Everything was a blur.
A harsh whisper filled Maddie's ear.
"Maddie! Maddie!"
She recognized the voice. Joseph's.
Her eyes snapped wide. She sat upright, fully expecting to be back in their cell. To her surprise, they were still in the dark corridor. The side of her head hurt and she was dizzy. On the floor in front of her was the overweight guard. He was unconscious.
But how?
Maddie looked to Joseph for an explanation.
He looked scared. Eyes filled with tears.
"What happened, sweetie?"
"I kicked him in his private place, like you told me to do if I had to."
Maddie looked at the guard.
"Then he tripped over you and hit his head on the ground."
"Good job, Button," Maddie said to Joseph, hugging him.
Button was his nickname, because he was short for his age. A year ago he was only up to Maddie's belly button. Thus the nickname. He was a good six inches taller now, but still short for his age.
Maddie rose to her feet. And for the first time in her life she really felt the full extent of the Earth's rotation. She knew the Earth spun, but this was seriously ridiculous. Placing a hand to the wall for balance, she shut her eyes. Opened them. The dizziness had abated a little.
"Are you okay, Maddie?" asked Joseph, pulling on her sleeve.
"I'm fine, Button. I need a minute."
Looking down at the guard, Maddie's nerves got the better of her. If the guard had caught them, they would be back behind bars. She'd almost blown their only shot of escape.
She'd been planning this night the last three days.
Unlike most prisons, this was more of a temporary prison. A holding place for those who couldn't post bail while waiting for their trial to take place. Maddie and Joseph's trial took place in the morning. Right now it was eleven-ten p.m. Maddie knew they'd have to escape before the trial, because the trial was only going to declare them guilty. Of murder, no less.
They would be sentenced to life in prison, even though they were innocent.
And there were prisons much worse than this one. This one contained mostly innocent people. According to their public defender, or "stupid faux lawyer," as Maddie called him, her and Joseph would be held in separate prisons because of their age differences. That was the second time someone had threatened to separate them. And that was not going to happen.
So far, Maddie's plan was working. They'd broken out of their cell after the final headcount of the night, and now they were sneaking through the halls. She estimated they'd be out of the prison by midnight, which would give them more than enough time to escape. The next headcount came at dawn--six-thirty to be exact.
As long as they didn't get caught, they'd be fine.
Running into this guard was not good.
The pain on the side of Maddie's head was not cool.
"Maddie!" came Joseph's harsh whisper.
Maddie's dizziness was pretty much gone. She turned toward Joseph, who was peeking around the hall's corner. "Someone's coming," he said.
Jolt of fear. Maddie reached down to grab the guard's armpits. Instant dizziness and pain in her head. She took hold of the guard and started sliding him into the darkest of shadows--the one they'd used prior.
"He's getting close," said Joseph.
Maddie made an angry look at Joseph, putting a finger over her lips. Her way of nicely telling him to shut up because he was being too loud. He was always too loud. Maddie knew this all too well.
Joseph came to her side and helped her drag the guard into the shadows. Once they had him sufficiently in the darkness, he snorted. Maddie just stared at him, watching, listening. The approaching footsteps were gaining decibel. The guard on the ground rolled onto his side. Still asleep.
That's when Maddie saw his nightstick on the floor, in the center of the hall. She'd forgotten it. Crouched, she started for it--
The slow guard came around the corner. Apparently he was making his rounds.
Maddie backed into the shadows, praying he hadn't seen her.
The man walked by, ever so slowly. His footsteps covered the sound of the unconscious guard's breathing. So long as he didn't stop taking steps.
Right as Maddie thought it, the guard stopped, looked down at the nightstick on the floor. He looked around. Then he felt for the nightstick on his belt. Maddie's lungs were not moving. Then he picked the nightstick up off the floor, examined it. For what, Maddie had no clue...
Apparently unalarmed, the man started walking, slowly as always. After a long minute, he turned the corner. Only then did Maddie let out a quiet sigh.
Her head was feeling a little better. She felt the left side of her head. She could feel a bump under her hair, just above her ear. The pain was certainly a doozy.
Maddie found Joseph's eyes in the darkness and made contact. "Let's get outta here."