Chapter 5 - The Frame Job
Two massive campus security guards grabbed Nolan and Jordan aggressively by their arms.
They dragged the struggling boys away from the burning equipment shed.
The entire school population watched in absolute shock as they were treated like dangerous criminals.
Principal Hale held the red ledger tightly against his chest like a prized trophy.
He loudly announced to the frightened crowd that these boys had set the fire to destroy evidence of their own cheating.
Nolan screamed that Hale was lying to protect a massive, lucrative bribery ring.
The roaring sirens of approaching city fire trucks easily drowned out his desperate voice.
The guards hauled them into the back of a secure, windowless campus transport van.
They locked the heavy metal doors, plunging the boys into complete darkness once again.
Jordan began to cry softly, completely overwhelmed by the terrifying, hopeless situation.
He said his parents would never believe him over the respected school principal.
Nolan refused to give up the fight or let the corrupt adults win.
He inspected the dark interior of the transport van for any structural weaknesses.
He found a slightly loose metal panel near the rear window security grate.
He used his house keys to slowly and painfully pry the rusted screws loose.
The van suddenly lurched forward, heading completely away from the school campus.
Nolan kicked the weakened grate fiercely until it finally popped outward onto the road.
He looked out the small window and realized they were not going to the police station.
The van was driving deep into the deserted, abandoned industrial park on the edge of town.
Hale was clearly planning to make them disappear before they could ever talk to real cops.
Nolan squeezed his shoulders tightly through the narrow window opening.
He told Jordan to follow him exactly when the van slowed down for a sharp turn.
The heavy tires screeched loudly as the vehicle took a harsh, sudden corner.
Nolan leaped blindly from the moving van and hit the wet pavement incredibly hard.
He rolled painfully into a muddy ditch and waited for his best friend to jump.
The van accelerated and continued to speed down the lonely, dark road.
Jordan never came out of the back window.
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Nolan watched in pure, unadulterated horror as the vehicle disappeared entirely into the thick fog.
He was completely alone, and his best friend was being driven to an unknown, terrifying fate.
