The gun clattered on the table as he laughed. "I'll make you a deal."
My eyes didn’t move from the gun. “What kind of deal?”
He walked closer to me, standing right behind me. “If you can get out of this place, I’ll let you go free. I’ll even give you this gun.” He leaned close to my ear. “Isn’t that such a great deal?”
I shifted away from him. “What’s the catch?” After all, there was always a catch.
He walked back to his side of the table and sat down. “Well,” he began, “if you don’t make it out, I’ll make sure you’re dead.” He picked up the gun. “Also, the gun only has one bullet.” He pointed the gun at his temple. “One bullet is a lifetime supply, after all. You have multiple ways to freedom.” He threw the gun back down on the table. “So what do you say?”
“I’d rather just leave, thanks,” I tossed back at him. Suicide wasn’t an option. Suicide was never an option. I was going to make out it alive, and I was going to make it out okay.
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. Now, how to get you out?” He produced another gun from behind his back and cocked it against his temple again. “See you on the other side, I guess.”
I choked on air when he pulled the trigger and collapsed on the floor. How could he have just killed himself in front of me?
A guard rushed in to see what was wrong, and I instinctively grabbed the gun from off the table. I aimed it at guard, who immediately put his hands in the air.
Also, the gun only has one bullet.
I cursed inwardly, realizing I couldn’t just waste my only bullet on the unarmed guard in front of me.
He sensed my hesitation and began advancing toward me. “Calm down, kid. Let’s be reasonable about this.”
Reasonable? Was locking me up for my entire life reasonable?
I leaped forward, blinded by my sudden rage, and slammed the hilt of the gun against his head. He dropped to the ground with a satisfying crack. I reached over the guard’s body and grabbed the other man’s gun off the ground. I checked to see how much ammo was left in the gun and cursed again when I realized he had used up the last bullet.
Figures.
I had to leave. More guards would come eventually. I crept outside the cell, wary of the possibilities of other guards out there. Seeing that there was no one there, I ran down the corridor, hoping that I’d eventually find my way out.
I managed to stumble across a sign directing passersby to certain areas of the building, and one of those directions pointed to the emergency exit. I bolted in that direction, only to find a small squad of guards waiting for me. Unlike the first guard, they were all armed with the latest firearm tech.
“Put the gun down and come with us quietly if you don’t want to get hurt,” one of the guards demanded. I didn’t know which one had spoken because of the helmets they all wore.
I didn’t want to listen. I charged the nearest guard and cocked my gun under his chin.
The other guards laughed, nervously, might I add. One of them spoke again. “All right, kid. Don’t make us hurt you. Just give it up already.”
One bullet is a lifetime supply, after all.
I hesitated. Of course, I would rather die than be taken captive once again, but I would also rather escape than die.
One guard took a step forward and made my decision for me.
I pulled the trigger and held my hostage up as a shield, hurling my useless gun at another guard, which didn’t do much good, and snatching the dead guard’s weapon, which did plenty of good. I had taken out all but two before I was hit in the shoulder.
Collapsing, I shot one of them and aimed at the other.
“Just give it up, kid,” he said, pointing his own gun at me. “There are more guards on the way.”
Right on cue, footsteps began to thunder around the corner.
You have multiple ways to freedom.
Death may have been a few of them, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to escape. I wanted true freedom.
I fired my gun and rushed outside.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
