Chapter 3
April 9th 2021, flashback
Nicole cracked her spine after she picked Chloe up from daycare after a long day at work. Jacob should be back in a couple hours-
Jacob came through the door strangely happy, normally he was exhausted after his day, but he eccentrically tossed his policemen jacket on a chair and spun her around "sweetie your friend Ned really came around" he said in his thick Texan accent "he told me about a new job opportunity, should pay twice my current salary"
"That's awesome, more bread on the table" Nicole answered, who could be upset after hearing that
"I wasn't even finished, they're also looking for mechanics, maybe I could get you an interview too" Jacob said taking a seat
"Ok tell me about it" Nicole said, nodding
"Ok you ever here about this guy David Snyder"
6:59 PM March 21 2023, Back to the present
"ALL RIGHT MOVE IT PEOPLE, MOVE IT, WE'VE GOTTA GET THIS DONE" even from a quarter mile away, with ten other vans in front of them Nicole could hear the main guard rushing everyone to get in the parking garage. With good reason, with mere minutes until the official start of the Purge everyone was rushing in that moment. Everyone in the country had their radios set to the same quiet station waiting for the siren.
Michael's constant tapping in the driver's seat was only making Nicole that much more nervous. He was taking a lot of deep breaths and sweating like a pig, his hands shaking on the steering wheel.
There was a creepy knocking on the driver's side window, it was just a blonde guy without a shirt waiting by the door staring at Michael. He placed a piece of cardboard on the window, the words 'HAPPY PURGE NIGHT' written across it.
"Just ignore him Michael" Nicole said trying to ease his nerves
Chase came from the back and tapped his shoulder "buddy, you want to switch seats". Michael nodded and got up to switch seats with Chase.
"Stay in character Chase, stealth is key" Lola said giving acting tips
BUUUUU ZZZZZZZZZ
The siren made everyone's heart stop, as the radio made it's announcement
"This is not a test
This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. when The Purge concludes. Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn.
May God be with you all."
The world halted as the five of them braised for the absolute worst. The Purge started… and they were still on the street. Nicole sweated straight through her uniform, no amount of air conditioning can help. She was dead, this was the end….. but everything around the van seemed to be the same, no sight of vicious rioters or cannibalistic accountants yet. All five of them started to calm down, and focus on their surroundings. They might have just enough time to get in the building, they were only three vans away from getting in.
"Ok ok I think we're fine" Nicole said trying to keep everyone calm
HONKKKKKKKKK
A massive truck horn blasted across the neighborhood as a garbage truck barreled from an alleyway and totalled two of the vans behind them. The garbage truck proceeded to drive in circles trying to run over the escaping drivers
"GET SNYDER" some weirdo with a plastic rake shouted as five others leaped over a fence and grabbed ahold of the garbage truck.
"CLOSE THE GATE, CLOSE THE GATE" a main guard screamed as the guards scrambled to close the gate and leave them all to die out there
Chase put the van in reverse "Mission failed, we'll get em next time"
"No no" Zoey and Michael said as the three of them wrestled for the steering wheel. The van crashed into a brick wall
Nicole's head felt like it would explode as the whole world went to shit around her "ABANDON SHIP" Nicole shouted crawling out her window. Without thinking she rushed down a dark alley on the opposite side from where the purgers came out. She tripped only for someone to pull her up, she was relieved to see Chase and Lola
"Not that we're scared, just seems like a better idea to stay together" Lola said shivering, her shotgun jiggling as she held it
"Agreed" Nicole said pulling out her gun and checking the alley corner
Chase pulled a dumpster under the fire escape and used it to climb up to the ladder, Nicole and Lola followed. They made it to the first window up but it was barred, Nicole pulled on the bars to try and loosed them to no avail.
They tried the next window up, this time no bars. Nicole tried to pull the window up but it was locked "go away you hooligans!" someone inside said. Inside there was the sound of a door being forced open followed by gunshots "AHHHHHH"
"OK NOT THAT WAY" Nicole said as she and the others ran from the window
The same thing went on as they made their way up, barred, barred, locked, what sounded like an orgy going on, and barred. They finally settled for the roof, where they had a perfect view of Snyders building next door. Nicole sat down taking a hundred breaths a minute, doing whatever it took to calm down to little avail. "Ok not the worst spot to hide out during the purge" Chase quipped taking a seat
"Hide out, we need to get in there" Lola stated
"Yes, let's just offer the purgers girl scout cookies and they'll just leave us alone and sing friendly campfire songs around a pile of flaming teddy bears" Chase rambled
"What?" Nicole wondered, it was weird but it helped make her forget the situation somewhat.
Nicole's radio started going off, "you guys still alive" Zoey's voice came through
"Yeah we're ugh… we're on a roof" Nicole explained
"Me and Michael are with a bunch of other guards near the entrance, and by with I mean being forced to hold off purgers while some of them look for a way in" Zoey explained "you three need to find a way in and let us in, thanks" she cut the connection before Nicole could respond
Nicole monitored the streets that apparently just lit on fire extremely quickly for any sign of getting in, there had to have been a side door or a secret underground tunnel or-
She noticed something on a building far away, a man dressed in all black and a cape facing the three of them. She pat Chase on the shoulder "do you see that"
"What?" he said looking around
"Over there-" she said but the man completely vanished. She expected to see insane creeps on the city streets during the purge but that was the one thing she didn't think was possible, unexpected.
"I think I found our way in" Lola said pointing off the edge, she was referring to a large vent on top of one the buildings lower sections, that was a solid 22 feet down "we gotta jump"
"Great plan, we won't be needing our knees or spines for the rest of our lives right" Nicole sarcastically pointed out
"Geronimo" Lola cheered leaping down and landing in a tumble
"Woah, she is crazy" Chase said with a smile
"UP THERE, THERE'S SOME GUARDS ON THE ROOF" a purger screamed towards them, a swarm of crazed purgers rushed to the fire escape
"Oh god damn you Lola" Chase said as he leaped down "AHHHHHH"
Nicole looked around and decided that if she had a better chance at survival jumping "oh crap" she said before leaping off the edge and landed on her back. She slowly stood up as her knees crackled in pain "Ok let's get this done" Nicole said popping the vent
"Just give me a moment" Lola said as she cracked her spine while Chase made a popping noise with his elbow.
The three of them entered the vent which led right to the parking garage about ten feet off the floor. "What do you see" Lola asked
The room was empty, she could see through an office window that the guards went in the office to use the phones and calm down.
Nicole looked at her situation, she was sticking head first outside a vent that was ten feet off the floor with two people behind her stuck in a cramped vent. "Ok, how do I do this?" she said. Nicole slid one leg at a time under herself and outside the vent. But when she tried to put her head back away from the exit, she couldn't. "Ugh guys I'm… I'M STUCK" she said panicking, there was just no escaping the insanity of the Purge as she started desperately squirming as she was trapped in a vent.
"Ok don't worry Nicole" Lola stuttered "ugh there's only one way to get you out" she said but Nicole continued trying to escape "Nicole I really need you calm down, Breath" she pleaded
Nicole tried to examine her surroundings but couldn't realize what she meant.
Lola pushed as hard as she could and Nicole fell out of the vent and onto her feet. Once she was on the floor Lola and Chase jumped down head first and went up to her 'Drink" chase said handing her a thermos. Nicole choked down a quarter of the drink and started to calm down. "You ok? Chase asked
"I'm feeling better thank you" she said handing the thermos back "are you alright"
"Oh I just landed on my neck, I'll walk it off don't worry" Lola said rubbing her neck
Once she could focus he noticed the door that led to where they were supposed to drive in earlier. Nicole pressed her ear to the door and it didn't sound like there was that much commotion going on.
"Zoey are you still there, we're on the inside" Lola said into her radio
"Yeah, let us in" Zoey said through the radio
Nicole played around with the door controls, like they had these stupid acronyms for each setting, and the locking mechanisms were symbolized by what looked like dumbbells shoved into a keyhole…. What idiot designed this thing. She finally found the lock controls but it needed authorization. Not authorization from a badge or a password or anything, no it needed authorization by winning a game of Centipedes?
Chase looked toward Lola to pass the time "so ugh.. You have a son, is he staying with his dad?"
"Ugh no, his dad ran off with a high school english teacher" she said causing Chase to seem surprised "she was a lot hotter than you'd think" she explained "So… when we're done here and you're super rich… are you gonna get back in the dating game" she said obviously prying
"Ugh… I don't know I haven't had much luck in that… area of life, I was actually almost engaged once but… Zoey sent Michael after me and implied that she was still interested so I went to see her… turned out she wasn't" he explained "she had just gotten back together with her ex"
Lola fake frowned "Oh I'm really sorry, but I'm sure your almost fiance was a bitch… and Zoey is a huge bitch too" Lola turned her radio on and made sure Chase heard her "Zoey I'm just calling to say you're a huge bitch"
"Wha-" Zoey said before Lola signed off
"And I'm sure your husband was a bastard" Chase comforted
"Thank you" she said as the two of them exchanged smiles.
"YES" Nicole cheered winning the game after six tries and unlocking the door
The door opened and the remaining fifteen guards came in "We're saved" one said
Zoey and Michael ran right up to them, the team reuniting. Michael laughed "Ok rocky start but we made inside alive"
"Was way safer when those helicopters showed up" Zoey mentioned
"Helicopters?"
"OVER THERE" one of the guards from the office screamed. They were suddenly swarmed with dozens of guards pointing automatics at them. Nicole started by pointing her gun but the real guards beside her were surrendering so she decided that was her best bet too.
The guards pointing them down seemed nervous though "we can't shoot them, they're our guys" one of them said
A guy with a hat came out, probably means he's the captain "close the door and check their ID if they're our guys then no harm"
Nicole let out a sigh of relief. Ok this is good, they had decent ID cards, they were perfectly fine. Of course in movies it never works and people usually die, also happens in video games and TV shows and comic books and oh shit this isn't gonna work.
The guards from outside all lined up with one checker making sure their faces matched their ID cards. Luck going as it does, put Nicole and Zoey in the very back. The first of their team to get checked was Michael, the captain glared at him the whole way through with his finger on his trigger causing the whole team to sweat. Regardless, the checker cleared him to go. The next one was Chase who got cleared easily. After that Lola went up and got cleared somewhat easily.
Zoey handed over her ID and there was a solid thirty seconds of silence, but the checker laughed in her face and cleared her. Finally Nicole handed over her ID, what was she so worried about her ID was well made and everything would be perfectly fi-
"WE GOT A BREACH" the checker screamed as all the guards rushed up to her and shoved gun barrels in her face. Even Michael, what the hell. She swore her heart exploded out of her chest, this was it wasn't it, they better leave Chloe some money and find her some place to-
"HAHAHAHA" the checker laughed "I'm sorry I'm sorry AHAHAHAHAH" she continued "I was just kidding HAHAHA she's clear"
Everyone had their eyes on the checker now, not one soul laughing. The captain then shot the checker and dismissed everyone.
That was…..insane yeah that's the only word that can describe it. But they were inside and they weren't exposed. They can still finish this. The five of them made it to the elevator and set out to commit their heist.
Hey guys thank you for reading, please review.