Chương 139

They sat in a loose circle on the thin mattresses. The mattresses smelled of bleach and dust. Cherish kept her head down while Donya sat beside her with one hand on her back. Angelique sat nearest the door and listened for the guards. Savannah leaned forward, her bandaged wrist resting on one knee. Louis waited until everyone was listening.

"Alright." He lowered his voice.

"Come closer. We need to talk." They moved nearer.

"About what?" Savannah asked.

"We need a plan." He glanced at the door.

"We can't just sit here like sitting ducks."

"Obviously," Savannah said.

"But how?"

"We need more than a knife," Angelique said.

"We start with what we know," Louis said.

"Maeve could be an ally."

"She is still one of them," Gladice said.

"She saved us," Cherish whispered.

"And got punished for it," Louis said.

"We can't leave her." Gladice folded her arms.

"She made her choice."

"Because of us," Angelique said.

"That matters."

"Fine." Gladice leaned forward.

"Then what? We are still prisoners."

"We escape tonight," Louis said. The others stared at him.

"How?" Willa asked.

"First, we get out of this room and kill the guards." Louis pointed at the door.

"Then we find Maeve and break her out. Then we take a vehicle."

"You think it is that simple?" Savannah asked.

"They got guns. We got one knife."

"They think we're soft bourgeois," Louis said.

"We'll show them what we are." Gladice grinned.

"I like it."

"But we need to know where we are going," Willa said.

"If we steal a truck and go out into the mountains, we will die."

"North," Savannah said.

"We go to the Road Authority. The deal might still stand."

"We have no proof of it," Angelique said.

"And we have no guarantee they will keep their word after all this."

"Better than staying here," Savannah said.

"I ain't waiting for the committee to decide my fate."

"We need weapons," Gladice said.

"If we are going to fight our way out, we need more than a Swiss Army knife."

"The guards have rifles," Louis said.

"We take their rifles after we kill them."

"There are at least two. Maybe more." Willa looked at him.

"How do we do it?"

"We lure them inside," Gladice said.

"Pretend we are fighting. They will come in to stop us."

"Then we jump them." Louis nodded to Savannah.

"You have the knife." He turned to Gladice.

"And I hope the Collective taught you how to fight with your hands."

"Better than you think." Gladice grinned. Angelique was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "It is dangerous. But we have no better option."

"What about Maeve?" Cherish asked.

"Where will she be?"

"We will figure it out after we get out," Louis said.

"The first step is to get free." The bulb flickered. The room dimmed and then brightened as the bulb buzzed louder. Savannah held the knife out. The blade caught the light. She folded it and opened it again, testing the action, then touched the edge to her thumbnail.

"Good," she said.

"It's sharp."

"Then let's do it." Louis looked at them all.

"Now. Before the night shift changes." They moved. Savannah took her place near the door with the knife hidden behind her leg. Gladice pressed herself against the wall beside the door. Angelique and Willa moved toward the center of the room. Donya took Cherish by the hand and sat with her on a mattress near the back. Cherish had gone pale, but she nodded when Louis looked at her. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Louis lowered his voice.

"Alright, it's time for an argument."

"About what?" Angelique asked.

"Anything. Just be loud." Willa stood up, shouting, "This is your fault, Angelique!"

"Oh, it is my fault?" Angelique rose too.

"You are the one who told us to go to West Virginia!"

"And you are the one who got us caught in the first place!"

"You can't blame me for this!" Angelique pointed at the door.

"You all agreed!"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Louis shouted. He moved toward them, hands raised.

"You're making it worse!" Gladice joined in.

"Fuck you! You're the one who talked us into everything!" Savannah pounded the door with her free hand.

"Somebody get in here! They gonna kill each other!" The guards did not respond at once. Then one guard called, "Shut up in there!"

"No!" Savannah shouted.

"They are fighting!" The other guard said, "So be it."

"Open the door!" Savannah pounded harder.

"You are responsible if they die!"

"I'd like to see that," the guard said.

"One more dead bourgeois." Savannah cursed and turned to the group.

"They don't care!"

"Let them kill each other, then." The guard laughed, and his partner joined him. Gladice glared at the door.

"Cowards!"

"Keep it up." The first guard raised his voice.

"You'll all go to the coal mines." Angelique and Willa stopped shouting. They looked at each other, then at Louis. He shook his head once. The plan had failed. Savannah stepped back from the door. The knife was still in her hand. Gladice's shoulders tensed. They waited, but the guards did nothing.

"We have to find another way," Willa whispered.

"Maybe tomorrow," Angelique said. They sat down again, closer together now. The guards stayed outside. The bulb kept buzzing. Cherish pressed her hands together, praying silently. Savannah folded the knife and slipped it into her sleeve. Louis sighed.

"Can we pick the lock with the knife?"

"I can try," Savannah said.

"But they will hear."

"How about we make a distraction?" Donya suggested.

"Like what?" Gladice asked.

"I don't know. Singing a song? Screaming?" Donya looked at Cherish.

"You sing folk songs, don't you?" Cherish nodded.

"Yes."

"Good. Sing something. Loudly." Donya gestured to the door.

"While Savannah works." Cherish swallowed. Then she nodded once.

"Okay." Louis looked at Savannah.

"Go ahead." She moved to the door and crouched. The others gathered around Cherish, leaving Savannah space at the door. Cherish stood in the center of the room, closed her eyes, and began to sing. Her voice carried over the low hum of the bulb and the distant noise outside. I came from Alabama with a banjo on my knee, I'm going to Louisiana, my true love for to see. Savannah unfolded the knife's small screwdriver. The door had an old interior office latch. There was a narrow gap between the door and the frame.

Savannah slid the screwdriver tip into it. It rained all night the day I left, The weather it was dry. The sun so hot, I froze to death. Susanna, don't you cry. When Cherish reached the chorus, everyone except Savannah joined in, clapping to the beat. Their voices and handclaps covered a faint click from the door. The guard outside laughed.

"What is this? A church service?"

"Keep singing!" Donya whispered. Cherish sang louder. Savannah tried again. The tool slipped. She pulled it back, adjusted the angle, and slid it into the gap again. Her injured wrist trembled once. She changed hands without a word and kept working. The screwdriver made another faint scrape, louder than before. Angelique clapped harder, and the others raised their voices with her. Oh, Susannah, oh don't you cry for me, For I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee.

Savannah held her breath and pressed the screwdriver against the latch. It shifted, then caught. Metal scraped against metal. She froze. The others kept singing and clapping, louder now. Cherish raised her voice again. I jumped aboard de telegraph, And trabbled down de river. De electric fluid magnified, And killed five hundred niggers. Louis paused at the word and glanced at Savannah. She kept working. The latch clicked free. Savannah turned the knob, and the door opened an inch. She signaled.

Gladice and Louis came forward while the others kept singing and clapping. Louis leaned toward the gap and listened. Through the song, he heard one guard say something he could not make out. The other laughed. Both voices were still close to the door. De bullgine bust, de horse run off, I really thought I'd die. I shut my eyes to hold my breath—"Now," Louis mouthed. Savannah pushed the door open in one motion. Louis and Gladice lunged through. The guards had only begun to turn.

Savannah caught the nearer guard from the side, clamped one hand over his mouth, and drove the knife into his neck. The man bucked against her, and blood ran over her hand. She ripped the blade free and stabbed him again under the jaw, then once more in the throat. His knees gave way, and she let him slide to the floor. At the same time, Gladice trapped the second guard's rifle arm and drove the heel of her hand into his throat. Louis seized the guard's free arm while Gladice moved behind him.

She locked her arm around his neck and pulled him backward. She held the choke until he went limp. Then she released him, caught his chin with one hand and the back of his head with the other, and twisted hard. His neck snapped. She let him fall. The singing stopped. Savannah stood over the first guard with blood on her hands. Gladice released the other and stepped back, breathing hard. Willa had gone pale, but she kept her back straight and did not look away. Cherish and Donya clung to each other, both shaking.

Angelique looked toward the corridor.

"Drag them inside," Angelique whispered. Louis and Gladice grabbed the bodies and pulled them into the room.

"Take their clothes," Angelique said.

"Quickly." They stripped off the guards' uniforms and belts. Louis pulled on one uniform, then tossed the second to Gladice. It fit poorly, but it covered his jumpsuit. Gladice pulled on the other uniform. Angelique and Willa went out and brought the rifles back. Gladice took one and checked the magazine and chamber. Louis did the same. The weapons were old M16s, worn but functional. He slung his over his shoulder. Cherish covered her face with her hands. Donya held her.

"Cherish," Louis said.

"Look at me." She lowered her hands and looked at him. Her face was wet with tears.

"We have to go," he said.

"I know." She took a shaky breath.

"Can you do this?" She hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes."

"Good." He turned to the others.

"Remember, you are now prisoners being escorted to interrogation. Stick close to us. If anyone asks, we are taking you to Committee HQ. Do not speak unless spoken to."

"Got it," Savannah said.

"Let's move," he said.

"Now."

"I'm sorry for the song," Cherish whispered to Savannah as they left.

"It worked," Savannah said, touching her shoulder briefly. They left the room and closed the door behind them. Louis led them down the corridor, certain they would be free within the hour or dead.