Average Joe and the Extraordinaires Read Online Free PDF Page B

sliver of light from above them.  Melissa
stopped and pointed at it, but Joe had already guessed what needed to be done. 
He struggled but managed to push aside the tile floor tile above out of the way
and pulled himself up to take a peek at the next floor.  He saw no one. He was
in a bathroom. He pulled himself up first and listened for sounds for a few
seconds.  When he heard nothing, he reached down and pulled Melissa up. 
Dahlila had already climbed up by the time he was finished with that.
    Dahlila:
“I know where to go from here.  Hop on my back.”
    She
looked at Joe and grinned.
    Dahlila:
“Not you, Joe.”
    Dahlila
led them all into the hallway. Joe recognized the furnishings from earlier. 
This was the floor he and Beauty had first stopped at, UG6 or level six.  The
halls were mostly empty but for the occasional security guard that ran by. 
Joe, Dahlila, and Melissa all hugged the walls and kept low as they crept
towards a set of double doors.  They had to duck into a room when a group of
guards rounded the corner so fast they were nearly caught.  Once the guards had
passed, it left the path open for the group to run forward through the double
doors and up to the stairs.  They ran up one flight and Joe tried to press on,
until Dahlila grabbed him.
    Dahlila:
"Wait."
    Joe:
"What?"
    Dahlila:
"You don't want to go up there.  What we need is in here."
    She put
Melissa down and felt around a small corner of the wall.
    Dahlila:
"I overheard them talking about what this place was like before they got
the elevators.  They used to have to climb up and down with a ladder.  They
said it was over in this direction and I remember ... ah here it is."
    She
tapped the wall with her right foot first, and then with a quick burst of
strength kicked the top part in sending the shattered wood down to the floor. 
Her next two kicks broke through the rest leaving them enough space to walk
through.
    Dahlila:
"I tried to escape before and ran over here.  I remembered seeing some
funny looking lines around here.  Let's go!"
    They
followed her through an area that looked very unpolished compared to the rest
of the facility.  There was dry, dusty rock and dirt all around them, like they
were in a cave.  There also wasn't any light ahead.  Melissa shined her light
forward so they could at least see their feet.  Finally they spotted a rope
ladder hanging up ahead.  It stood out in the darkness, a dingy beige color
that was probably white at one time.  Dahlila tugged at it firmly.
    Dahlila:
"It's good!  Time to get out of here."
    Joe:
"What's up ahead?"
    Dahlila:
"The exit I imagine, but truthfully I don't know.  I've never made it this
far before."
    Joe:
"What if there's nothing up there?"
    Dahlila
shook her head and sighed.  She lifted Melissa and put her on the ladder
first.  Melissa looked down at Joe and smiled.
    Melissa:
"Have a little faith, Joe."
    She
climbed up with Dahlila trailing right behind her.  Joe only hesitated for a
bit before deciding he had no choice but to take his chances with the girls.
    Dahlila:
"It's a long climb.  If your arms start to hurt, just stop and rest.  This
goes for both of you.  Joe, if you stop, let us know so we don't leave you
behind."
    Joe:
"Okay."
    Her
concern for him perked Joe up a bit.  He began to feel a burning in his arms
only moments after starting his climb.  It felt like they had been climbing for
at least five minutes straight, and when that turned to almost ten minutes Joe
was tapped out.  They all stopped and waited for about a minute for him to get
his strength back.  Neither the little girl or Dahlila had looked tired.  Joe
wondered what the heck they were made of.  Right after that, they made it to a
large metal platform with wooden planks for footholds that led to more stairs. 
They took the stairs straight up until they couldn't go up any further.  Here,
there were metal rungs attached to the wall.  Joe dreaded more climbing, but
decided he'd be