Spoiler
A relatively short chapter but I hope you enjoy it all the same 
Reviews are very welcome!
Reviews are very welcome!Chapter Twelve
I checked the watch for the third time in two minutes, willing for time to speed up. Why was it going so slowly? It was almost twelve but I didn’t want to be waiting for Tyler for too long. Then again, I reasoned, I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going and I should make a start now. I hadn’t bothered to go to sleep; I would be getting up soon anyway and I had no means of an alarm to awaken me.
I was surprised that there wasn’t anyone about. We had heard nothing of Jack’s escape so I assumed the ‘minions’ weren’t on high alert. Even so, I would have thought that some of them at least would be awake during the night. Ruth and the other woman whose name I did not know were in charge of the three dorms along this corridor and it seemed likely that they would patrol them. Yet everything was quiet outside; everyone appeared to be down for the night.
I swung my legs around slowly and put my feet on the cold, marble floor. Slipping on a pair of socks and my single set of shoes I stood up, longing for a window to go and stand at. The room showed no indication of it being night time. All the lights were off down the hallway, making it pitch black but it could have been the middle of the day for all I knew. I crept out of the door and down the hallway, stopping only when I heard a creak behind me. I froze instantly, placing my back to the wall and squinting through the darkness. My stomach chose that exact moment to rumble loudly and I cursed myself inwardly for not having eaten any dinner; even though Tyler had forbade it. I could see nothing out of the ordinary though; no lights had been flicked on and the corridor remained as silent as ever.
Wasting no time, I quickly made my way up one corridor and then down the next. At every chance I had, I made my way up in the hope that I was going the right way. More than once I thought I heard the soft padding of footsteps or heavy breath behind me but each time I turned there was nobody there. Gradually my eyes became accustomed to the shadows and I began to make out the directions of the passages.
Soon enough, I reached a thick door that blocked me from going any further. In the darkness I could feel the long red chord that sectioned it off and knew that it would read ‘authorised personnel only’. I hoped feverishly that it would have no alarm system and fumbled for the handle. To my intense surprise, it was unlocked and swung open noiselessly.
The room beyond was different to the rest of the building. The circular stone walls reflected the light that shone through the thin, arched windows. It was pretty drafty in here, for none of the windows had glass in them. I couldn’t see very far out of the windows due to their size but it was nice to know that the world hadn’t disappeared whilst I had been gone.
A spiral staircase climbed its way upwards, winding around the edge of the room. A brown head appeared at the top and called down in astonishment.
“Who’s there?”
I heaved a sigh of relief; it was Tyler. I clambered as fast as I could up the steps to meet him at the top. There stood an enormous window, reaching from my waist above my head. I looked up at the dark sky, obscured by ominous clouds and sighed with happiness as the fresh air washed over me.
Tyler smiled. “Ready to go?”
I nodded immediately, “I’ve been waiting for too long.”
He pointed to a long rope that he had hooked from a jagged rock in the window ledge all the way down to the ground below. It looked awfully steep. “Are we climbing down that?” I asked.
“Afraid so. There isn’t much choice when it comes to escaping; The Creator’s improved his standards since the last time I did this.” He handed me some gloves identical to his own. “You’ll need these. They stop the rope burn if you decide to slide.”
I put them on quickly and then looked down again, sizing up the drop. It would mean a lot of hanging on and a long climb, added to the fact that I wasn’t very strong. Did I have a death wish?
“Don’t think about it,” Tyler advised me. I took a deep breath and lifted my first leg onto the window sill, reaching for the rope. There were definite footsteps behind me now, and I could hear them coming up the steps. “Go,” he urged me, glancing over his shoulder. I lifted my other leg to join the first and sat with both of them hanging in midair.
“What the hell do you think you're doing?” It was the voice of a girl, high and mighty and I twisted in my position. I recognised that voice and the long dark hair.
Angelica.
“I could ask you that exact question!” Tyler retorted, glaring at her. “You should be asleep!”
A sneer crossed her pale face. “As should you! I went to bed early, skipping dinner because I felt unwell but then, later on, I awoke when I heard a noise coming from the passageway outside my room. Who should I stumble across but the dreaded Ashling Sanders, sneaking out after lights out?
“I followed her, naturally, through passages and up staircases for about an hour. Many times I was certain that she was just going around in circles and perhaps just sleepwalking. I contemplated returning to the warmth of my bed just as we reached the big door to this room. I watched her open it, and then step inside quickly.”
“I knew someone was following me!” I exclaimed. “You dirty little sneak! Why couldn’t you just have minded your own business?!”
She ignored this statement and continued her story. “At first I was reluctant to come in, the door was out of bounds after all. But then I realised something; I was breaking the rules for the greater good. And now,” she smiled coldly, “I get to hand you over to The Creator. I will finally get noticed. He will reward me highly and there is no greater honour than having his gratitude.”
“You’re a sick twisted little girl!” Tyler spat. “Can’t you see what he’s doing to you? To all of you? He makes them drug you in your dinner to stop you escaping at night and he traps you underground! He experiments on children and separates families! Yet you tell me you want to be loyal to a creature like this?”
“Silence!” She bellowed, no longer troubling to keep her voice down. She held her index finger over the alarm on the wall. “At one press of this button sirens will alert the whole building and they’ll come and get you. Are you going to come quietly or not? We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
I smiled at her icily. “I have no intention of coming quietly Angelica. In fact,” I added as I grabbed hold of the rope, “I think you seem to be labouring under some false illusion.” I winked at Tyler and swung my legs around the rope.
“See you!” I called to Angelica and threw my full weight onto the rope, skidding down it at top speed, the cold wind rushing past my face and the rain splattering against my cheek. Behind me I could hear Tyler’s woops of delight as he followed suit and the sound of the alarm ringing out through the building.
Red lights whirred and the noise continued deafeningly, I felt almost as if I was a criminal mastermind who had just stolen a precious jewel. I grinned; you only live once!
I reached the bottom with a thud and fell flat on my back. Struggling to right myself, I took in the night for the first time.
It was like a scene from a horror story as flashes of lightening illuminated the sky. The clouds rumbled with thunder and I fought to keep myself upright from the heavy winds. The rain battered down on us, working its way sneakily into every contour of my skin and drenching me from head to foot.
“Where are we heading?” I spluttered after Tyler joined me on the ground, shielding my cloak around me to try and prevent the onslaught of raindrops that threatened to wash down my throat. He grabbed my hand and together we tore away from the prison and into the trees beyond.
Shouts echoed from nearby as Tyler stopped by a tree, seeming to be fiddling with an invisible object. “What are you doing?”
“It shouldn’t take long,” was the response. “I just have to work out how to get past Eric’s shields. Ouch!” He cursed loudly as a small spark came from what he was working on. I shivered violently from the cold, wishing he would hurry up. As soon as the thought had crossed my mind however there came a loud shudder and the crunching of gears as a blue ford focus shifted into view.
I gaped at it. “Where did that come from?”
“No time to explain,” Tyler said, throwing my bag into the back and diving into the front seat. I did the same and the doors slammed shut. He punched his foot down on the accelerator. The engine roared and we shot through the undergrowth, speeding up the slope and crashing through the branches.
A few minutes late we were out, surrounded by men all running towards us and shouting. They waved their arms and cursed loudly, getting closer and closer.
“Drive!” I called to Tyler and the car hurtled forward towards the moon. The men backed away hurriedly and I rolled down the window, the cold air whipping through my hair. “Bye!” I yelled ecstatically to shrinking figures, grinning at Tyler who chuckled loudly. I leaned back into my seat and sighed.
I was free.
“Shut that will you?” Tyler asked me, gesturing to the window. “It’s bloody freezing in here!” I did as he asked and turned back to him, still unable to wipe the smile off my face.
“Where are we going then?” I asked curiously. Nobody had thought to mention this to me yet and I couldn’t help but wonder. After all, it was the place where I would be spending the foreseeable future and I felt I had the right to know something about it.
“It’s a big house,” said Tyler. “That’s all you need to know for now. You’ll get the grand tour when we get there. Try to get some rest. It’s going to be a long journey and you’ll want to be awake when we get there.”
“I’m not tired,” I argued. But at that exact moment I gave a huge yawn, giving myself away. Funny, I hadn’t realised how shattered I really was. I closed my eyes and settled my head into the back of the seat, smiling as I drifted off.
***
It seemed only minutes later that Tyler was nudging me to wake up. A pinkish tinge had appeared on the horizon and the sun was rising behind the hills. The storm had stopped now and Tyler had opened the sunroof to let in the morning rays and the songs of the birds.
It was stunning.
I checked the clock on the dashboard; the red digits told me that it had just gone eight o’clock. “How much longer do we have left?” I asked.
“About five minutes.”
At that moment we rounded the corner of a dusty lane and I took a sharp breath. A great house stood atop a hill, it’s walls glistening like jewels in the light of the early morning sun. As we drove up, the wind ruffled the flowers on the grassy slopes and the trees swayed gently in the breeze.
Tyler drove swiftly onto the driveway and cut the engine. He stepped out and then walked around to open the door for me. Smiling at the amazed look on my face he stood beside me watching as I stared, enthralled by the beauty around me.
“Welcome home,” he grinned.
