Freedom Incorporated by Peter Tylee Read Free Book Online Page A

her ear, “We need to find a way out of here. Fast. Any
ideas?”
    A frown creased
Samantha’s brow but the darkness shrouded it. “I know there’s an
exit at the back of 6b.” She smiled despite their predicament.
“James went down there once to see what it was.”
    “ That’ll do,”
Jen said. “We’ll be close enough to reception to try and get out
there. Except that’s the first place they’ll station extra guards.”
It was decision time. Jen weighed up the risks of staying hidden
against the risks of slinking out now. Neither was the obvious
choice, neither looked appealing. She shuddered at the thought of
remaining in the dark all night, but then realised the guards would
turn on the lights as soon as they found the switch. That made
hiding somewhat pointless. “All right, let’s go.”
    “ Which way?”
The turning in the stairwell and the pitch black had shattered
Samantha’s sense of direction.
    “ I think we’re
under the Faculty of Applied Science.”
    Samantha sounded dubious.
“What makes you think that?”
    “ This tunnel
curves to the right.” Jen had been thinking about that while
they ’d been stumbl ing through the dark . A t first she thought the zero
visibility had distorted her sense of direction, but she eventually
came to trust her judgement – the tunnel curved. “If we keep going
this way we should be near 6b.”
    “ Uh
huh.”
    “ Ballpark
anyway.” Jen shuffled forward , her paces shortened by the
uncertainty of each footfall.
    They’d been
walking for several minutes when the first wave of flickering
tickled the fluorescent lights above. Samantha and Jen squinted to
protect their eyes. After two more flickers, a searing light
flooded the tunnel and briefly blinded them.
    They found
the switch. Jen wired her mouth shut in case
they were nearby. She motioned at Samantha to hurry and jogged quietly
in what she still considered the ‘right’ direction. With the lights on it was
easier to recognise the curvature of the corridor . They
could also see the damp rising from the
concrete floor, which helped muffle their footfalls. And Jen clenched a
protective fist around her rucksack to squelch the muted jingle of
equipment.
    From
s omewhere behind, Jen heard voices. They
were hushed, urgent voices, and they triggered another wave of
adrenaline-induced panic. Suddenly the necessity for leaving the
main corridor exceeded her desire to reach the 6b
exit . S he herded Samantha into an
antechamber and quietly closed the door, thankful it didn’t screech
on its rusty hinges. Then
s he pulled the catch that released the
lock, wincing when a clack echoed through the halls. She visualised
the guards trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, isolating
the direction and refining their search. That won’t keep them out forever.
    She swivelled just as
Samantha found the switch for the lights and a flickering
fluorescence illuminated their tomb.
    Samantha gasped, “This is
it.”
    “ What?”
    “ I recognise
it. This is where James and I were.”
    Jen raised an
eyebrow, “ You were here
too? ”
    “ Come on, it’s
this way.” Samantha grabbed Jen’s hand and tugged her through a
room filled with so many pipes they could barely see the concrete
walls. Water had pooled on the floor from a leak and they splashed
across the puddle just as someone pounded on the door behind
them.
    Twenty metres later they
arrived at a pair of solid steel doors. They swung ponderously
outward to more steps when Samantha pushed on a horizontal bar. Jen
touched a warning hand to Samantha’s shoulder and silently crept up
the stairs. Samantha had been right – the entrance to lecture
theatre 6b was to their left. Jen carefully scanned the area and
strained her hearing, trying to detect whether anybody was hiding
in the dark.
    “ Okay, let’s
go,” she whispered.
    They scuttled
stealthily across the carpeted floor and looped back to the same
glass doors they’d used to enter the complex. The screen