the experiment lab," Reese calls up to me, the sound bouncing around our little chamber.

"Shhh!" Trix hisses. "All of these places are the same, all the vents echo. The can hear it, you know."

"Turn right at the next T and the fourth vent on your left we'll need to get out off and climb the stairs," Griffin says.

"We can't just waltz up the stairs!" Ciel tells us. That's asking to get caught. There are cameras everywhere." 

"Fine, then we'll have to shimmy up the shoot," Griffin counters back. 

"Shimmy up the shoot?" I repeat, making sure I heard correctly, because that does not sound fun."

"Yep."

We are silent. I'm awaiting our valiant leaders direct.

"Up the shoot then," Reese decides. No! Reese, why couldn't you have taken a risk, just this once. Shimmy up a shoot? Are you kidding me? We could get laundry dumped on our heads...or worse.

After the right turn and a new change of five vents to the left we are presented with a metal shoot, about two feet wide, fifteen feet tall. "How's it look, Adler?" I hear Reese ask.