Capítulo 3: Trapped

The tense atmosphere in the surveillance room was palpable as the officials watched the monitors with rapt attention. The room was filled with muscular and stern-looking men and women, all dressed in dark blue uniforms that clung to their toned bodies. The walls were lined with banks of screens displaying feeds from cameras positioned throughout the academy.

Suddenly, a guard shouted in frustration, "What the hell is she doing?"

All eyes focused on the monitors displaying the girl with white hair. Every living soul bit their lips and watched the girl like the lottery draw at the 8 pm broadcast.

The persons in the room were Mid-Sentry officials or MS offs as called by many. They were past A-level ranked troopers appointed as guards to that Academy.

"Don't tell me she's given up!" Beater fumed, his eyes burning into the screens. He slammed his fist onto the table, sending coffee mugs clattering and bouncing.

Devast's laughter echoed off the walls, and she leaned forward, slapping her thigh in amusement. "Ha! You fool, she's definitely taking that right turn," she called out. She glanced at the table, her smile widening at the pile of cash and goodies stacked there.

For these Mid-Sentry officials, maintaining order in the Academy was just another game.

One of the guards lounged in his chair near the switchboard, arms folded over his bloated stomach. He chuckled, his cigarette flickering at the corner of his lips. "I love it when these kids step out of line," he said. "Putting them back in their place is always entertaining." He squinted at the screens, pushing his mouth out in a smirk. "Even when it's her."

Monitors flickered with footage of the MS officials dressed in their dark blue uniforms. They lined the corridor, clutching long bats in their hands and pressing themselves against the walls at the end of the locker stacks.

"No matter which path you take, you're trapped," the MS off's voice echoed through the speakers.

Tess saw what she wanted and closed her eyes to a shock of pain crawling over her eyeballs. She balled her hands into fists, feeling the sweat trapped in between her fingers. But despite the fear, a smile spread across her lips. She was not going to let the MS officials stop her from reaching Petra.

Those MS offs thought they had her. They had seized the hallway on her left. The other guards had yet to reach the other hallway since they took a longer route to prevent getting seen by her.

Tilting her head to one side, she felt her neck give a satisfying crick. She knew what she had to do. Words wouldn't cut it - she needed to send a clear message to those guards. Her gaze fixed on one of the cameras in the ceiling, and with a swift motion, she lifted her middle finger.

Rushing down the hallway on her right, Tess heard the ringing of the session bell piercing through the air. Her movements were about to get blocked by swarms of hungry students heading for lunch.

"Get out of the way!" a grown man yelled from a distance in front of her.

It was one of the guards that took the longer route. A loud thud came from the ground, and a scream tore through the annoying loud hum that started everywhere.

Tess's heart jumped at the terror ahead. The speck of blues behind moving bodies moved in line with heads too tall to be of students. Tess dodged left and right, trying to weave through the crowd of bodies. A shiver began to overtake her, and she raced to reach the door to the Male's bathroom. She pushed her shoulder into the door and slid through the narrow opening, grateful for the chance to catch her breath and hide from her pursuers.

"That white-haired piece of—" blurted Beater, who saw her escape into the room on a monitor. He grabbed his long metal bat and stormed through the door of the surveillance room. "I'm gonna get ya!" he yelled through the hallway.

Other guards from the room dashed out behind him.

His fellow guards followed him closely, but one of them tried to calm him down. "Let's go easy on her, okay?" he said, but Devast pushed him aside without a second thought. "Out of my way, zit," she told him. She barged through the space he had made for her and he kept his eyes on the back of her head as she gained distance.

Tess's hurried mind struggled to remember where Jeremy said their escape port was. Thoughts of Petra had seized every brain cell but she stopped herself from passing the first door. Tess, get a hold of yourself!

She kicked open the first cubicle door, the loud slam echoing through the cramped space. She quickly examined the window above the toilet before rushing to the next one. With each kick of a door, her heart rate quickened.

Voices getting louder from outside caused her to twitch. They weren't student voices either.

She looked down to the very last cubicle. She rushed to the last cubicle and kicked the door open with fierce determination. Above the toilet, she saw the loosened grille behind the window and let out a breath of relief.

But her relief was short-lived as weakness flooded her legs at the sight of how high the window was above the toilet. She rushed inside the cubicle and pushed the door shut. Her heart wrenched when she did not hear it slam like she had hoped. She spun around to see a bat between the jamb and the door.

A scream of frustration built in her throat as she stepped back, but the person behind the door pushed it forward. Her heart raced as she braced herself for what was to come.

"Hey, can't you read?" snapped the guard with bushy eyebrows, dark red eyes, and a face made up as if a spike ran up his foot. "That sign means Males only–" were his last words before she raised one leg to kick at his face.

The sole of her boot hit the bat he moved to block her attack.

"Oh, you missed," he hissed.

The door jamb was clear. Tess pulled her foot back the fastest she could and slammed the door shut with all her rage. The door smacked into the man's face causing him to step back several times.

"Aaah!" he yelled out.

The door rattled before the latch flipped over in place to keep it shut. She blinked with disbelief at the secured latchet. That was some luck!

She took deep breaths as she listened to him beating down the door from the other side. With her heart still pounding, she turned around and stepped on the toilet lid to gain height to reach the window.

She pushed one hand into the glass and instead of it getting jammed by the grille behind it went back further. Someone had pulled out the screws of the grille from outside separating it from the concrete wall.

She held onto the window sill with her shaking hands and pushed the top of her head into the glass window. The glass moved back for the outside air to enter. The wind whipped her hair into her face, and she could feel the sweat on her forehead. The stakes were high, but she had come too far to give up now.

As Tess peered outside the window, her eyes caught sight of several bright green bags in the dumpster that lay beneath her. Dread filled her as the putrid stench reached her nostrils, causing her to hesitate.

Oh no. Her feet budged to step down from the toilet lid. She was going to turn around and hand herself in. She thought of Petra, but then quickly shook off the negative thoughts. She reminded herself she had come too far to give up now. The pause from the beating in the door along with new voices that entered the bathroom got her to move.

Pushing herself forward, the weight of her body began to shift as she moved through the window. Her shirt rubbed against the sill, creating a slight friction against her tummy. The pressure in her head built up, and soon her upper body was outside the window. Her legs rubbed against the windowsill as she flicked over to land on her back in the dumpster.

A gasp of relief escaped her lips as she realized she hadn't landed on something sharp. However, the relief was short-lived as the stench of stale vegetables and sour items hit her nostrils, threatening to make her sick. She quickly pinched her nose, trying to hold back the bile rising in her throat.

Suddenly, a hand shot through the window sill behind her, causing her to jump in fright. The guard's voice echoed through the bathroom as he yelled, "Hey!"

Tess scrambled to her feet, walking on top of the stuffed green bags, and made a run for it. She had to keep moving, no matter what.

EDITED