Chapter 3- Escaping

Panic surged through me now. I couldn't fathom how I knew, but the people responsible for all of this, were coming, and they were almost here. If I'm lucky, they might not know I'm awake yet, which might save me in the end. But only if I snuck out of here before they found me.

The door I'd just gone through led to a bathroom. At first, I thought of it as a terrible turn of events that might come back to haunt me later. Then I focused and peered around the room once more. This is when I realized I'd ended up right where I ought to be.

"I'll have to forgo the boots, but at least I have the clothes." My words were for no one but myself, but they still comforted me.

I just entered a small private bathroom, and the space allowed me to do two things. Lock the door behind me, which wouldn't do me any good, and see the entire space in a span of a second, maybe a little more.

My salvation glinted at me, nestled perfectly at the bottom of the wall. Not in the ceiling like one would expect, but at the bottom of the wall, right above the floor. An access panel practically glowed with an iridescent light. The glow had been a trick of my mind, a sign of my elation. Still, I rejoiced in the bounty of the heating system. I'd found a way out. Maybe.

Taking just a moment, I looked in the mirror hanging on the wall next to me. I took in my appearance. Even my reflection seemed to be a mystery to me. As unsettling as it was, I didn't even recognize my own face. There were some positives, though.

I wasn't large in any sense of the word. In fact, I appeared almost too small. Extremely slender with limber arms and legs. My waist seemed almost to be too small. And this was something I didn't remember in the slightest. Even my shoulders were thin and dainty. Yet, somehow, through all this slightness, my body exuded strength and power. Redundant as it might have been, it was still the truth.

Being so slender and slight was one of the positives. I'd be able to fit into the heating duct. And it would be easier with the clothes I'd found. They would allow me to slide through and not make as much noise. But this is where the trouble with the boots came in. They would clunk, thump, and scrape all throughout the metal passageways, which would give away my position in an instant.

Time was of the essence here, but so is stealth. Doing everything possible to stay quiet, I slipped the boots off. I might have only worn them for a matter of minutes, but I felt naked and exposed without them. Somehow, I just knew I would end up hurting my feet now that they'd been exposed.

I hid the boots at the bottom of the trashcan near the door. If they weren't seen right away, then this escape route of mine might go unnoticed for a while. Which then might buy me more time to escape.

Dropping to my knees, I almost squealed in delight. Much like the doors, the vent had been haphazardly set in place. This meant it was basically attached to nothing.

It took me only one minute to pull the vent cover loose, slide in on my stomach, and use my toes to pull the cover back on. The last part was arguably the trickiest thing I'd ever done. Or so I think. I still couldn't remember a single personal thing about myself, so I couldn't really be sure.

"Now I can go." I whispered almost inaudibly to myself once more as I started to move through the narrow passageway. The tunnel I found myself in was barely wider than my shoulders, which happened to be the widest part of my body. Most people would likely have trouble following me.

This plan of mine was great, at first. Until I reached a steep angle where the vent climbed upward for several daunting feet. I almost slipped a few times, but my bare feet helped to stop me from fully sliding. Then, my luck took another turn, and not for the better. At this point, I almost wondered if I should give up.

The tunnel I was using to escape now turned to go straight up. And it appeared to go on forever. I would have liked to have a rope, or some grooves in the side of the tunnel, to help me climb straight up.

I didn't have any of those, though. So I relied on my own strength and determination to escape this place. At least I was barefoot. My toes would be able to grip a lot better than boots or socks. I figured I might as well try to find the silver lining to my current situation. Anything to help.

Things were slow-going, or so my mind told me. I thought I'd been climbing for a good ten minutes when I reached the top of the shaft. At this time, no one seemed to be panicking outside the vents, so perhaps it hadn't been as long as I thought. My sense of time had probably been distorted due to the stress and fear.

Finally, I reached a point where the ventilation shaft split. Two more tunnels angled up and away from me until eventually, they leveled out once more. So, which path should I choose? The decision seemed nearly impossible to make, and like before, it's best to be right the first time.

Looking to my right, I saw a light glowing in the distance. I thought it might be an artificial light, like a lamp, or something along those lines. To my left, however, the path was visibly darker, and I thought I smelled the night air in the distance. Could this be the way out? Maybe this is an exterior shaft that went to the surface and out of this place for good?

I didn't hesitate. I somehow knew to head to the left. No trace of doubt clouded my mind. This tunnel would take me to the outside world and my eventual freedom. And, thankfully, the shaft didn't have much of an incline anymore. I was able to slide and crawl my way through to the end.

When the sweet, refreshing night air finally blew on my face, I almost cried out. It'd been like resurfacing from the depths of a deep, dark lake, and I'd finally taken a life-saving breath of air. This was the way out, and soon, I would be safe. Soon, I would be able to rest, relax, and contemplate everything I'd been through.

Soon, but not yet. I still needed to run. I wanted to reach somewhere safe before I allowed myself to rest my weary body. And almost as if on cue, I caught the sound of someone yelling on the other side of the vent. Far too close for comfort.

Did they already figure out I was in the vents? Were they coming to recapture me? Would I be able to fight them off on my own? Well, I guess it didn't matter. If a fight ensued, I'd use tooth and nail, hands and feet, whatever it took. I didn't care about getting hurt, as long as I got out of here in the end. I would escape. No matter what, I was going to leave this place.