Status: Rewritten and Complete
Renegade
Victory
Something doesn't seem right as I crouch in the corner of my confined room. I tally the days with a rugged piece of concrete which I discovered about a week ago. I have nineteen tallies for being taken down the hall and I have an extra two, well three now, for days I've been left alone. This is the third day being neglected, not that I'm complaining, but it gives me a horrendous gut feeling.
I've made several attempts to communicate with my neighbour, but they refuse to acknowledge my existence. As I finish my tally mark, I shuffle over to the barred grate which allows me to see into their room. I knock on the metal hoping for some sort of sign. I hear a shuffling noise before I see a shadow of a human. I see feet and legs appear before me as they crouch down with a huff.
"Leave me the fuck alone." Their eyes finally lock onto mine and the look of annoyance suddenly changes to shock. "Fuckin' shit!" He presses his hand to the grate. "Detope! I've never been so happy to see you in my entire life." He smiles from ear to ear which I know I have the same expression.
"I'm so glad to see that you're alive. We've been worried about you. Quela hasn't stopped looking for you, Hunter." He smiles even bigger which I didn't think was possible.
"I figured you guys stopped after the first week. I've been stuck here forever." I move my hand over to his so our fingers are touching. "How are you holding up? I can't imagine what she's been putting you through." He looks better than I feel, but honestly I'm glad he, at least, looks okay.
"It's been hell, but hanging in there." I look down. "You're okay, right? Still in one piece." He shrugs suddenly appearing guilty.
"She hasn't done anything to me." I scrunch my face in confusion.
"But you get taken from your room and I hear screaming after."
"The guy next to me gets taken out after you and then they grab me, but I don't go to the room down the hall like everyone else. They take me upstairs." He admits with a guilty face.
"Upstairs?" It's clear I'm not understanding any of this.
"There is a computer server up there where they have me do some hacking. As long as I do that, I don't have to go down the hall." I shake my head.
"What are you hacking into, Hunter?" He shrugs.
"I never get to see. I get them in and get shoved aside. I never see anything. I know it can't be good, but it's better than Casandra. Bitch is fucked up in so many way." He has a point.
"Where is she?" I ask wondering if she's just bored with me.
"It's the last week of the month." He says like it should have been obvious. "She goes somewhere with a hefty amount of the staff for the week." I feel a smirk creep onto my face.
"How do you get there? The server room, I mean." I ask shifting slightly.
"You go out into the hall and to the left to the elevator door and go up two flights. It's the second to last door on the left." He pauses. "I see your wheels turning, Detope. What are you planning?" He looks at me with suspicion in his eyes.
"A way out."
************
I wait anxiously by the door for the guard to cautiously slide my rations into my room. I only ever see his hand, but that's all I'm going to need. I hear the lock unlatch to the room down the hall. My heart races against my chest feeling like it might burst through at any minute. The sound of doors unlocking only gets closer which means soon it will be my room.
The latch unlocks and the giant door slides open. I see a slim, pale hand creep slowly into the room with a tray in its grasp. Before the door can close, I latch onto the hand like a leech and yank it toward me. I haven't used my muscles like this in awhile, but I still have the element of surprise on my side. The door swings open from the guard's body crashing into it. He lands face first into the cold floor. I'm barefoot, but still manage to do damage by kicking his stomach. He grunts with each swift kick. I crawl on top of him sliding my arm around his neck feeling his pulse rapidly speed up. I pull back until he goes limp in my arm. I swipe his access card and unlock Hunter from his room.
He laughs as we run pass the knocked out guard and head for the elevator. He pulls me in when I hesitate. I grip the railings as the death box rises two floors with a beep. The door slides open where two guards about face and witness the two of us racing out of the elevator. One has a firearm fixed on me while the other has a baton. He fires missing me by a mile as I slide feet first into his shins knocking him over. Hunter takes care of the other one while I knock my elbow into the other's temple until he's out.
Hunter grabs onto my bicep pulling me off the floor and into the server room, closing the door behind him. The room is dark and has a thousand tiny flickering lights everywhere. Hunter leads me to the main computer and automatically shuts down any security cameras. He shrugs admitting that the guard who watches the monitors is normally asleep anyway. He offers the computer to me since it was my idea to come here in the first place.
I pull up a map of the building which doesn't seem to be as big as I thought it would be. It's apparently five floors, the third floor being the one with the main entrance and our exit route. I check the surrounding area which seems to be forestry next to a main road. I tilt my head toward Hunter who's looking at me confused and not catching onto any of my thinking.
"Can we get a hold of anyone with this computer?" I ask biting my lip.
"You got an IP address?" He asks ready to type. I give him the only IP address I know. He smirks knowing it, as well. I scoot him over to type out my message while asking why he hasn't done this before. "It's a little different in here when a gun isn't aimed at your head, Detope."
He peers over my shoulder and studies the contents with me. He nods in agreement before sending it off. He shoves me over and pulls up a live feed of the main entrance which has four guards nonchalantly roaming the room. I nod having a plan forming in my head. I have Hunter deactivate the sprinkler system and infect the server with a hell of a virus. He follows my orders without hesitation.
I tell him we have to go back downstairs to get everyone out and then we'll go deal with the guards. I guess all those rescue assignments Gabe sent me on, instead of my actual arson assignments, is coming in handy. Which reminds me, I have to kick his ass next time I see him. My eyes scan over the access card with a smile creeping onto my face. Hunter looks at me like I'm crazy which is probably true by this point. I grab onto his shirt leading him out of the room.
I assign him to getting everyone out of their cells while I take care of something in the room at the end of the hall. He swallows hard unsure if I should go in there, but I reassure him everything will be fine. I tell him and the others to wait for me at the elevator and we'll all go up together. Safety in numbers. They obey as I enter the hell hole.
I take a deep breath as I walk quickly to her desk. In the top drawer is the box of stuff she took from me which includes my lighter and phone. I tuck my phone into my pocket and give my lighter a kiss. In her second drawer, I find five bottles of bourbon. I snatch all of them, launching three to different parts of the room. I watch as the glass shatters and explodes alcohol in every direction. I plop down into her desk chair and start recording a video.
************
With my lighter, phone, and disk message in hand I rush to the elevator to catch up with my fellow escapees. We ride the elevator up to the third floor and once the door glides open, we rush out anxious to get to the door. Hunter and I fall back to take out the guards which isn't an issue until one starts unloading his firearm. The other's escape without repercussions, but I feel a bullet graze my left bicep. Compared to what I've been through the past three weeks, I barely notice it. Hunter knocks out his set of guards and yells for me to hurry as he follows the others out the door.
I stare down at a shaking guard behind the desk, handing him the disk.
"Give this to Casandra for me, sweetie." I smile, creeping him out more.
I pivot and strut toward the exit reaching over to my bleeding bicep. I dampen my index and middle finger with blood and trace lines across both of my cheeks before walking out of the building victorious.
I've made several attempts to communicate with my neighbour, but they refuse to acknowledge my existence. As I finish my tally mark, I shuffle over to the barred grate which allows me to see into their room. I knock on the metal hoping for some sort of sign. I hear a shuffling noise before I see a shadow of a human. I see feet and legs appear before me as they crouch down with a huff.
"Leave me the fuck alone." Their eyes finally lock onto mine and the look of annoyance suddenly changes to shock. "Fuckin' shit!" He presses his hand to the grate. "Detope! I've never been so happy to see you in my entire life." He smiles from ear to ear which I know I have the same expression.
"I'm so glad to see that you're alive. We've been worried about you. Quela hasn't stopped looking for you, Hunter." He smiles even bigger which I didn't think was possible.
"I figured you guys stopped after the first week. I've been stuck here forever." I move my hand over to his so our fingers are touching. "How are you holding up? I can't imagine what she's been putting you through." He looks better than I feel, but honestly I'm glad he, at least, looks okay.
"It's been hell, but hanging in there." I look down. "You're okay, right? Still in one piece." He shrugs suddenly appearing guilty.
"She hasn't done anything to me." I scrunch my face in confusion.
"But you get taken from your room and I hear screaming after."
"The guy next to me gets taken out after you and then they grab me, but I don't go to the room down the hall like everyone else. They take me upstairs." He admits with a guilty face.
"Upstairs?" It's clear I'm not understanding any of this.
"There is a computer server up there where they have me do some hacking. As long as I do that, I don't have to go down the hall." I shake my head.
"What are you hacking into, Hunter?" He shrugs.
"I never get to see. I get them in and get shoved aside. I never see anything. I know it can't be good, but it's better than Casandra. Bitch is fucked up in so many way." He has a point.
"Where is she?" I ask wondering if she's just bored with me.
"It's the last week of the month." He says like it should have been obvious. "She goes somewhere with a hefty amount of the staff for the week." I feel a smirk creep onto my face.
"How do you get there? The server room, I mean." I ask shifting slightly.
"You go out into the hall and to the left to the elevator door and go up two flights. It's the second to last door on the left." He pauses. "I see your wheels turning, Detope. What are you planning?" He looks at me with suspicion in his eyes.
"A way out."
************
I wait anxiously by the door for the guard to cautiously slide my rations into my room. I only ever see his hand, but that's all I'm going to need. I hear the lock unlatch to the room down the hall. My heart races against my chest feeling like it might burst through at any minute. The sound of doors unlocking only gets closer which means soon it will be my room.
The latch unlocks and the giant door slides open. I see a slim, pale hand creep slowly into the room with a tray in its grasp. Before the door can close, I latch onto the hand like a leech and yank it toward me. I haven't used my muscles like this in awhile, but I still have the element of surprise on my side. The door swings open from the guard's body crashing into it. He lands face first into the cold floor. I'm barefoot, but still manage to do damage by kicking his stomach. He grunts with each swift kick. I crawl on top of him sliding my arm around his neck feeling his pulse rapidly speed up. I pull back until he goes limp in my arm. I swipe his access card and unlock Hunter from his room.
He laughs as we run pass the knocked out guard and head for the elevator. He pulls me in when I hesitate. I grip the railings as the death box rises two floors with a beep. The door slides open where two guards about face and witness the two of us racing out of the elevator. One has a firearm fixed on me while the other has a baton. He fires missing me by a mile as I slide feet first into his shins knocking him over. Hunter takes care of the other one while I knock my elbow into the other's temple until he's out.
Hunter grabs onto my bicep pulling me off the floor and into the server room, closing the door behind him. The room is dark and has a thousand tiny flickering lights everywhere. Hunter leads me to the main computer and automatically shuts down any security cameras. He shrugs admitting that the guard who watches the monitors is normally asleep anyway. He offers the computer to me since it was my idea to come here in the first place.
I pull up a map of the building which doesn't seem to be as big as I thought it would be. It's apparently five floors, the third floor being the one with the main entrance and our exit route. I check the surrounding area which seems to be forestry next to a main road. I tilt my head toward Hunter who's looking at me confused and not catching onto any of my thinking.
"Can we get a hold of anyone with this computer?" I ask biting my lip.
"You got an IP address?" He asks ready to type. I give him the only IP address I know. He smirks knowing it, as well. I scoot him over to type out my message while asking why he hasn't done this before. "It's a little different in here when a gun isn't aimed at your head, Detope."
He peers over my shoulder and studies the contents with me. He nods in agreement before sending it off. He shoves me over and pulls up a live feed of the main entrance which has four guards nonchalantly roaming the room. I nod having a plan forming in my head. I have Hunter deactivate the sprinkler system and infect the server with a hell of a virus. He follows my orders without hesitation.
I tell him we have to go back downstairs to get everyone out and then we'll go deal with the guards. I guess all those rescue assignments Gabe sent me on, instead of my actual arson assignments, is coming in handy. Which reminds me, I have to kick his ass next time I see him. My eyes scan over the access card with a smile creeping onto my face. Hunter looks at me like I'm crazy which is probably true by this point. I grab onto his shirt leading him out of the room.
I assign him to getting everyone out of their cells while I take care of something in the room at the end of the hall. He swallows hard unsure if I should go in there, but I reassure him everything will be fine. I tell him and the others to wait for me at the elevator and we'll all go up together. Safety in numbers. They obey as I enter the hell hole.
I take a deep breath as I walk quickly to her desk. In the top drawer is the box of stuff she took from me which includes my lighter and phone. I tuck my phone into my pocket and give my lighter a kiss. In her second drawer, I find five bottles of bourbon. I snatch all of them, launching three to different parts of the room. I watch as the glass shatters and explodes alcohol in every direction. I plop down into her desk chair and start recording a video.
************
With my lighter, phone, and disk message in hand I rush to the elevator to catch up with my fellow escapees. We ride the elevator up to the third floor and once the door glides open, we rush out anxious to get to the door. Hunter and I fall back to take out the guards which isn't an issue until one starts unloading his firearm. The other's escape without repercussions, but I feel a bullet graze my left bicep. Compared to what I've been through the past three weeks, I barely notice it. Hunter knocks out his set of guards and yells for me to hurry as he follows the others out the door.
I stare down at a shaking guard behind the desk, handing him the disk.
"Give this to Casandra for me, sweetie." I smile, creeping him out more.
I pivot and strut toward the exit reaching over to my bleeding bicep. I dampen my index and middle finger with blood and trace lines across both of my cheeks before walking out of the building victorious.