“Blame the high-ups, and come on!” Roselyn said.
The original plans for Remy Hadley had had a hallway between the two cell blocks, but it was removed later to expand the outdoor area because the prisoners required more fresh air. Nice for their health in most cases, except for tonight. If they’d had enough time they could have backtracked halfway around the prison to get to where they had to be… but they didn’t.
“Zig zag, all of you,” Roselyn said tersely as they ran onto the grounds. “It’s our only chance.”
Just as she finished saying that and as each one ran away from the others, the grounds were flooded with lights - and the guards on the outer walls started shooting as eight women raced this way and that, each one running as fast as their feet could carry them towards the other cellblock while bullets whizzed around them. None of them had any idea which shot was coming from where, and the only thought running through their heads was “Please don’t let it be me…”
Even though the territory between the blocks wasn’t that big, for each of the ladies it seemed like an eternity. But the other block got closer and closer, and there were plenty of yells from each woman – but it was from all of them.
Emma put on a final burst and bounded to the entrance to the block, and had the card ready. Within seconds Roselyn was there and Emma swiped the card, letting her in. Then Olivia, then Megan, then Shay, then Blake, then Hayden, then Jennifer… SLAM!
The doors shut behind them, the eight convicts allowed themselves a few seconds to catch their breaths, each one mentally thanking their lucky stars they’d gotten this far.
“I wanna stay here just as much as you,” Roselyn said between gasps, before putting temptation behind her and heading as fast as she could to the next stop.
“Roselyn-“ Shay started.
“I know,” the leader interrupted, trying to ignore the bullet lodged in her left arm. “It’ll keep.”
Glancing at Olivia, whose upper right thigh had a little growing red mark on it, Shay could only nod.
* * * * * * * * * *
Shaking her head to clear it as she revived, Jaime Pressly took mental stock of her body. She was hurting but almost proud; who’d have thought that hobbit would’ve done so much damage? She’d had worse beatings, but not from someone the size of a peanut.
Looking around Alyssa’s Place, she saw her little friend lying next to her, and cracked an evil smile. “Should’ve thrown it out the window, Itty Bitty,” she said to herself, and picked up the deadly device before shoving aside pieces of table and chair – they were in the way of the panel.
Cutting through the carpeted floor, Jaime flung back the fabric to reveal the panels underneath. If they’d all been there there’d have been several blades working on the panel they needed to prise out and get into the sewers; Jaime was all alone, but she was strong, she was fast, and she was determined. She’d open this thing with her fingernails if she had to, and when she caught up with