Chapter 17: Escape Artist

It had been hours since Alexia, Alice, Lana, and Jacob were all arrested and taken to holding cells within the North Hornbrew police precinct. While Jacob and Lana wore tired and depressed faces Alexia wore a facial expression of guilt and admittance as she couldn't help but feel helpless and hold the thought of the world ending because of her grave mistake. She felt a huge burden weighing down on her chest while thinking back at how she, her daughter, and her granddaughter ended up their current predicament.

All the while Alexia and the others wallow in self-pity Alice sat quiet and looking around as she steadily picked the lock to her handcuffs they were all put in with a bobby pin she all ways hides in her sock. The words of John reverberated throughout her mind making her uneasy and desperate to find a way to prepare for the incoming world-ending scenario he was supposedly going to bring down upon them and everyone on Earth.

She could tell she was no longer than five seconds away from breaking free from the handcuffs around her wrist when she had finished thinking of a plan for when her hands were free. First, she would unlock everyone around her when the guards weren't paying attention which she found slightly difficult since there are 3 guards watching them like hawks since they were now under a pretty high profile investigation. Second, she'd find a way to distract the guards for enough time to either distract or incapacitate them giving them enough time to change into disguises and sneak out through the basement steal a police cruiser. Third, and hopefully, they would find another vehicle along with another set of license plates to get away safely.

Alice had her plan set and ready to go as she had just finished freeing herself from the cumbersome handcuffs. Just as she was about to get the attention of the others so she could free them she found the conversation between the three guards hard to ignore as it felt off and hard to ignore.

"Look J, all I'm saying is that I and a lot of other cops are finding it strange that a lot of the homeless bums in the alleys are disappearing so quick," Chris says while looking at J and Chester who were both half-assed watching the detain while Chris typed away on his computer.

J looks away from the cells and says, "Look I'm just saying they either ran down to the sewers to finally evolve into mole people, stopped being bums and got their lives together, or they're moving to the woods so our alleys won't smell like shit on daily basis."

"Don't forget the option of them being victims of human trafficking," Chester says while standing firmly and looking at both J and Chris.

Both Chris and J stare at Chester with dumbfounded faces before saying in unison, "Shut up!"

"Taking way over 100 people in a night doesn't go unnoticed. Soon people are going to be asking questions. Shit, I'm asking them now since a couple were CI's of mine." Chriss says while fiddling with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Me too! One of my CI's was supposed to give me some info on a drug peddler that was supposed be my ticket to a promotion," J says angrily.

Alice finding their information very informative and frightening hurries and skips over her plan to free the others and immediately pick the lock to the cell while they weren't paying attention. After a few seconds, she immediately unlocks the cell just as J noticed her. Before he could say anything she quickly sprints towards him and punches him in the throat. She wasn't sure if her punch killed him or knocked him out, but she knew he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon so before he fell she quickly grabbed his taser and shocked Chester until he fell stiff on the ground. She knew Chris heard the scuffle and he'd try to reach for his gun first instead of his taser like all officers do so she chose to take no chances and quickly grabbed his gun and pointed it at Chris who was still struggling to pull his gun out of his holster.

Chris froze in silence as he stared at the woman who just knocked out two men who were twice her size. Even Lana who was just as surprised had her mouth agape with awe. While everyone else was surprised by what Alice had done Alexia allowed a smirk to grow on the left side of her face. She could've done what Alice had done if not for her age acting like chains to what she used to do in her prime.

At an early age, Alexia trained Alice like a spartan out of fear for of someone harming her like how she believed John had harmed her sister. She had trained her in CQC and ways to break free from captivity if the time ever arose if she wasn't around or wasn't able to come to her aide when worst came to fruition.

Alice waved the gun she was pointing at Chester to the ground as to signal him to toss his gun to the floor which he complied. Next, she walked quickly to Chester and asked, "What's the quickest way to the basement...Now!"

"Hey get me outta here too I don't want to die when the dead starts their siege on this place." A woman says two cells down from where the others are.

Instantly Alice remembered who she was. It was Megan the police officer who was the first to say anything about the dead walking. If she and her family was going to survive what was to come they would need everyone they could who believed them. Without a moment to waste she swings the but of the gun she was holding at Chester's head and knocks him out as well and grabs the keys to cells and handcuffs and free everyone else especially Megan as she knew she used to be an officer of this police precinct.

As she strips and puts on the officer's clothes to blend in Megan comments, "Nice moves but I see it's not the only thing that's nice about you."

Noticing Megan checking her out Alice replies by saying, "Let move first flirt later."

Seeing how that was neither a rejection nor acceptance of her move on Alice Megan just smiles while everyone else just rolls their eyes and proceeds to make their way to the basement in hope of stealing a vehicle big enough for them all.