Mind's Echo

Quincy

After removing all the loose bars from the window, Quincy walked over to Eva. He pressed the wall near the light switch, and was pleased when it felt weak. He pressed harder, hoping he wouldn't have to punch it or anything. The rotted drywall finally gave way beneath the pressure he was applying. He pulled away chunks of it until he could reach inside the wall. He grabbed a handful of wire, ripping it from the light switch box. Eva turned head and watched, her eyes squinting in curiosity.

"What are you doing?"

He tied the wires together first, then tied one end securely to the bar handle of the door. He pulled the door shut. He yanked on the wires and they came free from their rotten prison easily, making a jagged frissure in the walls around the room.

When Quincy had enough wire to reach the window, he reached into his back pocket for the knife he always carried. Shelly wasn't the only one familiar with a switchblade. He released the blade and sliced the wires neatly, then tucked his knife safely away. Again, he tied all the loose wires together.

He walked over to the window. He had been able to get all the bars free except one. It hadn't rusted as much as the others and seemed fairly secure. Quincy tied the wire around the bar. Eva nodded as she caught on to what he was doing. He smiled at her.

"No lock on the door," he said, shrugging. "At least this might slow them down if they come looking for us."

"True," Eva agreed.

"Come on," Quincy urged. "Let's get out of here."

Eva rushed over to his side and let him help her out the window. When her feet touched the soggy ground, she grinned. Quincy climbed out behind her. He smiled back at her, just as relieved to be outside. Eva looked around. 

"Now what?"

"Well," Quincy began uneasily. He knew she wanted to take off into the night, but he still had business to take care of. He wasn't really ready to leave the asylum just yet. He only wanted to get past Shelly and the others. "Would you be upset if I told you we were going back in?"

Eva gasped. "What?! Back in there???" she pointed at the crumbling structure.

Quincy sighed. He could understand her being unhappy at the prospect, but he couldn't let that deter him. 

"Yes, back in there. Look. We're just going two windows down there, past the OR where the others are. Once we're clear of them, we're going to find that office I'm looking for, get what I need, and then get out of here."

Eva shook her head. "Quincy ..."

"It's okay," he said reassuringly, walking toward the windows he had pointed at. "It will be quick. I promise. There aren't even any iron bars on these windows. See?"

Eva followed him, albeit reluctantly. Quincy made quick work of breaking back into the building. Eva kept looking back at the window they had climbed out of, as if she expected at any moment for Shelly, Alex, and Mark to come through after them.

Quincy looked inside to make sure it was safe before instructing Eva to enter. He climbed in behind her. She was shining her small flashlight around the room, and Quincy could not believe what he saw. Just to be sure, he pulled the stained map out of his back pocket. 

"Well, shit."

"What is it?" Eva asked.

"This is it," Quincy replied in an excited, but hushed tone. "This is the room I've been looking for! The vault I need is in here." He stuffed the map back in his pocket. "Quick! Look for a seam in the wall."

"Look for what?" Eva asked, still woozy from her headache and fainting spell.

"Lines in the wall! Quickly! We've got to move. We want to be out of here before the others come looking for us."