Panic Room

Shutting down

It's been weeks since I killed Anthony. It was just me and Janelle. I wanted her to survive. She needed to. We had to get out of here together. A fire started somewhere in the building and the alarms went off. All the guards throughout the whole building went running. This was our chance. We snuck out into the hallways coughing because all the smoke. The emergency alarms got louder as all the doors opened. Even the main gate. Janelle looked over at me with a gentle smile. "Everything will be okay Jada, we are going to escape this place together." I looked at her and nodded my head. "I hope so." I said lowly. "I know so. We can see our family again. And hopefully stop this project." She was so positive. But I agreed with her. This project was worthless, loosing the people you love. I sighed and snuck to the board room where all the guards usually met. No one was in there. I looked at all the cameras and controls. The plans and everything. I wish I had my phone. All of this would shut down the company for good. Janelle came up behind me. "What is this?" She sounded confused while reading the wall of what they do to kids. All the children who have died in the building where all around the walls. "This is horrible." I said while walking over to Anthony's picture. I looked down. The smoke filled the room and we couldn't take much more. It seemed like a big fire. I took Anthony's picture down and held it in my hand, in my other hand I grabbed Janelles wrist and pulled her. "Come on let's get out of here." We ran out of the board room and out into the main hall. We heard footsteps coming. I dragged Janelle under a table as a guard passed by. We both exhaled as he went somewhere.
We snuck to the basement where the lift was. Janelle hopped in as it started going up. "Jada come on hurry!" She said panicking. I looked up at her and shook my head. "I can't make it Janelle. I can't!" — "just come on I'll pull you up! Me and you together! Remember??" I sighed and backed up making a sprint and jumped. I barely made it but got my foot smashed. I yelled in pain and then backs up into Janelle. She hugged me. "You'll be okay. Just rest now. We're out of there." She huffed as she leaned back and took a nap for the first time in days. I stayed awake for 4 hours until we hit the top.
I nudged Janelle as she woke up smacking her lips. "Hm?" She said while opening her eyes and yawning. "We're here. Let's go." I got out of the lift. It was a hospital that has been run down. But many of the guards were here so we had to be careful. Janelle was right behind me. We made a run of it to the entrance. Janelle was running in front of me. Jumping through the front gate. "WE DID IT JADAS! WE DID IT! SEE I TOLD YOU! WE MADE IT OUT TOGETHER!!!" She had the hugest smile on her face. That smile I haven't seen in ages. I smiled as well. "Yes Janelle me made it!" In a blink of the eye it was over. She had been shot by the masked man. Straight in the head. My heart dropped. I couldn't feel anything. I wasn't crying. I was in shock. My soul sister had just been shot. Why her? She was so happy. What the hell. We could have made it out together. I had no one now. I lost everyone. What... the... hell. I dropped to my knees in defeat. I crawled over to Janelle and just laid by her dead body. Crying. I grabbed her up and hugged her. I wanted to believe she was still alive. She was. She wasn't. She was! "Janelle..." I said in my sobs. I continued to hug her limp body. We could have made it out together. We could of shut this thing down together. The masked man walked over to me. "How was your experience?" He said smiling. "You survived. Get out of here." He said as he walked away. The facility in flames. I looked back at him. Hugging Janelle one last time. "Thank you for everything. I love you best friend." I grabbed her teddy bear necklace off around her neck and squeezed it tightly in my hand.
I started a sprint for home. I got home. My brother and sister were fine. My mother was depressed. I bursted through the door. My mother ran over to me crying as she hugged me tightly. I cried in her arms for a good hour. I was home. Why couldn't Janelle be home? Or Anthony? Or Jose, or Gurleen. What about Aubrey? Tanner? Kiara, Sahara, and Kirpa? They're family. Damaged because their gone. I have to live with this guilt now because I killed my best friend? Or I saw my 'sister' die in front of me? Gurleen died saving Janelle. Jose died because he couldn't take no more. Aubrey died because she wanted to. Tanner and Kirpa missing? Sahara and Kiera died because of their escape room. They deserved to live. But why me?