Maddie felt better than ever about this whole breakout. The last three days of planning were hard and crucial. Every morning, this morning being the worst, she woke up with the feeling that her plans were nothing more than an impossible dream. Yet, here they were, her and Joseph, stealing down the halls.
Moreover, the advent of the guard was taken care of and now they were in a better position than ever, what with a laster pistol, tear gas grenades, and keys to the facility. The hog-tied guard wouldn't be found until morning, Maddie surmised, and that would still give them until dawn to escape.
Maddie wondered what time it was. She leaned toward Joseph as they continued down the hall. "Time?"
Joseph checked the handheld. "Eleven fifty-two."
Maddie had originally calculated their escape from the prison facility to be exactly at midnight. They now had twenty-three minutes to get outside in time to commandeer the patrol jeep. Here's why:
At around twelve-fifteen, according the Maddie's calculations, the patrol truck drivers' shift changes. A new guy gets in a different truck and starts circling. Maddie stayed up the last two nights watching this take place. She couldn't see the men change. But she did notice that the man driving the truck changed, as well as the actual truck. The trucks were identical except for some dent marks that Maddie was able to notice. The trucks were camouflaged military jeeps. The old-fashioned kind that need keys and have wheels. Unlike most army jeeps it was modified with doors, windows, and a retractable roof.
Anyway, Maddie and Joseph needed to confront the first driver the moment he parked his jeep. Then they would take his keys, tie him up somewhere where he wouldn't be found, and take off. Maddie's original plan didn't explain how they'd just take the keys from him, but now that she had a laser pistol that wouldn't be a problem.
She also knew, from the drive to this facility, that it was in the middle of nowhere and bordered by miles upon miles of forestland. There was only one road in and out. And that road wouldn't be an option--there was a security checkpoint. Two armed guard towers. Even with Maddie's fake identification, they'd be wondering why she was driving one of the patrol jeeps.
Their only chance was the forest. Once Maddie had the jeep, they would go into the forest and drive all night. No one would realize they were even missing until dawn when the prison did its morning headcount. She'd estimated they'd find a road at least an hour before sunrise, if they drove all through the night, and they'd be home free.
The main thing was making sure no one realized they were gone until dawn. Other than the guard, who was going nowhere, the only other person that knew they were out of their cell was an inmate.
He was sixteen, but looked older. That was all Maddie knew about him. And he was quiet. He'd been in the prison the last two days. His cell was next to theirs. In the mess room and wreck room, he kept to himself. And he had an old-fashioned watch on his wrist. Other than that, she knew nothing.
When they'd broken out of their cell, they had to walk past his cell. He saw them and said nothing more than, "Good luck." Maddie didn't expect him to snitch.
Maddie and Joseph turned into another long corridor. This one they hadn't been in yet. They were moving faster than previously. Maddie wasn't quite as nervous. It could have had something to do with the laser pistol and tear gas in her hands.
A few more halls and they'd find the clothing room. Otherwise known as prisoner storage. When prisoners are brought into the facility, they change into the white prison garb and leave their original clothes to the facilitators, who then store the clothes in prisoner storage.
Maddie and Joseph would need their normal clothes. One, to survive the cold, in case the jeep didn't have a heater. Two, to look normal once they got through the forest and hit the road. They'd need to ditch the jeep and hitchhike. Something told Maddie that being dressed up in prison clothes wouldn't be much help encouraging people to pick them up.
They swerved around another hall. Going faster now than ever.
Maddie checked the ceiling for cameras, even though she knew there were none. And they continued. When they were ten feet from the next turn, a guard stepped into their path.
He was just as shocked as they were.