The P.U.L.L || #Wattys2017

Chapter 38: Fateful Encounter

Joshua desperately looked in all directions, trying to find a way to get out of his predicament. He didn't know which way to go since he could hear indistinct voices and a few fast-paced clicking of boots from both ends of the corridor. Adrenaline rushed in him as he tried to think of a way to escape. Should I risk it and ram my way through one of the groups? Or should I try to step on the walls and propel myself on top of them. The latter choice is a better one, but I won't be able to escape if the group coming towards me is a large one- I would just land on top of them and they would basically capture me hands down.

What should I do? He asked himself.

That's when he saw a hand come out of one of the cells. It was surprisingly waving towards his direction while beckoning him to come towards the cell. Drowned in his curiosity and since he was running out of options, Joshua decided to follow the hand. He headed towards the cell.

As he got nearer and nearer, he finally noticed that the hand belongs to a girl.

Amidst the alarms and the panicked indistinct voices coming from the ends of the corridor, Joshua heard a soft  and soothing voice emanating from the cell where the hand stuck out. "Please save me! Let me out as well, please." The voice desperately said. "I need to meet with someone. Please..." Her voice trailed off.

Joshua went in front of the cell. He unexpectedly saw a blond-haired, green eyed girl around his age. The girl looked familiar, as if he had seen her from somewhere before. Even though the girl was a bit shorter than he is, he could tell that she's pretty. "Sorry, but I can't save you." Joshua apologetically muttered as he looked down on the floor. His face's reflection could clearly be seen on it. "I completely forgot about the security cameras and now the alarms are raised. It won't belong now before the security comes flooding on this corridor. When you beckoned me towards you cell, I thought you have some sort of miracle that would help us get out of here. That's why I came...phew...On second thoughts, I would just wait to be caught here. It would be ungentlemanly for me to leave a girl behind while I escape and I would be caught anyways, sooner or later. So, what do you propose me to do?"

"You know, Joshua. I was quite relieved that I could see you again after all these years. But I couldn't remember even one time when you gave up on yourself. Seriously? How could you change that much in ten, no, eleven years? I was actually hoping that you would help me go through this, but what happened to you?" The girl angrily remarked. "The Joshua that I know is not like that!"

"Sorry about that. My friends and I have been through so much that I've been losing myself little by little until now and now the world is being reshaped by the mastermind. The storm outside is getting worse and worse, you know. Anyway, have we met before? It seems like you actually know me." Joshua curiously asked.

"Don't worry about that! Right now we need to get out of here." The girl interrupted. "For now, could you pick this lock? I have a plan that might work. But after that, everything is in your hands, okay? How about that for a challenge?"

"I'm in. But why are you turning the lights off?" Joshua asked. "Couldn't you just leave them on since I'm picking the lock?"

"We need to turn it off for safety precautions. You've made it this far and you still don't know about the use of turning the lights off? How long have you been imprisoned here, Joshua?"

"Just a few hours ago, why?"

"Really?! I thought you were caught earlier than that." The girl exclaimed. "Anyway, we don;t have much time. From the sounds of their footsteps, they will reach this corridor in one and a half minutes. Could you do it by then?"

Who is this girl?

After grabbing the lock, Joshua set to work on picking it. Sweat trickled on his forehead as he directed his concentration solely on pick-locking. He could feel the pressure creeping up inside him as the girl kept on telling him to hurry. "I know ! I know! Enough with the pressure, okay?" Joshua told her as calm as he could.

"Sorry!" The girl closed her eyes as she muttered. After that, she was able to refrain herself form uttering a single word that could increase the pressure felt by Joshua.

"Nothing to worry about! I'm almost done!" Joshua gritted his teeth as he undid the third pin inside the lock. "I would have reacted way worse than you did if I were in your shoes, you know."

"Now that's the Joshua, I know!" She cheerfully exclaimed. "Calm, cool, and collected. hihi."

Done!

A metallic sound could be heard as Joshua carefully slid the door open. The door was obviously unmoved for quite some time now since Joshua had a hard time opening it even though his strength was above average. Pulling as hard as he could, the door slowly budged inch by inch. Had it not been for Joshua's strength and his constant gritting of his teeth, he wouldn't have been able to open it.

Joshua finally heaved a sigh of relief after opening the metallic door just enough for him to be able to squeeze himself in. "Now what?" Joshua anxiously asked the girl.

"Get in." The girl replied. "And once you're inside, lock the door again."

What did she mean by that?! Joshua said to himself. Anyway, this is her plan. I'm screwed anyway so it'd be best to trust her even just a little bit. Well, she doesn't look like a swindler so I'm in on this plan.

After giving it a thought, Joshua silently nodded at the girl. He closed the metallic door once again and locked the padlock that held it in place.

Click!