They stepped out onto the grey concrete of the corridor and the thrill of disobedience shivered down his spine. Sam was already coasting the area with his eyes, on the lookout for guards or night-owl prisoners. He seemed satisfied with their solitude so began the silent jog left, towards the end of their cell row.
The prison was silent in a way a normal civilian would not expect a large building of 500 men to be. Even with the gentlest steps the thin rubber soles of their fabric shoes echoed into every cell but the sleeping inmates seemed oblivious. The footfall of guards were common enough sounds that each inmate becomes a heavy sleeper to an extent.
Sam's legs were longer than Dean's but the Hunter had kept up regular exercise so managed to keep up easily. The tall man skidded around the corner quickly and grabbed Dean's arm to pull him out of sight too. The pair stood heavy breathing around the edge of the last cell while Sam appeared to be intently listening. Seconds later, the sound of a guard coughing on a lower floor radiated out and Sam scowled as though a large, guard-shaped spanner had been thrown into the works. He tugged on his cellmates sleeve as an indication to move and they did.
Somehow Sam knew the layout of the prison like he'd walked the halls many times before and at this point, dean didn't doubt that he probably had.
—-
They moved deeper into the building while Dean's instincts were crying out to head outwards towards freedom. If this is a trap, his mind moaned, I'm so done. Despite this he followed patiently like a dog after it's master. He had to trust in Sam and Sam's apparently ultimate knowledge.
They reached a room and Dean rolled his eyes in mental preparation for a broom closet. He'd seen enough prison break movies on the late-night, grainy TV he caught on motel stops. However, Sam pushed open the unlocked door to what appeared to be an interview room with a single table and 3 chairs. The 1-way darkened glass sat on one wall and Dean couldn't help but distrust the dark eye that watched them. Sam led them to the wall under the dark window, away from the opening door so if someone were to poke their head in the door itself would mostly block their existence.
Sam took off his prison jump suit and commanded Dean to do the same. He tied the legs together. Luckily, Dean had elected to wear a vest under his suit or he'd be stark naked right now. Sam seemed a little more prepared with 2 vests on and shorts underneath while Dean was stuck in just his prison issue boxer shorts on the bottom.
Suddenly, Sam dropped down and sat against the wall in the very corner of the dark room. Dean followed but mistrust was bubbling up inside him.
"What are we doing in here?" His whispered in a harsh tone.
Sam looked offended but he clearly couldn't be bothered with it so relaxed into internal anxiety, "I've got us this far, haven't I? A little trust."
They waited for an eternity. With each second the sweat on Dean's brow multiplied and even began to drip. He shouldn't have ever committed to this crazy escape attempt since it was so stupid. He swallowed thickly and looked across at his cellmate who had his fingers in a prayer position in front of his mouth. The man's eyes were sealed closed and he clearly sacrificed all senses to intensify his hearing. Dean wouldn't be surprised if Sam told him to shut up because he swore his heart was thumping at 100 miles per hour.
All of a sudden, the sound of thick boots slapping on the plasticky floor and jingling keys came racing down the corridor. Dean's gaze shot to Sam in wild panic but the murderer's face had lit up and he took a crouching position.
A door close to theirs was thrown open, the brass handle smacking against the wall, and the guard flew in. He blurted a garbled message of escaped prisoners to which the warden responded with slapping the emergency lockdown button. An alarm started blaring out throughout the building and the sounds of people running about began. Dean held in the urge to smack Sam around the head for getting him into this situation.
Suddenly, Sam grabbed Dean's hand and ran from the room. As they fled the 5 meters to the warden's office, the Hunter managed to get a look down the corridor to see it completely empty; the staff had run towards the cells or front door instead of this obscure corridor that leads nowhere.
"Thank God." Sam huffed under his breath at the sight of the empty room.
"For what?" He couldn't see what God did to help them in this situation. They were trapped in the warden's office.
The tall man clicked the lock across and began to explain as he moved toward to window, "The warden here is known for being a stubborn and picky man. Too such an extent, he protested having bars on his window as it'd spoil the view." As he says this, he slams open the blinds to reveal a large barless window.
It was a glorious sight if Dean had ever seen one.
Sam grabbed their combined prison suits and tied the arms on his own together to make a hoop which he looped around the radiator under the windowsill. He threw the rest out the window. It only descended a couple of meters but at this height each meter made a difference.
"Go down as far as you can on the rope then let go. When you land bend your knees and, if possible, roll to reduce the impact. The human body isn't made for falling from the 3rd floor. Go." He pushed Dean towards the window and the Hunter went willingly.
He abseiled as far as the rope would allow before closing his eyes and dropping. The second his feet felt pressure he bent and began to roll. The landing hurt like hell but he'd made it in one piece. Glancing around, they were close to the surrounding fence compared to the rest of the building. They had a few meters dash here compared to the 20 meters on the further side of the building. The presence of the car park had forced the building team to bring the boundary closer.
Sam dropped down beside him with significantly more grace and began to run straight for the fence without wasting time instructing Dean. The Hunter had eyes though and he got the gist. They reached the fence in seconds and Sam threw his spare vest over the barbed wire at the top. It wouldn't completely protect them from the vicious barbs but would severely lessen their messy impact.
"Boost me!" Sam called and Dean acted instantly, bending down before he had fully stopped running and allowing Sam to thrust his foot into his palm. The Hunter pushed up as the taller bounced off the ground and used the muscles in his arms to haul himself to the top. He straddled the fence and Dean thought he saw the man prepare to jump the other side leaving Dean as a distraction so to give the murderer more time to flee.
Suddenly, a large hand descended and Dean jumped for it. Sam pulled him up and Dean kicked up at the fence. They jumped the other side and ran towards the cars. They could hear voices shouting behind them but it was impossible to tell how close they were over the noise of the alarm.
"What now?" Dean yelled, breathless.
"Find an old car. We need to Hotwire it." Sam called back as he shot in between the rows of cars.
"Good! I can do that!" It was time for Dean to become useful in this escape.
They found an old rusty thing that barely resembled a vehicle. Dean jumped in and began to work on the electrics while Sam kept watch as the prison hummed like a stepped on ant hill. The voices were getting closer and Dean's heart was thumping incessantly. He could tell his cellmate didn't want to rush him but was getting increasingly impatient to go. They were losing their head start.
"Shit, they're here." Sam called across the car to Dean.
As he said the last word the car shuddered to life but the call of the engine drew the attention of the guards in and outside the compound. Dean leapt in the driver's seat and Sam ducked into the passenger. The doors slammed themselves as Dean ripped the car out of it's space. A back window smashed as a bullet flew through the car.
Sam went to swear but didn't get the word out before a bullet tore through the flesh on his shoulder. He cried out in pain and blood immediately began oozing out.
"Sam!" Dean's hand moved to touch him but Sam didn't have time for this.
"I didn't get us this far to only get this far! Drive!" The gas pedal was again pushed to the floor and dust rose up behind the car as the wheels span, struggling to gain traction. Suddenly they caught and they moved off faster. They had a head start but barely.
"Keep pressure on it!"
"Turn right at the road." Sam grit out between his teeth.
"Into town?! Are you insane?" He shot a look over to his passenger, who was cradling their shoulder, before looking back at the dusty track.
"The guards have definitely called the local patrol by now so guess which way they'll be headed. Out of town towards the prison. There is a tall metal partition so they won't see us from the other side of the road. Once in town we can hitch a new ride which won't be on alert and get to the next town over where I have a friend who I'm pretty sure will drive us out." Sam snapped, the pain reducing his patience to a simmering ember.
"Okay." Dean answered instantly, starting to learn that he shouldn't doubt how much thought Sam had invested into this. He turned right a few seconds later and headed towards town at as fast as the tin can could carry them.
Sam began rummaging around in the car and found a half drunk water bottle. He took a swig before passing it across to his accomplice who accepted gratefully. It was warm and stale but quenched his thirst.
"How did you decide when to do it?" Dean inquired as the town appeared on the horizon.
"We were approaching a switch over where the guards on cameras swap with guards pacing the floor. It's a window of about 20 minutes so when the guard from our floor left I took the chance assuming the eyes wouldn't be on the cameras. I was taken to the interview room once and it was unlocked when we got there so I assumed it'd be the same. If not it was just a normal lock so we could pick it."
"A lot of guess work." Dean replied dubiously.
"Prison breaking isn't exactly a fine science, Winchester." He rolled his eyes as the pain flowed over him. "Let's just find a new car." The words were muttered as the passed the welcome signs and the sounds of sirens passed them on the opposite side of the road. "And quickly."