Ch. 41: Plans Gone Awry

RIEKA

I turn the handle and gently pull the door. It opens just a crack before it comes to a screeching halt with the sound of a chain pulling tight. It’s chained from the outside, so it won’t open more than 4 inches.

The sudden weight of my situation comes crashing back down on me and I feel as though I might suffocate. I’ve never felt so completely helpless in my life. All that work and effort for nothing. I’m just as trapped in this room as I was in the other.

I begin to hyperventilate which causes me to feel light-headed. I need to pull it together. I can’t freak out now. I need to get back into my room so they don’t know I was ever gone. If they know I tried to escape they will increase security and it will be that much harder the next time I want to attempt an escape plan.

I jump up and run back into the closet. Suddenly realizing that I can’t reach the opening without a stool, I race to the bathroom looking for one. This bathroom doesn’t have one. I swear under m