Page 6 of Rogue Mission

I leap, but the door is just out of reach. Kicked closed by his leg when he fell.

The crack of thunder from it slamming shut is loud enough to alert every living creature in this godforsaken building.

I look down. A terrible realization making all of my skin prickle with goosebumps.

My new reality is bad. We're trapped inside.

We.

Oh. God.

"No!" The wail tears from my throat as I claw at the gray metal door. Tears blur my vision instantly. "No, no, no?—"

This can't be happening.

This wasit.

This was my chance. My one shot at escape.

Now Westerly will realize his man is missing. Maybe not tonight, but soon. And I'll be worse than screwed.

Or…oh my god.

If this asshole wakes up first? He'll be furious. And that threat he just made...

My heart shoves so far up into my throat there's no hope of breathing.

What am I going to do?

There must be something…

Remember plan B.That’s right! I made plan B, but almost forgot because of panic.

I scramble over him like I'm climbing fallen boulders, muttering prayers to anyone listening.

"God, I saw this in movies. Please let it work. Please, please?—"

The shelving groans as I climb. I tested it before—three days of careful experimentation while stuck in this supply closet, but I never went all the way to the top.

It's a long way down.

Don't look. Don't think. Just climb.

A snore freezes my entire soul. When my shaky vision snaps to the man on the floor, he's still out cold. Face creased against a metal table leg at an angle that looks painful, he hasn’t shifted a single finger.

"Do. Not. Move," I command him, reaching for the ceiling vent. "Just a few more minutes and I'll be?—"

Click.

The distinct sound shoots under the closed door, traveling down the tile hallway with perfect acoustics. Metallic, the sharp sound is unmistakable.

Only one thing makes that noise in this building: the stairwell door closing.

“No!” I breathe.

Someone’s coming. I memorized the sound the first day they held me. Noting the echo pattern, the slight squeak on the hinge, the way it bounces off the corridor walls.

Go, Rose. This is it. You've got to GO.