“I . . . really . . . I don’t think I did . . .” I stuttered.
“Then why are you here?” Victor asked.
“It’s a mistake.” I felt my cheeks burning.
I knew they did not believe me, and I could not blame them. How could they? Innocent people do not get imprisoned. I turned my head, feeling suddenly exhausted.
“Are you from the capital?” Frid asked.
“Capital?” I looked back at the girl.
“You should really try harder. I can almost believe you,” Victor snorted.
“Are you telling me that you don’t know about Railand?” Frid adjusted her sword.
I shook my head.
“She’s lying! We made it all the way here, went through a labyrinth infested with crawlers and we don’t even know if she was the target!” Victor sounded frustrated.
“Enough! Go back to sleep. We have to make it all the way out of here tomorrow,” Tynan’s authoritative voice stopped all of the questions, and all at once, everyone went quiet.
CHAPTER FOUR
ALINA
Someone shook my shoulder and I opened my eyes.
The first person I saw was the girl in a light brown leather suit with two braids on the sides of her face.
“It’s time,” Frid whispered, handing me a skin filled with water and making sure that I had a good couple of sips.
I glanced around noticing that the three remaining guys were all up on their feet. Victor was checking his sword, Solomon was swinging his ax, and Tynan was standing by the door, looking out in the corridor.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“We’re getting out of here,” Frid removed the skin and placed it in one of her jacket pockets.
“But the monsters . . .”
“If we stay, we die,” Victor responded without turning his head.
“Can you walk?” Frid asked.
“Yes,” I said while my heart raced in my chest.
Fear seeped deep into every inch of my body, taking refuge in my abdomen. We were going to get out, but we were heading straight for the monsters outside. I looked at the others, feeling that my limbs were shaking and all of them could see it.
I was not prepared when the door opened and Tynan disappeared into the corridor. I wanted to scream, to stop them. I was not ready, I could not do it, I needed more time. But, Frid dragged me along and my feet stumbled after her. I was almost paralyzed with fear when the soles of my shoes stepped down on the remains of a body on the floor. My nose picked up the smell of decaying flesh, and I almost gagged.
“Listen. You have to keep up!” Frid instructed as the sounds of running feet lightly reverberated around the narrow corridor.
“Do you know how to get out?” my voice sounded shaky and small.
“We leave the same way we came in,” Frid responded, pushing me ahead of her.
My hand touched the wall as I tried to keep my balance. It was so incredibly dark. My imagination was drawing horrifying pictures of demons waiting for me at every corner, butI had to push through because the others did, they were fearless. The cacophony of sounds echoed in my ears while I desperately tried to concentrate on placing one foot in front of the other. I did not know if it would be physically possible to be more frightened than I already was. A screech sounded somewhere ahead, and the ring of metal scraping the stone made me want to hide and cover my ears. But Frid’s hand forced me to keep moving.
My heart almost stopped when I heard growling coming from the shadows. Frid turned her body, and her sword sliced the air, decapitating the monster. Then she pushed me again and I picked up the pace, fighting the panic that was building up in my chest. The deep shadows in the corridors were scarier than the remains of the prisoners and guards, the pieces of clothing, and the torn body parts that were everywhere. I tripped over something on the ground but did not stop, the scream died down in my chest. I continued following the broad back of Solomon who moved his impressive shoulders, swinging his ax. My raw, ragged breaths escaped my throat, and quiet whimpers I could not control, invaded my ears. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to disappear, but the strong arm of the girl behind me kept plunging me forward.
