Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:

~Avery:

My heart thundered in my ears as I ran quietly through the halls, praying to every deity out there to help me avoid detection. The slick hospital-like flooring contradicted sharply with the literal torches near each doorway and I tried to not totally lose my footing as I moved. Between the darkness around long stretches of hallway, and the possibly slippery floor, I had to trust my gut to get me out of this. If I could even hear my gut around the sound of my blood pumping.

Another corner became more clear up ahead and I slowed my approach, listening as carefully as I could. Jack was still out there. I’d heard some very far off cursing a few minutes back and I couldn’t tell if I was getting further or closer away to that area. I had no idea which direction was out, and which led further into this deathtrap. It’s not like kidnappers would bring me somewhere with exit signs. No. That would be too easy.

I peered around the corner and held my breath. No sounds. I looked back quickly, trying to remember the entire path I took to get here in case I was getting deeper. There had been two cross-sections of hallways and I’d had to guess which direction to take. But I may really need to backtrack.

I moved, rushing off towards what looked like another cross-section of hallways. God, how was I going to remember all this? What was this place? A fing corn maze?!

It was weird experiencing these strong emotions without my magic fighting its way out, without that feeling in my gut, in my breath. I had lived a great deal of the last few years of my life alone. I’ve felt horribly alone. But I didn’t realize that I could feel even more alone. My always-nuisance magic was now my missing comfort blanket.

I passed six more doors. Three on each side. It seemed that while the longer hallways had eight doors, there were more frequently these shorter ones with six or even four doors. I stopped at each one, slowly, silently, pulling the doors open just a crack hoping to see light. But all I saw were dark empty rooms just like the one I’d been held in.

I was checking both hallway options when I froze. Something clattered nearby.

“Captain,” I made out a male voice saying. Jack? Maybe? “I think I may need some backup in the northwestern division. Second floor.”

Some other sound, a garbled mess, too quiet to make out from my position replied.

I looked back the way I’d come. Dait. Jangling sounds, keys maybe?

Keys?

I looked back toward the way I’d come, then looked to the other two options. Is the possibility of a set of keys worth moving forward? And even if I chose that risk, how would I know which way to go? And what good would keys even do me if I didn’t know the way out? Could there be locked doors blocking the next way out? The chances of that felt pretty high. I pictured every prison sort of building I’d seen on television… They always had some second layer of protection to lock prisoners away.

I weighed it all, and while making a decision, another sound came my way.

“AHEM,” A person coughed. A wet cough followed closely by the sound of spit smacking the floor.

S*-t.

I went with my first instinct. I backtracked. I walked quickly, trying to keep my wits about me. I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster but the uptick in its thundering would prove otherwise.

I went back to the last intersection of hallways and went a new way. I had to get some ground before this backup got here. I creaked open the first door, nothing. The next, the same. Third, nothing. But - wait. Maybe?

I cracked it open just a bit more. I’d seen movement there. I could swear it.

I held the door open and looked down both sides of this hallway, standing still, trying to hear if these guys were here yet. But what if?

“Hello?” I whispered as loudly as I could.

Movement again. And then dingy orange-red hair. A frail young woman sat on the ground, covered in a cloth that had blended in with the floor.

“Hello?” I whispered again.

Her face changed drastically from confused and cautious to panicked.

“Get out of here girl!” She whisper-yelled. Her words a smack. “Go! What are you doing?!”

“I’m trying!” I whispered back, trying not to tear up at the desperation of this all. “I don’t know how to get out!”

“It’s that way!” she pointed to her right, deeper into the hallway I’d started down. The way I hadn’t gone yet. “Down straight twice and then a left. It’s the third door after that, right on a corner. It looks shut but there’s a little hole that they use like a door handle! It’s stairs. Go straight down. Go! Now!”

I didn’t even thank her. I heard loud growls from somewhere up here and I didn’t have time to doubt her directions. I ran, booking it.

Straight down. Another cross-section. I paused quickly to make sure no one was waiting around the corner. Looked left and right, then ran forward again. It ended in another section, with a short part going left. Three doors, one on the corner. I rushed up to it.

Indistinguishable yelling got louder. My hand felt around frantically for the hole she said was here. The lack of torches in this corner made it hard to make anything out at all. I felt out, both hands spreading every possible place until there. There. A hole! On the right side, when all the other doors here had handles on the left. I stuck a couple fingers in, grasped the frame with my other hand, and pulled. It was heavy as all hell but it gave.

“Fan out!” an unfamiliar female’s voice dictated from far too close.

I walked into the totally dark stairwell and tried to ignore the panic at the lack of light while I edged the door closed softly, hoping it wouldn’t make a sound. Then it was just me and the musty, completely dark stairway.

Jack had said we were on the second floor. I needed to get down one flight of stairs and then - what? I had no idea. But no time to freeze now.

I edged my foot around, feeling around the walls with my hands. I hadn’t grown to like the darkness but I can’t say I wasn’t a little used to it right now. My foot found air at last and I had a direction. There didn’t seem to be a railing so I walked alongside the wall, using my left hand to steady myself as I walked as fast as I could in this dark. I hit a big flat area, likely a landing, and I felt along the wall to show me the rest of the way. I kept heading down when something like cotton strings came across my face. I reacted with my free hand, wiping it away. Then I found the next flat area. Door. I needed to find another door. I moved around a bit more freely, quickly identifying a door frame. I felt for the handle and sucked in a breath. For all I knew this door would open to the middle of their kidnapper-break room. I put my ear against the door but it seemed too thick. I couldn’t hear anything at all. Here goes nothing.

I turned the knob slowly, my ear in the crack, ready to pick up anything. But nothing seemed to be going on. The brighter light here had me squinting. I had to pause, to let my eyes adjust. It was a real hospital. Or at least it looked like one here. A complete contrast to the medieval vibe upstairs. No, this floor was bright and… sterile. Cream and pink shiny floors, like turquoise walls. Surreal. I peaked out slowly and saw nothing so I opened the door further to walk through.

“There!” A voice yelled from nearby. “That way! Form a perimeter! They think the prisoner has gone north!”

I quickly stepped back into the dark stairwell and watched as four hooded figures ran to the left. The door in that direction slammed, making me flinch.

Sht. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my temperature making me sweat. I clenched my fists to keep from shaking. Now what?

I moved a hand up, running it through my scalp as I thought. I stiffened. The movement reminds me of Drake. I had to get out there, he couldn’t find me in here. I had to tell him his Alpha wasn’t involved in this, that he could be out there looking for him. That he was in even more danger. Because of me.

The reminder woke me up. I took a quick breath in and steadied myself. No doubts. I had to try. Drake would try.

I opened the door again, edging my face out, looking and listening carefully. After a moment I deemed it clear. Glancing up I caught a camera facing the door those guys had run through. I looked in the opposite direction, not seeing any clear cameras.

Northwest corner. Those guys went North. There had to be a reason they thought I went that way. I need to move differently. I got this. I have to get this.

I moved out from behind the door, closing it slowly behind me to prevent it from slamming shut. Then I moved to the right.

Down past a few doors, past a nurse’s station, or some sort of check in area, and there opened up two new ways. I paused.

They went North. I stood there turning that way. I remembered my dad, my wonderful outdoorsy dad, drilling the cardinal directions into me everytime we went for a walk or to the park. West and east as my other options, I chose east. A clear shot to the outside as indicated by an actual exit sign.

East it is.