Darkness swept over the Facility, making it feel even more cruel than before. At exactly 10:00 PM, I grabbed the flashlight (which would be no use until the third section because of the mannequins), left my room and headed down the stairs. I had flashbacks to the hotel just a day earlier. At the bottom of the stairs, the door to the unknown was right there in front of me.

I peeked around the corner into the dark hallway.

Nobody jumped out at me this time. I stood in the hallway, staring at the door.

I thought about Buck’s words: Make it count. I wondered what would happen to him and the others if I succeeded.

The doorknob was cold to the touch. I took a deep breath, twisted the knob, pushed the door open, and took the first step outside. From this point forward, if I was seen, I was dead.

The air was cold but not freezing, and there was no breeze. Totally silent, which was not ideal. I scanned the yard for mannequins. I saw two, off in the distance. Probably near the first fence. I crept to the right along the wall of the building to stay behind their backs.

As I neared the corner of the building, I heard footsteps from behind and to my right, getting louder each time. My heart jumped. I shuffled back to the left on my tiptoes. Thankfully, the mannequin to the right did not look my way. The mannequins in the distance still had their backs turned.

This was my chance. A 70-80 yard sprint. I took off. Don’t look back, don’t look left, don’t look right. Just GO. It probably took me less than a dozen seconds to cross the yard, but it felt like a year. When I reached the fence, I swung my right leg up, stepped on top of it, and vaulted over. The first section was complete, but it wouldn’t get much easier. I didn’t look back at the mannequins in the yard, only ahead.

The second section started out quite smoothly. I had to avoid a couple mannequins by hiding behind bushes and trees. Other than that, it was more or less a slow jog, until I saw the fence. Buck wasn’t lying. 12 feet, cinder blocks, topped with barbed wire. It was more like a wall.

I crouched down between several bushes. My best hope was a tree with a branch that extended to within feet of the fence. Would the branch hold me? Maybe, maybe not. I didn’t have time to think about it.

I began to climb the tree, keeping an eye out for mannequins behind me. I reached the branch I needed and crawled out along it like a monkey. This wasn’t just cardio, it was core and arms too. I got to the end of the branch, where it split into multiple others that were not thick enough. I looked over my shoulder, and panicked.

There was a mannequin not far from the base of the tree. Somehow it hadn’t seen me yet.

Holding my breath so as to make as little sound as possible, I stood up. I had no time to contemplate if the jump was doable. I pushed off with everything I had. The rustling of the branches made me wince; surely I’d been noticed now.

My fingers latched onto the top of the cinder blocks. I pulled myself up and carefully stepped over the barbed wire.

Crack. Crack. Crack. Bullets rained at the wall, mangling the barbed wire a foot or two to my right. I’d been seen, but there were no mannequins on the other side of the wall. I ducked and flung myself over the other side, my fingers again suspending me from the top of the wall. The mannequin kept shooting, but with only my fingertips exposed, it didn’t have enough to aim at. I dropped down on the other side.

Now, there were no more mannequins ahead except for the guards at the main gate. But I remembered the promise made by the document on the wall:

IF YOU ARE SEEN OUTSIDE THE BUILDING, YOU WILL DIE.

I had been seen outside the building. I had no idea what the mannequins - and Caroline - were capable of. They could probably communicate with each other. They now knew I was closer to beating them at their game than anyone had ever been. I would be hunted.

I ran along the gravel driveway. That was the fastest path out, and speed was all that mattered now. I found an extra gear I didn’t know I had.

As the third and final fence came into view, my fears were confirmed: I heard the low hum of an engine. A ways behind me in the otherwise silent night. I looked over my shoulder. Headlights. They were far down the long and straight driveway, but still. The cars were faster than I was.

When I reached the last fence I didn’t bother with an alternate route, just dashed straight through the main gate. The guards looked to be sleeping. Little matter. The car was catching up.

There were about 15 seconds of relative peace before the car made the right turn onto the main road, tires screeching as it did. The beams of its headlights swung around, pointing straight at me. I looked back at the driver. Unmistakably, it was Caroline.

I ran like hell. Every breath felt like everything I had. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough. The car was fast and heavy and tough. I was slow and light and weak. My brain was frozen; I could only run straight ahead. It got closer and closer, but not as quickly as I thought it would. It accelerated little by little until I could feel the heat of the headlights on my back. If I reached behind I could’ve swiped the Cadillac logo off the hood.

The bumper was inches from my legs. I heard the engine get louder once more.

This site is open source. Improve this page.

yessleep