Some industrial-sized washers and dryers lined the room, several chugging noisily along. Tables were arranged for sorting with empty carts nearby. A set of double doors stood across the room. No one stood in the laundry room. That might not last long.
She climbed out of what turned out to be a huge laundry bin, pulled her phone from her pocket, and shined a light up the chute.
A zipping sound came from the chute and Blue dropped into the bin with an “Ooof!” She lay, splayed out like a paper doll, then picked herself up, wiped a stray sock out of her hair, and climbed out of the bin.
“Wow,” she whispered. “We escaped into a laundry room. This is a much better tactical position.”
Charity shined the light up the chute to let the others know the way was clear. “Instead of complaining, you could do something helpful. You could tie some of the sheets together and use your powers to send them up in case the cord breaks.”
The girl narrowed her eyes. “I keep telling you people that I’m not a telekinetic. I think it’s suspicious that you’re asking me to use my powers to help with,” she made air quotes, “our so-called escape.”
“Didn’t the government give you truth serum? Don’t they already know you’re a telekinetic?”
“Truth serum doesn’t work on me. There are always people who are immune to any given drug.”
Must be nice. “Okay, don’t help. But if Enzo or my father end up breaking their necks because that cord snapped, you’ll be finding your own way out of this place.”
Another zipping sound came from the chute. This time, her father landed in the bin. His feet buckled under him, and he fell forward. Charity rushed over.
He waved her away. “I’m fine.” He dragged himself off the laundry. “I’m just too old for this.”
Charity shined the light up the chute again. “What do your visions say we should do next?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “The one about going down the chute was the last one about the building.”
What did that mean? Surely, they were still in danger. Or were they? Maybe it would be easy from here. Maybe all they had to do was find an exit and walk back to their truck.
Blue padded toward the doors. “What’s outside these?”
Charity’s father went with her. “Let’s see.”
Enzo dropped from the chute. He landed on his feet and absorbed the impact by lowering to a crouch. In one smooth motion, he leapt from the bin, assessed the room, and whipped out his gun. He moved toward the door. “Is the way clear?”
Her father opened the door a crack. “It’s an empty hallway.”
Enzo nodded to Charity. “You’ve got the rear. If anyone comes up behind us, bluff until your father can shoot them with the tranquilizer gun. Worst case, if you have to shoot someone, aim at their feet.”
Her father pulled the tranquilizer gun from his pocket. “Let’s go.”
“Do I get a weapon?” Blue asked.
“No,” Enzo said. “We’re not arming a child. And so help me, if you try to take control of any of our weapons, the other two of us will shoot you.”
Blue’s eyes narrowed again. “You think I’ll do that, don’t you? I bet none of the weapons are even loaded. This is all some test to see if I’m really a telekinetic.”
“I’ll go out first,” Enzo said, ignoring her accusation. “Wait for my signal.”
“If you’re going first,” Charity said, “you should wear the bulletproof vest.”
He made no indication that he heard her. He opened the door, peered outside, and waved for the rest to follow him. The group slipped down the hallway. The overhead lighting glowed bright and harsh. Scuff marks marred the walls near the bottom.
They approached a corner. Enzo motioned for them to stand next to the wall. He pressed himself to the edge of the corner and checked the other side. He waved to them to continue. “There’s an exit.”
An exit. They could pull this off. They would get away. Charity rounded the corner. About fifty yards down the hallway, an exit sign glowed above a door. The group ran toward it, their footsteps pounding in a noisy rhythm. She could make out a sign near the door that read, “Parking garage entrance.”
Halfway to the door, an alarm sounded, reverberating in the hallway. A long tone was followed by the words, “Prisoner outbreak. High alert.”
Charity’s stomach clenched. They hadn’t been fast enough. The exit gates would shut to all but top-ranking officers. Still, there was nowhere else to go, nowhere to hide. A whole building full of people would be on the lookout for them. They’d have to find some way over the fence.