Final Truth

Chapter 55: Get Ready

Adam's point of view:

"It's almost a straight line from the entrance of this city to the prison. Ignore any twisting path you might come across. Go forward, always. Never turn. It's a long way; Julia said it took her almost a week to get there, but myself and the other prisoners made the journey here in a few days. Go north and you'll find it; it's a huge structure made of black steel surrounded by barbed wire fences. You can't miss it," Steven explains to my friends and I the next morning.

"Is it heavily guarded or is the security lackluster?" I ask him.

Steven ponders on this for a moment, leaning back in his hospital bed as he considers the ceiling, almost like he were asking it what he should say.

"It's guarded, but how well that is carried out is up for debate. The people who work there for Henley are ruthless and cruel and won't hesitate to kill you, but they're not very smart either. You should be able to get past them, but you'll need more than just the four of you," he says, gesturing to myself, Susan, Cassia, and Cade.

I turn to regard my friends for a moment, their faces hardened in concentration as they hold onto every word Steven says. They've become calculating, much like me, wanting to figure out the best way to not only get Julia and Peter out, but to get them out quickly.

"What's the layout on the inside? How will we know where to go?" Susan inquires.

"Once you get through the iron gates, there'll be a huge set of double doors you'll need to open to get inside. Once you're in, don't panic; the place might look like a maze, but after being there for as long as I have, it's not as hard to navigate as one may think. When you're in, take the staircase closest to the right and go up two flights; you'll come to a long hallway with cell blocks, and Julia's cell will be the fifth one on the left. Now if she's not in her cell, which I doubt she will be, then go all the way down to the end of the hall where you'll see a door. Go through it, take a right, two lefts, and one last right; the lab where Henley tests her should be there once you do," Steven answers, attempting to talk slowly so as not to confuse us.

Well, I should say to not confuse my friends; I, on the other hand, am going to be able to remember these directions for years to come.

"What about Peter?" Cassia demands suddenly.

Steven looks startled at the question but quickly regains himself, a look almost akin to pity crossing his face.

"What about him?" He asks.

"I know you don't think he's alive but...please just tell us where he would be in case he is. I want to walk out of there with two of my friends, not one," she answers, that shakiness returning to her voice whenever she's upset.

I see Cade put a hand on her shoulder, almost as if he could ease her pain with his touch, but it does nothing for her composure: Cassia's the sort of person that needs answers, not reassurances.

"They've been keeping him in a room sealed with nine different locks; it's not far from the lab, I suppose. If you can find the lab, then just continue to walk past it and take two rights and a left. The door's got a label next to it the says 'Special Cases,' so you won't miss it," Steven tells her, although the tone in his voice practically begs Cassia not to get her hopes up.

"Thank you, Steven. We'll let you rest now," I tell him, wanting to silence any attempts of my friends possibly asking irrelevant questions about the prison. We know where it is now; that's all I'm going to need.