No Way Out: The Hexon Code, #5

By Jody Calkins

Mistakes can get you killed...or locked away forever.

Escaping Faction 73 was hard enough, but now Gabe and Emerson face a new set of problems. Dangerous, life-threatening problems. And ones that will test their resolve and their trust in each other.

If they survive the round-trip trek across the fallen city to search for their friends, will their love be enough to forgive all?

Ivy thought she had Shane figured out. Things were great. Well, as great as they could be stuck inside the prison walls with criminals and creepers.

But then Shane reveals a disturbing secret. Now that her world is turned upside down once more, can she ever trust him again?

The plot to escape DC Prison continues in this fifth installment of The Hexon Code series.

No Way Out (The Hexon Code, Book 5) is a chilling young adult dystopian thriller/drama.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emery Road Publications
• Release date: Feb 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781954708198

Jody Calkins

Author of The Hexon Code. Writer of Dystopian Drama. Pilot's Wife. Arborist. Learning Swedish & Turkish. Cat Lover. Book Addict.

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No Way Out eBook Cover

No Way Out

Jody Calkins

Emery Road Publications Logo

BOOKS BY JODY CALKINS

The Hexon Code

Shattered

Redeemed

Blackout

Outcast

No Way Out

Breakout

Sabotage

Outrage*

All the Strings*

Tainted

Platform 273

Bought

Charged

*Titles available soon!

NO WAY OUT

Copyright © 2020 by Jody Calkins

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by:

Emery Road Publications

https://emeryroad.com

ISBN: 978-1-954708-19-8

First Edition: February 2020

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Title Page

Books by Jody Calkins

Copyright Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

ALSO BY JODY CALKINS

About the Author

CHAPTER 1

LIFE IS FULL OF weird surprises. You go about life expecting one thing and then wind up with something else. Maybe it was something you didn’t want. Or maybe it was the one thing you actually wanted.

But what’s worse is when that thing you got was something you wanted and dreaded at the same time.

And no amount of information can fully prepare someone for it. You think you have all the information you could possibly need, but then you discover it didn’t even come close.

Here are some of the things I knew...

After the White House in Washington, DC was bombed in the year 2087 and the government offices were relocated to South Carolina, the planning for DC Prison began. Several years later, the guards issued the final evacuation notice, closed the wall, and shut off power to the city.

The general public was told it was terrorists who fired a missile and bombed our country’s capital. But some people believe there’s more to it than that, that it was done by our own people. After all, why would a terrorist group stop at the capital? Wouldn’t they bomb other big cities? Did they really only have one missile? That was unlikely and incredibly ridiculous to assume.

The purpose of the prison was to reduce incarceration costs and labor resources. And the experiment was to find out whether or not criminals would reduce their numbers on their own. Would they kill each other and save the country the trouble?

Many of the prisoners came from maximum security prisons. They were convicted felons of serious crimes. I had never heard talk of the results, but the odds were good the prisoners would assist the country in cutting down the numbers. They probably already had.

But what does all of this have to do with me?

Well, as it turned out, the above-ground portion of Faction 73’s training facility was located in DC. Which meant we were standing right inside the prison’s walls.

But let me back up...

CHAPTER 2

AS WE HEADED EAST, toward the direction of the tunnel Don had told us would lead inside the prison, I stared at the door to Faction 73’s building, the one we had just left moments earlier. I kept thinking the door would reopen and my parents would rush outside, but it stayed closed.

I felt numb.

If it wasn’t for the touch of Gabe’s thumb lingering on my cheek, I didn’t think I’d feel anything at all. It’s funny how things linger. How you have an idea of a particular thing because of what you used to know.

People, for instance.

I thought I knew my parents. I had missed them. I had mourned them. They were everything to me.

You have this idea in your head of how these people were. But then when you find out they weren’t the people you thought they were, the people you always believed they were, you have a hard time believing the truth.

Part of me still wanted to believe I was stuck in some bad dream. Maybe I had imagined them. Or maybe they weren’t really my parents. Maybe those people were only pretending to be my parents for some sick and unknown reason.

I wanted to believe anything so long as it didn’t involve them working for an agency that believed everyone was replaceable, that the kids didn’t deserve a life on the outside, back in the real world.

To take away a person’s memories just because it served them better... How could someone do that? And how could the people you had grown up loving support an organization that did that?

The thought of having my memories erased made me feel sick. Living a life without the memories of childhood or the people you had loved wasn’t living.

The agency was using us. Every recruit, every field agent, was a pawn in their own sick game. To fake the video footage so the recruits would believe their schools were under attack or that the country needed trained operatives to fight terrorism when no such thing occurred... that was twisted. It was one thing to embellish the truth; it was another to lie.

Emme, Gabe whispered, touching my arm.

I shook my head a little, trying to clear away the thoughts, as I looked up at him.

I don’t know how far east we need to go, but this is all forest, he said. The tunnel can’t be this way.

I looked around at all the trees in the dark. The tree tops had closed in above us, blocking out most of the light from the moon and stars.

I think we should head back.

How long have we been walking?

I don’t know, he said. You tell me.

I couldn’t see his smirk in the dark, but I could sense it in his tone. I shot him a smirk back even though I knew he probably couldn’t see it and then pulled up my sleeve. The faint glow of the clock hands of my wristwatch, the one Don had fixed and somehow programmed as a key card, displayed the time. Looking back up, I said, I didn’t think to check the time when we got out, but it’s almost one in the morning.

Fifteen minutes, maybe, Robert said. It was after midnight when we left the kitchen.

How far should we go? Gabe asked.

Let’s go a little farther, I said. We can’t be too far off. Didn’t Don say the tunnel was on the other side of the forest?

I can’t remember.

After another few minutes, we finally reached a break in the tree line. I let out a sigh of relief. My legs were starting to drag from lack of sleep and I had started to worry already about tripping on an exposed root and bashing my head on a rock. I was steadier on my feet now after all the fitness training over the last six weeks, but I was tired. Anything could happen at this point.

I was about to hunch over and give myself a rest when I realized a tall solid wall stood at the other side of the clearing. I froze and stared at it, eyes wide.

One of the guys groaned. And then both of them were jogging across the clearing toward the wall.

With a sigh, I followed, tilting my head back and taking in the sheer height of the structure. It had to be at least twenty-five feet tall and it was ribbed with thick metal wiring.

Uh, guys, Robert said, sounding nervous.

I looked over at him and then headed his way. When I saw the large sign he was pointing at and read the faded message, I frowned. Glancing at Gabe again, I said, It says access is denied.

He walked up to the sign as he turned on his flashlight. But then he took a quick step back. It’s electrified. And it’s the property of DC Prison.

CHAPTER 3

I STARED DOWN the length of the wall. I hadn’t expected to be inside the prison so soon. I thought we would have a little time to adjust to the idea before crossing into prison territory. You know, mentally prepare.

Wait, Robert said. Does that mean we’re inside the prison? Or are we standing on the outside?

I highly doubt they would electrify the outside, Gabe said, clicking off the light and slipping the penlight into his pocket. Waste of resources.

So... Robert’s voice trailed off. But didn’t Don say we had to get to the tunnel first before getting to the prison?

I nodded.

Gabe ran his fingers through his hair as he hunched over and then crouched down on the ground.

Had Don given us the wrong information intentionally or had he been misinformed? It seemed Wolfe had been fed the wrong information so he could pass it on to us to get us fired up about the training. What if someone was doing the same thing with Don?

What do we do now? I asked.

If we’re already inside the prison, let’s start looking for Tessa, Robert said. Don said she was near the Lincoln Memorial the last he checked.

I sighed. He could be wrong about that, too. Now we don’t know if any of what he said was true.

It has to be, he argued. We need to find her.

At least some of what he said was true, Gabe said, looking up at me. Right? Why would that information be wrong? Someone would have to be working above Don and hiding the real stuff.

I shrugged. After everything we know they’re capable of, you don’t think that scenario is possible?

He sighed. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s real anymore.

I stared at the electrified wall as I considered the possibilities. How much of Don’s information was wrong? And had Jill been telling us the truth the whole time? Or was that, too, all wrong?

And Wolfe... He had told me the war was going on outside. But did he honestly believe that? Or had he lied to get me to believe it? And for what purpose? Was the faction watching his every move? Listening in and making sure he kept feeding us the lies?

And was he killed because he was starting to show signs of revolting? He had brought in the bag of weapons and stored it inside the training room. Was he setting it up for us, knowing we would take notice?

Nothing made sense. There was so much I didn’t understand. So much happening behind the scenes that I didn’t think I’d ever find out the full truth.

Gabe sighed again. If Don’s been wrong about everything, finding anyone inside this city will be a challenge.

"Maybe he wasn’t wrong about everything. He did help us get out of the facility. And he protected us in Jill’s office."

Wait, what happened in Jill’s office? Robert asked.

They’re killing kids. When his eyes widened, I added, They’re working on a new method for removing memories and their latest experiment failed.

They killed them?

Well, probably. We didn’t stay for the whole thing.

His face scrunched up like what I was saying was the strangest thing.

There’s a medical facility behind a glass wall inside her living quarters, Gabe explained, standing up again. She communicates with the doctors through a webcam on her computer.

Robert still looked confused. I couldn’t blame him. The faction was a world of strange decisions and methods. They shouldn’t have been able to get away with half the stuff they did.

When I heard a rustling sound behind me, I whirled around and scanned the dark meadow. I couldn’t see anything other than tall grass. Nothing that would pose a threat. Probably just an opossum or rabbit. But as I stared down the length of the wall that arced back toward the trees, I spotted an inconsistency in the metal. I started to walk toward it.

Where are you going? Gabe asked.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw him jogging after me. There’s something down here.

The three of us hurried along the wall and finally came to what looked like a solid gate. The trees were just a few feet away from the wall, but there was enough room for an armored vehicle to fit through the gate and drive out into the meadow.

At least we know where the exit is now, I said, turning to Gabe. If we can get through it.

He nodded. Then he took my hand and headed back toward the buildings. Come on. We need to find a safe place to stay for the night.

After we find Tessa.

Not bothering to reply to Robert, Gabe backed up toward the tree line and gestured for him to follow. It took us another twenty minutes or so to pick our way through the dark forest.

When we reached the edge, we stopped at a tree trunk barely large enough for the three of us to take cover.

I peered around the tree at Faction 73’s building. It was a little farther north, far enough away that we should have been out of range of any cameras outside. But I didn’t think there was much to worry about. No one was stationed out there. And surely they would have seen us head for the forest anyway. They would know to find us there or somewhere in between.

And if they were smart, they had infrared. If they were searching, they’d find us.

I didn’t quite know why we hadn’t been picked up yet. Were they really not interested in sending us back to training? Or did they see us now as a lost cause?

And didn’t my parents want me back? They would know I was inside the prison. Wouldn’t they rescue me whether I wanted them to or not? Not that I wanted them to. But wasn’t it a parent’s obligation to protect his child no matter what?

Come on, Gabe whispered, pulling me toward the street.

We jogged across the pavement to an adjacent building and then up its small flight of stairs. I pressed my back against the alcove as Gabe tried the handle.

He sighed as he turned to Robert and me. It’s locked.

Too bad we hadn’t practiced our lock-picking skills in training, I said. I’m sure that comes in handy out in the field.

Gabe grimaced. I bet it does.

I think we should discuss our plan, Robert said, leaning against the railing. We’re at the north end of the city, right? And Tessa is at the southwest end. So, we just need to head south.

Right, Gabe said with a slight nod.

I couldn’t help but think he was just playing along to keep Robert quiet. I understood that Robert wanted to find Tessa—we all did—but he was emotional about it. He wanted to run to her without considering where we were located. He couldn’t see the danger in proceeding without taking precautions. We were inside a prison filled with convicted felons and we had limited ammunition for the weapons Wolfe had left behind. As I thought about it, another thought occurred to me.

Looking up at him, I asked, How do you know that’s where Tessa is? When we talked to Don, he said he didn’t know where she was located.

Robert shrugged. He told me.

Just recently? I asked, casting a sidelong look at Gabe.

Well, yeah. I talked to him right after the guards hauled her out of the dining hall.

Why hadn’t Don mentioned that to us? He had specifically said he didn’t know where Tessa was. Just said that she had presumably been delivered to the prison.

Something wasn’t adding up.

Either Don was lying or Robert was. I didn’t understand why either of them would do that. What sort of gain would they get by lying? Unless it was to throw us off track.

I didn’t want to mention my suspicions in front of Robert, so I kept quiet. Once Gabe and I were alone, I’d bring it up and see what he thought. And if Robert was lying, he’d have a pretty good idea that I was onto him.

Let’s go, Gabe said, taking my hand again.

As we started descending the stairs, Robert whispered, Wait, as he held up his hand to stop us and then pointed up the street.

I followed his gaze and watched the doors of Faction 73’s building slide open.

CHAPTER 4

MY HEART RACED as we stepped back behind the wall to take cover. Slowly, I peered around the edge of the corner and saw a dark figure step out onto the sidewalk.

I kept waiting for my parents to rush through the doorway, but it was only the one person. I couldn’t tell who it was with the bright lights behind him, but he was carrying what looked like a laptop case with its strap crossed over his opposite shoulder.

Is that Don? I asked, trying to get my eyes to focus so I could get a better look.

I think it is, Gabe replied.

Can we trust him? After the new developments?

I don’t know that we have another choice.

When the doors closed behind the man, blocking out the light from inside the building, he turned his head toward the west for a moment and then made a slow sweep to the east. Not seeming to spot us, he started to head east toward the woods.

We should flag him down now if we’re going to do it, Robert said. At least we can stop him from wasting his time going that way.

When I turned to Gabe, he met my gaze for a few seconds. It looked like he was trying to decide what to do. Then he turned to Robert and said, All right. Go grab him. We’ll wait here.

With a nod, Robert looked both ways and then jogged down the stairs and across the street. It was a small fortune he barely made a sound as he ran to catch up with Don.

While we waited, Gabe wrapped his arm across my waist and drew me back gently against his chest. As I hugged his arms with my own, I almost found myself closing my eyes and melting against him before remembering where we were. How easily he muddled my brain and made me want to forget about everything around us.

Forcing my eyes wide open, I scanned our surroundings, looking for threats or movement in the darkness.

We need to find weapons, he whispered in my ear. I think that takes priority right now.

I frowned. Wait. What happened to the gun you had?

I dropped it.

Inside the building?

Yeah, he said flatly.

And the bag with all the other weapons?

Also in the building.

I let out an exasperated sigh as I craned my head back. How could you do that?

I was too busy knocking you to the ground, he replied. You know, making sure you were safe.

Uh huh. And how are you going to tell Robert we’re holding off until we find some?

I’m trying to avoid it for as long as possible.

He doesn’t understand the threats involved.

I know, he whispered. He doesn’t realize how far the agency will go. Or how sadistic these people really are.

My throat went dry. Almost my whole life I had believed my parents had been killed in a car accident. But the accident had been a setup. I took a slow, deep breath as I watched Robert and Don—at least I hoped it was Don—jog our way.

Finally, when they were closer, he said, You guys are seriously nuts, you know that, right?

It was either this or have our memories erased, Gabe replied.

Besides, I said, we came here to find our classmates.

How did you get out? Gabe asked, stepping down the stairs and clapping him on the back. We thought you weren’t going to make it.

Out of breath, Don bent over and rested his hands on his knees for a few seconds before straightening up again. I got out before the guards arrived, he said. I didn’t think I’d make it either. They had almost burst into the warehouse by the time you guys bombed the entry. I had to hide and wait it out.

Are my parents dead? I asked, casting a quick glance at Gabe. They didn’t try to get out when the door opened.

They were already gone by the time I got there, Don replied, giving me an apologetic look.

I let out a slow breath and nodded. When Gabe touched my arm, I looked up at him. What kind of bomb had he used? And what chemicals had he added to make my parents drop to the floor?

They’ll be fine, he said. They’ll just have a major headache for a few hours.

What if they still come through that door? I asked.

I changed all the codes. Don started to walk past us across the street. Turning around and walking backward, he said, They’ll have to access the system to reset them before they can make it out. And hopefully we get out of here before that happens.

We followed him. His shoes crunched the debris that was covering the street. He wasn’t making an effort to be quiet.

Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at us. Why is this place so quiet? It must be one of the abandoned cities.

You didn’t tell him? I asked Robert.

It didn’t come up.

Tell me what?

We’re already inside the prison, Gabe said. All of your maps were wrong.

Don’s eyes widened as he stared at us. Quickly, he looked away as he ran his fingers through his hair. That’s impossible.

We’re dealing with Faction 73, I said flatly. Anything is possible.

That changes things. A lot of things.

Gabe glanced at me, catching my eye for a brief moment before turning back to Don. What are you talking about? What things?

Don leaned in and keeping his voice down, said, "I had a friend store weapons outside near the tunnel entrance. We were supposed to get there, grab the weapons, and then go inside the prison."

I found it odd that he was planning on joining us all along. But then