The bulky and bald guard had nothing on him to defend himself. Eric saw that by the nameplate on his uniform, his name was Bryon. He remembered to have seen Bryon in the cafeteria once, and back then, he’d already decided that he wasn’t worth liking. Bryon had always carried himself with a superior attitude, passing by prisoners with his nose stuck in the air.
‘You take his left, and I’ll take his right.’ Eric said, trying to reclaim his heroic aura. It was thus the very same heroic aura that had made him volunteer in the first place.
‘Just let me do it, dimwit!’ Viper scowled. She clutched the shovel tighter, and tossed a quick practise swing, almost hitting Eric flat against his face. ‘I can already feel this shovel digging into his smug bald head!’
Upon a sudden rush of adrenaline, Viper rose to her feet, and charged.
Her shrieking battle call exploded through the roof, its high shrilling pitch overpowering every inch of Eric’s eardrum.
‘What are you doing!?’ Eric cried.
The startled guard impulsively swung around. His giant bulky arms absorbed the hit from Viper’s shovel, and just as easily reflected the entire implement back towards her. Viper couldn’t help but to stumble to the floor.
Bryon dropped his radio, and rose from his seat. An enormous red dragon tattoo had danced across half of his face, only fuelling the fury in his already angry eyes.
He grunted in disgust, and spit to the floor.
Viper’s face was painted with terror. She’d helplessly crawled away, sprawling backwards until she’d finally hit the wall. Her breath was struck short, seeing Bryon walking towards her. With each heavy step, he’d made her entire body tremble.
She was done for.
Bryon raised his hand and grabbed at Viper’s feet. His blunt fingernails had dug into her calves, gnawing away at her tender flesh as a filthy, hungry rat. She had kicked and squealed as viciously as she possible could.
‘Let me go! Let me go!’ She cried, but it seemed as if Bryon was struck deaf.
Suddenly, as it all seemed hopeless, Bryon’s face had gone completely numb.
His giant, heavy body had shaken out of control, until finally collapsing on Viper’s trembling lap. He was as lifeless as she’d ever seen anyone before.
‘Are you okay?’ Eric asked. His dark brown eyes widened when peering out from above Bryon’s body. Clutched tightly within his hands, he held an electrical gun. ‘I got it from the emergency case.’
Viper was completely speechless. Her nose was wriggled, and her lips pressed together, but still she had shown no expression. She shoved Bryon aside, rose to her feet, and grazed past Eric.
‘You never speak about this to anyone, understand?’ She threatened.
‘Okay,’ Eric sung proudly, but he couldn’t help but to smile. ‘Just remember, anything you do to me in the future, can make me sing like a bird!’ He twirled the electric gun around his finger, almost dropped it, and hooked it away on his belt.
Viper studied the large, colourful variety of buttons stretched out across Bryon’s desk. She’d leaned in closer, reading some of the miniature labels, but found that it was all in a strange foreign language.
‘Why do they always have to make things so difficult?’ Viper snapped. She banged her fist to the tabletop and paced backwards, her hands nestled in her hair. ‘We’re never getting out of here!’
While ignoring Viper’s hissy fit, Eric moved in closer and studied the panel himself. He saw a large green button at the very edge of the tabletop.
‘I guess this one looks like a lower the fence button?’ He said. His joking tone had only seemed to have made things worse, for instead of laughter, Viper shot him nothing but stiffening scowl.
‘You know, we don’t have all day!’ Eric said. ‘I’m going to push it. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?’
Before Viper could’ve done anything to stop him, Eric’s palm was already wrist-deep plunged at the button. He closed his eyes as if expecting something terrible (an explosion maybe) but nothing happened.
Viper released an obnoxious snort.
‘Well I guess the worst thing that can happen is: Nothing!’ She was just about ready to run herself into the wall, when a piercing alarm came screeching across the construction site. It was one like they’d never heard before; pulsing short and thick waves across the blazing red sand.
The large fence surrounding the Keep had released one quake after the other, and slowly it started to lower into the dry, sand-encrusted earth.
‘Well, if Sam wanted our escape to be stealthy–it’s too late for that!’ Eric said. He thought almost every living being, within a hundred mile radius, would solely be aware of the ruckus.
‘Come on, we have to get out of here!’ Viper cried. The piercing alarm pulsed along with her heartbeat. ‘Especially before he wakes up! ’ She took one last look at the knocked out guard, and fled down the stairs.
She heard as Eric’s heavy footsteps blundered down behind her.
They had dashed through the door, and rushed outside to where the others were waiting for them. Each of their faces was written with panic.
‘You made it!’ Melanie cried, thrilled.
Sam on the other hand, hadn’t seemed relieved at all. She blinked fiercely, staring at the closed door of the tunnel behind them; Jamie still tightly wrapped against it. ‘What happened up there?’ She asked, not focussing at all. She’d felt confused, for the screeching alarm hadn’t at all been a part of her plan.
‘There’s no time for that, we have to get out of here!’ Viper breathed heavily. She hurried across the construction site, and took off past the lowered fence: Into the desert.
Eric signalled the others to follow him. ‘Come on!’ He cried. His voice had risen above the roaring sound of the alarm.
‘But…Aaron is still not here!’ Sam said, trembling. She refused to follow the others. She knew that it wouldn’t be long until an entire army of guards would surround her, and could already see their charging figures at the edge of the construction site. They were closing in on her…and fast too.
She rushed to the door, and fumbled for the passkey. It was gone. Raiding her pockets, Sam remembered to have given it to Melanie (who’d been halfway up the closest mountain by now).
She banged on the door, her heart pounding faster than ever.
‘Aaron! Aaron! Where are you!?’ Sam cried, glancing back at the guards, who were by now within shooting range. She could already feel their flesh-cutting cuffs restraining her hands; and see Jack Crowe’s smug face when they’d bring her to him.
‘I’m so sorry...’ Sam quivered, stroking the door.
She turned to run.
Just as she did, the metal framing creaked behind her, and the door gave way. Aaron stood in the doorway, his hair messy, and his face sweaty.
‘I can’t believe it!? Aaron! Where were you?’ Sam asked, laughing while crying. ‘How did you get out?’
‘I had to get a passkey from a guard…but we’ll talk later!’ Aaron said. ‘Come on! We have to go…now!’ He ran to the nearest half-finished wall, and struck his foot through the bottom layer. All the loose bricks had descended, tumbled down, and onto the incoming guards.
Aaron slipped his hand into Sam’s, and clutched it tight. His grip was strong, but yet reassuring. Together, the two of them trailed behind the others, into the desert, and away from the Keep.
They couldn’t believe it, but they were finally free.
Chapter 15
Jack Crowe smashed his fist to the wall. He simply couldn’t bare the sight of yet another nine prisoners escaping.
‘Where were you!?’ Jack scowled Byron.
‘I’m sorry sir.’ Bryon said.
‘If it were up to me, I’d have sent you packing!’ Jack stomped off. His eyes had widened when arriving on the scene. It seemed that the prisoners had lowered the fence, and took off, all the while when he’d been searching for them in all the wrong places.
Jack imme
diately summoned three emergency rovers. ‘We have to find them!’ he commanded. ‘They’re on foot, so they couldn’t have gone far!’
‘Yes sir!’ The guards said, and set off.
‘I refuse to lose yet another piece of my well-earned reputation.’ Jack started his vehicle, and revved. ‘And definitely not because of another Cyrus!’
* * *
Within the smoky distance of the setting sun’s rays, Sam had caught the shining glitz of three ECD rovers trailing after them.
Her heart had sunk in her chest.
She’d known since the very moment they’d crossed the Keep’s line, it would only be a matter of time until Jack Crowe had initiated a hunt. Sam slung herself behind a towering boulder of sandstone. Her sleeve had got wedged in its ridges.
‘You okay?’ Luke asked, and Sam nodded. With one hard tug, she had split the threading from its stitch.
Sam ran faster. Her feet had sunk further into the scorching sand, roasting the bare part of her ankles to blisters. It was hard to keep up with the group.
‘Hurry up!’ Aaron cried. He’d easily made it to the front, and led them onward as fast as his feet could carry him. ‘They’re gaining on us!’ He had swung his body around, reversing, and scoured the dunes for the incoming rovers.
They were less than a hundred feet away.
All of a sudden, the back of Aaron’s foot got pinned to the sand. He tumbled backwards and helplessly rolled to the bottom of the dune.
‘Aaron!’ Sam cried in panic. She’d increased her speed and slid downhill as fast as she could. Aaron groaned, his head facing down.
Behind them, the roaring rumble of a rover had drawn dangerously close; its shiny silver hood bouncing up and down amidst a grimy cloud of dust.
‘Are you okay?’ Sam asked, sliding across the sand and cupping Aaron’s face.
‘I think so.’ Aaron coughed.
‘Are you sure?’
Aaron nodded. His pumped up body rapidly rose from the sand, grabbed Sam’s hand, and continued on foot.
‘Watch out!’ Donny cried from behind them. They had leaped out of the way, avoiding a large and rickety reinforcement van as it sped through the sand. Its brakes had squealed uncontrollably when stopping.
Two, shiny, black doors slid open at once.
Sam’s heart swelled.
‘Get in!’ Shawn cried. His head had flung back to where the three rovers were rapidly closing in. Both his hands were tightly clutched to the wheel, and his foot pending on the gas pedal.
One after the other, the nine escaped prisoners jammed into the back of the van.
‘Go! Go! Go!’ Viper cried when closing the door behind her. Her peroxide blonde hair was stained bright red with sand, and it seemed somewhere in the run she had ripped off both her sleeves.
‘What?’ Viper asked when seeing Jamie’s stunned expression. ‘They were holding me back, so I got rid of them.’
Out of breath, Sam had leaned over to the driver’s seat. ‘I thought you weren’t going to be a part of this?’ She said, studying Shawn’s serious face. Within his cool exterior, she’d failed to find any trace of panic.
‘Well I couldn’t just let you get caught, could I?’ Shawn gripped the wheel, and gave a sharp turn; all his passengers had toppled over. ‘Besides, I’ve realized I missed your constant nagging too much!’
Sam smiled. Shawn’s conceited sense of humour had been all she’d needed to forget the car chase. For a brief moment, she’d felt like all time had stopped, and they back in the cafeteria.
‘Oh, is that so?’ She teased. At the back of the van, Sam’s eyes had caught a quick glimpse of Aaron shifting uncomfortably. A growing tinge of guilt had sparked in her gut (but at this time, it seemed she’d already gotten used to it).
To Sam, guilt had been no stranger.
Before Shawn could answer, he’d peered out the window and increased the van’s speed.
‘We have to do something–we’re not going to be able to shake them for much longer! ’ He said. The engine rattled as he shifted gears.
‘Like what?’ Luna asked from the back of the van. She’d combed the vehicle for anything useful, but saw nothing other than a large portable radio, a dusty blanket, and an empty canteen. She’d lowered herself to the floor. It was filthy and moulded.
‘I think I can see something!’ She said, lining her body as thin as she could, and halfway disappearing beneath the cut-price, leather coated seats. ‘It’s a box–ugh–but it’s stuck!’
‘Do you need any help?’ Jamie asked. Just as she’d moved her head to the side, a pointed bullet came ricocheting off against the inside of the van.
It grazed her ear.
‘What the hell?’ Jamie shrieked in terror.
It was as if a thunderous hailstorm had suddenly broken loose. The quiet desert was booming in gunfire, and within seconds, they were showered with hundreds upon hundreds of bullets. Some had only dented the side of the van, whilst others had travelled all the way to the front windscreen.
‘Get down!’ Luke wailed. His arms spread wide, sheltering both Jamie and Melanie. Their shocked bodies had plunged to the floor, and remained laying lifeless in terror.
Jamie closed her eyes, tenderly gripping her ear. Her fingers had felt damp, covered in faint drops of blood that spewed from her grazed skin. The rhythm of gun fire had awoken her soul, and refreshed her memory to a passed time she’d longed to forget.
It was a brutal time when she’d solely lived for the chase, and almost died of the shot.
It was no secret to anyone that Jamie Sullivan had always loved speed. Whenever she’d snuck off in her grandmother’s rickety old car, only the sky was her limit. Some would’ve said not even the sky, for at the speed she was going, it was only a matter of miles before she’d actually take off: Flying.
One day, as Emitton’s oxygen rate had gone up, the board declared that all gas-powered cars were to be confiscated.
‘All petroleum and diesel vehicles are to be terminated at once. However, a new state of the art solar-powered rover can be purchased–at an added monthly fee of course!’ Cara Emitton said. Her enlarged face had been broadcasted on every building across the three districts.
Jamie felt crushed, for neither her grandmother, nor her parents, had the efficient money to do so.
‘Even IF we could afford a car, honey, it’ll cost us a fortune to sustain it!’ Jamie’s mother had said, sighing. (But Jamie knew she was right.)
She had decided to shove all thoughts aside, and almost at once, as if in her favour, cars had become one the rarest sights around the city. Only those who were rich and important had the luxury of driving one.
Not only had the shortage of oxygen been a problem, but also Emitton’s petroleum recourses, and the great fee that came along with owning a vehicle. The greater part of Emitton’s population were forced to convert to public transportation on the High Burrow train. It ran for miles on end from the one part of the city to the other; making its way through every district.
Jamie had always hated taking the train. She’d stare out the window at the very few cars passing by on the deteriorating roads. Her heart grew furious, for the entire vehicle industry was slowly falling to shreds, and right before her very own eyes.
As Jamie had been walking home from the train station one day, she’d seen a magnificent car like no other: A roaring convertible with an opened up roof, painted bright red, and with dark tinted windows.
Its driver though, was a monster-like woman, whose hazel hair had almost dangled to the floor. When she’d caught Jamie studying her car, she smiled, and called her in closer.
It was then that Jamie first met Sally.
Sally Verona was a renowned drag racer (a so-called sport thought to have gone extinct years ago).
‘You want a ride, kid?’ Sally asked.
‘Really, you mean it?’ Jamie blushed. She’d had always dreamt of owning a fancy car of her own, and was all too eager to accept Sally’s offer.
As they drove, the wind had swept down from the opened up roof. It almost sent Jamie flying through the air, and out the car. She’d clenched tightly to the seat covers when Sally had increased the speed. The engine roared; its monotone drill music to Jamie’s ears.
‘This is amazing!’ Jamie bellowed. She simply couldn’t wait to try it out for herself.
Sally’s crew had quickly accepted Jamie as a minor sit-in during races, but never allowed her to touch any of the actual gears. Jamie grew more and more furious with each and every day; her hands bleeding for the warm, leathery grip of the steering wheel.
‘C’mon, just let me drive! I’m really good!’ She pleaded, but Sally shook her head.
‘I’m sorry, Jamie. You’ll get to drive when you’re ready.’
Jamie frowned. ‘I AM ready!’ She said.
Sally wouldn’t budge. Jamie knew that the only way she’d ever get to drive is if she’d stolen one of Sally’s cars. Drag racing itself was illegal in the city of Emitton. Its daring rivalries not only supported the thriving drug industry, but also contributed to the destruction of city roads. If Sally were to catch Jamie, she wouldn’t dare call the ECD. Not only would it blow her own cover, but also risk her of losing everything she, and her entire crew, had worked for.
Weeks had passed, and as Sally and her crew left for the Emitton Dragging Cup, hosted deep within the Lujoso district, Jamie willingly stayed behind at the old warehouse. She broke into one of the smaller (but faster) cars, and rode off into the streets.
‘But the time Sally had returned, I would’ve put the car back where I’d found it.’ Jamie told herself, shifting gears, and turning onto the highway.
She pressed her foot to the pedal, increasing her speed to the max.
‘Ohhh, yea!’ Jamie cried, racing away beneath the vibrant streetlights of the Suburbio district; her thoughts left behind. She’d thought of speeding up, when out of nowhere, the authorisation gate of the Pobre district came up in front. She’d already crossed the incoming queue, and was unable to turn back. What had she gotten herself into?
The Keep (A Renegades story Book 1) Page 11
