Ruby

Chapter Three

I don't have to wait for long. The next day a guard drags me out of my cell. I let him drag me down the hallway. I have one shot at this. I wait a little longer.

Aim for the throat aim for the throat. My hand wraps around the fork. not long now. make it quick make it quick. To the throat. My heart pounds. Now! I thrust the sharpened end at the guard's throat. It finds its mark. But not fast enough. He lets out a loud moan as he drops to the floor. Hurry up hurry up hurry up hurry up!! I yank the keys from his body just as five more guards come charging through the door to the room.

"Hey!!" one of them yells at me. I start to run. I throw the keys at Matt, and pray that the guards didn't see where I threw them.

I run down the hallway, and I hear someone yell, "Run, Veronica!!! Run!!" Matt. I run faster. I take a right turn and pray that it will take me to an exit. It doesn't. It's a dead end. I search frantically for a way out. The guards are so close, I can almost taste them. Panic begins to set in. I'm going to die. Then, I see the trash chute. Quickly, I slip my small frame into the opening.

Please, please don't be a furnace.

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I reach the bottom and land on a pile of soiled rags. Some of them are stained crimson. I shudder.

Keep moving. You have to keep moving. I push myself up and jump out of the trash basin. I hit the ground hard, and lose my footing. I get up and start running. Somewhere, anywhere. Anywhere but here. I am running solely on adrenaline. I don't know how far I run, but when I stop, it is almost nightfall. I walk over to what looks like a small farm. then, I hear someone yelling behind me.

My first instinct is to flee and hide. So I do. I leap over the fence and sprint for the barn. My foot catches on a fallen tree branch, and I fall, hard. My head collides with a rock, and everything goes black.