Rusty and I don’t dare look at each other, but I know the feeling we have must be the same. It’s a punched-in-the-gut sickness mixed with a nearly uncontrollable rage at Chet. The man has ratted Rusty out. If Rusty has been true to his word, I shouldn’t be implicated in the escape plan, though it would seem suspicious that I don't know anything.
My anger goes beyond Chet. I’m also angry with Rusty who brought him in on the deal without talking to me about it first. Now, it seems, the plan is ruined.
“Rusty,” Warden Black says with a scowl. “Liam. Glad you two could make it today.”
“What’s this about?” Rusty asks.
“You keep your mouth shut unless I ask you a question,” Black says. He takes a deep breath through his narrow nose and lets the air out slowly. “Chet has told me about a little operation you’ve been planning.”
Rusty stares Chet down, but Chet won’t even look in his direction.
“He is scant on the details,” Black says, “but he says you are collaborating with at least two other people and that you are very close to an escape plan that might actually work. Do you deny this?”
“Yes,” Rusty says.
“In the past, you’ve been caught with contraband and plans of escape,” Black says. “You can see why I’m willing to take Chet’s word over yours.”
Black turns his stare toward me.
“What concerns me the most,” Black says, “is that you’re supposed to be my informant, and you haven’t told me anything about Rusty’s escape plans.”
It’s not lost on me that Rusty isn’t supposed to know about me being an informant. Thankfully, Rusty thinks quickly enough to offer a shocked expression.
“You’re a rat?” he says through clenched teeth.
I know he’s just doing this to protect me, and I am grateful, but I have no words to say to him.
Rusty looks toward Chet. “Guess we’re surrounded by rats.”
I don’t know if it’s enough to convince Black, but it’s a start. If he can believe that I never told Rusty about being his rat, then maybe I will have a chance of surviving this.
“I didn’t know of any escape plans,” I say. “We don’t talk in our cell much, and I’m sure if he has a plan it has something to do with where he works in laundry.”
“But you’ve been given access to so much of the camp,” Black says. “You would be a valuable asset to an escape plan.”
“I can assure you, I have no information about an escape plan at this time,” I say. “That’s not to say there isn’t one. I just don’t know about it.”
I hate lying like this. I don’t feel like I’m good at it and it feels like I’m leaving Rusty out to dry. But it’s the only thing I can say. He’s already in deep whereas I still have a chance.
“You don’t seem overly surprised to know about Liam’s job,” Black says to Rusty.
“I’m not surprised by much these days,” he says. “I’ve never trusted him.” He looks at me when he says this. Rusty gets it. The only way either of us will get out of this is if we pretend we know nothing of what the other does.
“If I may say so, Warden, Chet is known around camp for having a loud mouth,” I say. “I believe he would say anything to get ahead. I believe he’s lying. Surely I would have caught on to something if Rusty was close to a real escape plan.”
Black looks at Chet for a moment then shakes his head. “I know Chet to be a loudmouth, but I don’t know him to be a liar.” He looks at me, his face serious. “I have someone close to me who says I’m supposed to trust you. She can see the future, you know. She’s told me that you would uncover some good escape attempts, and this has been true so far. I trust her. Which means I trust you. For now.”
“Then you know Chet has to be lying,” I say.
“No,” Black says. “Rusty has just been planning all this right under your nose. That’s why you didn’t see it. You’ve been too busy looking everywhere else.” He sighs and rubs his eyes. “I’m so sick of all this. First Carver, now you.”
“You’re sending me to solitary?” Rusty asks, his right eye twitching.
“No,” Black says. “I’m through with solitary as a deterrent. It obviously does nothing. I’m ordering Carver out of solitary, and he’s going to see you hanging from the tree in the yard.”
“What?” Rusty yells. “There’s no proof! I haven’t done anything! Solitary worked for me. I’ve done nothing but my job since then.”
“Chet has told me things in the past,” Black says. “They’ve checked out. He knows I don’t like people who waste my time.”
My heart is racing. Everything is falling apart. I don’t know if I can do all this without Rusty. He’s been my escape partner since the beginning. Should I offer up the cure? Should I say something about it so I can use the leverage?
No. That is the last resort. That’s for Skylar. I don’t know what the future holds, so I have to keep that in the bag no matter what.
“I get that everyone is trying to escape in their own way,” Black says. “That doesn’t really bother me. It’s when your plans take shape and it seems you might actually succeed that I see a need for a deterrent. You will be an example to the rest of the camp.”
I know this has to be the situation Skylar’s cellmate warned me about. This is where I would want to halt our plans. This is where I would stop and re-evaluate everything. Yet the one who claims to know the future has told me to keep going, to ignore my doubts.
“Guards,” Black says. “Take Rusty and hang him in the tree. Put a sign above his head that reads: tried to escape.
Rusty looks at me, his eyes wide. I don’t know what to do. If I try to help him, Black will string me up next to him. The guards pull him out of the room. He tries to fight them, but there are too many of them.
I feel completely helpless.
“I’m sure Holbrook will be pleased when he sees the new display this afternoon,” Black says.
I turn my head sharply. I feel so disoriented like the world is crashing down around me and I have to keep my balance or I will be swallowed up. I knew Holbrook was coming soon, but…
“Holbrook is coming today?” I ask, wishing I had misunderstood Black.
“That’s right,” Black says. “Says he’s coming with good news.”
Good news?
The guards drag Rusty out of the room as he screams curses, thrashing his arms and legs.
“You may go,” Black says to me and Chet.
Good news?
Rusty was right all along. Holbrook is bringing the Pass Cards. Sky’s cellmate was right. I need to push forward.
Tonight, we escape.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Skylar
THE ANNOUNCEMENT BLARES from the speakers all across the camp. Everyone is to stop what they are doing and make their way to the yard in the middle of the camp. I try to ask Waverly what is going on, but she doesn’t speak to me. She just walks and keeps her eyes fixed on the ground.
The entire camp gathers as the sun bakes us overhead. There is a man in the middle of the yard with several guards surrounding him, beating him with their rifles, kicking him in the ribs. Blood drips from the man’s head and he keeps his eyes closed as he shrinks into the fetal position.
One of the guards brings a rope and tosses it over one of the branches of the tree. He secures the rope to the branch, then they pull the man up from his spot on the ground. They put the noose around his neck and tighten it.
As they pull the man off the ground, his feet kicking underneath him, Warden Black appears, walking next to the tree with his hands behind his back.
“This,” he yells, “is the new punishment for trying to escape. If there is even a suggestion, if there is even the tiniest bit of evidence that one of you is trying to escape, you will hang next to this man.” He looks up, the prisoner’s face turning blue, his legs kicking a little less violently. “Stick to the new mantra: If you are trying to escape, you’re suicidal!”
With that, Warden Black walks away, leaving the prisoners to watch as the man stops moving. The guards place a sign on the branch above his head. The words read: tried to escape.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Liam
WITHOUT RUSTY, MY plan is useless. Without him, I am alone for most of the attempt. It was already a sketchy plan at best, but now I know it won’t work. The plan involved him helping me take down guards in the middle of the night. I can’t do that alone. They will overtake me, and then I will hang next to him.
I feel sick. I vomited when the guards hung Rusty by his neck. I didn’t see Skylar in the crowd, but I’m sure she saw it, too.
I hate this place. I hate these people. The only thing I want more than to see Warden Black die is to see my daughter out of this place.
After the execution, everyone was told to get back to work. I stayed near the yard, looking at Rusty’s body, thinking about Chet and wondering what sort of reward he may have gotten by ratting out Rusty. I haven’t forgotten that Chet claims to have Pass Cards on the outside somehow.
“What do I do? What do I do?” I ask myself over and over in a whisper.
In the distance, I see a caravan of vehicles entering the prison camp and I know Holbrook has arrived. Black said he was coming with good news, which I can only think to mean that he’s got the Pass Cards for the guards. And that means none of us have much time left.
I pull out my notepad and pencil and scribble down a note.
When your cell unlocks in the middle of the night, meet at the mess hall.
I make my way to the women’s cell blocks, hoping the guards haven’t been told to keep me from entering. They let me through like normal.
When I reach Sky’s cell, there is no one in it this time. I look in every direction to make sure I’m alone, I fold up the paper and flick it to the middle of her bed. I have no reason to think she won’t get the note. From what I know, she’s gotten all the other ones.
This is a big risk. If any of the guards walk by and see it, thinking it’s contraband, the whole plan will be foiled. But I have no other way to get the message to her.
A successful escape takes a certain measure of desperation, and a bit of recklessness. There is no way for me to be precise here. There is no way for me to do this alone. The next few risks I have to take are big ones, and if they don’t work, I’m a dead man. And that means Skylar is dead too.
I skip lunch. I pretend to clean for a couple of hours in the main building near Warden Black’s office. I watch for any unusual activity from the guards, and I am shocked to see there is plenty.
From a distance down the hall, I can see guards being called in and out of Warden Black’s office. Some leave and are replaced by others. Each time the guards leave, they have big smiles on their faces. Sometimes I even see guards flash their cards at one another, though I can’t see any detail. Still, this all but confirms my suspicion. Now, I just needed to know one more bit of information.
When I see Hutch leave the room, I wait to see which direction he goes. He walks down the east hallway alone, and I know it’s my chance.
When he hears footsteps behind him, he looks at me and seems surprised. “Liam!”
“Shhhh,” I say, bringing a finger to my lips. I flatten myself against the hallway wall. “Hutch, I need to know something. Is Holbrook giving out Pass Cards?”
He looks both ways and nods.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“I can’t say anything, Liam.”
“Can you confirm with me then?”
“Huh?”
“Can you just nod yes or shake your head no?”
He nods again.
“I just need to know, are the guards ordered to kill the inmates tonight?”
He looks surprised by my question and shakes his head no.
“Are they ordered to kill the inmates tomorrow?”
Hutch licks his dry lips and looks side-to-side, shifting his weight. “I could get in so much trouble telling you anything.”
“I’m a friend of the Warden’s,” I say. “I’ve given you all a lot of information. I just need to know, do you have orders to kill us at any time?”
“We have pending orders,” Hutch says, looking over his shoulder. “We haven’t been told what they are.”
“Did they say when to expect any pending orders?”
“Tomorrow,” he says. “But I don’t know what time.”
“Are the guards leaving? Is the prison shutting down?”
“We haven’t been told yet.”
“But you have Pass Cards.”
He nods. “Pass Card and a handprint.” He waves a hand in front of me.
I nod, looking away from him. The escape has to be tonight, regardless of what I think I can do with or without Rusty.
“You can’t tell anyone I told you all this,” he says. “I could get in big trouble.”
I can tell Hutch hasn't thought all of this through. He is excited about having the Pass Card, but he doesn't realize what he may be ordered to do soon.
“Thank you, Hutch. I owe you.”
“Maybe you can clean my barracks sometime,” he says with a smirk.
“Maybe I will, if they ever let me in there,” I tell him.
We part ways and I head for my cell because it’s nearly afternoon downtime.
While most people are trying to sleep during downtime, my mind is racing. Everything rides on Skylar finding the note in her cell. I’m sure her cellmate will help her get to the mess hall in the middle of the night. If this is the future she foresaw, then maybe that will aid them in getting them there.
I have already determined that the original plan is not the way to go. I’m not entirely sure how my new plan will play out, but by the end of the night, I will either be walking out of this place with my daughter or I will be dead.
I bunch the blankets together on the top bunk to try and make it look like someone is in it. I have no plans of returning to this cell, and I don’t want to raise the alarm before the plan even starts.
I walk along the corridor with the other prisoners on our way to the mess hall. Rusty’s body hangs under the shade of a tree, flies buzzing around his head. It’s a reminder to all the prisoners as they pass the yard that if we try to escape, we will die.
The crowd of people seems more quiet than usual, a depressed lull hangs over them like a dark cloud. I have to squeeze my hands to keep them from shaking. I take my tray up to the bar and accept my broth and half piece of bread with a thank you. I then make my way to the table where Rusty and I have sat together almost since I’ve been here.
From this distance, I have gotten good at spotting Skylar in the mess hall crowd. She’s next to her cellmate. I stand from my seat, hoping she will look in my direction. When her eyes lock onto mine, I raise my eyebrows, hoping she takes the gesture as a question of did you get the note?
She stares at me in the eyes and offers a short, but definite nod. A feeling of relief rushes over me. She’s gotten the note. She knows what to do. My eyes travel to her cellmate who also gives me a solemn nod.
I sit down quickly, hoping no one noticed me. Then, I turn and look over my shoulder to see Carver sitting alone at the table behind me. He stares me down, probably thinking of a thousand ways to kill me.
I pick up my tray and walk toward him. Time for the next phase of my plan.
When I sit in front of Carver, he looks at me like I’ve just punched him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he says. “I don’t care about the guards. I will snap your neck right here.”
“I’m the one who ratted you out,” I say.
“What?”
“I learned about your escape attempt and I told Warden Black about it,” I continue. “I’ve been assigned as a spy for him. I’ve ratted out a few people, but yours was the biggest.”
His eyes narrow at me, but then his mouth widens into a big grin. “I can’t believe it,” he says. “What kind of si
ck person admits something like this? You know I already want to kill you, right? Now, I’m going to torture you. Then I’m going to torture your daughter right in front of you. Then I’m going to slit her throat right in front of you. Then, I’ll drown you in her blood.”
It takes everything within me not to crush his skull against the table, and with the fury coursing through me at the moment, I could do it.
“I’m telling you this because I’m offering you a new chance to escape.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because I think you’re the only one who could cause a mass riot in this place. People fear you, but they also respect you. Why else would you be sitting alone at a table? You see how crowded this place is?”
“Starting a riot is suicide,” he says.
“Not if it’s in the middle of the night,” I say.
“There ain’t no point. In fact, this might even be better. I could go up to Warden Black right now and have you hung for all to see.”
“You could, but you will be dead by tomorrow anyway,” I tell him.
He raises an eyebrow at me and crosses his arms.
“The guards just received their Pass Cards today. And they have pending orders set for tomorrow. They don’t know what the orders are, but let’s be serious. It’s to kill all the inmates. You know that.”
Carver scratches his chin. “How do I know you ain’t full of it? How do I know you ain’t just playing me again?”
“Because I’m asking you to start a riot when your cell unlocks tonight.”
“How do you plan to manage that?”
“That’s my problem. I’m going to flip the switch for every cell in both cell blocks. Then I’m going to flip the switch for the gates. That will mean every prisoner in the camp will be able to fight and get out of here. There’s a couple of thousand people against fifty or so guards. This shouldn’t even be that difficult.”
Carver nods, probably still unsure if he can trust me. “So, all I have to do is wait for my cell to unlock, and then get people to start fighting?”
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