building, and sprint to the next one over.
Here we’re a bit luckier. There’s a drainpipe I can stand on to hoist myself up to the window, and immediately I see that there’s no one inside. I’m guessing this is where the boxes were stored until they were moved outside. The room is mostly empty, but the floor is free of dust, as if there were something on it not too long ago. A few stray cans and smaller boxes are scattered across the shelves that line the walls. The only sign of life I see is agray mouse sauntering boldly around, scavenging for crumbs.
There’s nothing in the room that the soldiers will come looking for. It looks like a perfect place to hide, at least until we figure out what to do next.
I beckon to Drew, then slip around the side, up the steps, and in through the door as quickly as I can. The mouse sits up and stares at me, as if it’s rather offended I’ve come to disturb its stolen meal. It looks even more displeased when Ryan thumps through the door behind me, followed by Evelyn, Alonso, Louisa and Maddie together, and finally Drew with my backpack. If I’d been back in the tunnel, I would have made them wait longer between people, but we swing the door shut and wait and there’s no reaction from outside. So I guess we’re safe for the moment.
“This is perfect,” Louisa says, exhaling. She sets down her backpack and pats the faded red wall. Flakes of paint drift to the floor. “See, Maddie? We’re going to be okay.”She sounds like she’s reassuring herself as much as anyone else.
Maddie rubs her arms and looks around the small, dark space as if she’s not convinced.
“What else did you see out there, Rosie?” Evelyn demands, her dark eyes shining with excitement. She peeks out the back window, but there’s not much to see in that direction besides the gate and the pile of boxes. There’s a dirty front window out onto the rest of the camp, but none of us want to get too close to that in case we’re spotted.
I tell them about the guard shack, the tent dormitory, the prison, and the filing storage in the building next door. Evelyn and Alonso both light up at this last bit of information.
“There could be important documents in there!” Alonso says.
“We should steal some!” Evelyn says, and he nods. “To take back to the Resistance!”
“And how do you plan to get these hypothetical papers to this imaginary band of merry rogue heroes?” Drew says snidely.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll post them on the Internet,” Evelyn responds in the same spiteful tone.
“Well, it’s not safe to go in, anyway,” I point out, trying to stop them from arguing again. “There’s a guy in there right now.”
“I’ll watch for him to leave,” Alonso immediately volunteers. He hurries over to the door and holds it slightly ajar so he can watch the building across from us.
“All right, well, while you do that very important thing,” Drew says, “the rest of us can figure out how to get out of here. Any ideas? Rosie, do you think that fence goes all the way around the camp?”
“I’m pretty sure it does,” I say. “Especially since they have prisoners to keep in, besides protecting the soldiers from outside attack.”
This makes the others look, if possible, even gloomier.
“Maybe we should wait until dark and go back into the tunnel,” Ryan suggests. “If they can use it to get across the border, we can, too. And what are the chances they’ll use it at night?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Louisa says. “I don’t know… . I don’t want to go back down there if we can help it. I felt like a rat trapped in a maze. And we’d have nowhere to hide if Alliance agents came from either direction.”
“We can’t stay here,” Maddie says. “They’ll catch us any minute.”
We’re clearly about to have a serious morale problem. What everyone needs is some strong leadership. Even if I don’t have any brilliant ideas, I can at least give them that.
“All
Here we’re a bit luckier. There’s a drainpipe I can stand on to hoist myself up to the window, and immediately I see that there’s no one inside. I’m guessing this is where the boxes were stored until they were moved outside. The room is mostly empty, but the floor is free of dust, as if there were something on it not too long ago. A few stray cans and smaller boxes are scattered across the shelves that line the walls. The only sign of life I see is agray mouse sauntering boldly around, scavenging for crumbs.
There’s nothing in the room that the soldiers will come looking for. It looks like a perfect place to hide, at least until we figure out what to do next.
I beckon to Drew, then slip around the side, up the steps, and in through the door as quickly as I can. The mouse sits up and stares at me, as if it’s rather offended I’ve come to disturb its stolen meal. It looks even more displeased when Ryan thumps through the door behind me, followed by Evelyn, Alonso, Louisa and Maddie together, and finally Drew with my backpack. If I’d been back in the tunnel, I would have made them wait longer between people, but we swing the door shut and wait and there’s no reaction from outside. So I guess we’re safe for the moment.
“This is perfect,” Louisa says, exhaling. She sets down her backpack and pats the faded red wall. Flakes of paint drift to the floor. “See, Maddie? We’re going to be okay.”She sounds like she’s reassuring herself as much as anyone else.
Maddie rubs her arms and looks around the small, dark space as if she’s not convinced.
“What else did you see out there, Rosie?” Evelyn demands, her dark eyes shining with excitement. She peeks out the back window, but there’s not much to see in that direction besides the gate and the pile of boxes. There’s a dirty front window out onto the rest of the camp, but none of us want to get too close to that in case we’re spotted.
I tell them about the guard shack, the tent dormitory, the prison, and the filing storage in the building next door. Evelyn and Alonso both light up at this last bit of information.
“There could be important documents in there!” Alonso says.
“We should steal some!” Evelyn says, and he nods. “To take back to the Resistance!”
“And how do you plan to get these hypothetical papers to this imaginary band of merry rogue heroes?” Drew says snidely.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll post them on the Internet,” Evelyn responds in the same spiteful tone.
“Well, it’s not safe to go in, anyway,” I point out, trying to stop them from arguing again. “There’s a guy in there right now.”
“I’ll watch for him to leave,” Alonso immediately volunteers. He hurries over to the door and holds it slightly ajar so he can watch the building across from us.
“All right, well, while you do that very important thing,” Drew says, “the rest of us can figure out how to get out of here. Any ideas? Rosie, do you think that fence goes all the way around the camp?”
“I’m pretty sure it does,” I say. “Especially since they have prisoners to keep in, besides protecting the soldiers from outside attack.”
This makes the others look, if possible, even gloomier.
“Maybe we should wait until dark and go back into the tunnel,” Ryan suggests. “If they can use it to get across the border, we can, too. And what are the chances they’ll use it at night?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Louisa says. “I don’t know… . I don’t want to go back down there if we can help it. I felt like a rat trapped in a maze. And we’d have nowhere to hide if Alliance agents came from either direction.”
“We can’t stay here,” Maddie says. “They’ll catch us any minute.”
We’re clearly about to have a serious morale problem. What everyone needs is some strong leadership. Even if I don’t have any brilliant ideas, I can at least give them that.
“All
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