“I think they’ve been told to get ready,” Rusty tells me as we sit in the dark of our cell in the middle of the night.
“Ready for what?” I ask, though I already know what he’s going to say.
“The time has come,” he says. “They’re getting the Pass Cards when Holbrook arrives, I just know it. Then, we’re all going to be killed. We have to get out of here. We have to escape.”
“We are getting out of here,” I say. “We’re working on it.”
He shakes his head. “I’m afraid we’re too late.”
“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” I say.
“The Pass Cards have been a long time coming,” he answers. “Been talking to Chet.”
“I thought we agreed not to trust Chet,” I say.
“He’s got access to Pass Cards on the outside. If we can get out of prison, we might just have a ticket out of the Containment Zone.”
“You think Chet’s just going to give you a Pass Card?”
“No,” he says. “But if he really has them then…well, you know.”
“You would kill him?”
“I would steal them,” he says. “And if he put up a fight, sure I would kill him. The man’s half-insane anyway.”
“Which is why I don’t trust what he says.”
Rusty shrugs. “We have to follow whatever leads we can.”
I sigh, wondering what we’re going to do. There are so many variables. So many things that could go wrong. I climb to the top bunk and rest my head on my pillow, my eyes wide open.
“I hope you’re wrong, Rusty.”
“Me too,” he says. “Me too.”
I have barely slept for the last month. Carver hasn’t been seen since I ratted him out to Warden Black, which is okay with me. It means he doesn’t have the chance to tell anyone about my connection to Skylar. But the anticipation of Holbrook coming rests heavy on my shoulders. I don’t know what he will be doing here. I don’t understand why he is coming, other than the fact that he will know about our blood test results. If he’s looked at them closely, he’s going to find out that Skylar and I are related. I don’t want them to have that kind of leverage over me. He will be more interested in my Starborn abilities than my relation to Sky, but if Starborn blood shows up in her results…
There are three deadlines for getting out of here as far as I’m concerned. In three days, Carver will be released from solitary. He will be angry. He will see me and remember that Skylar is my daughter, and he will be able to hold that over my head. He won’t know that I’m the one who ratted him out, but he won’t care. I killed his brother. He’s going to come after me and Skylar. I have no evidence to back this assumption, but I have no reason to ignore the possibility either.
My second deadline is the return of Holbrook. It is a scheduled return so that at least means he’s not rushing to get here with news that might harm me and Skylar. Rusty thinks he’s bringing the Pass Cards with him to hand out to all the guards.
If we can’t get out before the first two deadlines, then the third is our only chance. If Rusty is correct, and the guards are getting Pass Cards, they will probably be ordered to kill all the inmates before they pack up and leave. That, or they plan to lock us all in here and let us fight among ourselves. In that case, I would have a chance of escaping with Skylar, but the danger will rise by a factor of ten.
I have no real hope of escaping before Carver is released. So, we will miss deadline one. That gives us about a week or so to figure out a plan to get out before Holbrook arrives. If we can’t accomplish that, then we don’t know what we’ll do. If he’s delivering Pass Cards, then it may just turn into an all-out prison riot before the end.
So, we’ve doubled down. At three weeks since Warden Black told me Holbrook would be coming, Rusty and I have come up with a pretty solid plan, but with only one snag: taking Skylar with us.
It’s night time, which is when the two of us usually hash out our plans until about three in the morning. But tonight, Rusty decides to drop a bomb on me.
“I’ve talked to Chet,” he says, his eyes avoiding mine.
It’s dark, but I know in the light my face would be glowing red. “You what?”
“I know you said we couldn’t trust him, and you’re right, but think about it. He’s the only person we know who has access to Pass Cards outside the prison. That eliminates an entire problem. We don’t have to get it off a guard now and take a severed hand with us.”
“So, without talking to me first, you went and made escape plans with the most talkative inmate at Vulture Hill?”
“Everybody’s trying to escape, Liam. And think about it. He talks so much no one is going to care what he has to say about us.”
“How much did you tell him? Did you mention me? Did you mention Skylar?”
He shakes his head. “Of course not. I told him I have a partner and someone from the women’s side of the prison that has to escape with us. And he can get access to four cards.”
“I know what he says he has,” I answer, “but that doesn’t mean anything. You’re putting the whole plan at risk talking to him.”
“Well, he’s coming with us,” Rusty answers. “It’s a risk, but I think it’s well worth it.”
“Not if he rats you out.”
“Then I get solitary for a month, big deal.”
“Rusty…”
“I know, I know!” he whispers harshly, throwing up his hands. “Chet’s cell is 344. With our current plan, we’d have to deal with his cellmate, but Chet has assured me he won’t be a problem.”
I don’t have to explain to Rusty that a month in solitary at this point would be a death sentence if the guards were shipping out soon. If they went around executing all the prisoners, they would probably start with the ones in solitary and work their way up the prison.
The plan so far wasn’t concrete by any means, but it was all we had. With my access to certain key places throughout the camp, most of the responsibility rests on me.
The guards in the camp are proud of how well they patrol the entire prison. However, I’ve noticed they are somewhat lax on counting heads when we’re all supposed to be in bed. Every night a guard takes a head count, but we aren’t required to be standing at attention when he does so. The plan is for Rusty to stuff my blankets to make it seem like I’m already asleep in my bunk. I will be hiding away near the main control room at the other end of the prison, waiting for the shift change.
At the shift change, I can take my chances and fight two guards, or I can wait for the new guard to get comfortable in his post after the other one leaves. He will be locked in the control room, so I will have to wait until he gets up to use the bathroom or take a smoke break.
Cameras here aren’t a problem. They only have cameras at the cell block entrances and other places where the inmates are supposed to be. If I can get into the control room, the plan is to unlock cell 255 in the men’s quarters and 673 in the women’s quarters. Now, of course, Rusty wants me to unlock 344, Chet’s cell, but I’m still not sure if I can do it. I’m more worried about getting out of the prison than figuring a way out of the Containment Zone. That part can come later.
After I unlock the cells, I will open all the gates to the outside world. Rusty and Skylar will hear the click of the cell unlocking. Rusty will make his way to the power station and meet me, but Skylar will have to wait for me near the mess hall, which is in the middle of the camp.
There should only be two guards at the power station, but they are situated away from the primary power controls. I want Rusty with me to help me take them down. Surprise will be our best ally. At this point, no one should know that the cells or the front gate are unlocked. However, the guards near the gate will soon discover it and try to radio the guard at the control room. When they don’t receive an answer, they will raise the alarm. But Rusty and I will hopefully have knocked out the power by then.
With the lights out, we will meet Skylar in the middle of the camp
and make our way to the gate we believe will be the least guarded, which we think will be the disposal field gate. We will have to cross fields of greyskin carcasses, but since they should all be dead, we should be safe. The problem comes in getting there without encountering any guards. We will be safe from the guard tower lights, but we could quickly run into guards on the ground.
Now, however, the plan involves Chet—and I don’t know how that will work—but it wouldn’t be bad to have the extra manpower to overtake some of the guards. I just don’t trust him to keep his mouth shut. And I’m not so sure what Chet means about his cellmate not being a problem.
“You remember my stint in solitary for having a needle and thread?” Rusty asks.
“Yeah…”
“I’ve got a piece of paper in my pillow,” Rusty says. “The pillow is sewn shut, but the paper has coordinates written on it. It’s where Teagan is. That’s in case you lose me along the way for some reason. I don’t need to be the only one who knows how to reach him.”
“And how would I find a place using coordinates?” I ask.
“You go to the town of Parker,” he says. “It’s north of here. Anyone there with an old computer or GPS locator would be able to get coordinates for you.”
“The only satellites still in operation are under Screven control,” I say.
“Doesn’t mean people can’t access coordinates,” he says.
The current plan isn’t safe enough for Skylar in my opinion, and that’s why we haven’t tried. I’ve dropped notes into her cell, telling her we’re close, but I still can’t figure out a way to get her from her cell to the middle of the camp with help. I don’t know anything about her cellmate, though I feel confident she is on Sky’s side. I can’t simply trust her with vital information. It’s already a big risk tossing notes into her cell, knowing her cellmate could easily spot the note before Skylar does.
Everything we do here is a risk, and I don’t like the idea of having Chet come along. Rusty focuses on getting out of the prison and then getting out of the Containment Zone. I just want to get out of the prison and worry about the Containment Zone later. Vulture Hill is a death sentence. The Containment Zone is its own problem.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do to make your daughter’s escape any easier,” Rusty says. “You’ve got to decide when we’re doing this. The plan is the plan, and it’s the best we can do.”
I pull out the notepad and scribble a note to set in Skylar’s cell tomorrow morning when she and her cellmate are working in the fields.
Soon.
The one word is ambiguous. It doesn’t mean much, but it might help prepare her mentally. It might give her hope. And that’s something I want to give her, just so long as it’s not false hope.
Most of the guards know me now, so I no longer have to explain myself when I’m going to and from various buildings, usually carrying a broom or a rag with a soapy spray bottle.
Getting into the women’s cell block requires a smile and a nod. The guards don’t reciprocate, but they let me through without question. I feel sadness every time I walk down the empty corridors, realizing each time that Skylar faces the same challenges I face every single day. Perhaps worse now that I’ve become Warden Black’s rat.
I make my way to cell number 673 and stop in my tracks when I see a woman sitting on the floor staring at me. It’s Skylar’s cellmate. My first instinct is to continue walking as though I didn’t see her, but she stands at the cell door and calls out my name.
“Liam.”
I stop dead in my tracks and look in every direction. If Skylar trusts her enough to have told her about me, then I have no choice but to talk to her.
“I am a friend,” she says.
“What are you doing in your cell?” I say, glancing toward the guards near the entrance of the corridor. They pay no attention to me as they engage in their own conversation.
“When you’ve been here as long as I have, you can feign sickness and get a day in the cell,” she says. “But I’m not here to rest. I’m here to talk to you.”
“How did you know I would be coming?”
“I’m a Starborn, Liam. Just like you. But my power is different than yours. I can see the future.”
“The future?” The idea seems preposterous. It makes sense to me that I’m able to ignore pain—as though something in my brain is able to overcome the nerves in my body warning me of the danger of my injuries. But something so mystical as seeing the future? I don’t buy it.
“There isn’t much to talk about, except that I want to tell you again to continue as planned.”
“What?”
“The note in your pocket,” she says nodding. “It says soon, doesn’t it?”
I feel for the note and nod. “Yes.” Seeds of doubt implant themselves into my mind.
“Let’s make it sooner than whatever time you had in mind,” she says. “Something is going to happen today, and you’re going to question yourself. You’re going to question everything. Your instincts are going to tell you to wait.” She shakes her head. “Don’t wait. I’m telling you to go against your instincts on this one and continue with the plan as soon as possible.”
“What’s going to happen today?”
“I can’t tell you any more,” she says. “Those who know the future are the ones who can change it. I don’t want to give you that chance. But if you continue with the plan, and implement it as soon as possible, then we have a chance.”
“We?” I ask.
“I am a friend of your daughter’s,” she says. “I am a friend of yours, but you don’t know it yet. I’m going with you.”
“That’s too many people trying to escape at once. The more people there are, the worse our chances become.”
“Not by what I have seen,” she says with finality. “But all this starts with you.” She reaches out her hand.
I pull out the piece of paper and set in in her palm.
“I will give it to her.”
“When should we do it?” I ask.
“I need some rest now. Have a good day.”
She turns from me and rests on her bed, her back to me. I know she won’t say anything else. I know this is the end of the conversation.
Soon, very soon, we leave this hellhole.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Skylar
IT WAS A hard day working without Waverly in the fields. She had told me she didn’t feel well and was going to stay back—a privilege the rest of us didn’t have, but I didn’t argue with her. Breakfast and lunch felt lonely. Katherine and Janet don’t have much to say these days. No one has had much to say over the last couple of months. There was a sense of hopelessness in the air that didn’t exist when I first came here.
“I wonder what’s wrong with her,” Janet said, her eyes fixed on her bowl in front of her.
Katherine shook her head and sighed. “Won’t be good if she’s sick. Won’t be good if that gets passed around.” She nodded at me. “You’ve probably got somewhat of an immune system left in you. The rest of us…” She sighed again, this time it was a deep, long breath. “Maybe it’s the best way to go.”
No one said another word during the meal, the weight of Vulture Hill resting heavily on our shoulders. People hoped for an end. An escape. Whether that be through the gates of the prison or through the gates of heaven, it didn’t matter to most anymore.
During the afternoon break, I find Waverly asleep on the bed. She rolls onto her side when I come through the cell door and holds out a piece of paper. There is a single word written on it: soon.
I look up at her, my mouth open. “You saw Papa?”
“Yes,” she says. “It’s happening.”
I set the paper in the toilet and flush it down as I always do with notes he leaves me. “That’s why you stayed behind today.”
“Yes,” she says.
“What day?”
“I’m not sure. I just know it’s soon, as the paper says.”
> I feel a flutter in my chest, a sense of excitement mixed with a feeling of dread.
“You say it’s not going to happen the way we think,” I say. “How many people are going to die because of this?”
“I don’t know,” she answers.
“Are people going to die?”
“Yes.”
“What are the chances things are going to happen the way you’ve seen it?”
“That depends,” she says. “How much do you and your father know of the future? It is possible that even with the little bit of information I’ve given you, you could make decisions based on that and change something. I think it’s unlikely that will happen, but I can’t know for sure.”
“I thought it was your power to know for sure,” I snap.
“Just be ready,” she says. “We will know when the time comes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Liam
IT DOESN’T FEEL right to implement the escape plan tonight, and I don’t think Skylar’s cellmate, the self-proclaimed Starborn who could see the future, meant for the escape to happen last night either.
My thoughts are evolving, however. Perhaps I missed my opportunity. It’s the next day and I’ve been summoned to Warden Black’s office. This wouldn’t be unusual but for the fact that Rusty has also been summoned.
He and I both feel sick about the situation, but we don’t say anything as the guards lead us to the office. Hutch waits outside and gives me a somber look. He shrugs as if to tell me he’s not sure what’s going on. I offer him an assuring nod, though I’m not sure why. I actually feel bad for the kid. He may be on the other side of things, but he’s just trying to survive like the rest of us.
He leads us into Black’s office, and the warden stands behind his desk, his thin arms crossed over his chest. To his left stands Chet who doesn’t look at us as we enter.
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