Pessimism (Book One)

Chapter 5: Breaking Out

We ran down the steps of his office entrance and tried for the front door exit. It was locked shut. Again they were able to lock us in from the outside. I felt the eerie feeling again and so did Grant. He pulled out his gun and shot at the shadows floating around. His aim was nearly perfect and each time he shot at the walls, they scared off the shadows. Then I noticed something, that's what he was trying to do, scare them off. He knows as well as I do that we can't kill these guys. And for some reason he was not worrying as much as I am. As he faced these before?

"Ian duck." I heeded and ducked, he shot above me to where the shadows arms would've taken me. He looked angry. Why? Why would he be angry instead of worrying to get out? Was it what Jeff did to my hand? I looked down at it. It did look bad, but I'm sure it didn't compare to what Grant had gone through today.

"Run! Through the back exit." Grant told me. We ran dodging the booby traps that the shadows planted. They would do anything to stem us from continuing. The floor started to lose its concrete and sturdiness. We would fall straight down and be buried alive. I don't want that to happen. Grant is right, I do want to see my mother. I stopped running.

"Grant?" I told him.

"What Ian? This isn't the time to cry and complain." He looked around fending off any shadows that came close. I noticed another thing, but I can't say anything now, Grant would get mad.

"Umm..." I tried to think of something. "Remember that exit in the bar?" Grant nodded. "Well maybe there might be-." I stopped.

"What? What is it Ian?" He looked at me. Now I was afraid and scared.

"I was wrong Grant. The escape route is underneath us now." I turned around. "See... Jeff doesn't just want us gone, I'm assuming, he wants us dead and buried right in our graves." I said.

"Yeah, but I can't let that happen." Grant took my hand. "I got you into this mess and I have to get you out. It's a promise I made to myself. Ian, I won't let you die, even if it costs me my life." He smiled. He is always optimistic, even in death. And there he was again, acting brave and talking about protecting me. What is making him so attached to me? Or maybe this isn't as inadvertent as I thought it was. I couldn't argue, not now.

"Let's go, Ian!" He threw me across the floor to the back door exit. I looked behind me and he was standing still, smiling. The ground under him would fall under.

"Grant!" I yelled.

"Run Ian! I will be fine, now go!" He kept smiling.

"No." I cried. "No, Grant!"

"I told you, even in death. But this isn't the time, Ian." He sounded as if he was telling me something. But I didn't think. I ran and jumped at Grant.

"I know what you told me Grant." I held his arm and the settled ground behind me. We hanged from a small cliff. "But, like I said, "You'll get us out of here." I pulled harder. The shadows started to surround us. They were trying to push us down.

"Heh, Ian." He smiled. "You know, I never believed it, but you are one brave kid." He pulled out something from his pocket. "Hold on to me tight." He fired at the wall and a rope attached with a hook came out and punched through the ceiling. He clicked another button and we were pulled up. It was a device, now that I see how it worked. We hovered above the hollow ground below us and the stable one next to that. The shadows started to crumble the ceiling.

"Ian swing your body." He told me. I did as he said. He was slowly cutting the rope. I see what he is doing now. I swung harder. He timed it just right and then released us. Gravity pulled us towards the stable ground after I was done swinging. We landed and just as we did, the ceiling collapsed. I got up and tried the door. It unlocked and we exited the now being of the dilapidated building. I exhaled every last breath. Then I started to chuckle and then laugh, nervously and then relieved. Grant did the same.