Michigan, Camp Allegan, August 9, 1981

“Get it together,” I whispered to myself, pulling aside the bunch of bramble branches against the fence. “Today’s the day.”

My heart raced as I heard a rustling noise. I filled with dread, barely overcoming it enough to glance at the field behind me, thinking Billy snuck up behind me with that taser. But there was no one... I'd made sure of it. Distractingly, a yellowed and tattered newspaper somersaulted fancifully across the compound floor with a breeze. We hadn't seen an actual newspaper for ages.

I looked forward again, trying to focus. I’d checked this spot so many times, but even so, I sighed with relief when I saw the little hole I’d made was still there, undiscovered and unmended.

Swallowing, I got down on hands and knees and shoved the little brown shoulder pack through.

Next would come the hard part. Crawling through a hole barely big enough for my head.

Flattening myself down, I fit my arms through, panic rising. If I was caught halfway through the tunnel, that'd be the end of it. A lot was riding on me to distract the guards. I couldn’t get caught here.

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I got up on the opposite side of the fence, then quickly ducked, momentarily forgetting to make myself small and unnoticed. I brushed myself off with shaky hands. Brushing at my shirt was futile. My white shirt tinted brown through the excessive wear over the past three months of captivity.

I looked up. This time I looked for Tracy and his smug face, imagining what he’d do if he saw me on this side of the fence. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my breathing. This moment of freedom didn’t smell any different. Knowing the consequences of being spotted on this side was much worse, I shivered and my heart skipped a beat.

Fidgeting, I touched my right bruised eye which had formed as a consequence of another night of sleepwalking. He made good on his word, but I expected worse. It was the same dream, I was caught at the fence again, in front of the shack. Tracy threatened to chain me up the next time. If all went well and the working adults escaped, he’d chain me up before the day ended.

Worse than being chained up, I had to escape.  Rumor has it that I’d get shipped back to Steel for slave labor to the death… something illegal that requires healthy young kids.  Alleya and Jonathan, the oldest teens left, were ripped from their families. Come next month, they’d take me too. 

Not if I can help it. Determined, I threw a fist in the air.