FicWad

“Escape?” Gerard said, shocked. I nodded. “But how?” he asked.

“I have a couple of ideas, but I was thinking whether Ray could help us or not.” Gerard was appalled at the idea of escaping, but I explained to him, regretting that I had to make him face reality,

“Gerard, I hate to say this, but it’s the last choice we really have. I’m sure I’ll be set for execution, and well… I think you will too.” Gerard opened his mouth to contradict me, but quickly closed it, knowing that what I said was undoubtedly true.

“What were you thinking of doing?” he asked. I sighed in relief, glad that Gerard agreed to join him.

“You know how a portion of the laundry is shipped to be cleaned in a different place because we can’t wash all of it, right?” Gerard nodded, catching on to what I was entailing.

“Ray can probably fill us in with the schedule and how the guards act, but I doubt he’ll come with us. He only has five years left, and I don’t think he wants to make it longer,” I laughed weakly, but quickly returned to my reasoning for escape. “Gerard, what do we have to lose? Our lives? We don’t have anything to live for anymore. If we’re going to die anyway, we might as well have the choice. If the escape doesn’t work, we’ll die, but in the slim chance that it does, well, we’re free.” Gerard inhale slowly, and nodded, deciding that I was right.

“I guess you’re right…” he said. I could tell he was a little disappointed that his life was going to end in such a disenchanting manner.

“I’ll go talk to Ray,” I said, and stood up from my seat. I left Gerard and approached Ray, who was solemnly having a conversation with the rest of our exclusive group. Pulling him out nonchalantly, I tried not to raise awareness from the rest of the inmates.

“What’s up?” he asked. I knew he was going careful with the way he spoke, also knowing that I was surely going to be fixed for execution. I scratched my head nervously before asking,

“Will you help Gerard and I…” I stopped, and rethought my reasoning for escape. It made sense, but what were the chances we wouldn’t get caught? I wondered whether dying with dignity was a better choice. I scoffed at myself, though, reminding myself that we were stolen of our dignity as soon as we were pushed through the prison doors for the first time. I continued,

“Will you help us escape?” Ray was taken aback by my request, and sputtered,

“Escape?” I nodded. “I can’t escape. I have five years, maybe less, left!” I raised my hands, palms out to him, gesturing for him to calm down, and responded,

“No. No, no, no. I’m not asking for you to escape. I’m asking if you can help us plan it.” He sighed, looked up to the ceiling, still a little uncertain, but finally, said,

“I’ll help you, but only because it’s the least I can do. I’ve heard Gerard’s story, and he doesn’t deserve to die like this. He deserves to be free.” I was relieved. With Ray’s ability to collect information about the prison, Gerard and I would have a better chance to successfully escape.

“Thank you, really, it means so much.” I exhaled, glad that he was willing to help. I explained to him what I was planning, and asked whether it was possible, based on the amount of guards swarming around every opening of the prison. He told me that it was possible but there was a slim chance that we would be successful. Ray also worked in the laundry room, and along with his mysterious ability to gather information from the outside, he was an excellent observer. He memorized the schedules of each guard that circulated through the laundry post, along with their personalities and whether they were laid back or strict and unforgiving.

“I think that we should wait for them to decide whether Gerard is going to be given the death sentence. There’s still a possibility that he could stay with his life sentence,” Ray suggested. I agreed. I was surely going to be executed, given that I had actually confessed personally to the crime and pleaded guilty. Not to mention the dozens of witnesses at the scene. Gerard still had a chance though. He had pleaded innocent and his trial had taken a long while to settle, meaning that the jury was unconvinced that Gerard had committed the crime, until they finally gave in. We decided that we’d collect information about the laundry schedule, which we already had most of with Ray’s, and wait for Gerard and my trial to determine our possible execution.

~~~

Weeks after we made our escape plans official, I was called to a small hearing outside of the prison to determine my fate. The state gave me lawyer, who I regarded with indifference. He didn’t seem very smitten with me either, but it was his legal obligation to represent me and do the best he could to defend me. I considered the trial with apathy, knowing what my fate was going to be. There was no way my life would be spared. I was already nationally known, after my story had been released to media. You’d think that I’d be long forgotten after almost a decade and a half, but no. I was still remembered and I wasn’t pitied. Not long after it started, the trial ended. I was to be executed in a little more than two months.

Once I returned to the prison, I told Gerard and Ray what would happen. Gerard took it surprisingly well, and listened as I told him what the trial was like. He was going in about a week’s time to be regarded as doomed or saved. I knew he was nervous, but I realized that I wasn’t sure what he wanted. Did he want to stay in the life sentence, or did he want to escape with me? Upon returning from my trial, at lunch, I asked him,

“I never asked you, Gerard. What do you want?” He glanced up from his plate of food, a puzzled look on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you want for your future? Do you really want to escape?” He didn’t answer for a moment, but finally, said,

“I have no purpose or good prospect of hope anymore. I don’t know how to lead my life, and, well, you’re the only one I can follow.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Gerard nodded, sure of his answer.

“Okay. We’ll wait until your trial, as planned, and decide whether you still want this.”

“Sounds good,” Gerard grinned. Despite our ugly outlook for our future, Gerard was surprisingly optimistic. I really think that being a part of something, no matter the outcome, brought his mood up. I was glad I could better his disposition, and hoped his trial wouldn’t change it in any way. Only time would tell.



A/N: I'm sorry it's so short! D: This was just some filler, but it had some important details in it. Sorry it was so uneventful :/