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THEA AND I are a true dream team. We make it out of the Mendoza Institute only having to kill three more people. We don't even have to kill anybody as we make our way through the grounds!
Nobody even seems to notice that we've made our way out of the building yet, nor that I shot Dr. Mendoza herself. We still have time. Not a lot of time, but time nonetheless.
We find our way to the gate leading to where Meredith is parked, only to realize that neither of us have any idea how to open it. It's too tall to climb, so in a last-ditch attempt to free us, I press my face against the gate and start screaming. "Meredith! Meredith! Yoo-hoo, you asshole, I need your help!"
She sits just on the other side of the gate, the windows of her car, an olive green Chevy Avalanche that she shares with her dad, rolled down. If only she'd fucking pay attention.
"MEREDITH!" I screech.
"What are you doing?" Thea asks, looking at me in confusion. "Meredith," she softly offers, trying to help.
"Trying to get my friend's attention so that she can help us, but she seems preoccupied with other more important matters." I cross my arms over my chest. "God, I hate her so much. I thought I was the most important matter."
"If you hate her, why are you friends with her?"
"I'm kidding, I — "
All of a sudden, Meredith's blonde head peaks out of the window. "Whaddya need, dear?"
"Oh, thank God!" I yell. "Meredith, I need you to crash your car into this gate."
"What?" Meredith shrieks. "Are you kidding? My dad'll kill me!"
"We could literally die if you don't. There's no other way out," I plead. "C'mon, Mere-Bear. The truck'll probably survive the impact with minimal damage, and you can always lie and say that your grandpa drove it once when he forgot his glasses and accidentally crashed into a dumpster or something. I can pretend to be an eyewitness. No pun intended. Please, just hurry. We don't have much time."
"You owe me." Meredith sighs. Sets her jaw. "Just get outta the way." Her head disappears back into the truck.
I grab Thea's hand and tug her away from the gate.
A split second later, Meredith's Avalanche bursts through the gate with a loud POOM. The only damage to the car that I can see is to the paint job, and then, only a couple tiny dents — but considering how old the car is, and how it weathered the brutal hardships of corn farming back in Ohio when the Virgo family lived there, it's nothing noticable.
