11: Needed to Escape

I finally did the piles of chores before me to the very last. That day seemed to be a quick one because Kara didn't come to bother me after she gave me her clothes to wash. One thing was true, something grossly disturbed her about the meeting the Great Xavier summoned them earlier. She never left her room after the incident, which was very unlike her.

 Deep down, I prayed for her to continue like this. I wished she would continue this way, and the meeting repeats itself countless times.

 I had retired for the day, but was still holding the medication I found in her clothes. I knew this was a splendid weapon to destroy her, but to what end? They might not even believe me. She would probably deny it and yet punish me severely if I speak up, so I didn't think it was a wise decision to say what I saw. And on a second thought, it made absolutely no sense to want to look out for alpha Ethan.

 It was already 8:00pm, and I was waiting patiently for dinner, which would be nothing else but a sack of hard bread and sour milk. I started to feel dizzy again. My stomach began to rumble violently, and in a short time, I was already at the restroom pouring out whatever content that cared to come out.

 This had been a routine for me. I had been vomiting for the past one week and right now I knew it was time to face my fears. There was a high chance of me being pregnant, and I knew I needed to check. I knew I needed to get a test strip, but there was no money on me.

 We, the slaves, have no opportunity to handle money or any medium of exchange here in the pack. The only thing that concerned us was our duty and nothing more. As I thought of what I could do, a wave of thought struck me and I knew I needed to act on it.

 I got up from the torn mattress I was lying on, walked to the cage door and tilted it a bit. Luckily for me, it was still open. I grabbed the medication I had picked earlier from Kara's clothes and ran to the pharmacy store in the palace.

 This was a place where everyone in the palace purchased drugs, but we, the slaves, had no such privilege, and it was because we never had money on us. I also learnt from number 56 that whenever a slave fell ill, a type of herbs is prepared. And if that slave couldn't get well through that, he or she would be left to their fate, which most times would be death.

 Shortly, I was already at the store. I quickly showed the medication to one attendant and pleaded she changed it to a pregnancy test strip. But my appearance took her aback. Firstly, she could recognize I was a palace slave and a maid, while secondly, no one changed drugs in the pharmacy.

 "I'm sorry Ma, we can't do that. You either pay or we give you if you're insured," she replied, while still gawking at me.

 I knew what I wanted wasn't doable, but I needed the test strip. So I began to plead, I begged her profusely, I even started to shed tears. She eventually agreed. I quickly collected it and ran back to my cubicle.

 The next morning, after the test, sadly for me , it came out positive. This was sad news for me, considering the fact that I was living in a terrible condition in the pack. But one thing I was certain about doing was to escape. It was not just a wish, it was a necessity.

Staying back would mean hell to me, because no one would have the time to take care of my baby. We slaves were not allowed to have any break or leave from duty. We worked round the clock with little or no rest. The day anyone decides to make funny moves, the beta and his men would gun him or her down.

The child obviously belonged to Alpha Ethan, but he wouldn't dare come close to my child. 

I vowed to make sure he and my child never knew each other. And as for kara, I knew she would be the end of me if I continued staying there. So planning my escape was the best I could do.

 That night I made up my mind to go get the keys to the main exit gate from the guards' room. 

 It was a key that would open the main gate that led to the outside world, a place not part of the pack. I knew getting to that point without being caught wouldn't be easy, but I was determined to do it.

 Shortly, one guard had come to lock our cages for the night. He would start from number one, and move down. I was number 57, and that gave me time to prepare a structure which looked like a sleeping woman. I did this with my duty dress, and some foams I stole from the laundry.

 After that, I dressed in a tracksuit I stole from the laundry and set out for the guards' ward. I had chosen to go by that time of the day because it was bedtime for almost everyone in the pack. The guards would go round the High house, locking anywhere that needed to be locked.

 When I left the slave prison, I quickly tiptoed to the guards' ward. I could hear the sounds of my heartbeat as my heart threatened to burst out of its chambers. The whole walkway had been deserted, and I prayed not to bump into any prominent member of the High house, or even Kara. I knew she would recognize me once she saw me, and bumping into her would mess up my plans.

 Shortly, I found myself in the guard's ward and I began to search for their key bank. It was a matter of minutes before I found it. My hands began to tremble as fear enveloped me. The more I searched for the key, the more tense I became. When I found the key, I felt relief rush over me, but it was short lived. Someone I never expected was standing behind me.

 It was the Beta, the warlord, and on my head was a black pistol!