Escape Route

Posted on Wed Oct 22nd, 2025 @ 12:53 by Matteo Beneventi & Sarah Bright & Rebecca McMillen & Magali Isebeart & Catriona Reid & Oliver Bloomfield

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Undercroft to Forest
Timeline: 03:05 hours (immediately following A Bridge Too Far)
1651 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

That's when the first breaching charge went off, blasting the heavy oaken front doors right open...

Rebecca was already starting to move the children towards the exit when the charge went off. The issue with this was that while the front doors were not directly adjacent to the Gymnasium, someone with sensitive hearing certainly would not appreciate such a loud, violent noise. Rebecca gripped her ears, wincing at the pulse from rooms away.

"Miss McMillen, what's going on?!" one of the children spoke, but the words were so far, so distant. "We need to get out of here, hurry, this way!" her own voice barely registered in her head over the ringing, while the art teacher started to lead the children towards one of the exits of the Gym, preferably one away from the front of the facility.

When the breaching charges went off Magali let out a chirp, startling so that some of her downy feathers went flying. No time to be embarassed about that though - there was work to be done. The click-clack of her talons on the floor tiles. "Miss McMillen, do you know where to go? Because I have an idea as well if you don't~" she let the teacher take the lead if Rebecca seemed confident enough in what to do.

When her ears stopped ringing, Rebecca turned to Magali, "The under croft, might be safer. We're sitting ducks up here, might be no better down there. I'll take options." she offered, already eyeing the path closest to the under croft. She knew the way well, it's where she used to practice.

Though still drowsy from sleep, Sarah was by now fully clued into the imminent threat the school faced, and feeling the reverberating shockwave of the breaching charges though the floor tiles under her bare feet drove home the sense of urgency surrounding her. Without another thought she jammed her feet into her loose-laced sneakers and grabbed her wool coat and messenger bag, as well as the walkie talkie and clipboard laying next to her cot.

"Alright, stay calm and together, just like we practiced!" Sarah called out, just loud enough to be heard over the din. She tried to muster as confident a voice as she could, and hoped the students didn't see the clipboard quivering in her shaky hand. "Don't forget your coats and backpacks!" The librarian continued as she noted the time on the clipboard and began doing a headcount, doing her best to confirm that each student had shoes, a warm coat, and their prepared backback filled with food and other emergency supplies. She didn't interrupt Rebecca and Magali, as both women undoubtedly knew their way around the castle far better than she did--one from her job as a custodian, and the other through her rodent friends.

Oliver stuck closely to his assigned group. The student body had shrunk significantly since the start of the year, but there were still about a hundred or so teenagers that needed to be ushered away from the gymnasium and into the safer confines of the undercroft. It was one of those times where he felt utterly useless. What good was wilting or blooming a flower when jackboots came in and kicked down your doors?

Catriona had shifted the moment the noise in the distance had crescendoed and she was not going to shift back to her human form anytime soon. She had her coat and bag when she and shifted which was handy as she stood growling. She was alert and ready for anything that came through the door even though she was likely scaring some of the younger teenagers who might not have seen her leopard form before.

"Alright everyone, two by two, find your buddy and stick together. We're going to go just like we planned. We're going to head towards the undercroft, nice and quiet, and once we're down we're heading to the r.." she started, but a rather slim rat shuffled up from the hallway and gave Rebecca a squeak squeak!!

"... Left. Stay low, stay quiet, and we'll be alright." Rebecca instructed, turning her attention to look over at Sarah. The look she gave said it all: The best way out was potentially compromised.

Maggie suppressed her natural instincts upon first hearing, then seeing a rodent, talons curling slightly, causing a soft scraping noise on the floortiles. "Come, come, children. Follow Miss McMillen," the owl-lady custodian ushered the students forth, intent on taking up the rear.

Rebecca was fine with someone making sure that there were no stragglers. Everyone had a buddy, and while evacuations were never something you really hoped for, there were a few drills of late considering. Rebecca always tried to make it less dire. It wasn't an evacuation, she'd say, it's gathering a party for a quest like that Hobbit cartoon that studio over in America put out. No no, not the unfinished one. The...

Focus Becca.

She returned to the here and now, she had to focus on the children's safety. It was dark in some of the hallways, and she heard heavy bootsteps already echoing in the halls. She hated her hearing in times like this.... she'd rather not hear her home being invaded. "Okay everyone..." she whispered. "Quiet, like mice, across the hall."

Fourteen looked offended.

"You know what I meant you little..." but then Rebecca went silent. It wasn't a noise that the others could hear. Well, okay most of them wouldn't hear it. The echo of voices from above. There were strangers in the compound. Now was the time to be extra cautious. Extra quiet. "Everyone...." the art teacher said, very very softly, motioning in a downward motion with her hand. "Very quiet." and she lead the group through the tunnels. She sent Fourteen up ahead to scout. To network. Yes yes, she'd joke about her squeak'ret network later. This here, right now, was no time for jokes.

They had a lot of Undercroft to cover, doubly so if they wanted to keep a low profile. Her thoughts drifted quickly to her own sister. Rebecca hoped her sister was alright but right here, she had several other younger siblings to watch out for. As Fourteen or the other rats of the Undercroft gave the all clear, the group moved forward at a slow pace. A Scurry with a Hurry, mostly. Again, the jokes would come later. Right now quiet was needed. A scared hand found hers, and Rebecca gave a reassuring squeeze to the frightened student. This would all be behind them shortly, she'd assure them. A lie, but sometimes a lie was needed until the truth could be tolerated. Fourteen joined up with the main group again, the large rat keeping pace as best it could. Sometimes, that fuzzy rodent would scamper ahead at Rebecca's hushed request, checking the way. The group would slow until the all clear was squeaked. Rats in tunnels, really. Hidden from the world above as soldiers scoured the school.

Rebecca was silently thankful she wasn't a History teacher.

It seemed like all night, the group moved and stopped, moved and stopped. Rebecca reassured those she could, and let Fourteen play the role of Emotional Support Rodent to those that needed something cuddly'ish to comfort them. The end was in sight, but the end was the most dangerous place. Rebecca hated to ask her friends to risk their lives for the benefit of herself and the students, but the rats complied with gusto. They scampered ahead, and gave the all clear. Rebecca had the students exit the tunnels in groups. Let some cross, wait. Let some cross, wait. Each group sent out was agony, fear in the back of her throat that she'd be sending the next group out to be captured. Or worse, all this stealth would be for nothing in the final leg of their trek.

A light!! No wait, not a search light, just the headlights of a car far far away.

The crisp outdoor air was a welcome feeling to the students, and the faculty as well, as they emerged out from the Undercroft and into the world above. The students all knew the drill: Meet at the woods by the big tree with the big bump. It was a ways deep into the woods, a good spot to hide and vanish. Rebecca turned to her rodent network, the few that were out here with her, and gave them a final request for the moment. "Relax and go play, just don't get caught." and the rats at the Undercroft squeaked merrily before scampering back within. She hated putting them in such danger, but if they could handle it, so could she.

Deeper into the forest the group went, before they were very much aware that they were not alone. This time, though, it wasn't soldiers or police that would be there to meet them. These were friendlies.

A small figure in a yellow raincoat, mud splattered over the red gloss of her wellies, studied the group intently from her vantage stood atop the solitary car's hood. The dart of her eyes sideways tracked the arrival of two more from the gloom and, furrow-browed, hesitated a moment as if cross-referencing Alastair's favoured arm and Liana's interesting choice of clothing against an internal database. She was a tiny thing, though not as small as any of them recalled, but when she spoke her tone carried the weight of an ancient perogative.

"Everyone just sit down."

In the distance, the frantic relay of orders provided stark contrast to the relative peacefulness of the small grove. A slow curl of fog started at the feet, winding around ankles. As it drifted higher, silence settled like a blanket until even the breeze's flirtation with the undergrowth gradually stilled.

"This is almost over."