Breakout by Paul Herron (notion reading list .txt) 📕

under the constant barrage of the hurricane. Lights dim and flicker. The floodwater actually moves, small waves rolling into the walls as the building sways and shudders. And the sounds of tormented metal, creaking wood, and rending concrete are constant. She’s not sure the place is going to last two hours.

So where does that leave them? What the hell are they going to do?

She takes a shaky, worried breath. They keep going. They keep trying. That’s something her mother taught her. You walk the highway and you keep going till it runs out. Then you drag yourself over the dirt until you can’t carry on.

They move past the Unit 1 door and turn into the passage that eventually leads to the staff corridor. A hallway opens up to the left, and as they pass by, a quiet sound freezes them in their tracks.

They turn to find a group of seven inmates standing in the semidarkness. None of the lights are working in the side corridor. They’re pressed up against the walls, tensely watching them.

The two groups stare at each other for a long moment. Finally Constantine steps forward.

“You guys looking for problems or just trying to survive?”

“Just trying to survive,” says a voice out of the darkness.

Constantine nods. “We’re gonna keep walking, then, okay?”

“Knock yourself out.”

He turns and gestures at Sawyer and Felix. After a moment’s hesitation, Felix starts walking. Sawyer follows, jogging to keep up with the two of them.

“Good luck,” calls out the voice.

Sawyer pauses and looks back in shock. The inmates exit the corridor and head in the opposite direction. Sawyer watches them disappear around the corner, then hurries after Constantine and Felix.

After another minute or so, they arrive at the door to the staff corridor.

“Okay,” says Constantine. “We open the door, do a quick check and see if the coast is clear. Agreed?”

“So you the boss man now?” says Felix.

“Nobody’s the boss, Felix. I just know Kincaid. He covers his back. I know he’s going to have someone watching the corridor.”

“And I will shoot whichever unlucky bastard got stuck with the job,” says Felix.

He grabs the door handle and pulls.

The door doesn’t budge.

“The hell?” he says.

“Is it locked?” asks Sawyer.

“Nah, man. I can feel it moving. It’s like… someone’s holding it.”

Constantine and Sawyer both grab hold of the handle. They give it a tug. Felix is right. It’s not locked, but something is stopping it. Maybe Kincaid has blocked it off.

Sawyer frowns, straining her ears. The hurricane itself overlays everything: the constant wind, the battering against the roof, the creaking of the entire building as it strains to resist.

But… somehow it sounds louder here.

Felix pushes down on the handle and tries to pull the door open again.

Sawyer suddenly realizes what’s happened. She opens her mouth to warn him, but it’s too late.

The sound of the wind drops slightly, and the door flies open, accompanied by the howl and wail of the hurricane. Sawyer and Constantine slam back against the wall, and almost immediately Felix is yanked away, sliding toward the corridor. His gun flies out of his hand as he grabs hold of the door frame, screaming.

The wind shrieks and the rain pummels through ragged holes in the walls of the staff corridor. The outside walls are breached. The wind is trying to pull everything into the hurricane outside.

Sawyer and Constantine grab hold of Felix, bracing themselves against the door frame. The rain slams into Sawyer, into all of them. She can see Felix’s grip slipping.

She lets go and scrambles behind the door, trying to push it closed. It bumps against Constantine’s shoulder.

“What are you doing?” he screams over the noise.

“Just get ready!” she screams back. She can see the door is now pushing hard into his shoulder. The wind is trying to pull it closed again.

“Don’t let me go!” shouts Felix.

Sawyer grips the edge of the door with both hands. The wind lessens slightly, just like it did before.

“Now!” she screams. “Pull him in!”

Constantine yanks Felix hard. Felix uses his own strength to help, clawing his way back against the door frame. Eventually Constantine manages to pull him around the side of the door and they both fall back into the corridor while Sawyer shoves the door shut. The wind sucks it out of her hand and it slams back into place with a loud crack.

The sound of the storm drops slightly. Sawyer stumbles away from the door and stares down at Felix and Constantine lying in the water.

“You two okay?”

Constantine rolls over and glares at a shell-shocked Felix. “What was it you said about the staff corridor? No harm in trying?”

Felix pushes himself to his feet. “Fuck off, Constantine. I’m not in the mood.”

Sawyer holds her hand out to Constantine. He grabs it and she helps him up.

“No, I’m serious,” he says, turning to Felix. “No harm in trying. That was what you said, right? Oh, hey, at least we’ve got guns now, in case anyone is in the corridor waiting for us. Oh, wait! You don’t, do you? Because the fucking hurricane just took it.”

“Constantine.” Felix’s voice is low. “I’m serious. I’m about to blow, man. I’m not in a good mood right now.”

“Will you two please just shut up,” snaps Sawyer. They both turn to look at her. “We have to go through the units now. It’s the only way.”

Felix and Constantine exchange uneasy looks, but they shut up long enough for them to retrace their steps back to the door leading into Unit 1.

It’s unlocked. Sawyer pushes it open to reveal a passage running to either side of them. To the right is the door leading into the staff corridor, and to the left the door to the inmate corridor.

Constantine heads left and cups his hands against the glass, peering into the inmate corridor. His shoulders slump and he returns to the others.

“Didn’t believe me?” asks Felix.

“Just needed to check.”

“And what did you see, my white friend?”

“Broken walls. Lightning. Clouds.”

Felix points his two index fingers at Constantine. “Exactly. Trust me when