T?o?r?t?u?r?e?

+ 19

I stared up at the large building before me.

"I won't let this happen," I whispered.

Cameron got into the delivery truck and sped out of the lot. I didn't see anyone approaching me but who's to say they didn't have a red dot trained on me right now?

I gave up on the idea of breaking the metal door in and decided that getting to the roof would probably be my best bet. I knew for a fact that the fake sunlight wasn't all the way artificial. When Gator was taking us on the tour, I saw glass windows above the house. I could break in, drop down somehow, and save my folks.

After three failed attempts of climbing the perimeter, I sunk to the grown, huffing.

"There's no way I can get in," I wiped a thick line of sweat off of my forehead and tried again. I kicked the brick, cussing as I hurt my toe. I took a break to piss, then tried to climb the wall again.

I got an idea, but it felt as far fetched as Cameron's idea at this point. I climbed the tree next to the building, a good six feet away from the actual brick.

The wind blew, making me clutch to the medium sized branches. It wasn't like in the movies where I could swing the tree back and launch myself onto the roof. No. This baby was firmly rooted in the ground, whether this was intentional or not on the designer's part, and I wouldn't get on top of the building that way.

"Damn you, Gator," I hissed, digging my nails into the bark.

My brain lit up as I tried to pull all of the little branches I could off of the tree without falling. I made myself a makeshift ladder going horizontally from the tree to the brick, it barely touching the edge of the structure.

I pulled on it, testing the strength of my invention.

A few twigs snapped away. I watched them fall. That would be a long way down if this didn't work.

"Has to," I reminded myself, preparing my body to get to the other side. I walked as far as I could to the edge of the branch I was on, holding onto my invention with tender care. I climbed on top of it, figuring that was better than holding it over my head and pulling it down versus relying on it to hold my weight.

It snapped as I made it halfway across.

I froze and that was my number one mistake.

It snapped again, and I felt myself falling. I gripped the edge of the roof, my body hanging as the dead branches and twigs smacked down on the pavement.

My body was straining and my arm felt like it was losing more blood than before. I kicked my legs against the roof, trying to think about when I make it onto the roof not how. I pulled myself up and fell on top of the building. I laid there, blood coming from my arm as I fought dizziness.

Even if I made it to Cielo and my mom now, I wouldn't be able to get them back out. And I certainly wouldn't be in any condition to fight anyone.

"This is it," I stared up at the night sky, my breathing loud and in short gasps. "This is it."

The air conditioning unit had been so loud outside that I didn't notice it's presence until it cut off. Now the night was dead silent for sure. My eyes drifted over to it, my vision flurry.

I slowly lifted my upper half up, flinching as I took in the blood along the cement, in the night.

I crawled to the A/C unit, panting and pushing myself across the roof through the thick nausea that curled its way along my throat and stomach. It was thick like a smoothie, spilling out from my lips just as I reached the unit.