The screeching noise got louder and louder when we were cutting our hand ties on the rock. Matteo had the purest look of fear in his eyes, and I was sure I had the same in mine. "We should tie both strings together," he said, keeping his gaze on the door. "To make it longer."I nodded in agreement, taking the ropes into my shaky hands. Through a cluster of knots, there was a long string that could easily reach the top of the wall, so I threw it up and pulled to ensure it was anchored. "I think we're good," I whispered.
"You first."
I looked back. "Are you okay?"
"Just go, I'll explain after," he insisted, gesturing to the dangling string.
I grabbed hold of it and climbed. The stone scratched my fingers. The noise in the hallway drew closer, bringing up a huge anxiety bubble in the back of my throat. "Come on!" Matteo hissed. I went faster. Eventually, I reached the top, an unstable row of worn-down bricks. My feet were way larger than this thin balance-beam. "Don't worry, it's secure," I said, giving it one more tug before standing up.
He made his way to me. As soon as we were standing side by side on the stone, our door silently creaked open. A masked face popped in. As soon as he caught sight of us (we were trying to be as quiet as possible), we jumped while he yelled in some foreign language. "Just run!" Matteo yelped, grabbing my hand and pulling me forwards. We had no official destination, nor did we need one. As long as those flashing lights kept shining onto our backs in the darkness and people were screaming orders, we could run as fast and as far as we wanted. Negative motivation, most likely our death sentence, was all we needed.