Escape! Read Online Free Page B

stay?”
    “No. I mean....”
    “Listen, I got it figured,” Danny said. “Soon’s I get
out, we grab a car and get up to Canada. Then they can’t touch
us.”
    Laurie just looked scared. “All the way to
Canada?”
    “Just the two of us. We can start all over again.
I’ll even get a job....”
    “Me, too,” Laurie said. Then she started to say
something else, stopped, and finally said, “Oh, Danny... I wanted
to tell you. I got a job now. I’m helping my sister in the
restaurant where she works....”
    “Waiting on tables?” Danny felt his face twist into a
frown.
    Laurie nodded. Her voice was very low. “And...
cleaning up, helping in the kitchen.”
    “I don’t want my girl doin’ that kind of work!”
    “Well, I need some money...” She looked away from
him, out toward the window. “I want to be able to live on my own.
And the bus to come here costs money.”
    Danny’s frown melted. But he didn’t feel any
better.
    Laurie went on, “Dr. Tenny said I could come once a
week, if I wanted to. And he said he thought you could do real good
here. Maybe get out in two years.”
    “I’ll be out in a couple weeks,” said Danny.
    “Please... don’t do anything they’ll catch you
on.”
    “I’ll be out in a couple weeks,” Danny repeated.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Laurie left at five. Danny went over to the cafeteria
and picked at his dinner.
    Ralph Malzone pulled up a chair and sat beside Danny.
He looked much too big for the thin-legged plastic chair.
    “Hey, I heard you was sick yesterday. Not going to
back out of the fight with Lacey, are ya?”
    Danny pushed his tray of food away. “No, I’ll fight
him.”
    “Good,” said Ralph. He leaned across, took a slice of
bread from Danny’s tray, and started buttering it. “C’mon over to
the gym tomorrow afternoon. I’ll show you some tricks. Help make
you the new lightweight champ.”
    Nodding, Danny said, “Sure.”
    Danny got up to leave. Ralph was still picking food
from his tray, so Danny left it there with him.
    When he got back to his room and shut the door, the
lights turned on and the TV screen lit up.
    “GOOD EVENING, MR. ROMANO,” said SPECS. The screen
spelled out the words.
    “How’d you know I was in here?” Danny asked, stopping
suddenly by the door and frowning at the screen.
    “THERE IS A SENSING DEVICE IN THE DOORWAY. AND THE
ROOM LIGHTS WENT ON. I HAVE A...”
    “But how’d you know it was me? Can you see me?”
    “THERE ARE NO CAMERAS IN THE STUDENTS’ ROOMS. I DID
NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT IT WAS YOU. HOWEVER, THE CHANCES WERE
BETTER THAN NINETY PERCENT THAT ONLY YOU WOULD ENTER YOUR OWN ROOM
AT THIS TIME OF THE EVENING. I HAVE A MES...”
    “Well then, how’d you know I’m Danny Romano? I could
of been anybody.”
    SPECS’ voice did not change a bit, but somehow Danny
felt that the computer was getting sore at him. “YOUR VOICE IS THE
VOICE OF DANIEL FRANCIS ROMANO, AND NO ONE ELSE’S. I HAVE A
MESSAGE...”
    “You know everybody’s voice?”
    “I AM PROGRAMED TO RECOGNIZE THE SPEECH PATTERNS AND
VOCAL TONES OF EVERYONE IN THE CENTER. I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU
FROM THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.”
    SPECS waited patiently for Danny to reply. Finally,
Danny said, “Okay, what’s the message?”
    “YOU WILL FIND A BOTTLE OF PILLS ON THE TABLE BY YOUR
BED. THEY ARE FOR ASTHMA. DIRECTIONS ARE WRITTEN ON THE LABEL. THEY
READ AS FOLLOWS! ‘TAKE ONE PILL BEFORE GOING TO BED AT NIGHT, AND A
PILL WHENEVER NEEDED DURING THE DAY. KEEP THIS BOTTLE WITH YOU AT
ALL TIMES. NOTIFY THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT WHEN ONLY FIVE PILLS ARE
LEFT.’”
    “These pills’ll make me breathe okay?”
    “I DO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I CAN PUT YOU IN
CONTACT WITH THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. DR. MAKOWITZ IS ON DUTY AT THE
MOMENT.”
    “Naw, that’s okay.”
    Danny went to the bed and saw the bottle of pills on
the bed table. They