Not completely.
But I filed it away.
Because we’d just drawn blood.
And that meant the next move was mine.
Hailey leaned into me, quiet now, but I could feel the tremble in her limbs. We were both still breathing hard. Still coming down from the adrenaline spike. My ribs throbbed. My knuckles were raw. My head felt like it was full of static.
But I was thinking again.
Focused.
They weren’t prepared for a fight. Not like that.
They didn’t expect us to push back.
And even more than that, they didn’t expect me.
That was the opening.
If I could stay one step ahead. If I could keep them off-balance long enough, I could figure out how to turn that to our advantage. Maybe not escape. Not yet. But information was power. Disruption was power.
Every second I stayed unpredictable was a second they weren’t in control.
“Hailey,” I said, keeping my voice low and steady. “Next time someone comes in here, I need you to stay close to the wall, okay? Don’t run. Don’t scream. Just watch.”
She nodded, lips pressed tight.
“I know it’s scary,” I added, softer. “But every time they underestimate us, we win a little.”
Her eyes met mine. “You think they’ll come back soon?”
“Yeah,” I said. “They won’t let that go.”
My eyes tracked the floor again, not looking for tools. Looking for damage.
The cot leg was bent where they had shoved me back onto it. Not snapped. Not loose. Just warped enough that the metal had split open at the seam.
A jagged edge caught the light.
I did not rush it. Rushing got people hurt.
I shifted my weight slowly, pressing my heel into the frame. The metal groaned under the pressure, a thin strip peeling away with a sharp, ugly sound that sent my pulse racing.
I froze.
Listened.
Nothing.
I leaned in again and snapped the strip free with a quick jerk. The sound was loud in the small room. Final. I wrapped the metal in the torn hem of my shirt without looking too closely at how it sliced my fingers in the process.
Pain was fine.
Pain meant I was still here.
I slid the shiv into the waistband of my pants, the metal cold and solid against my skin.
