Escape from Nimbus

Chapter Six

I awoke to the sound of the porthole being opened. I blinked a few times in the sudden bit of light and then cried out in pain when something rough and hard bounced off of my head. Sitting up and grumbling, I realized it was a rope ladder.

"Climb up. Quickly now." A nurse barked at me. I obeyed, happy to get out of the hole.

"Try anything and we'll taze you." The nurse grumbled as I emerged, and I turned to see another nurse behind me with a small taser in his hand. He nodded in the direction I was supposed to go and I obediently began to walk. I moved slowly and calmly, hoping to get them relaxed, but they stayed right beside me, a taser at each side, and I felt my stomach sinking to my shoes.

"You're a lucky girl, y'know." The male nurse said. "We don't get a lot of kids down here needing the Swipe. The few we did have who regained their memories regained them before the Swipe was invented. They had to be..."

The female cleared her throat and glowered at him. He fell silent, but smiled cruelly. I felt sick to my stomach that he could show so much enjoyment over murdered children. Did they hire psychopaths to run this place?

I was led to a small room where Phoenix and Wally were both sitting at a table. Wally looked better, the result of advanced medications, but Phoenix looked weak and scared.

"Time for supper!" The male nurse said cheerfully, and I stared at the platter of food put before me. A perfectly normal looking meal.

I wouldn't touch it.

Neither, apparently, would Wally and Phoenix. What if this was the Swipe? What if there was something in the food that would erase our memories, again, and then we'd be right back to where we started?

"No thank you." I murmured.

"Fine." The nurse snatched up my platter and began to eat, smacking and slurping with exaggerated pleasure. Feeling sick, I looked away and tried to block him out.

"How long have we been down here?" I asked the female nurse. She shrugged.

"About six hours."

Six hours. Only two left to try and escape.

"So not much longer until the Swipe!" The male nurse cried cheerfully, spraying food into the air. The female nurse glowered at him. I wished they wore name tags, but apparently it wasn't important who they were. I wouldn't remember them anyway.

Since the nurse was clearly enjoying my meal, Phoenix and Wally shared theirs with me. I forced myself to eat, knowing I would need my strength if we had any chance of escape. I drank my water and then stood. Immediately, the nurses had the tasers pointed at me.

"I've been stuck in a concrete cell for six hours." I said calmly, "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll take you." The female nurse said. I felt a surge of relief. The male nurse scared me.

I didn't know where to go, so the nurse held my arm with her free hand and steered me down the hallways, keeping the taser on my back. When we finally reached the bathroom, she allowed me to enter the stall alone, but she was right outside, facing the door, and I wasn't allowed to lock the door. I did my business, but just as I was about to flush something caught my eye.

The silver handle on the wall was slightly crooked.

With a shaking hand, I reached out and moved it as quietly as possible. It started to creak, so I swiftly flushed the toilet and under cover of that I lifted the handle.

It opened.

Into a secret passage.

"Are you done? Get out here!" The nurse ordered.