Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 7-

After what feels like an eternity, we make a shaky stop. I feel every nerve in my body tingle with anticipation. Fear pores through my veins, poisoning my confidence. I hear voices whispering around me, and can feel the tension rising.

  “Access clear, boys!” The driver, Jack, calls from his spot in the driver’s seat. Everyone becomes a large mass, pushing out, throwing the backdoor to the truck open. I hop out, nearly losing my balance.

  The sudden brightness of early morning blinds me, and I have to shield my eyes. Someone pulls on my arm, throwing me in front of them.

  “No time to waste,” Felix shouts. “Charlie could be dead by the time your eyes adjust.”

  I start to jog, just like everyone around me. I see disabled security cameras, their wires cut, the lenses cracked on the concrete ground. A large barb wire fence surrounds a large building that looks to be made of out an incredibly durable metal. Its metallic surface reflects the sun’s light into my eyes, so I look away. Guards to the entrance are sprawled out of the ground, darts sticking out of their back. I look away. I don’t like to think that I am aiding in fulfilling people’s deaths.

  We cross over a small patch of grass, most of the ground surrounding the Government Prison Cells being nothing more than dry, cracked dirt. We all huddle behind a giant tank, checking our surroundings. I hold my breath. There’s no way I can bring myself to use a weapon. Even on Government Agents.

  “Keep it going, move out!” Kane yells from the head of the group. I take a shuddering breath, willing myself to cooperate. Freedom is worth the casualties. I need to go home, be with my family. That’s all that matters.

  With that in mind, I run after Felix, watching the gleam on his gun. A sick feeling seeps into my stomach. What are these guys willing to do to get Charlie back? We are fifty feet away from the main entrance’s doors, when two Government Agents scramble out of the large metal doors. One pulls out a large deadly looking gun, the other wields a Taser, the same kind nestled in my bag.  

  Kane shouts something, but I can’t hear him over the pounding of blood in my ears. The world around me seems to spin, and I stop, regaining control of my balance. Felix rushes forward, pointing his gun directly at one of the Guards’ chests. The Guard hurries, scrambling to the left, but Felix has already fired. The air shatters with the report of his gun. I watch as the bullet makes contact with the Guard’s chest, and he falls back, tripping over his partner. The Guard with the Taser reaches towards his pocket, reaching for some small box. I can’t tell what it is exactly, but it looks like an older technology.

  “You put that walkie-talkie down, or we shoot!” Kane yells, thrusting his gun in the air. Battle cries rise up around me, making me want to cover my ears and run off, leaving this bad decision behind.

  The Guard reaches for the device at his side anyway, and I turn away. I don’t like Government Agents, but I don’t like watching people die either. I try to ignore the sound of the bullet hitting flesh. I try to ignore the whoops and hollers erupting around me. I feel people shoving my shoulder, trying to push me towards the open doors. I follow reluctantly, finding that my willingness to go on has dwindled to nearly nothing.

  I pick up my pace, running through the doors, following closely behind Tom. I am amazed by what I see. Glass was definitely the most used material when they built this place. That and metal. If it wasn’t a prison, I might have half a mind to call it beautiful.

  A clear wall separates us from a large fountain in the middle of many small cubicle looking offices. They are all made of metal sidings. I hope nobody is still in one, waiting for the right moment to jump out at us. I press my hand to a cool piece of glass. Suddenly the glass flickers. Then the glass turns blue, revealing a large electronic keypad.

  ACCESS CODE NEEDED TO REACH LEVEL THREE, the screen glass flashes, acting as a type of touchscreen.

  “Paul, know a way in?” Kane asks, his voice echoing in the glass chamber.

  “’Course I do,” Paul says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a small device, sticking it to the glass. Suddenly the glass turns bright red, and the door slides open, a loud hiss slicing through the air. Agents appear on the north side of the glass, their guns poised. I watch as Kane just stroll in, walking right through the open passage. The guns follow him, mimicking him. I notice Felix shift, reaching for something in his own fanny-pack. He pulls out three darts, slowly creeping towards the opening in the glass. The rest of us stand still, hoping that everything will go without a hitch.

  Felix hurriedly fires the three darts towards the Agents. One shoots his gun on impact, his finger squeezing the trigger just before he falls. Kane gasps, and lunges to the right. Red seeps through his leather jacket, just above his elbow.

  “It’s just a graze,” He says, running towards us. “Spread out. Find Charlie. We don’t have long now.”

  I start to follow behind Felix and Tom again when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

  “Come on Newbie,” Kane says. “You’re with me.”

  I follow behind Kane, finding it hard not to look over my shoulder every time we pass a metal cubicle. Papers are scattered all over the floors of the cubicles, leaving me to believe they saw us coming and hurried, scrambling to grab important paperwork. I have to step over the Agents, trying my absolute hardest to not look directly at them. Blood pools on the floor around my feet, making me want to scream. I didn’t sign up for this. I only wanted to turn Kane Porter in, not help him and his followers on a rescue mission. How exactly is this helping me?

  Kane pulls me around the other Agent, hurrying towards a small back door.

  “We need to find a way to the Cells,” He says. “To do that, I need to hack one of their computers.”

  Kane walks through the small door, and I am surprised by the number of electronics left on in the tiny room.

  “I guess they were hoping we were too stupid to find this room,” Kane grumbles, taking a seat in a black rolling chair. He pulls up to a computer, pressing keys on the keypad. It keeps beeping at him, red letters flashing across the screen.

  “No!” He shouts, slapping his hands on the tabletop, causing me to jump. “They put their computers into lockdown mode. We just gotta go with our gut. What’s your gut telling you?”

  My gut is telling me to run as far away as possible but I know that isn’t the answer Kane is looking for.

  “My gut is telling me they are in the back. If we hurry, and are very careful, we can be out in twenty to twenty five minutes, tops.”

  Kane smiles.

  “I like the way you think, Newbie.”

  I think of all the reasons that make that statement ironic, and can’t help but chuckle to myself.

  He has no clue he is walking into a trap.

A/N Thank you readers! I love to hear your thoughts, and I really appreciate the votes! Thanks a billion! Also, wow! I can't believe you guys have kept this story in the top 100 for over two weeks :D