Six (Countdown book 1)

Chapter 12

"Well, then," I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "One of you keep guard at the door. I shouldn't take too long. Mackenzie, make a body shape out of the blankets so that if they come in when I'm gone, it looks like I'm still in bed." I turned and walked away from the rest of them. I stood in front of the window, looking down at the ground, and I figured Scarlett was wrong.

We were at least forty metres up. 

I started sawing away at the bars on the window with the knife. It was slow-going. The knife wasn't made for metal. It took me ages to get the first bar out. I caught it, and hid it under one of the bunk beds. I started working on the second bar. I theorized that I would only need to take out two, but now, stood right in front of the window, I figured I might need three. I glanced at the others. Even if any of them had been able to do what I planned on doing, I doubted any of them (except maybe Mackenzie) would fit out of the window. 

The next bar fell outwards. I couldn't risk it clanging on the ground, and just managed to catch it. I started working on the third. I felt sweat starting to drip down my back, and patches forming around my armpits. My arms ached incredibly, and I was really thirsty. I was stood right in the spring sun, and it was certainly doing it's job of warming me up. 

After what seemed like forever, the third bar came out. I went to put it with the others, but I decided to tuck it into my jeans, figuring that it might actually help me at some point. "I'm done." I called to the others. Mackenzie had finished the blanket-me, and it actually looked pretty accurately like my body shape. If a Hunter came in, all they'd have to do is have either Tony or Scarlett stand in front of the window, and they wouldn't notice anything amiss. 

"Are you sure about this, kid?" Tony asked me. Even he looked slightly worried. 

"I'm sure." I stared down at the ground, around forty metres bellow me. "Give me a boost." I told him. He nodded, and laced his hands about halfway between my foot and the window. I opened the window,  climbed up, and sat on the windowsill. "If I die," I said, smiling. "It's been great knowing you all." 

Before any of them could protest, I jumped out of the window. 

I felt gravity pulling me down, and I began tumbling towards the ground in freefall. I spread my arms and legs, hoping I wasn't moving too fast. Half of the plan relied on that I wouldn't have time to gain enough momentum to be killed when I got to the ground. 

I felt a fuzzy feeling spreading throughout my body, like pins and needles, and tried to stop gravity's work. Nothing. "Come on." I muttered. "I'm out of the room." The other half of the plan relied on that my powers would return immediately. I felt panic swelling inside me. I wasn't going to make it. 

Suddenly, the fall slowed. I knew that gravity was gone, but momentum meant that I kept going. I stared at the brick wall to my left, and reached out and grabbed the building. I skidded down, my hand running along the wall for a moment, then my hand caught hold of a nook. I felt a small jolt as my free fall was stopped. 

I increased the gravity just enough to take me smoothly to the ground. I stopped an inch or so from the ground, just to be sure. I stared at the grass, and an ant crawling through it for a moment, before a single drop of sweat dripped off my nose and drowned it. I allowed gravity to fully return, and fell the last foot to the ground. 

I looked up. I could just see four small heads poking out of a high window. I counted it was fifteen windows up, and made a note of the window for later. I looked to the left, and realised that there was a guard patrol coming. I hid in the thin shrubbery that lined the side of the building. It worked. The Hunter passed obliviously past my hiding place.