of glass which filled the upper half of the door would take some breaking, too, and those things were weak. It would take a lot of them to push through the glass, and they didn't seem to possess the brain-capacity to figure out a large brick or mop-handle would be enough to break it.
Terry wasn't taking any chances, though, and moved away from the glass. It was frosted, but that didn't mean the creatures wouldn't see them moving around on the other side.
'The yard,' Terry whispered, pointing across to the other side of the room, 'is through there, out onto the corridor, and a hundred feet down. If there aren't any of those fucking things out there, we shouldn't have any problems.'
Jared took a step in the direction of the door. A hand yanked him backwards. He was face-to-face with Terry Lewis, who was holding his index finger up to his lips.
' Shhhh ,' he said, pointing to the frosted door which they had just come through.
There, standing on the other side of the door, was a creature, silhouetted through the glass. A hand came up and pressed against the door; blood dripped down from the fingers; the light from the corridor made it a brighter red than it actually was.
With its other hand, the creature was trying the door. The doorknob rattled, slowly at first, than more urgently. Jared, Terry could see, was fighting the scream that so naturally wanted to emerge.
The hand slapped, open-palmed, against the glass, but there was no fear of it shattering. The creature moaned, tried the knob once again, and slowly moved away from the door. Light spilled back into the room from the corridor as the silhouette departed.
They both exhaled, relieved that the creature had decided not to pursue them further or alert the others. Terry smiled smugly, which Jared didn't appreciate too much.
'Let's go,' Terry said, ushering his cellmate towards the door at the opposite side of the room. When they got there, Terry took a deep breath, Jared took a step back, and Terry grabbed the doorknob.
He turned it.
*
Nothing happened. The door was locked. Of course it would be, terry surmised. It would have been too simple to just waltz all the way across to the yard with no obstacles.
'Don't suppose you know how to pick locks?' Terry asked.
'I was one of the best,' Jared said. 'Just give me a lock-picking set and I can get us in.' There was more than a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Terry turned and began to survey the room in which they found themselves.
Boxes, different sizes and multicoloured, were stacked against the walls. It was some kind of file-storage room, no doubt containing obsolete paperwork from years ago.
'Wait here,' Terry said. He made his way across the room, keeping a close eye on the glass of the door at the other end.
He grabbed a box down from one of the shelves and took the lid off. As he suspected, there were folders dating back to a time when even he wasn't an inmate. All of the folders had names written on them in permanent marker, but none of that interested him.
He opened one of the folders and saw what he was looking for almost immediately.
He never thought touching a paperclip would make him feel so impossibly happy. He slipped it off the end of the papers that it held and dropped the folder back into the box.
'What about one of these?' he whispered, holding the paperclip aloft as if it were the Holy Grail.
'That'll do,' Jared said.
With the paperclip in hand, Jared went to work on the lock. Terry didn't know why, but he had placed his trust in a man who was clearly terrified of what was happening. Even as he watched as his cellmate trembled with the tiny piece of steel, he knew that if it came down to it, he would have to leave Jared behind. If it meant survival, then sacrificing Jared was hardly something that required much thought. Jared was likely to get them both killed with his current nervousness, and that was not going to happen, not to Terry Lewis, who had rediscovered his faith and expected God
Terry wasn't taking any chances, though, and moved away from the glass. It was frosted, but that didn't mean the creatures wouldn't see them moving around on the other side.
'The yard,' Terry whispered, pointing across to the other side of the room, 'is through there, out onto the corridor, and a hundred feet down. If there aren't any of those fucking things out there, we shouldn't have any problems.'
Jared took a step in the direction of the door. A hand yanked him backwards. He was face-to-face with Terry Lewis, who was holding his index finger up to his lips.
' Shhhh ,' he said, pointing to the frosted door which they had just come through.
There, standing on the other side of the door, was a creature, silhouetted through the glass. A hand came up and pressed against the door; blood dripped down from the fingers; the light from the corridor made it a brighter red than it actually was.
With its other hand, the creature was trying the door. The doorknob rattled, slowly at first, than more urgently. Jared, Terry could see, was fighting the scream that so naturally wanted to emerge.
The hand slapped, open-palmed, against the glass, but there was no fear of it shattering. The creature moaned, tried the knob once again, and slowly moved away from the door. Light spilled back into the room from the corridor as the silhouette departed.
They both exhaled, relieved that the creature had decided not to pursue them further or alert the others. Terry smiled smugly, which Jared didn't appreciate too much.
'Let's go,' Terry said, ushering his cellmate towards the door at the opposite side of the room. When they got there, Terry took a deep breath, Jared took a step back, and Terry grabbed the doorknob.
He turned it.
*
Nothing happened. The door was locked. Of course it would be, terry surmised. It would have been too simple to just waltz all the way across to the yard with no obstacles.
'Don't suppose you know how to pick locks?' Terry asked.
'I was one of the best,' Jared said. 'Just give me a lock-picking set and I can get us in.' There was more than a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Terry turned and began to survey the room in which they found themselves.
Boxes, different sizes and multicoloured, were stacked against the walls. It was some kind of file-storage room, no doubt containing obsolete paperwork from years ago.
'Wait here,' Terry said. He made his way across the room, keeping a close eye on the glass of the door at the other end.
He grabbed a box down from one of the shelves and took the lid off. As he suspected, there were folders dating back to a time when even he wasn't an inmate. All of the folders had names written on them in permanent marker, but none of that interested him.
He opened one of the folders and saw what he was looking for almost immediately.
He never thought touching a paperclip would make him feel so impossibly happy. He slipped it off the end of the papers that it held and dropped the folder back into the box.
'What about one of these?' he whispered, holding the paperclip aloft as if it were the Holy Grail.
'That'll do,' Jared said.
With the paperclip in hand, Jared went to work on the lock. Terry didn't know why, but he had placed his trust in a man who was clearly terrified of what was happening. Even as he watched as his cellmate trembled with the tiny piece of steel, he knew that if it came down to it, he would have to leave Jared behind. If it meant survival, then sacrificing Jared was hardly something that required much thought. Jared was likely to get them both killed with his current nervousness, and that was not going to happen, not to Terry Lewis, who had rediscovered his faith and expected God
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