Maze

Part Seven

It had not taken Amber long to find the entrance, and she was relieved to find the door was unlocked. She entered the lobby and was grateful to not see another person, at least, not a living one. After passing through the room and pulling the curtain aside she stepped outside, marveling at the fact that she had made it out of the maze. The landscape was difficult to make out. By observing her surroundings and using her memory of how the area had looked when they arrived, she was able to figure out which direction the car was in. Making haste, she rushed across the lawn. The dew forming on the grass was cold against her ankles, which were exposed by her low-cut shoes. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening. Looking towards the house she could identify a person, who she assumed was Emily, stepping onto the porch and closing a door behind her.

Amber moved quietly towards a willow tree to her left and took refuge in its leaves, using them like a barrier. She peered through the branches and watched Emily walk to the maze. It had reminded her of when she would hide in the hall closet of her grandparent's home, avoiding yet another beating. She felt safe in this buffer the earth had created. But once Emily was inside of the tent, Amber pulled Jefferson's lighter from her pocket. Holding it up to the dry and dying leaves, they started to burn and a fire began to spread. If anyone was in the area she hoped they would see her signal and head that way. She darted out from the tree and continued her searched for the vehicle. Luckily she had been going in the right direction, and found the car when she nearly ran into it.

She went to the driver's side door. Trying the handle, she was discouraged to find it locked, but was immediately reassured when she noticed the window had been left cracked. Scouting for something to use, she looked down at her feet and had an idea. She took off her shoe and removed the lace. At its end she made a loop. Amber snaked the shoelace through the opening and maneuvered it down to the inside handle, which was shaped like a flattened C, with an opening for her to catch onto. After a couple of attempts she hooked it, pulled the string's ends away from each other which tightened the loop at the bottom, and lifted the handle. Quickly, she got into the front seat. Turning the interior light on, she rifled through the car for what she needed. During her stay at the orphanage she was taught by one of the kids, who was a notorious troublemaker, how to hot wire a car. They had taught her for the sheer pleasure of passing on their criminal knowledge, but she wanted to learn ways to get out of the potential bad situation she might have been placed into next. Not expecting to have ever needed this information after leaving the system she was more than glad she had it stored away.

"God bless you Jefferson," she whispered to herself when she found the Philips head he kept in the glove box. With it she removed the cover over the steering column. There was not much light being shed onto the wires, but she found the brown, yellow, and red ones after a few seconds of squinting her eyes. She stripped away the insulation and exposed the battery and ignition wires. Once she connected them the dashboard lit up. Amber threw her head back in respite. But she sat up straight when she heard a blood-curdling scream come from the maze. In a rush, she cautiously went back to finishing the task at hand. Revealing the starter wire, she touched it the others and the engine let out a roar. Slamming her foot on the brake, she threw the car into reverse, backed out of the spot and cut the wheel to the left, put it in drive, and floored it.

As she sped down the road she was placated to remember their phones were still in the center console. The first one she pulled out was dead, and she was thankful when the screen lit up on the second. While one thumb was wrapped around the steering wheel, the other stumbled over the phone screen, accidentally pressing buttons she did not need. Finally she entered the number she wanted and she listened to the short ring before a voice came from the speaker.

"911, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.

"Please send help quickly, my friend has been murdered and others are going to be as well if they haven't already!" Amber said in a panic.