Monsters & Magic

When morning finally came back around, Cora was ready. She stood to face the door when it opened. In walked the same man as before. A nasty smile covered his face as he came to stand on the other side of the bars. “One more day, rat. Then, we’ll be done with you.” He reached through the bars to grab the metal tray, then straightened and looked her over. “Shame. You look fun. Maybe the boss will let us have you first.”

Cora’s face went numb, and her hands balled into fists. She had been prepared for verbal jabs, even threats to her life. Those were things she heard often. The threat he had made was one she was not expecting. She swallowed hard, biting back the retort she wanted to spit at him.

When he was finally gone and the door securely shut, she dared to breathe again. She was fast and knew the city well. Given a fair chance, she was confident she would be able to disappear. This would not be a fair chance. With nowhere to go, an injured shoulder, and two against one, she didn’t have much confidence at all. Her stomach rolled at the thought. I have to get out of here.

Heart beating fast, she searched the cell for anything that might give under pressure. She tried everything from the lock to the bench. She managed to loosen the bolts that held it to the wall before the door creaked open yet again.

Cora spun around, not yet ready to deal with further confrontation.

Seth crept in, leaving the door ajar, and ran to the cell door. He pulled something from his pocket and began fiddling with the lock.

Curiosity got the better of her as she watched. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you out of here,” he said, his voice low and rushed. “We don’t have a lot of time.” He backed up and let the door swing open. “Come on.”

Cora held her ground, keeping her expression blank. “Why?” This was too easy. There was no way he was actually going to get her out. It was more likely he was leading her into a trap with a false sense of security.

“Because they’ll be back soon. They’re talking with m— the boss.” He looked back at the door, and then at her, motioning with his hand for her to follow. “Let’s go.”

She didn’t question again. That was all the motivation she needed. After searching fruitlessly for a way to break out, if he was offering escape, she would be a fool to reject it.

He held a finger to his lips and peered out the heavy door. Then, he waved for her to follow as he slipped out of the room and into the long hallway. “This way,” he whispered, turning down a corridor she hadn’t noticed when she had been brought in.

Before they had gone far, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls.

Cora sucked in a breath and paused to listen.

“Come on,” Seth whispered, regaining her attention.

He was right. They didn’t have time to stop and listen. She picked up the pace, following him further along the corridor. They stopped at a split, and that was when she heard the shouts. From behind them, deep voices called to each other. Their words echoed through the darkened space, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

“This way,” Seth turned right. “Follow me.” He ran down the corridor, and Cora followed, heart pounding and thoughts racing.

To her horror, the voices behind them only seemed to grow louder and the footfalls closer. They were never going to make it out.

“This way!” She heard one man shout, and then they were running too.

“They’re going to catch us,” she hissed at Seth.

“Almost there.”

She tried to see up ahead, but the lights on the walls were spaced far apart, leaving dark spaces between them. The corridor itself seemed to stretch on forever. “Where,” she started.

“Here,” Seth stopped short in a dark space, and began feeling along the wall.

“What are you doing?” she asked through her teeth. Panic rose as the footfalls neared. Any moment she would be able to see them running down the corridor. She was about to push Seth to keep going when he disappeared. A hand tapped her and she nearly screamed.

“Follow me.” His voice came from a hole in the wall, about knee height and just large enough to crawl through. Too small for the large men.

She glanced back to see their shadows coming closer. Without wasting another breath, she got down and squeezed herself into the hole. Inside was pitch dark, but she dared not make a noise as the men neared the hole. Even Seth was still as a statue.

When the men passed, Cora and Seth stayed where they were, silent. They waited until the footsteps had become echoes down the corridor and their voices were no longer clear. Then Seth whispered. “This is our way out. Come on.” He shifted, bumping into her before moving further in. “We have to crawl.”

Cora put her hands and knees under her and began to make her way down the tunnel, doing her best to avoid colliding with Seth. The surface was roughly cut. It scratched at her palms and tore at the knees of her pants. In some spots it grew so narrow that she wasn’t sure she would be able to squeeze through, while in other places it felt wide enough for two.

She felt like they had been crawling all day when Seth finally spoke again. “There’s a connecting tunnel up ahead. We have to go up.”

Cora nodded, then added, “Ok.” She listened as he moved ahead, then followed.

A small shaft of light cracked through the tunnel from above, and she stood slowly, searching for its source.

“Let’s go,” Seth said from beside her. He reached up and she thought she saw the shadow of a metal bar just before he grabbed it and pulled himself up. His feet scrambled for a hold, and as soon as they found it, he was moving again.

Cora hesitated. After crawling for so long, her shoulder was throbbing. She looked around, wondering if there might be something that she could use to gain height.

“Come on,” Seth called from above. “We’re almost there.”

Taking a deep breath, Cora jumped and reached for the bar. Her fingers caught it and she wrapped them around. Her shoulder burned as she pulled herself up.

Just a little further, she told herself.

She reached for the next hold and found it just at the edge of her reach. Her feet scrambled as she grabbed it, pulling herself up again. Then they hit the first hold, and she could push herself up, it was a lot like climbing a ladder.

They followed the light to the top of the tunnel, and then paused. The sound of rock scraping against rock grated against her ears. Then, light flooded the small space, and she had to squint as they climbed up and out of the hole.