Link City

Reunion *

Chapter 24: Reunion

“Run!” Skye grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet.

The guards were a level above us, all dressed in inflatable orange suits, on a cat walk. Bullets bounced off of the ground, but we ran underneath them and there was no longer an angle.

“Good thing these doors are meant to keep people out, not in.”

Skye held her hand up in front of the door, waving it back in fourth. It opened immediately.

“They didn't know what to expect.” She pulled me along after her. “Nuclear waist water, not people. But the agents are fast. Now that they know this is part of the escape they'll lock this place down.”

I was cold and tired, and everything had just gone dream sequence. I just had to follow Skye, one foot after the other. The hallways was long. There were doors on both sides, and ahead of us a hallway branching off, but we never turned. Guards rushed out of a stairwell door behind us. I didn't have to look. I could hear.

Skye pulled me around a corner into the hallway. Ahead of us guards came out of a door. I spun around but I could hear the footsteps. Skye tried a door. Locked. I moved forward, along the wall, trying the next door.

“Stop where you are or we will shoot!” I could barely hear the words.

Then a door I'd tried just moments ago opened and someone grabbed my arm. I was pulled quickly inside but thankfully Skye noticed and dove in after me. Our saviour slammed the door, locking it. Panting, I looked up and it was Jason.

“Oh my god.” I hugged him.

He looked well. His slightly curly hair had been cut very short, but he looked healthy, and alive.

“Nance, we have to move.” He took my hand, pulling me through the large, double office we'd entered.

I knew we didn't have much time for introductions, but I had to say something. “Jason.” I tugged on his hand. “That's Skye. And Skye,” I raised Jason's arm up. “This is Jason.”

“Very good to meet you.” Jason nodded at her. “I'll assume you're coming with us.”

Skye nodded, a bit of a smile on her face. There was a back door on the office, and through it was a set of stairs leading up. A hidden stair case, Jason was a genius. We raced upwards, feet pounding. I felt so light headed. All I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't care about the wet clothes. If there wasn't certain death pursuing us I would have lay down on the steps where I stood. Level after level we climbed. I hadn't realized how far underground we were. Then I saw it, leaking down from around the corner: sunlight.

There was a huge glass window in the stairwell letting it in. It was already high in the sky. We'd been underground all night. And only then did I realize how truly long it had been since I'd seen it. Jason pulled open the next exit door.

“They'll be waiting for us,” said Skye.

She was right. They had to have known we were going up.

Jason pointed left. “Our best exit point is that way.”

Skye fell into a crouch, moving in the direction of his finger, back to the wall. Smoothly, silent, she peeked around.

“Run!” She hissed, bolting towards us. “Line of guns.”

She'd been quick, but they must have heard us as bullets ricocheted off of the corner where her head had been moments before. Now, what little control Jason had had slipped away, and Skye took over. We followed her without question. There was confidence in her movements and we latched onto that. Out in the stairwell her foot swung up into a kick, connecting with the glass. It did not shatter but cracks spread out from where it had made contact.