Read Online Escape by Paul Dowswell - Free Book Online

to lower, he swung over the parapet and slithered down the side of the block. He was so jittery he cut his hand on a piece of wire threaded into the rope. But luck was with him. The rope was long enough to take him to the courtyard. There he waited, concealed by black shadows, until another train passed and he raced over to the other side of the yard. Before him, staring in the opposite direction, stood the guard.
    Devigny looked at the man with some pity. There he was, bored, restless, waiting for his shift to end, probably longing for a hot breakfast and a comfy bed. But to escape and save his own life, Devigny would have to kill him in cold blood.
    The guard turned to face him and Devigny sprang from the shadows. He grabbed him by the throat, and then killed him with his own bayonet.
    The dead man was swiftly hauled into the shadows, his leather boots dragging softly on the floor. Devigny waited to see if their struggle had been overheard, but the night was as still and silent as before. He made a low whistle, and Gimenez hurried over to join him. Their path was clear up to the next block, but Devigny was shaking with exhaustion and fear, and too weak to climb the side of the building.
    â€œYou’ll have to go first,” he whispered to Gimenez. “I haven’t got the strength to climb.”
    Gimenez climbed up the building. He passed the rope down to Devigny, who had now realised his companion was essential to his escape, rather than the nuisance he imagined he would be. They hurried across the roof of the block and peered over. They were on the outer edge of the prison. Only a perimeter wall 5m (15ft) away stood between them and freedom.
    But as they crouched on the roof, an odd squeaking sound came within earshot.
    â€œWhat the devil is that?” said Gimenez.
    They found out soon enough. Below, circling around the ground between the prison buildings and the wall, was a guard on a bicycle. He made the trip around the prison perimeter every three minutes.
    So close to success, Devigny was seized by a desperate need to get the whole escape over with. Their cell lay empty. The skylight to the roof had been opened. Worst of all, a dead man lay in the shadows. Surely, at any time, a prison guard would find some evidence to point to an escape in progress, and raise the alarm? With every passing minute the chance of discovery grew greater. But Devigny kept these thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was panic Gimenez.
    Then, their chances looked even more desperate.
    â€œListen,” said Devigny, “I can hear voices below. There must be a couple of guards beneath us too.”
    But when the cyclist rode by, the men could see that he was talking to himself. Both breathed a long sign of relief and got ready for the final push.
    As the clock struck three, Devigny threw the rope over to the outer wall. The lamp frame grapple gripped the brickwork, and held firm. They tied their end of the rope to a solid chimney stack and prepared to cross. But just at that moment, the guard on the bicycle decided it was time for a rest. He parked his bike right below the men and stood beneath them wheezing.
    Devigny and Gimenez could not believe they were so unlucky. Agonizing minutes passed, each man expecting to hear the cry of a guard raising the alarm at any second. In the east a pale light touched the rim of the sky. Soon it would be dawn. But the guard below never did look up to see their rope. He got back on his bike and cycled off.
    It was now or never, but the strain was beginning to show all too clearly on the two escapers.
    Devigny spoke softly: “You go first, Gimenez, and I’ll follow.”
    â€œNo…” said the boy fiercely. “What if the rope breaks? What if I get spotted and shot? What if I fall? You go and I’ll follow.”
    Devigny’s patience was at an end, and he snapped: “Go now, or I’ll throttle you on the spot.”
    A fierce, whispered row