Breaking Out

Solitary confinement.

The guards thought locking Jasper away would break him. That isolation would make him weak.

They were wrong.

This wasn't a cage.

It was preparation.

And when he got out, he wouldn't just be free—he'd be unstoppable.

Jasper sat in the dark cell, chained to the floor, his body aching from the riot.

But his mind? Sharper than ever.

He studied everything. The way the guards rotated shifts. The way they dropped his food tray exactly at the same time every day. The sound of keys jingling when they passed.

Routine was their weakness.

And Jasper would use it against them.

The guard tonight was lazy.

Jasper could hear it in his walk—slow, careless.

When the food tray slid through the slot, Jasper was ready.

He didn't eat.

Instead, he waited. Counted the seconds.

When the guard walked by again, Jasper made his move.

BANG! He slammed the tray against the cell door.

The guard startled—stepped closer. "The hell you doin' in there, Cruz?"

Jasper grinned through the slot. "You really wanna know?"

The guard hesitated. Just enough.

Jasper yanked the loose chain free from the wall.

And when the guard opened the door—

Jasper attacked.

The fight was fast. Brutal.

Jasper wrapped the chain around the guard's throat, cutting off his scream. The man struggled, flailed—then went limp.

Jasper grabbed the keys.

His hands shook. His heart raced.

This was it.

He slipped out of the cell. The hallway was empty. But the cameras? Watching.

He didn't have much time.

One shot. One chance.

And Jasper Cruz never wasted an opportunity.