Page 61 of To Cage a Wild Bird (Divided Fates #1)
I stepped into the corridor, barely making out Vale’s shadowed figure. He reached for my hand, squeezing it tightly for a
second before releasing it to let Yara out of her cell.
The six of us made our way to the slightly ajar barrier door, slipping through. Behind us, no one stirred; the only sound
in the cellblock was a chorus of snoring inmates.
We wound our way through the prison, stopping periodically to survey our surroundings, but all was quiet. Guards were slumped
on the ground in various positions—some snoring loudly with their mouths hanging open, some crying out in their sleep as if
they, too, were plagued by nightmares.
Our plan was working.
Almost too well.
We continued until we reached the prep room, the last obstacle before the hunting grounds.
Vale clicked his flashlight on, casting a hazy glow over the bare space. He pulled several sheathed daggers out of his pouch
and handed one to each of us.
“Kit,” Vale said, his voice low and urgent. “When are the wristband settings supposed to change?”
Kit lifted her arm, staring at her wristband. “It should be right about...” The green light on the band clicked off for a moment, then switched back on. Only it was red. When I looked at my wristband, the color had changed as well. “Now.”
“That’s my girl,” Yara said, grinning and slinging a casual arm around Kit’s shoulders.
“Incredible,” Jed chimed in, looking at Kit. She didn’t meet his eye, but I caught a glimpse of the small smile she flashed
before ducking her head.
Vale reached down and lifted up the rifle I’d stashed on the grounds, all those weeks ago. “You haven’t even seen the gun
yet.”
“Oh,” Kit spoke up, a grin spreading across her face. “I made the modifications we talked about. Now we can aim it at anyone—whether
they’re wearing a wristband or not.”
I shook my head at her. “We’d be dead without you.”
Kit smiled. “It’s not much against a horde of guards, but it’s better than nothing.”
“All right,” Vale said as we gathered in a circle. His fingers brushed lightly against mine, and my breath caught. “From here,
it’s a straight shot to the tunnels, and then we’re out. No talking once we’re out on the hunting grounds unless it’s essential.”
We nodded back at him, and the gravity of our actions settled into my bones, making me almost giddy with adrenaline. What
we were about to do could set the tone for the future—it could be the start of dismantling Endlock, brick by brick.
Vale opened the door, and cool night air greeted us like an icy kiss pressed to my flushed cheeks. I tilted my face up and
drew in a deep, steadying breath. Above me, the sky stretched out in an endless expanse of ink black dotted with millions
of glittering stars that seemed to twinkle in silent encouragement.
We pressed ourselves against the prison’s rough exterior, scanning the watchtowers for signs of movement. There were none,
no hint of life. The guards inside must have surrendered to the ironroot and slumped over their stations in deep slumber.
Once we deemed it safe enough, we bolted across the open field.
My heart raced in my chest as I ran, my breath coming in ragged gasps, the frigid air like shards of glass scraping against my throat.
Every nerve in my body screamed at me, reminding me how exposed and vulnerable we were.
The light of the full moon lit up the field like a spotlight.
A single alert guard who was immune to the ironroot, a chance glance from a window, and it would all be over.
But no alarms blared, and no shouts chased us. Instead, the dark, enveloping arms of the forest reached out to receive us.
I let out a long, shaky breath as the trees closed around us. We were hidden from view, cloaked by the gloom of the woods.
The tunnel entrance was a fair distance away, but anyone trying to follow us would be hard-pressed to do so in the dark. Even
still, we moved in silence, mindful of Vale’s warning.
Time seemed to crawl as we made our way through the forest. I felt a small hand slip into mine and instinctively closed my
fingers around it. Momo—seeking comfort. In the moonlight, the branches of the trees appeared to reach for us like ghostly
arms, and shadows danced eerily over the forest floor.
I squeezed his hand reassuringly as we pressed on, and as we reached the tunnel entrance, a small smile curved my lips.
One by one, we descended the ladder. We waited until the cover was securely in place above us before allowing the weak beam
of Vale’s flashlight to pierce the darkness.
Several packs lined the wall of the cavern, stuffed to the brim with medicine, books, and food.
The rest of the tunnel curved into the distance, the end shrouded in darkness.
Our final task was to break through the exit at the end of the tunnel, something we’d held off on for fear of raising suspicion
if a guard managed to spot a hole in the ground on the other side of the perimeter fence.
Vale and I grabbed the pair of spades that he’d stashed inside the tunnel, in case we couldn’t get the lid free and needed
to dig a new exit.
“All right,” Vale said, blowing out a breath as he met each of our gazes in turn. “Raven and I will work on the exit. I need
the rest of you to stay in this main chamber and get your personal belongings distributed among our packs.”
The four of them nodded, and I handed my extra clothes to Jed.
He raised a skeptical brow. “This is a lot of supplies. Are you sure we can manage them all?”
It was a lot of weight to divide between the six of us.
“We can’t afford to leave anything behind,” I cut in before Vale could respond. “There’s no way of knowing what the leaders
at the North Settlement will find the most valuable, so we need to bring it all.”
“We’ll find a way to fit the rest of it,” Kit assured me.
Yara nodded in agreement, sinking to the floor and grabbing a satchel. “I may look like just a pretty face, but I pack some
muscle, too. This won’t be a problem.”
Another smile tugged at my lips despite my nerves. The others dropped to their knees, grabbing their packs.
Vale and I made for the other end of the tunnel, walking for several long minutes through the passageway that twisted and
turned like the worms residing in its earthen walls.
By the time we reached the end, we could no longer see our friends’ flashlights.
We shoved against the exit. First with our hands, before slamming into it with our shovels, but it didn’t budge, and we decided
we had to dig our way out.
We got to work, the minutes ticking by with each movement of our shovels. Sweat poured down my back, soaking into my jumpsuit.
Eventually, the last bites of dirt gave way to reveal the night sky.
I stuck my spade in the dirt and swiped the back of my hand across my upper lip to relieve some of the moisture there. I looked
over at Vale, and then we stood, grinning stupidly at each other.
We were almost there.
He reached out a hand and tenderly brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and then he took my hand and guided me back
into the tunnel. We were almost back to the main cavern when we realized that the noises from the chamber had ceased. We’d
left to the quiet sounds of Kit, Momo, Jed, and Yara stuffing the last of the supplies into our packs, and now there was only
an unsettling silence.