A Cult in Paradise; Episode 26, Escape

This is episode twenty-six of the fifth book in the Trace Troy Adventures in  Paradise series. The Title is A Cult in Paradise. It will be featured in episodes over the next few months. It will eventually be published in full on Amazon. All of the Trace Troy books, as well as my other novels, can be purchased on Amazon by clicking the Bookstore tab above. I hope you enjoy. And thanks for stopping by. 

Escape

Trace stooped and quietly approached the stockade. His eyes and head darted at the sound of a leaf, a groaning palm, or the chirp of a night bird. 

The stockade was a square building, about the size of a garage. It was made of lumber and painted white. Four lamp stands stood a few feet from each corner of the stockade. They lit the area with electric lights.

He reached the side of the stockade and hugged along the side with his back against the wall. He moved slowly. He peered around the corner of the stockade. The guard sat sleepily on the chair next to the door. 

Trace stepped back, picked up a stone. He heaved it over the top of the stockade and into the palms on the other side. Trace listened for footsteps. He heard them walking away from the stockade. 

Trace slipped around the corner of the stockade to the front. He opened the door slightly. Turning sideways, he eased into the stockade. The light from the lamps outside shone through the barred windows of the cells. It looked like a jail from an old western. Two cells were straight ahead and two to the side. 

The girl rested in a bunk on one side and the boy on the other.

Trace flashed his flashlight in the boy’s eyes a couple of times. He woke up.

“Quiet,” Trace whispered. “Are you Paul Parnell?”

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. 

“Are you Paul Parnell?”

“Yes.”

Trace motioned for him to come closer. He moved close to the bars.

“Is that Sylvia Bedford?” Trace motioned to the other cell.

“Yes.”

“I’m here to get you out,” Trace said, “both of you. Do you know where the keys are?”

“The guard has them.”

Trace stepped quietly to the door. He heard the guard sit back on the chair. He pushed slowly against the door with the barrel of his rifle. He inched the rifle forward until it touched the side of the guard's head. The guard jerked and turned quickly. He nearly fell off the chair. His eyes stretched wide.

“Not a sound,” Trace said to the guard.

The guard swallowed and nodded nervously.

“Step inside,” Trace said.

Sylvia tossed in her sleep.

“Paul,” Trace said, “wake her up.”

Paul quietly called out, “Sylvia, Sylvia.”

“What?” Sylvia said. 

“Wake up,” Paul said to her. “Somebody’s here to get us out.

Sylvia sleepily approached the bars.

“My name is Trace Troy. I’ve been hired by your parents and Paul’s dad to get you out of here.”

“My dad?” Paul questioned.

“Later,” Trace said and pointed the rifle at the guard. “Unlock the doors.”

The guard grabbed the keys from the chain attached to his belt. They fell from his hand. He quickly bent down and picked them up. He nervously fumbled with the keys while unlocking both cell doors. 

Paul and Sylvia slipped on their shoes and stepped out of the cells.

Trace grabbed a roll of duct tape from his backpack. “Turn around,” he told the guard. Trace tore off a strip.

“Wait a minute,” Paul said. “Can he come with us?”

“A hostage is not a good idea,” Trace said. “And with Demeter, I’m sure a hostage means nothing.”

“I mean to escape too,” Paul said.

“I want to go,” the guard said.

Trace paused for a moment. Then he said, “Sure.”

“What’s your name?” Trace said. 

“Nick.”

“Nick wants out as badly as we do,” Sylvia said.

“I was about to tape your mouth shut and choke you out,” Trace said. “It’s your lucky day.”

“My lucky day is when I’m off the island,” Nick said.

“Okay, Nick, I'm not sure of you,” Trace said. “But, you lead the way out of here. We are going to the brush behind us. Go ahead,” Trace nudged him with his rifle. “If you yell out, you will have a terrible headache. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I do,” Nick said.

“If you take off running, I’ll shoot your legs out from under you,” Trace said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do,” Nick said. 

One following the other; Nick, Adam, Sylvia, and Paul slowly walked out of the stockade and into the bush. They walked far enough away that they could not be heard.