No more running...

On the run

It was four o'clock when he had heard the gunshots. The loudness of each bullet on impact was  enough for him to spring out of bed.

Alex was now wide awake as he grabbed his jacket that hung on the coat rack by the door. He dashed down the carpeted corridor. Taking the stairs three at a time, he made his way down to the ground floor.

The reception area was already in a frenzy. People were screaming and ducking for cover under whatever furniture they could find. A rapid fire of bullets shattered through the glass one after another and Alex slid behind the reception desk.

Two men had entered the building, each carrying an M16 gun. They wore ski masks and the first thought that had reached Alex's mind was that this was some kind of lame terrorist attack.

"We know Alex Rider is here! Give him to us or we will shoot." His voice was rough and serious as he fired another torrent of bullets as a warning and there were frantic screams heard.

Crap. They were looking for him. Not good.

Alex didn't want to cause a scene. As if he didn't have quite enough attention already for the past year. He scanned his entire surroundings for an opening. The doors wouldn't work, there were men standing guard in and out of the place. He looked at the duck vent behind him. It was about four or so inches in width and six inches in length. He could definitely fit through.

Alex tugged on the metal grill. It was loose. But not loose enough to open. There were four metal screws hanging loosely at the four corners of it's perimeter and a plan had begun to form in his mind.

As Alex managed to unscrew the first screw, he silently cheered. But the screw had slipped out of it's hole and Alex wasn't fast enough to catch it. He winced as he heard the tiny ping of the metal screw hitting the black and white tiled checkered floor. He turned to look at the men who were too busy shouting to notice him and he breathed a sigh of relief. They still hadn't seen him yet.

The receptionist beside him was a plump woman with brown shaggy hair and light freckles. She had fair skin and chocolate brown eyes. "What on earth are you doing?! Are you trying to get us all killed! Stop this right now!" She had babbled to him in fluent German, her eyes wide with fear. "I am trying to escape this place. These duck vents. Do you have a screwdriver I could borrow?" Alex had replied the receptionist in fluent German. He had been taught that language by Ian himself and had mastered it at the young age of four.

"No. But there is another way out. Come on. We have to sneak past these men first." She told him and he nodded. They had managed to slip into a small passage way by easing behind some people. They were too far from the sights of the men in black and that was an advantage.
Once they had emerged into the comfort of the passage way, the receptionist had begun to lead him down a flight of stairs. "Hurry. It won't be long until they figure out this place with us in it." Alex followed her as they hurried down.

They had ended up in a room and she bolted the metal door shut behind her. She had flickered on the lights. It was a storage room. There were rolls of tables cloths and napkins on a shelf and multiple thick sheets of white bed sheets stacked into a neat pile by the corner. The rest of the room was filled with other things a motel might need.

She had uncovered a cloth that was draped over the far end of the wall. It revealed another duck vent, this time, it was open. It was big enough for Alex to squeeze through as well.

"Go." Alex didn't hesitate as they heard the loud thumping of footsteps approaching them. There were shouts as the noise got louder with each passing second.

"Who are you?"

The receptionist removed her curly wig to reveal blonde hair tied up into a tight bun.

"I am Everlyn Grace, former CIA agent sent by my government to offer you some assistance." She flashed her badge.

"Help me?"

"Yes. But there's no time to explain! Go! Now! Before they catch us."

"What about you?"

"I'll think of something. You go! Now! There's no time." Alex nodded and crawled into the vent, never looking back.