InsaniKey

With a few modifications to Jake’s design in mind, I left room 100 this time with the intention of letting everybody else break a hole through the wall so I could focus on enforcing the escape passage with Jake.

I found Ashley and Jinxx sawing the security bars off of the window and stared in horror. “We have to cut these to get to the window.” Ashley reasoned, as though I’d been silently questioning what he was doing.

I looked at Andy. “I want to go over the escape hatch design with you.” I made something up as I waved him outside of the room.

“What the hell is Ashley doing here?” I barked when we were out of earshot.

“Cutting the bars?” Andy scratched his head.

“He made it to the other side of the wall last time.” I was shouting now. “He’s not supposed to be here!”

Andy glanced in the room at Jinxx and Ashley. Maybe he wasn’t the right person to talk to about this. “Jinxx?!” I shouted.

“I’m busy!” He yelled back.

The sawing stopped and Ashley stepped into the hallway. For some reason I started whistling and averted my gaze.

“Jinxx told me I made it out alive last time.” Ashley said.

Andy could be heard hurling objects at the window in the room beyond us.

“If you got out last time and we all ended up back here again…” I began to lose hope. My stomach tightened as I sighed deeply.

“Jinxx said not to tell you, but we can’t find Jake and his room door keeps opening and closing by itself.” Ashley ran a finger across his jawline as he observed my reaction.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” I said in disbelief.

“Andy thinks Jake’s the one on the other side of the wall right now.” He shrugged.

I took a deep breath and announced I’d make the escape hatch since Jake wouldn’t be joining us.

“Sounds good.” Andy said, ramming a steel rod through the window and throwing his arms in the air triumphantly. He escaped out the window without bothering to clear the random broken shards of pane away from the frame.

I motioned to follow him, Ashley stopping me. “Let me clear this.” He stabbed the excess glass away from the window frame.

Jinxx arrived in the room with a stack of chairs and left to collect more.

I hadn’t realized I was silently observing everything and not helping, until I turned to crawl out the window and found Andy’s face in my way. “Guess who I found?” Andy shouted.

Notes

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