Every second counts. My heart continues to race.
I round a corner and the hallway stretches on endlessly. At least here the crisp scent of water reaches me, mixed with the faint aroma of grass and earth, all of it underneath the layers of musky cavern rock, and I draw in a deep breath so that it fills my nostrils.
It makes me think of the forest, of the mountain and freedom, and even though there’s no guarantee that’s where it’ll lead me, I push forward, following it.
Rounding another curve, my ears pick up a harsh, unsettling sound—a series of slapping noises followed by low, guttural grunts. My heart leaps into my throat and I freeze in my tracks, pressing my back against the rough stone wall.
Fuck! I've been found out!
My brain short-circuits. I don’t know what else to do besides stand there like a sitting duck, until I realize the sounds are coming from behind me. More specifically, from behind a door not far off from where I am.
I let out a harsh breath.
After peeling myself off the wall, I’m about to tiptoe past it, but the sound of a woman crying out in pain hits my ears, and I pause again.
Has Andras trapped another woman in here?
Shit, maybe I’m not the only one he’s keeping in a cage. I’ve got to do something.
The sounds get louder. A man grunting, wood scraping across stone, and a woman screaming between every hit of something unknown.
They’re beating her!
Scared and enraged, I inch closer. The door has been left open just a bit, but when I peer through the narrow crack, what I find on the other side sends a shock wave throughme.
In the dim light, my gaze snags on a large animal pelt hung across the far wall, like some kind of prized trophy on display. From a bear? No, too small. A…wolf?
Would Andras kill his own kind and display the skin like a deranged lunatic? Yeah, probably.
The thought makes me shudder.
Shadowy figures shift and twine below the pelt, their movements jerky and erratic. They seem to be engaged in some kind of violent struggle, their forms obscured by the shadows of the room, but it definitely seems to be a man holding down a woman, his imposing height towering over her as she’s being forced down on a table of some kind.
It takes a moment, but then my eyes adjust, and when they do?—
It becomes clear the woman is not in any danger at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The man has a pretty blonde bent over a table, her pencil skirt hiked up to her waist, while he slams into her from behind. He may be holding her down, but it’s apparent she’s not screaming in pain.
Ecstasy, definitely. Her eyes are closed and her face is twisted in pleasure.
I blink, coming back to myself, and finally recognize the man behind her. Linebacker shoulders, torn shirt, jet-black long hair.
It’s Andras.
As if he’s heard my thoughts, his head snaps my way. My throat constricts and I book it down the hall before our eyes meet.
I don’t know if he actually saw me, but I’m not sticking around to find out.
Hurry your ass up, Wexler!
Less concerned about being quiet now, my feet poundagainst the rocky floor as I sprint blindly, my only guide the scents coming from outside.
I pull in ragged gasps as I navigate the winding passage for what feels like forever until, with a desperate spark of energy, I burst into the open air, the darkness of the night somehow much brighter than the darkness inside.
The surprise has me half-tripping on my next steps. My arms windmill in an attempt to regain my balance. When I’m greeted by the cool, open air of the mountainside, I stop running and suck the freshness in greedily.
The grass beneath my feet feels like a miracle, the stars above the treetops things of absolute beauty, and I let it all wash over me for a few untainted seconds.