The Descent

Chapter 53 - The Escape

 "What's happening?" Leah asked and sat down on the couch and let out a quivering sigh. "Why are we going back up?"

"Two options, I think," Denton said and walked over to the observation window, squinting to try to catch a glimpse of the upwards movement. "Either Jarell is playing a cruel game with us, or someone is here to save us."

"Save us?" Leah said. "Who would be able to save us?"

Denton turned and shrugged. "Exactly. This place is out of comms range. Nobody really knows where we are. What is the likelihood that someone from the resort would just happen to find us or even come looking for us? I told Tanner the general area I was heading into, but the last time we spoke, he was not aware of any facilities outside of the resort."

"In other words, our chance of rescue is slim," Jonythan said with a sigh and sat down on the couch, opposite Leah. "Slim to none."

"Which leaves Jarell," Denton said. "We already know he has a mean streak. It doesn't seem inconceivable that he would haul us back in just to tease us with freedom, then shut the hatch and drop us to the bottom."

"So what do we do?" Gabi said, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her right foot tapping nervously on the floor.

"If he actually brings us all the way up, we have a chance."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll be waiting for him."

Gabi straightened up and walked over towards Denton. "How? He's armed, and he won't hesitate to kill us all."

"You're right, but you also forget that we have something he doesn't. We have the element of surprise."

Gabi furrowed her eyebrows, tilted her head and put her hands on her hips. "How do you figure that? He knows we're here."

Denton turned and pointed towards the doorway to the evac pods. "The evacuation pods. They were hidden while he was here. We all hide inside and replace the panel."

Gabi's eyes grew larger as she realized what Denton was talking about. She looked at her brother and father. "Dad, does he know about the pods? Is there any way he could know about them?"

Carter shook his head, Jonythan shrugged.

"We can never really know for sure," Denton said, "But, considering he's masterminded this whole thing, I think we can't rule it out."

"What's the point then?" Gabi said with a sigh.

"He doesn't know we know."

"So tell me, Denton," Jonythan said, "How can this...assumption actually help us?"

"Even if he's aware of the evac pods, he's not going to know we're hiding there. Or, not at first, at least. Eventually, he'll figure it out and then, we'll be waiting for him behind the wall panel and take him down."

Silence descended on the room as the rest of the group took in Denton's suggestion.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Leah said and crossed her arms as she leaned back on the couch. "It sounds dangerous and uncertain. I don't like it."

"A good idea? No, you're probably right, but we don't have a whole lot of other options," Denton said, went over to the couch and sat down. He wasn't sure whether to tell them about his own doubts, which closely mirrored those of Leah. If she, a professional, felt uncomfortable with the plan, it meant something. Not to mention that Jarell didn't seem like the dumb kind of criminal that would overlook the fact that his prisoners may lay in wait for him.