Free Shatterproof by Roland Smith

took a running start and sprang up, just managing to catch the bottom rung with her good arm. She pulled herself through the opening like an Olympic gymnast on a parallel bar, then dropped back to the ground. “There’s a grate. It’s twenty-five feet up, max. Let’s go!”
    They boosted Phoenix up first, followed by Alistair, Ted, Natalie, and Fiske.
    Reagan cupped her hands to give Nellie a boost to the bottom rung.
    “What about you?” Nellie asked.
    “I’ll jump,” Reagan said. “But first I’m going to slow our friends down.”
    Nellie shook her head. “It’s not safe. Get out of here and let me do the honors. I’m pretty good with a gun.”
    “I don’t have to hit anyone,” Reagan insisted. “I’ll fire a few rounds down the tunnel and let the ricochet and noise do the rest. Besides, you can’t jump high enough to reach the bottom rung.”
    Reluctantly, Nellie put her foot into Reagan’s cupped hands and grabbed the bottom rung. Her shoulder wound reopened and it felt like someone had splashed it with gasoline and set it on fire. Nellie gritted her teeth and ignored the pain and the warm blood trickling down her side.
    Seven deafening gun blasts reverberated through the shaft, followed by a barrage of return fire, almost causing Nellie to lose her grip. “Are you okay?” Nellie shouted down.
    “I’m fine,” Reagan replied. “Keep moving.”
    Nellie tried to climb higher, but the line above her had come to a complete stop.
    “Hurry!” she shouted.
    “The grate’s padlocked!” Phoenix shouted back.
    Reagan scrambled up behind Nellie like a monkey and handed her the pistol. “There’s one round left. Pass it up and tell Phoenix to make it count and to hurry. The Vespers will be here any second!”
    “Have you ever fired a pistol?” Alistair asked Phoenix as he gingerly handed over the gun.
    Phoenix gave him a weak smile. “Kind of,” he said. “I was on the film set of
Gangsta Kronikles
with Jonah. They let me shoot a pistol, but it shot blanks.”
    “Hurry it up!” Reagan shouted. “They’re almost here!”
    Phoenix pointed the pistol at the lock, turned his head away, and pulled the trigger.
    Click
.
    “Safety!” Reagan shouted. “It’s on the left side by your thumb! Flick it up!”
    Phoenix flicked the safety and pulled the trigger again.
    Boom!
    A piece of shrapnel sliced open Phoenix’s right hand. He instinctively jerked it off the rung, causing him to wobble, and then to start to fall. Alistair’s firm hand smacked into his back, stopping him from falling.
    “You’ve got to get the grate open!”
    But the grate was heavy, and Phoenix couldn’t lift it. They could all hear the pounding of the guards’ feet now. Natalie gave a frantic look below her, then clambered over the top of Ted to give Phoenix and Alistair a hand. It took several precious seconds before the heavy steel grate finally slapped open. The hostages piled out quickly. As Reagan hoisted herself out of the shaft, bullets whizzed through the opening. She slammed to the ground and rolled away.
    “Close,” she said, looking at a smoking rip in her coveralls where a bullet had grazed her.
    They were in a small clearing surrounded by giant fir trees. It was sweltering hot, but they didn’t care. For the first time in weeks, they filled their lungs with fresh air.
    “Which way?” Natalie asked.
    “That way.” Reagan pointed. “Downhill. You’re bound to run into a road or a river.”
    “What do you mean by
you’re
?” Nellie asked, giving Reagan a suspicious look.
    “No offense to any of you, but you’re not going to make very good time,” Reagan said. “Someone has to hang here and keep these gophers in their hole. Don’t worry. I’ll catch up with you.”
    “You’re out of bullets,” Alistair reminded her.
    Reagan picked up a large rock. “Ammo!” She hurtled the rock down the opening and they heard a satisfying grunt of pain.
    “I’m staying with you,” Nellie said, then turned