Lucy rolled her eyes and searched the small crowd for Neil—their secret weapon. "Mary, honestly, it's freezing out there. You're wearing boots. No one gives a crap about your toes."
Gary smirked.
A minute later, Lucy, Gary, Mary and Neil headed out to start phase one of their escape. Luke stayed with the rest of the group to initiate the second phase. "Good luck, Sis. See you soon."
"You too. Be safe." Lucy led her team through campus to find Mr. Black.
Though it wasn't yet past curfew, unless they had good reason to be out, this many kids together would alert the guards that something was going down. They stayed in the shadows and avoided direct routes, taking paths through bushes and off the cobbled walkways to avoid detection.
Mr. Black liked to patrol this time of day to catch any stragglers who hadn't made it to their dorms. He'd be around somewhere.
Lucy glanced at her watch. "He might be getting a snack at the guards' break room."
Gary fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket. "How will we get there without getting caught? Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
Lucy scowled at him. "You're the one who recruited me, remember? Luke and I would be leaving right now if not for this plan, so we do it now or it doesn't happen. We just have to be careful."
A cold breeze blew through the four of them huddled behind the Student Center. Lucy shivered and zipped up her jacket. She peeked around the corner to the break room just across the corridor, but they had no other places left to hide. They'd be exposed for at least sixty seconds, assuming Mr. Black was even in there.
"We're just going to have to run for it," she said. "Head straight to the back door of the building. We'll sneak in that way and look for Mr. Black. Most of the guards should be at their posts right now, so we shouldn't run into anyone else." She peeked around one last time. "It's all clear. Ready? One, two, three—run!"
Lucy pumped her legs as fast as they would go. She could hear the breathing of the others beside her as they crossed the corridor and made their way to the back of the building. Her heart slammed against her chest in rapid beats. Her stomach cramped, not from running but from nerves and fear. If they were caught, it would all be over, and it would be her fault for leading them into this.
Just as they approached the side of the building, a guard walked out the front door, presumably coming off break. Lucy pushed herself around the corner just in time to avoid notice, with Gary, Neil and Mary right behind her. They pressed themselves against the wall and held their breath.
Footsteps clicked outside like the sound of gunshots. Lucy tensed. Were they getting closer? The footsteps stopped, a pause so long, Lucy thought she might die. Then, click, click, click, the guard walked away from them and into the night.
The breath she'd nearly choked on whooshed out of her mouth. "We need to get to the back door."
They followed her to the door, one seldom used by the guards. She turned the handle, but it was locked.
"Gary, little help."
The air around them sizzled with little currents as Gary worked his magic on the metal lock. The door popped open and the four of them walked through.
No one so much as breathed on the walk through the long corridor. At the corner, where it turned into the main break area, they stopped, and Lucy peered around.
Mr. Black sat at a table alone, reading a magazine and drinking a soda. Her sweaty palms left a streak of moisture on the wall, and she nearly fell forward into the room when she lost traction. Neil caught her by the jacket and pulled her back.
They had to get close to Mr. Black. She waved for them to move forward when he rose and walked into the men's room a few feet from the table.
Perfect.
With no other guards around, the four walked into the men's room.
Lucy hoped Greg still had control of the cameras; otherwise, they'd have guards all over them in seconds.
Mr. Black's feet peeked out from the middle stall. Lucy nodded to Mary, who presumably started leaking pheromones or something.
When Mr. Black came out of his stall, his eyes had a glazed-over, lustful look that made Lucy want to puke. "What are you— Who are—"
Mary sashayed over to him with her come hither look. She ran her finger over his cheek and lip. Her voice came out as a purr. "Don't worry about them, just focus on me. I'm here to make you very happy."
Lucy stifled her gag and focused on the mission. "We should ask him about the other kids—the babies and little ones. We need to know where they are before we escape, so we can rescue them next."
Gary checked his watch. "Just hurry. Greg can't keep his powers going for long. We need to get to the command center."
Lucy faced Mr. Black. "Where are they, you son of a bitch? Where are you guys keeping the other kids?"