The clicking of the metal cuffs held firm to his wrists, as Lero kept his composure inside the carr. For many of them, it was another ride toward the quarry but for him, it would hopefully be his last. That was the real goal after all.
"How much longer?" he could hear one of the guards ask the driver.
"Five more minutes, then we can unload."
Perfect. Lero could hardly contain himself but stayed collected. The rattling of the vehicle's suspension kept him in check as the silence continued from within. He was almost starting to wonder about that Keru woman, and what she would do if they managed to get out. She surely must have had some type of plan, right? At least for him, he knew he had to find Jamal and finish the promise that he was supposed to get.
Reassured, he gave himself a quick smirk just as the vehicle started to slow down. The doors opened moments soon after, as everyone was slow to file out. The bright sun temporarily forced Lero and the other prisoners to squint their eyes and adjust, with the man taking his opportunity to scout the number of guards in the area. From the looks of things, it appeared relatively light, with him able to count twenty guards in total among the few hundred prisoners. One could think about as to why that would be the case until the sight of their powerful rifles brought the reality. Death or freedom, only one thing could be given.
Moving alongside the long line of workers, he could see the separation process begin. In order to make things operate as efficiently as possible and to give leeway to the guards, more often than not would the prisoners be separated between working in the quarry and mining ore, or process and loading the material onto awaiting vehicles. Usually, for Lero at least, he was put into the miner position since he had a knack for collecting the deposits of iron and such and would allow for the perfect getaway. A few more moments later did he reach the front, to which his theory proved correct.
Joining the line of miners, he slowly trudged on, as the guards started to uncuff them and replaced them in their hands with worn-out pickaxes and anti-energy links instead. As the line pushed onward and the descent toward the quarry began, Lero was able to take a brief look at the hole he was going to attempt to escape from. About the size of two people, it would barely fit him and Keru as the passage lead towards a ditch with low-height shrubbery. It would have to do, Lero sucked his breath in with anxious anticipation, as the group reached the bottom of the quarry at last.
It mattered to where he and Keru were going to stage themselves prior, as the man found a small deposit not too far from the climb back up, but not so close as to be seen and caught with relative ease. Beginning the plan, he simply started to mine as everyone else did, but took his time and was in no rush. The only thing he needed was for Keru to make his way to him.
Pounding the ore off, Lero kept his diligence intact as the minutes passed by. While they weren't necessarily in a rush, he didn't want them to do this at the last minute and get caught attempting to escape. As basic of a plan they had, if all things went as well as intended would they get out, at least hopefully. The sun itself continued to beat down on the prisoners, as the guards remained as lax with such activity. There was simply nothing going on in the quarry.
...
It reached midday, as Lero was returning back to the same spot after dropping off the third load. This woman really hadn't shown up yet, he wanted to laugh for being such a fool. It was all a trap for him to have his hopes up. And based on the sun's position, they would all be here for another three hours before it was time to head back. What a perfect opportunity he was given.
Just as he moved around the last corner to his destination, he saw a woman looking around carefully as if not to bring any more unnecessary attention to his spot. As Lero moved closer, he couldn't help but take a sigh of relief. Keru finally decided to come out of nowhere and grace the vicinity of her presence.
"Where bloody were you?" Lero hissed in her ear once he was close enough, grabbing the axe.
"It's not my fault that I was holed up on the other side of the quarry. I had to move across when the time was right." she turned to see the sight of no guards. "Get ready."
"For what?"
"You know what I mean. Take a quick look." she nudged her head for him to turn.
Getting the same sight as she, he knew they were about to make a run for it. As long as they weren't getting lit up by those powerful rifles, could they have a chance towards freedom? This was all they were really going to get, with this neglected security and one of the only openings of a lifetime. He wouldn't need to break out of the prison, like he and Thoam had initially planned to do. But could they just waltz out of here like so, Lero started to think, until he heard Keru talking.
"Excuse me, I think I dropped some of my ore here?" she said to a muscular prisoner, his muscles barely hidden by their uniforms.
"What ore? You drop ore here?" the man said with a noticeable accent, causing him to speak as so, "Me see no thing here."
"I think I see it!" Keru started to smile, looking down.
The buff man followed suit, just as the woman kicked with all her power into the man's balls. One could not describe the howl that was heard through the entire quarry, as the figure collapsed onto the ground, with Lero staring in absolute shock.
"Let's go!" Keru grabbed his arm, causing him to lose thought before having his legs move for him.
It was without a doubt, the moment of truth. Could they truly escape the world's most secure prison, or would they die brutally trying?