I sit in my cell. I gather my strength, forcing the prison slop down my throat. There is not much of it, but every drop of energy counts. My thoughts circle around my entire life. About how I grew up here. How I was treated. What I went through and what I had to live with.
Today, all of this will be history.
The plan is simple. When the time for the evening patrol arrives, I will raise a howl. They will have to open my cell, and then I will seize the moment and vanish from here.
They will surely leave Malvira in the training grounds for the night. To set an example for the others. I know their modus operandi—it is always the same. Just to sow fear. Just to force obedience. But I am done with that.
My heart pounds in my chest as if it wants to tear my ribs apart. The tension reaches its zenith. But I am determined. Like never before.
Today, no nightmares will stop me.
I lie down on the cot and fall into a shallow, restless sleep.
Measured footsteps in the corridor snap me out of my lethargy. It is time! Now or never!
I begin to howl as if writhing in unimaginable agony. I throw myself onto the floor, thrashing and tearing at my chest with my nails.
It worked!
The Quartermaster runs up to my door. The key grinds in the lock, and the door swings open with immense force.
"What the fuck are you screaming for at night, you fucking..."
He stops, looking at me with a stupid expression on his face. He does not know what to do. He has never seen me in such a state before.
"Son of a bitch... Let me see you."
He leans over me with his legs spread wide.
My heart nearly bursts from my ribs, but I do not waste a fraction of a second. I slide across the sweat-slicked floor straight between his legs. Before he can realize what is happening, I drive my feet behind his knees with all my might. He falls face-forward with a dull thud. I instantly spring to my feet. I jump onto his back and clamp my thighs around his thick neck.
He tries to heave himself up, but I crush him with my body weight, driving him back into the floor. I spot a club at his belt.
Perfect!
I grab it and furiously strike his exposed nape. Once. Twice. He stops thrashing. To be sure, I batter him a few more times until his skull lets out a hollow crack.
I search the corpse. I find a ring of keys and a small pouch of coins. I step out into the corridor and lock the door behind me. The way is clear. Soundlessly, I head toward the training grounds.
I emerge from the darkness of the corridor onto the open grounds. The moonlight floods the arena with a silver glow, exposing every detail.
I knew it!
In the center, beneath the very same post I was chained to for three days, the huddled figure of a woman is kneeling. The silence of the night is broken only by a muffled sob.
I sweep my gaze over the deserted stands. I move slowly toward her. She must hear my footsteps, because the sobbing ceases instantly. She is trembling all over with terror. I approach her slowly and drop to one knee beside her.
Pure shock is painted on her battered face.
"I have come to free you."
I understand how absurd that sounds, but time is working against us.
"The Quartermaster is dead. We are escaping."
I frantically fit the keys to her padlock, and the moment the heavy iron drops to the sand, a furious scream and the roar of an alarm echo from deep within the corridor.
Time is up!
I glance at Malvira, who can barely stand on her feet. The decision is instantaneous.
"Jump on my back and hold on tight!"
We flee.