The Prison Project [-Editing-]

21: Linley

Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait! I didn't have time to edit this one, but I wanted to post it, so please let me know if you find any mistakes or if you have any suggestions on how to make it longer/better. The next chapter is the last one! 

21: Linley

We race down the hallway, Trey in the lead and me taking up the rear. Scott keeps a tight grip on my hand as we run. I have never felt so alive in all of my days. After weeks of being wiped clean of everything that I care about, I have been found by my best friend, my memories have returned, and no matter what happens, I know we will get out of here tonight.

“Do you know which way to go?” I call.

“I think so. But we might be running into a bit of trouble on the way,” Trey replies.

“I figured.”

We weave through hallways, peering around corners and slinking against the walls. We pass by one of the testing rooms and I skid to a halt.

“Wait!” I say. “I have an idea.”

Trey and Scott follow after me into the room. The medicines and needles are all where they should be. I start grabbing the colors that I remember knocking me out: purple, orange, and green. I pour them into the needles until I have about 5 of each color. I slip on a lab coat and shove them into all the pockets.

“Here,” I say, pulling out two and handing them to Trey and Scott. “Keep these on you for now.”

They nod, and then, we are off once again. The hallways still blend together into one in my mind, but Trey seems to know exactly where we’re going. He does have a pretty good memory though; I’d bet anything that he remembers exactly how many turns he took until he found Scott and I. He starts to slow down a little, and we follow suit.

“This is where I lost him,” he mutters. “It’s probably going to be heavily guarded.”

“Who’d you lose?” I ask.

“My friend,” he said, “Howie.”

Scott perks up. “That’s my brother’s name!”

Trey turns around and looks at him sadly. After a moment’s hesitation, he places his hand on Scott’s shoulder and softly says, “He was your brother.”

Tears spring to Scott’s eyes. “You mean…”

“I’m so sorry, Scott,” Trey whispers, tears pricking at his own eyes. “I tried to save him, but he forced me to continue on. He wanted me to find you; he wanted nothing more than for you to be saved.”

Scott cries softly, prompting me to sink to my knees and pull him into a hug. He whimpers and snivels into my shoulder, and I gently stroke his back.

“It’s all my fault,” Trey says quietly.

“None of this is your fault, Trey,” I say firmly. “This is the Envisioneers’ fault. All of it. And none of it will stop until we have defeated them.”

I carefully push Scott away from me, take him by the shoulders, and look him straight in the eye. “We need to keep going. Can you do that for me? For Howie?”

He nods and wipes away one final tear. I smile. “There’s my brave boy.”

He smiles. I stand and take his hand, then look to Trey and nod. He nods back. He slowly starts forward, keeping one hand sliding against the wall and the other hand back near Scott and I, as if he is trying to protect us like a mother would her child in the front seat of a car.

“All clear,” he whispers.

We dash forward into a large room.

“Oh no,” Trey says. “This isn’t the right room, the last one was a dome. This is just…square…”