05: Break

The message had come to me the day before. “Tomorrow, 3 am. Be ready.”

I lied on the bed, waiting for the hours to pass. Eventually I fell asleep, before waking up to the sound of voices from the other side of the wall.

“Set the timer! Two minutes!”

“Watch for guards!”

“Go! GO!”

I could hear a beeping noise, and figured it was a good time to move. I got out of bed and crouched in the corner, my back against the bars of my cell.

The explosion shook the room, and sent debris from the wall flying through the air. A chunk of brick sailed just over my head, ricocheted off the bars, and caromed under the bed. When the dust and smoke cleared, I saw my old friends standing on the other side of the hole they had created.

The guards would be here any minute. I didn't have much time.

It took less than an hour for the warden himself to arrive on the scene. He saw the giant hole in the wall...and then at me, sitting on the bed again.

“Good morning, sir,” I said. “I'm going to need some bricks.”