The Runaway

Chapter 26

Following Nicolas' lead, they ended up at a giant boulder far away from the warehouse and buildings. From their view, the Silvers and other employees were scattered around the site searching for them.

"Why are we standing in front of a giant rock?" asked Aiden. It was about the size of a small TV but probably weighed a ton.

Nicolas answered, "Underneath this boulder is an underground tunnel to the outside."

They both raised their eyebrows. "So we push it?"

"Yeah. All three of us."

Still on their knees, they crawled towards the rock. Putting their hands on the surface, they added force and started to push with all their might. Unfortunately even with Aiden there, the rock barely budged.

After a minute of trying, Violet stopped. "Wait. How do you know what's under here? They couldn't have told you."

"She's right." Aiden took his hands off and relaxed.

From afar, the Silvers were slowly getting closer and closer. Even in the dark, they could tell how sick Nicolas was. He was already panting when he hadn't used much strength. Faintly he told them, "Just trust me okay? I'll explain later. They probably know I escaped by now."

Time was ticking so they listened and returned to the rock quickly. Without talking, they used all the power they could gather.

"Just a little more," Aiden whispered. He let out a small yelp when it lifted off the ground. There was a visible opening under it, but the rock was still covering most of it.

"Tip it over quickly," Nicolas squeaked.

One more final push and finally, the rock fell over, creating a massive thud. The sound was loud enough to be heard from miles away, so the Silvers were obviously aware of it.

Aiden jumped into the hole in the ground. "They definitely heard that. Go. Now."

Violet and Nicolas joined him as fast as they could. Next to their feet was a long tunnel that looked endless. It was so short that they had to crawl on all fours again. Aiden was in the lead followed by Violet and then Nicolas. Dirt crumbled onto them and bugs crawled around, but none of them complained. Nobody spoke. They were all concentrated in crawling, though their hands and knees ached with sharp pain from all the sharp rocks and objects. It didn't smell any better either.

After about thirty minutes of silence, Nicolas whispered, "We're almost there. I can see some light."

Sure enough, there was a beam of white light up ahead. The thought of breaking free into fresh air motivated them to move faster. It wasn't long before they made it out into the open.

Trees surrounded them and the scent of nature filled the air. They were in the woods. "Damn." Aiden coughed. "We're a mess." He patted the dirt off of his torn up clothes.

Nicolas limped a bit before tripping on a branch and falling on his face. The large rips in his jeans revealed bruises and scabs left on his legs. He was paler than before and it was as if he would drop dead any second.

Violet ran to his side. "This isn't good. We need to get him somewhere safe."

Aiden held his right arm while Violet took the left. "How the hell do we get out of here?" he asked. They started walking straight.

"Don't you usually know the way out of these places?" she said.

"Not this specific one. I don't even know where we are."

Nicolas groaned. "We're in Los Angeles. It's actually a public park. There should be a way out if you keep going straight." He coughed.

"Great. We're not even in Vegas anymore." Aiden shook his head. "Not even close."