30. Kren

Aprisoner ran into me and knocked me off my feet.

"Hey!" they said. "Watch it!"

I shoved myself up and crouched, lowering my center of gravity. I ran with my elbows out, to jab anyone in the ribs who came too close.

I never stopped. Stopping meant putting Ivy's life in danger longer than necessary.

The emergency lights flashed and came on. They were bright but only illuminated the barest of details. It cast an eerie green hue over the prison. At least now the prisoners could see and avoid, for the most part, each other.

"Power restored," the Computer said. "Resuming in ten seconds."

The countdown began.

The science lab was still some distance off. There were no guards outside. They would be in the room. But that didn't mean the fresh contingent of guards wouldn't come and flood the prison any moment.

I ground my teeth and dashed forward. I dodged out of the way of prisoners who threatened to get in my way and leaped over a smaller prisoner with bulging yellow eyes and slimy green skin.

"Eight… seven…" Computer said.

I wanted to be in the science laboratory by the end of the countdown. I took off through the sporadic crowd, who ran across me like a river I had to struggle across.

"Four… Three…"

The guards were going to come down hard on the prisoners when the lights came back on. I definitely didn't want to be anywhere near them when they did.

Even worse, the lock on the science lab would be initiated once the power returned.

"Two… One…"

I grabbed the handrail and sprinted up the stairs four, five at a time.

The power blinked back on just as I reached for the handle. It opened, I stepped inside, and let it shut behind me.

I had made it. But the scene wasn't over yet.