Chapter 5 - The Inside Job
Breaking an inmate out of death row was supposed to be completely impossible.
But Warden Mitchell had spent thirty years designing the security protocols for the Huntsville Unit.
He knew every single blind spot, emergency override, and shift change schedule in the facility.
Sarah parked her battered SUV three blocks away from the towering prison walls.
Mitchell used his master keycard to slip through an underground maintenance tunnel.
He moved silently through the damp corridors, avoiding the rotating security cameras.
He knew he only had a tiny window of time before the morning headcount began.
When he reached the maximum-security block, he found the guard on duty fast asleep.
Mitchell carefully bypassed the electronic lock on Cell 18 and pushed the heavy door open.
Elena woke up with a gasp, pulling her thin blanket up to her chin in fear.
Mitchell covered her mouth with his hand and whispered that he was there to save her daughter.
He quickly explained David's terrifying ultimatum and the plan to trade her for Chloe.
Elena did not hesitate for a single second.
She stripped off her bright orange jumpsuit and put on a spare guard uniform Mitchell had smuggled in.
She tucked her graying hair beneath a dark security cap and followed him out of the cell.
They walked side by side down the main corridor, pretending to be conducting a routine patrol.
Mitchell's heart hammered against his ribs as they approached the final security checkpoint.
The armed guard at the desk looked up from his monitor and frowned.
He noticed that the uniform on Elena was incredibly baggy and ill-fitting.
The guard slowly rested his hand on his holstered weapon and asked for her identification badge.
Mitchell knew a violent confrontation would trigger the alarm and doom them both.
Before the guard could draw his gun, a massive explosion rocked the eastern wing of the prison.
The lights flickered and died, plunging the entire facility into emergency red lighting.
Sarah had detonated a small shaped charge near the outer generator to create a distraction.
Klaxons blared wildly as the guards rushed toward the source of the explosion.
Mitchell grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her through the confusion toward the staff exit.
They burst out into the cool night air and sprinted toward the rendezvous point.
Sarah threw the back door of the SUV open, and they scrambled inside.
They peeled away from the prison just as heavily armed tactical teams swarmed the perimeter.
Elena sat in the backseat, trembling with a mixture of intense fear and overwhelming hope.
She looked at Mitchell and swore she would gladly die if it meant her daughter would live.
Mitchell firmly promised her that neither of them was going to die tonight.
He pulled a heavy, military-grade assault rifle from a duffel bag on the floorboard.
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He loaded a full magazine and stared grimly at the road ahead.
They were driving straight into a deadly trap, and David had an entire army waiting for them at the docks.
