Writing Prompt: It was bent.

Morning all, Friday has found us. Let’s jump in with a morning writing prompt shall we? Timers set to fifteen minutes and off we go.

Not sure where this is going, but I like the start of it.

Friday, February 28^th: It was bent.

It was bent.  Sylvia tried to control her panic.  Instead of letting fear cause her to shove the thin rod into the latch she took it out and took a deep breath.  She tried to straighten it and slowly the rod straightened.  She tried not to look behind her.  She could hear the signs of pursuit and knew looking would just casuse her to pause her efforts.  The only chance she had was to straighten the pin so it would slit through all three of the aligned holes.  Only when it clicked into place would the latch release.

Sylvia looked at the rod.  While not one hundred percent straight it was no longer as bent and she thought it would work.  She took a deep steadying breath and slowly inserted the rod.  It slipped through the first two holes with ease.  For a second it caught on the lip of the third, but she wiggled it and it slipped through.  She heard it hit home and tag the plate in the back.  She turned the end of the rod and heard the click of the latch.  She pushed the gate open and slipped through.  She pulled the pin out and closed the gate behind her.  The click of the latch was loud enough that she knew the others would have heard it.  She didn’t know if they knew the back way into the compound or not.

If they did they might have their own way through the gate.  She couldn’t afford to stop and wait.  The information needed to be passed on.  She raced away from the gate and into the trees.  She had played in these woods often as a child, although usually during the day.  While the shadows cast by the moon made them seem strange, her feet found the pathways through the trees.  She made good progress and was soon well away from the gate and the perimeter. 

She could see the lights of the house ahead.  Her steps slowed.  The sight of the house did not fill her with the relief she expected.  ‘Too many lights,’ she thought.  ‘Too much noise. Especially for this time of night.’

She ducked low and instead of making a beeline for the house, she skirted the property.  If nothing else there was a gate on the other side where she could slip out and escape.  Having an escape route seemed like a good idea tonight. 

Sylvia worked her way around the perimeter of the property and into the side far from the main house.  It looked as if all the lights in the house were on.  She heard the harsh tones of unfamiliar voices. 

When she was on the other side of the property she saw the official vehicles. The seal was prominent and the uniforms obvious.

‘Night raid,’ she thought.

There was a contingency for this, several in fact.  She was given a separate one from the others in the event they were convinced to talk.  Sylvia melted back into the woods and made for the western gate.  She didn’t see any movement to this side of the building.  At least not yet.  She slipped through the gate, using her security rod. 

When the gate was latched behind her, she moved to the woods on the other side.  She paused by an old dead tree and she dropped the rod into the hollow created by decaying wood.  To be caught with the rod would mark her as coming from the compound. 

‘If I am caught nearby they will still suspect,’ she thought.  Sylvia knew she had to get away.  She knew the system of safe houses and knew the ones that weren’t on the list.  I would take her longer to get to one of the unlisted ones, but she thought it the safer option.

‘I can get there before first light,’ she thought.

From there she would be able to find out what was going on.  She would be able to figure out a plan.  For now, she just had to get away.  Sylvia moved quickly through the darkness.