My mind swims in nothingness; an empty blackness has crept into every recess of my skull. No touch nor smell, no sight nor sound is evident in the ubiquitous black. Only a peaceful calm envelops me like the warm caress of a breeze under the new moon.
I opened my eyes, only to see a blur of darkness and light around me. I got myself struggling to regain focus, all that I hear are the scuffs of metal against stone and the vague shape of a creature moving away from me. The smell of filth and death assaults my nose immediately, triggering a wave of nausea and throbbing pain throughout my skull.
I hear a raspy voice whispering in my ear, "Are you okay, my friend? That was quite a fall on your head. Do not try to speak yet. Nod if you are okay.”
I decided to listen to the voice and nodded my head emphatically.
"Ah. You are very strong; that is good," says the voice. Your eyes still struggle to focus on your companion, who sits next to you.
"Do not fuss if you are still hurt, my friend," says the voice. "The guards will come back, no doubt. But for now, rest easy."
A second voice, more bold and cynical, speaks up from across the room. "You coddle too much, Tya. Rub your eyes and look around you. Can you see what sort of place you are in? There is only despair here, and there is no cause to 'rest easy.'" A derisive scoff is heard.
I focused long enough to look around myself, and all I saw was a dingy prison cell.
The thick stench of unwashed bodies permeates this small room. Thick iron bars completely cover the wall that opens to the rest of the prison, and their edges are rusted with moisture and age. A bucket in the corner seems to be the source of most of the stench in the air. The walls have cots pressed against them, and they take up most of the space in the room. Their mattresses are dirty piles of hay and cloth. A faded Luos named Tya is nearby, her skin dull and without its natural sheen. His left eye roughly stitched, a scarred imp named Syl glowers nearby. And it seems that there are no visible exits.
Tya says, "You are too pessimistic, Syl. Soon we will be out of here."
Tya is instantly shushed by the sound of heavily booted footsteps approaching the door.
The footsteps grow louder before passing by the door of the cell.
"My friend, I am afraid we must make haste. Syl and I have plans to escape from our prison this very day, and if you are strong enough to accompany us, we can take you." Says Tya in a lowered voice tone.
After hearing Tya, Sya promptly says, "But if you hold us up, we will leave you behind."
Tya, in an agreement tone, says, "Yes, well, we won't think about that. We don't even know your name. Say your name for us, so that we know what to call you."
It’s been a long day; I can barely remember what happened to me, if there is someone that can help me, the least I can do is say my name, "Van."
"Very well, so let me explain our plan. Syl and I are nearly finished digging a tunnel leading out of prison. I suppose it will be quite large enough to fit all three of us inside."
Taking a break to think about their strategy Tya starts talking again. "Soon, while the prisoners are being moved into the work yard, we will hide in the tunnel. With any luck, the guards will assume our cell is empty."
"Then when the time is right, we will finish our tunnel, and escape into woods surrounding the prison. From there, we hope to catch a boat to the mainland." Says Tya in a somewhat worried tone.
The footsteps are heard again, but this time in a larger number, it seems like more than one guard is coming straight to your cell.
"This can't be good; I think they are coming our way Tya." Whispers Syl.
"Just say calm, they shouldn't come here, there is nothing here for th-" The cell door is open interrupting Tya and leaving Syl with an 'I told you so' look on his face.
A tall man with a scar going from eye to eye enters the room, his smell is strange and is a scent I have never smelled in my life, his voice his presence is strong and leaves both Tya and Syl and complete silence.
"I don't want to interrupt your little conversation, but it seems my guest has awakened hasn't he?" Says the man looking directly into Van's eyes as if he was reading his thoughts one by one while consuming his soul.
"Do I know you?" Van said to the man.
"Not yet but you will, I promise you my little bloodsucker" Answers the man with a smile that even the bravest of men would be afraid of it. "But don't worry my child, in the end, it will only hurt once."
With no idea whatsoever what the man is saying Van says nothing while the man continues. "You see, here we have two kinds of people, the ones that have miraculous plans about digging a tunnel to avoid my dumb guards, stealing one of my boats and escaping my prison and a man that has just awaken with no memories of his past, and needless to say the only one that will survive is, of course, the latter."
Two guards rush in the direction of Tya and Syl; a loud sound is heard while they are pushed into the ground and shackled, the guards then pick them up and push them out of the cell.
"You see my little bloodsucker. These people are a bad influence on you, they are criminals, but worry not, I'll take care of you."
Update coming soon! More story will be revealed! Thanks for reading.
Comments (1)
See all