Prison Break!

Day 4,921, 08:53 Published in USA USA by LoganBeary

Prison Break
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The air hung heavy and dank as I lifted my eyes to the tiny window above my head. I wondered how many days it had been since I’d been captured and imprisoned. At first I had done the tally mark thing on the wall to try and keep track, but that lost its charm after about 5 days. The thing that upset me the most was that my cute uniform was completely ruined by the dirt and mud in the cell. UGH! If I ever got out of here, I was going shopping for a brand new one. I wondered if anyone missed me or even noticed I was gone.
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Let me back up a bit and explain how all of this happened.

I was out in the field on assignment trying to help Wilker with an upcoming WHPR when I stopped suddenly. There were several men in Croatian uniforms standing on the other side of the wall. I tested my knowledge of the Croatian language, even though the dialect these men were speaking did not sound familiar. I could make out only a few words, something about dinner and the word prijatelj came up. They all looked very strong and a little rough. It made me nervous being so close to them.

I had hoped to glean a little more information, maybe some battle plans or even a few secrets, as I fumbled for my notebook.

I had been notoriously clumsy recently and as a result, my camera slipped out of my hands and crashed loudly on the ground.

UGH! How could I have been so careless?! What was wrong with me? I tried to find a spot to hide, but didn’t move fast enough. Within seconds, the soldiers had surrounded me and were carrying me away. I knew fighting back was futile. They were just too strong.
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Alright, so let’s get back to the present situation… My rescue.

It was day 24059238 of my imprisonment and I ate my morning rations with the bland expression suited for how they tasted. Gosh, what I wouldn’t give for a piece of Hawaiian pizza! Maybe some lemonade. Hmmmm....

Jolting me out of my food daydream, I noticed something moving in the corner of the room. I didn’t think much of the movement, guessing it was likely my pet rat Sheila. Sheila and I had become fast friends in the recent past. She was quite fluffy and seemed to enjoy my company as much as I had enjoyed hers. She even snuggled up in my arms at nighttime. I know it’s weird, but somehow it was comforting to have a friend in this hellhole.

Oddly, however, I saw something green. It looked like a lizard, but I wasn’t sure. I strained my eyes to see what it was. I realized immediately it was my pal Trekker. My heart leaped! They hadn’t forgotten me! Maybe I was valuable after all! Trekker motioned for me to come over to the “bed” I had been given. He whispered the plan into my ear and I nodded, relying on every piece of self control I could muster not to grab him and squeeze him in a tight hug for coming to my rescue. I think he had more faith in me than I even had in myself.

“Ok, LB, let’s review. You are going to call the guard to come back and help you with your breakfast tray. Then I’ll sneak his keys out while you whack him in the head with your breakfast tray and use these zip ties to tie his hands. I’ve got some duct tape for his mouth too. Gnilraps is outside waiting for us.”

I marveled at the fact that a lizard could carry all of those items. It seemed like such a huge task.

“Got it!” My heart was a stampede of wild horses in my chest. What if this went horribly wrong? What if Trekker risked it all and I got him captured too?

“Guard! My tray is done. Could you please come in and get it?”

The guard walked in with a growl. He wasn’t the usual burly guard who frequented my hallway, which was somewhat fortuitous for me, as he would be easier to subdue, I hoped.

“Guard, could you come over here and check on this for me?” I pointed to the floor behind my “bed.”

This was my opportunity. I grabbed my tray and hit him as hard as I could in the head. He fell backwards surprised by the impact and I quickly grabbed the zip ties and tied his hands, while Trekk duct taped his mouth. We grabbed the keys and quickly bolted to the door as quietly as possible, while Mr. Guardy flopped like a fish in the corner. I waved a smug goodbye to him as we walked out of the cell.

We ran down the hallway as quietly as we could and reached the exit. Gnilraps was waiting outside in a rickshaw.

“A RICKSHAW?! You seriously couldn’t have rescued me in something better than a RICKSHAW?!”

Gnil cracked a smile on his usually stoic face and hugged me tightly.

“We’ve missed you, Beary.” He growled.

“Awww! So you do love me!” I replied.

“Don’t push it, missy!” He grumbled in return.

As we hopped in the rickshaw, it felt as though the wheels were going to come off. The wheels on my side were stable, but I wondered if the wheels on Gnil’s side were going to fall off. I had faith that they wouldn’t, but I just didn’t know for sure.

Trekker looked at me as we rode down the long road.

“Good to have you back, LB”
“It’s good to be had, Trekk!” I replied.

He smiled, and I even noticed the small hint of a smile on Gnil’s face.