- Chapter
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I’ve never felt so empowered before, so emboldened. This is him! THE Max Cooper! I have to admit that I hadn’t expected this, although… well, I guess I should have.
But a police officer? Yes! Maybe we can take down the Baron. Maybe, just maybe… Rafe and I can live in freedom.
Of course, this new situation unfolding seems to be throwing a wrench into that future. I can’t help but feel immensely angry and frustrated at the same time.
I finally have a chance to make a difference. But
now…
“I know you’re in there, Cooper!” the voice continues.
“Aren’t you dead, Princess?” Max calls out.
301 PM & d
“Aren’t you dead, Princess?” Max calls out.
There is a brief silence.
“You’re going to regret calling me that, Cooper. I
was trying to do this civilly, but now you’re gonna
bring out the… sadist in me.”
“Who the fuck is this guy?” I ask Max. Just his voice gives me chills. It’s like I can feel who he is, and
somehow I know the things that he’s done, even
without knowing him.
“He’s… well, I thought he was dead, to be honest.
I shot him a long time ago when he took a run at
another witness I was protecting.”
“Huh. Looks like it didn’t work out too well.”
I look up at the window as I hear the sound of
something being attached to it. The device blocks
out the light of the city at night, and I hear the sound
of an engine revving.
I look at Max, and he looks at me. We don’t have to
say anything. We both know what’s happening.
“Max… you have to let me out of here. Please, for
3.01 PM c d
“Max… you have to let me out of here. Please, for
the love of all things good, at least give me a chance.
to get out of here alive.”
Max puts his finger up to silence me.
“You motherfu-”
“SHHH!”
I’m completely taken aback. My anger shifts from
the Baron to him. I feel the intense urge to throttle
him with my bare hands, and at this point, I think I’d
be able to.
I’m about to open my mouth and scream at him, but
he begins to speak and cuts me off.
“Okay. I think I have an idea.”
I notice him look me up and down thoroughly, which doesn’t do much for the fury that’s growing in
“I think you’re thin enough….
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“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT, MAX? LET ME OUT OF HERE!”
“The window.” He points up at the window above
the door
the door.
I look at him, and at the window, and then back.
down again. And then it clicks.
“Wait. You want me to… you think I can…”
“It’s the only way.”
“Max, even if I could fit through there, what could
I even do?” And I have some serious doubts about
fitting through there…
“I’ll give you my keys. You can open the door for me from the outside, and then we’ll go to the armory.”
I just realize that he doesn’t have a gun. My anxiety
shoots upward.
“Wait! How on earth do you not have a gun right
now!?”
He shrugs. “No weapons in the cell block. Witnesses were… well, they were dying.”
I smell the air in the cellblock beginning to get
rotten. The exhaust of the car is beginning to fill the
cell block, and it’s not exactly a big room.
“Max. I-”
3:01 PM ct c
“Max, I-”
“We don’t have any time left! Unless you have a
better idea…”
Fuck. This is probably going to hurt.
“Grrrr! Okay! Let’s just do this!” I begin coughing. The fumes begin burning the back of my throat as I desperately fight to get actual air in my lungs.
Max can’t open the cell fast enough as the room continues to fill with fumes. He looks me in the eyes. I can tell that he doesn’t really trust me.
Of course… I could just run. Take the keys, and leave him to his fate. He’s just a cop after all.
But no. He’s dedicated his life to taking down the
bad guys, to making the lives of people like me just a
little bit better.
At the very least, I have to try.
He hands me the keys, holding one specifically.
“This one opens the cell block,” he explains through
coughing spurts.
“There’s a power override on the right side of the
“There’s a power override on the right side of th door. You just have to pull it down with the key inside, and the door should open.”
We both look one last time into each other’s eyes. I
feel a certain… connection with the man. I used to
hate him. But…
“GO!” he bellows at me.
He puts his hands together as if to make a step for me to stand on, and I put my foot into it.
I’m surprised at the ease with which he propels me upward toward the window. There are no bars in it because it’s so small. I guess that they assumed nobody could ever fit through there… and I don’t
blame them. God, it’s small.
But I have to try. But how do I go? Head first, belly
down? But then I’d fall, and it’s a long way down.
What about feet first… belly up?
No. It has to be feet first, belly down.
“Hold on,” I say. “This isn’t working…”
He lets me down. The room is still filling with
fumes I can hear the maniacal laughter of the cu
fie lets me down
fumes. I can hear the maniacal laughter of the guy outside, but I block it out.
I take a deep breath, and turn my back to the wall.
I climb my feet up the wall one step at a time, until I’m supporting myself on my hands.
And it’s fucking hard.
“Hurry. Hurry hurry hurry…” I tell Max. He manages to get his hands under mine, and slowly lifts me up. I gingerly move my legs around, looking for the
window.
“No, left, left, no no no, a little right now…”
Finally. Finally! I manage to put my feet through. I’m sweating now. Our hands are both sweating as well. It’s so slippery…
I hope the keys don’t fall out of my pocket.
The air up here seems to be a little better at least. It
seems that the fumes are thicker nearer the floor.
I manage to wiggle my legs through the window. But now I’m stuck. My weight is essentially on
my tummy. I try to push myself through, and start
I hope the keys don’t fall out of my pocket.
The air up here seems to be a little better at least. It seems that the fumes are thicker nearer the floor.
I manage to wiggle my legs through the window. But now I’m stuck. My weight is essentially on my tummy. I try to push myself through, and start making some headway.
But it hurts. The window frame scrapes my skin and pushes into my exposed flesh like a jagged edge.
Almost there. Almost there…
Oh god! Just my tits holding me back now. I have to adjust them through one at a time. They’re not particularly big, but this is a very tight space.
And then suddenly, I’m free, and I tumble down to
the floor.
