Jailbreak!

• Julia Ko, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2019

8:40 PM - I was finally holding the key to the prison cells! Now I had to crawl back through the vents, unlock my cell and open all the other cells, including Finn Barton’s (he’s my best mate). I only had 20 minutes to do it.
So I silently hopped back into the vent opening and crawled as fast as my arms and legs would carry me. Up ahead, I saw a dim light shining through some slits in the vent. I could hear muffled voices.
I peeked down through the vent into the room below, which was the police lounge. The same Policemen who caught me a few weeks ago were all sitting around a long, rectangular, glass table.
Commissioner George was at the head of the table. I could clearly see the whites of my old enemy’s eyes as he took a drink from his dirty coffee mug.
“We need to have a plan,” Chief Barker said in his high pitched voice. “They are trying to escape and we can’t let them.”
The Commissioner was deep in thought. He slowly took another sip from his mug and leaned back in his chair. This was tense!
Finally, the stern-looking Commissioner spoke.
“We are on full lockdown. All exits sealed, men. I need eyes on all the prisoners on the ground, in the skies and through the security cameras. We can’t let any of them get away.”
All the Officers saluted and got to work.
At that point, my chicken dinner from the Mess Hall started disagreeing with me. I tried to stifle an intense burp but I failed as the sound of my stomach betraying me echoed up and down the ventilation duct. The sound was small but funny. Then I let out a giggle. A loud one. Every policeman in that room stopped dead and looked up.
“THE RASCAL!!!” screamed Inspector William, pointing to the vent. He was the man who had thrown me into my jail cell so cruelly. “HE KNOWS WHAT WE ARE PLANNING!!! GET HIM!!!”
The men pointed their guns at the vent. I slipped out of there as fast as I could, like a lizard on oily roller skates!
I dropped back down from the ceiling into my cell, unlocked it and unlocked Finn’s. I gave him the spare key as I slapped him on the back.
“Do your thing,” I said to him.
“With pleasure!” Finn said, with that look of mischief in his eyes that he used to have when we were kids playing in his Dad’s backyard.
“Meet you at the rendezvous point in three days,” I shouted. “Don’t be late!”
We both knew what we had to do and ran in opposite directions.
Suddenly I heard a yell. An angry, no, RAGING yell. It was Inspector William. He was pulling Finn by the ear and pointing his gun at me.
BANG!!! The gun went off. I thought I was finished.
To Be Continued…