Episode 125

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            Liberty or death, what we so proudly hail,

Once you provoke her, rattling of her tail,

Never begins it, never, but once engaged...
Never surrenders, showing the fangs of rage,”

            Metallica, Don’t Tread On Me

 

 

            The rain pelted the concrete walls of the prison.

            The metal lanterns rattled quietly in the rain, the light given from their solitary bulbs illuminating the passing lines of water as they sliced through the breeze.  The puddles reflected the dark night sky above while the air took on a chilled feel.

            The French security guard stood under the small awning over a rusted metal door, watching the rain come down.  He grimaced and puffed on a cheap cigarette, resting his hands on the machinegun that was clipped to his security vest.  He puffed out a gray cloud and sniffed in the humid air.  He stared at the rain for a moment more and flipped his cigarette into the nearest puddle.  He turned to resume his patrol, barely aware of the shadow that dropped down behind him.

            The dark figure disappeared into the shadow of the doorway, making no sound.  The guard walked into the rain, looking up disapprovingly at the sky.  The shadow leaned out from the doorway, Alex’s face appearing in the dim light.  He watched the guard go and turned to the door.  He knelt down, quickly working on the lock with a pair of paper clips.

            With a sudden pop, the lock opened.  Alex pushed the door in, immediately shivering as he entered into the morgue.  He glanced around in the darkness and clamped his eyes shut, covering them with his hand.  He waited until his eyes adjusted and looked again, studying the room.  He spotted the large door built into the wall on the far side.

            Without a sound, he rushed across the room, heading for the door.  He undid the latch, opening it quietly and snuck inside.  Through the door, a strong gust of cold overtook him.  With the door shut, he clicked on the light, momentarily startled to find several bodies on the metal tables.  Fresh and preserved, they were covered in frost, their skin stained with a tint of blue.

            Alex looked over the first couple of bodies, put off by the sight of autopsy scars on their chests.  He finally made his way to the end of the tables where he found Emma’s body, naked but unharmed.  He wrapped her body in the blanket on the table and picked her up, her joints cracking like wrapping paper.  He winced at the sound, but carried her towards the door.

 

            Lisa sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the rain as it fell before her window.  She sighed quietly in the darkness of her room, her legs shuffling anxiously.  She looked out the cell door and put her hands on her knees, trying to physically force them to quite jittering.

            She heard a sound outside her window and stood up.  She rushed to the tiny square, looking out through the bars, only to see the rain-drenched prison yard.  The few circles of light caused by the lamps mocked her with the movement of the rain.

            As Lisa stood at the window, there was a soft squeal of metal.  She turned to see Sarah opening her cell door.  She nearly exclaimed, but Sarah snapped her finger to her mouth, silencing Lisa.  She motioned her out.

            When Lisa stepped out of the cell, she found Eliot and Isaiah, both holding guns like those used by the guards, waiting to either side of the cell.  Sarah motioned Lisa to follow her and the two rushed towards the end of the building.  As she ran, Lisa glanced over her shoulder, seeing the spot where the guards usually conglomerated strangely empty.

            Sarah stopped at Irene’s cell and motioned Lisa inside, to the window missing three of the bars.  Lisa grabbed onto the present bars and weaseled her way through into the open air.  On the roof of the next building, she pulled herself out into the cold rain to find Jason waiting with Irene.  “Where’s Alex and Til?” Lisa whispered to Irene.

            Irene put her finger to her mouth, but pointed at the far wall.  Lisa turned and looked, able to see two dark forms sprinting across the narrow perimeter wall of the prison.  The second form seemed abnormally large, as if carrying a third person.

            Isaiah came out next, followed by Sarah, then Eliot.  Gathered on the roof, Sarah pointed at Isaiah and motioned him forward.  She pointed to Jason and Irene to follow, then at Eliot to take the rear.  She took Lisa by the arm and pulled her into motion.

            In the silence of the night, hidden by the rain, the six figures raced across the rooftop.  They reached the apex of the building and paused.  Isaiah scanned the area, pointing at the guards that still patrolled the walls.  Sarah knelt down next to him, considering the arrangement.  As her hair matted against the back of her neck, she motioned towards one of the guards that was approaching the nearest point of the perimeter wall.

 

            Alex rushed along with Til behind him, Emma’s body still giving off an air of cold even over the distance.  He lingered at the corner of a building, barely holding out the shaving mirror from the prison cell to see around it.  He waited, then looked at Til, nodding.

            The two turned the corner and rushed to the small door.  In the metal doorway in the corner of the prison complex, they waited.  Alex watched the wall above them as Til watched the ground.  Standing out against the muddy ground, they waited anxiously.

            With all the sound of a breeze, Sarah flipped down from the wall above them.  She dangled for a second and dropped between them.  She looked up, letting Isaiah drop his machinegun into her waiting hands.  Irene swung down next, with Jason just dropping off the side.  Lisa and Eliot followed.

            Sarah looked over the group, the machinegun ready.  She turned to Jason, to see him staring in horror at Emma’s lifeless body.  She moved to speak but Alex held up his hand, stopping her.  He put his hand over Jason’s mouth and pulled him close.  “Jason,” he whispered into the psychic’s ear.  “I can not begin to fathom what you’re going through right now, seeing Emma like this.  But we got her so that we can try to put things right.”  Jason started to buck in protest, but Alex held him firm while the others watched.  “But if we’re going to do anything, we need to get out of here.  We need you to disrupt the electronics.”  Jason bucked even harder.  “Jason, if you don’t, we will all be caught and we will be killed.”

Jason’s protests lessened.  He finally pulled away from Alex, tears on his face.  He took one more look at Emma, then walked to the door.  He put his hand on the metal form and closed his eyes.  Sarah watched his expression and turned to the others.  “The door out of here is straight ahead,” she whispered just loud enough to be heard over the rain.  “When the door opens, just run for all you’re worth.”  She pointed to Eliot and stepped back, the two bracing themselves to either side of the door.

After another moment in the rain, Jason stepped back from the door, letting it slowly swing open.  Inside, darkness waited.  Sarah sprinted fearlessly inside, the others quickly following.

 
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