Chapter 4
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, but I 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.
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.
“Are you alright?” Tynan crouched beside me and I nodded. “Good, we need to keep moving,” he said and his eyes lingered on mine as if he was seeing me for the first time.
Finally my breathing slowed and my heart was beating in a steady rhythm.
I was still shaking, and my fingers were wrapped around the hilt of the kitchen knife so hard that the blade had become a part of my body.
Then we left the kitchen and I was surprised to find the prison had a dining area.
We moved through the rows of tables in the cramped space, Tynan led the way as Sol scouted ahead.
Frid followed me, half turning, her eyes searching every corner, every curve of the wall.
Victor was behind her with his sword ready.
Only minutes had passed since we left the cell, but at the same time it felt like a whole lifetime. The undead were coming out of the shadows and poorly lit empty spaces. The ones who could not run reached out with bony arms trying to make us fall as we moved around them.
The hum and muffled roaring got even louder when we came upon a long corridor. An enforced metal door was clearly visible at the end of it.
“Frid, get to the door!” Tynan shouted.
Tynan and Sol stepped behind us, putting us at the head of the group. The screeching and sounds of many feet on the stone floor were getting closer. It seemed as if hundreds of monsters were after us.
My lungs were burning when I reached the door. I grabbed the handle, tugging and pulling. It was locked. Frid pushed me away, attacking the lock.
“Gods!” I cried, banging on the steel barrier with my fists.
“Open the door!” Tynan shouted.
I did not need to look back to see that the herd of monsters were pushing them back toward us.
“Damn it!” Frid kicked it.
“Frid! The door!” Victor shouted.
“It’s locked!” the girl yelled.
I examined the hinges on the door, and moved my hand along the frame.
“We need to lift it up!” I shouted, looking for something that could be wedged between the floor and the edge of the door.
“The ax! Quickly!” I turned to Solomon.
Sol stepped closer, focusing on the door frame. The next moment, he placed the lip of his ax in the opening at the bottom, close to the hinges. With effort, he managed to lift the door, and it tilted sideways with a dull, metallic whine.