Thank you.
As I showed it gratitude, something shifted in my body. I imagined Kain caressing my back, comforting me. Feeling more at ease, I envisioned the heart transforming into a cartoon heart with an adorable face. I didn’t know where that idea came from, but it released the heaviness weighing on me. Following Avery’s directions, I placed it inside the specialized bag, which was then transferred into a sealed container.
Despite what had happened to the heart’s original owner, this heart was going to save another person. I assumed that was the reason for the sale. Whoever needed it was probably sick. Why else would they settle for this transplant method? I remembered my grandmother had waited for a heart too.
I said a silent prayer, blessing the new owner and hoping it would treat the new host well. Avery showed me how to flush out the organ with a cold preservation solution to reduce the oxygen demand. Then I placed the heart into a sterile bag with more preservation solution, sealed it, and put it into another bag to prevent contamination. The bags went into a container filled with crushed ice and cold packs. She helped me label the container with the organ type, blood type compatibility, and time of removal. This information was on a printout that came with the cooler.
When I finished packing the second heart, my anxiety faded to a mere sliver. I now understood how Kain and the others acclimated to this awful scenario. They took it one step at a time. Eventually, the repetition eased them into a routine. It was sad to think of it that way, but it was the path to survival.
After cleaning the work area, we gave the packages to two men who would transport them to where they needed to go.
Hailey joined us in the hallway. “A guard will lock the bedroom once we’re inside.”
As we walked back to our room, I passed another boiler room with the door left ajar. I couldn’t go to sleep, knowing the danger I was in. I had to find a way out of here. My thoughts wandered to MacGyver, hoping it could help me get out of here.
Once inside the bedroom, a guard swung by to lock it. I looked at Avery and Hailey, who stood around the front door, looking exhausted. Could I trust these girls? Would they come with me? But what if I failed? I’d get us all killed.
Despite that, a chance at survival was better than none, right?
“I’m going to wash up,” Avery said, heading to the shared bathroom.
“Wait.” I walked over to them and whispered, “Have you considered escaping?”
Avery and Hailey exchanged glances. “Of course we have, but we couldn’t figure out how. There are guards everywhere. But there are fewer of them at night.”
“What if we make a distraction?” I asked. “Something to draw them away from our room.”
“Like chaos?” Avery asked.
“Are you planning to escape tonight?” Hailey looked at me.
“I need to find a way out. The longer I stay here, the more I fear my courage will wane.” Reaching down to my socks, I pulled out a lighter. “I know of a way to distract them.”
“That’s why you hid the tools there,” Avery said. “When I helped put you onto the cot, I saw the tools but wasn’t sure what you were doing with them.”
“My grandfather is a MacGyver fan,” I said.
Avery looked at Hailey. “I want to go home too. You?”
Hailey nodded. “What can we do?”
“Cover for me. In case someone checks.” I threw a blanket over the pillows, pretending it was me sleeping. “I’ll start a fire in the boiler room, create an explosion. Be prepared to run. Do you know the closest way to the exit?”
“If we go into the delivery section, that should lead us out to the transportation route.”
My heart filled with hope and anxiety. “I’m not sure if it’s going to work, but I hope it will.” I swallowed, pushing away all doubts that wanted to take over. “Once I light the boiler room, I’ll come back to get you. There’s going to be an explosion, but by then we’ll be heading to the delivery section. Grab a weapon or something to defend yourself.”
“How are you going to leave this room?” Hailey asked.
I held up two paperclips. “These little things are going to save us.”
We washed up in the bathroom, trying to keep the normal routine in case someone was listening from the outside. Then we turned off the lights, leaving one small lamp on. After a moment, I walked over to the door, pressing my ear against it. Silence greeted me. My heart pounded as I looked at the old lock.
Avery and Hailey tiptoed over to stand by and watch me.
Maybe these guards were confident that their captives didn’t dare to escape. If they had updated this old lock to something electronic, I wouldn’t have known how to unlock it.
But I’d watched MacGyver open several locks with a paperclip, bobby pin, or credit card. I straightened one end of the paperclip to form a pick and a tension wrench at the other end. Inserting the wrench end into the bottom of the keyhole, I applied slight pressure in the direction in which the lock turned. With the other paperclip, I placed the straight end into the keyhole and pushed up on the pins while keeping pressure with the wrench.
