Failing Upward Ch. 09

My gory fingers slipped on the knob again. Shit.

He swore. Blindly pulling himself up to stand, he heard me at the door. He stumbled toward me.

I couldn't get the fucking door unlocked. My hands kept slipping.

Open. open. open.

He lunged at me.

It turned, and I was out, dragging the chair through the doorway with me. I was in luck-- through just in time. The door slammed shut, and he hammered against the other side. I took a quick look in back of me, no one was coming down the hall. He was right-- no one cared about my cries-- too bad they weren't mine.

I wedged the doorknob through the chair's slats, driving a sliver into my palm. He turned the knob and pulled. I spun the chair legs across the door jam, preventing it from opening. Christ, the man was fucking strong. Shackleton yanked, and one of the legs snapped on the chair. His hand groped through, trying to find out why the door wouldn't open. He shook the chair, trying to work it around and loose.

"When I get a hold of you, there'll be not light, no hope," he hissed. "Your life from now on will be one long agony and I'll be there to make it Hell."

I turned and ran.

Suddenly I heard voices in the hallway to the left. God, Deal said to hide in the closet. I tried to open the door on my right. Locked. Yeah, but which fucking door was it? There were over ten in the hallway. My luck he hadn't even unlocked it yet.

"Get in here now!" Shackleton hollered. He heard them coming too. He pressed his head through the crack in the doorway. "Grant's escaped!"

My hands slipped on the next door handle. Locked again.

"Get him!" he screamed.

I ran across the hall.

"Please open," I begged, as it swung free. I wiped the door knob. The dark, musty linen closet smelled like salvation. I scrambled inside, shut and locked the door behind me.

Feet pounded past the door and muffled voices filled the hall. I took three deep breathes then I felt around in the dark for a place to hide. Shelves, sheets, towels and a light switch. Just a small closet. This must be the one Peter told me to hide in. Hide? I scraped my back flat against the rough stucco. Useless. All I could do was stand and hope no one opened that door.

I could see now why Sid hated the dark. I was tempted to turn on the switch, but I was afraid someone would see the light go on from under the door. I was shaking. Fuck. Where was Deal?

I listened. I heard Angela yelling, "Take him to the infirmary."

"He's some where close," said Shackleton. "Find him."

Then I heard someone else yelling, "You check this hall, and we'll go down the others."

Keys jiggled and doors were opening. They were searching the rooms in this hall way. They were opening every door. Shit, nowhere to hide and nowhere to go. They'd take me back to that room-- back to Shackleton.

I balled my fists. I was trapped, but at least I'd put up a fight. I heard a key clang at the closet door. The tumbler clicked, and my door slowly opened.

I held my breath. I was staring in Angela's gray eyes, and I didn't know whether to kiss her or to leap past her. I unclenched my fists and blinked. She flipped the light switch and said, "No one in here." She gave me a curt look then snapped the light back off, stepped slowly back and shut the door in my face.

She turned the key behind her. I stood listening as she unlocked the next door, then the next. And when all was quiet, I pulled one of the blankets off the shelf next to me, and I wrapped the scratchy wool snug around me. I sighed as my back scraped down the wall, sitting heavy on the floor. Putting my head on my knees, I cried huge tears of relief.