Suddenly, Solomon stopped and I bumped into him.
“The corridor is blocked!” Tynan shouted.
A new wave of panic crashed into me.
We were trapped. We were going to die here.
“What do you mean? How’s that even possible?” Victor pushed me away, moving forward.
“What now?” Frid yelled.
I placed my arms around my torso, shaking my head.
We’re gonna die here, we’re gonna die here.
Tynan moved back, his brows furrowed as his piercing eyes focused on the inky emptiness of the hall we just came from. He lowered his head, extending his arm with a long hunting knife.
“We find another way,” he uttered in a low, steady voice.
“What? We’re not going to make it,” Victor growled.
I shifted my eyes back to Frid. Her eyes sparkled with something dangerous. She clenched the handle of her sword tighter, determination written all over her face.
“I’m with Ty,” Solomon said.
“Let’s go!”
Tynan walked past us. He flexed his arms, lowering the long, curved blade that he held in his hand. Frid grabbed my arm and we headed back the way we came. I bit my lip so hard that I could taste the saltiness of blood on my tongue. My heart was racing so fast, that I wondered how long I could take the pounding in my chest before my body gave way and I collapsed on the ground.
“Crawlers!” Tynan shouted and I screamed.
Frid forced me behind her and I crouched, covering my ears with my hands, my eyes closed. I did not know if I was screaming or crying anymore. My vision was blurry, and I could barely distinguish that the girl was pulling on my arm.
“Come on!” she yelled, and slapped me hard across my face. “I’m not dying here because of you!”
I caressed my throbbing cheek, as the pain made me return to my senses and I got to my feet. As we ran through multiple halls, Solomon chopped the undead down with his ax,Tynan struck them with his blade, and Victor used his short sword, repeating a similar stabbing motion. Frid clenched my wrist with one hand and pointed her sword forward looking at every shadow and every suspicious corner we passed by.
Eventually, we came upon a spacious opening with multiple wooden tables, large pots were sitting on a stove and numerous utensils were hanging from the walls. It was the prison’s kitchen. The bright afternoon sun was shining in through the multiple windows. Tynan slowed and walked carefully between the tables. His body turned to the side, leading with his right arm, the point of his knife facing outward. My eyes darted from the enormous, deep pots to the brick ovens. Everything was quiet. Frid lowered her arm, releasing me. My hands clenched the fabric of my skirt, I could not stop shaking.
“Take a break, everybody,” Tynan spoke quietly.
Victor leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, as Solomon examined the edge of his ax. Frid walked along the wall, inching closer to the pantry. In that instance, I saw something in the reflection of a steel lid that hung on the wall.
The shape was moving closer. My eyes darted from corner to corner, I could not figure out what I was seeing.
“Frid!” I shouted.
But I was too late. The corpse jumped on her from behind one of the shelves, and both of them fell to the ground. The teeth of the monster were just inches away from her face. The girl grunted as she tried to push the decaying body away.
“Frid!”
Tynan rushed toward her. Victor jumped over the table, but they were too far away. They would never make it. Everything went into slow motion. My body moved without hesitation; I grabbed a long bread knife off the counter and dropped to my knees in front of them. Both hands locked around the handle, keeping it secured within my grip. The next moment, the tip of the blade penetrated the distorted skull of the creature. The steel traveled through the bone and tissue with alarming ease. Bile moved up in my stomach. The growl died down as the body tipped to its side and Frid was able to get up.
“Gods damn it!” Victor grabbed Frid’s shoulder as his eyes roamed her face.
“I’m good, I’m good,” she said in a breathless voice.
I was still on the floor, unable to look away from the knife I still held in my hand.
