nods toward an abandoned building and I follow her behind it.
“If too many of us go through at once, someone’s bound to notice. Let’s wait a while.”
I nod and peek out, but others must not have had the same idea, because no sooner does one man get out than another bolts right behind him.
A bright light shines from somewhere to the right. “Hey you! Stop right there!”
I gasp but then clamp my lips shut. A guard races toward the door and the man darts through and shoves it closed. It hits with a bang, sealing the guard in and us with him.
My heart thunders in my chest and echoes through my ears. We’ll never get out now.
The guard calls for help and shoves the door back open, but it’s too dark and too far, and I don’t know what he sees.
“What do we do now?” I hiss.
Isabel studies the situation, her dark eyes calculating. “I know another way out. It’s typically more dangerous, but their focus is on this door now. We might be able to make it.”
I don’t like the sound of the word “might,” but options are running thin.
She turns at my nod and leads me back through the trash dump. Massive mountains of garbage and debris line the area. We pick our way through and finally reach the main part of the city. I have no idea where she’s leading me, but I follow without question as we hurry through the streets.
The city is mostly empty and silent, with only the occasional stray animal digging through the trash in the street. At least we don’t have to worry about being caught here, especially since all the guards are on the other side of the dump.
“It isn’t far,” she says.
By now, my legs burn and my mouth is dried out. I’ve now been walking for hours. Not to mention the electrocution.
“Wait.” Isabel holds out her arm. We’ve stopped at the side of the arena where they handed out the allowances. She peeks around the side and searches the back alley, but she must like what she sees because she nods at me and moves on.
A huge alley and loading station stretches out behind the arena, but it sits right up against the wall. The far end holds a gate, and the only thing holding the gate closed is a small lock.
“Most people don’t know this gate is here,” Isabel says.
“How did you know about it?”
“I been here a long time.”
I don’t question that.
We slip into the dark alley and move toward the gate. Isabel jiggles the lock, but it’s secure. Frowning, she glances around.
“Isabel.” I nod toward a few loading tools leaning against a door to the arena. “A shovel.”
She snatches it and smacks the head against the lock. The clang rings way too loudly in the still night, but it’s the only way. Her pack falls from her shoulders, and a few contents spill out. I pick them up and move away from her.
As she works on the lock, I mess with the doorknob on the door where I found the shovel. The door swings open without a sound. I gasp and pull back, but then I see the inside. Shelves line the walls of the small room, and the shelves hold boxes. I move inside and light a match from the pack Isabel brought. The boxes hold medicine bottles. Each one is unmarked but full of small white pills.
My stomach rolls and I back away. The match burns too close to my fingers and goes out. I ignore the burning pain and light another match. Glancing behind me, I see Isabel still whacking at the lock. I make a split decision and toss the match into a box. The flame spreads quickly, and I step out and close the door.
I have no idea if the pills will catch fire, but at least I tried.
Isabel hits the lock again and again, and I move to the side of the building to keep watch.
Nerves play tricks on my eyes and I see a guard who is there one minute and gone the next. “Hurry Isabel.”
She grunts in reply and gives the lock one last gargantuan smack. The lock clatters to the ground and she yanks the gate open without a pause.
I glance down the side alley one last time and then hurry to
“If too many of us go through at once, someone’s bound to notice. Let’s wait a while.”
I nod and peek out, but others must not have had the same idea, because no sooner does one man get out than another bolts right behind him.
A bright light shines from somewhere to the right. “Hey you! Stop right there!”
I gasp but then clamp my lips shut. A guard races toward the door and the man darts through and shoves it closed. It hits with a bang, sealing the guard in and us with him.
My heart thunders in my chest and echoes through my ears. We’ll never get out now.
The guard calls for help and shoves the door back open, but it’s too dark and too far, and I don’t know what he sees.
“What do we do now?” I hiss.
Isabel studies the situation, her dark eyes calculating. “I know another way out. It’s typically more dangerous, but their focus is on this door now. We might be able to make it.”
I don’t like the sound of the word “might,” but options are running thin.
She turns at my nod and leads me back through the trash dump. Massive mountains of garbage and debris line the area. We pick our way through and finally reach the main part of the city. I have no idea where she’s leading me, but I follow without question as we hurry through the streets.
The city is mostly empty and silent, with only the occasional stray animal digging through the trash in the street. At least we don’t have to worry about being caught here, especially since all the guards are on the other side of the dump.
“It isn’t far,” she says.
By now, my legs burn and my mouth is dried out. I’ve now been walking for hours. Not to mention the electrocution.
“Wait.” Isabel holds out her arm. We’ve stopped at the side of the arena where they handed out the allowances. She peeks around the side and searches the back alley, but she must like what she sees because she nods at me and moves on.
A huge alley and loading station stretches out behind the arena, but it sits right up against the wall. The far end holds a gate, and the only thing holding the gate closed is a small lock.
“Most people don’t know this gate is here,” Isabel says.
“How did you know about it?”
“I been here a long time.”
I don’t question that.
We slip into the dark alley and move toward the gate. Isabel jiggles the lock, but it’s secure. Frowning, she glances around.
“Isabel.” I nod toward a few loading tools leaning against a door to the arena. “A shovel.”
She snatches it and smacks the head against the lock. The clang rings way too loudly in the still night, but it’s the only way. Her pack falls from her shoulders, and a few contents spill out. I pick them up and move away from her.
As she works on the lock, I mess with the doorknob on the door where I found the shovel. The door swings open without a sound. I gasp and pull back, but then I see the inside. Shelves line the walls of the small room, and the shelves hold boxes. I move inside and light a match from the pack Isabel brought. The boxes hold medicine bottles. Each one is unmarked but full of small white pills.
My stomach rolls and I back away. The match burns too close to my fingers and goes out. I ignore the burning pain and light another match. Glancing behind me, I see Isabel still whacking at the lock. I make a split decision and toss the match into a box. The flame spreads quickly, and I step out and close the door.
I have no idea if the pills will catch fire, but at least I tried.
Isabel hits the lock again and again, and I move to the side of the building to keep watch.
Nerves play tricks on my eyes and I see a guard who is there one minute and gone the next. “Hurry Isabel.”
She grunts in reply and gives the lock one last gargantuan smack. The lock clatters to the ground and she yanks the gate open without a pause.
I glance down the side alley one last time and then hurry to
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