I shouldered the backpack. The weight settled across my spine like destiny.
We slipped out into the corridor. Belle's door clicked shut behind us with a soft finality that sounded way too much like a coffin closing.
Misato led us toward the stairwell instead of the elevator. Smart. Fewer cameras in the stairs. Our footsteps echoed in the concrete shaft as we descended, and I kept waiting for voices, shouts, the sound of guards storming up to meet us.
Nothing.
Just our breathing and the distant hum of the building's ventilation system.
We hit the ground floor and Misato cracked the door, peering out into the lobby. "Two students at the vending machines. We wait."
So we waited. Pressed against the wall in the stairwell, breathing quietly while my heart tried to hammer its way out of my ribs.
The students took forever. Debating snack choices like their lives depended on it. Finally they grabbed their shit and left.
"Now."
