Page 38 of Creed
The man wanted something out of us, out of me specifically, more than just the journal. He was looking for an answer to a question I couldn’t even fathom.
I was left even more determined not to give the man what he wanted. At the moment, it was a moot point as I hadn’t cracked the journal yet, but even when I did, I couldn’t give it to him.
Our only hope would be to escape before I finished the journal.
After our meeting, other members of the cult checked on us more frequently than before. At least once an hour during theday someone would come by looking for an update on what progress I’d made. Each time, I had to have something to show them, or they threatened to move Kayden to a separate room.
Because of this, I had to keep working on the journal. So, I handed the nail over to Kayden to take care of.
While I was busy writing out codes, Kayden sat on the floor, painstakingly rubbing the nail against the concrete wall and slowly filing it down into a thin point. Old locks were bulkier than new ones, and had bigger keyholes, so it was my hope that the nail could be filed down into something that could be used to pick the lock.
That was step one of our escape plans. After that, I still wasn’t sure what to do, but it was a start.
A knock came at the door. Kayden quickly hid the half-filed nail up his sleeve. A knock meant it was probably Robyn bringing our next meal, but we couldn’t be too careful.
I called out for the boy to enter.
When he opened the door, I caught a glimpse up the stairs beyond where I could just see several armed men standing guard.
My view of our guards only lasted a moment before the door shut behind the boy and we were once more cut off.
“How are you doing, Robyn?” Kayden asked as the boy set his laden tray down on the table. His voice sounded concerned.
Robyn muttered a quiet “Fine” as he started setting out the different dishes.
I could see why Kayden sounded so concerned. Robyn’s complexion was paler than normal, and there were heavy circles under his eyes. His hands shook, causing him to fumble and drop one of the bowls.
I managed to catch it, grateful for the lid on the bowl, or else its contents would have ended up on the floor.
“Whoa, Robyn, sit down,” Kayden insisted, pulling out a chair for the boy.
It took very little coaxing before the boy practically collapsed into the offered chair and hung his head in his hands.
“I shouldn’t stay here,” he spoke straight at the floor. “They’ll be suspicious if I take too long.”
Kayden knelt beside the boy’s chair, stroking a soothing hand over his back. “Okay. Just take a moment to breathe and then you can go. What’s wrong? Is there anything we can do?”
It was a meaningless offer. We could barely take care of ourselves let alone do anything to help the boy, but Kayden’s concern seemed to calm the boy down, nonetheless.
The young man sucked in a deep breath; some of the color returned to his skin and he sat up straight.
“Are you trying to escape from here?”
Kayden and I shared an equally baffled look.
“Um,” Kayden stumbled over his words. “That’s not...”
Robyn interrupted, his words gaining speed as he started to ramble. “Everyone says that you’re some kind of expert soldier, and that you must have some plan to try and escape. That’s why we must be careful with you.”
At this, Kayden was completely speechless, but before I could try to respond, Robyn whispered one last sentence.
“I hope they’re right.”
His words were spoken under his breath, as if he was afraid to even let them touch the air.
Bracing myself for what I was about to hear—because I could tell from Robyn’s tone that it wouldn’t be good—I knelt beside the boy as well and asked him to explain.
The story came rushing out of him in one tangled mess of whispered words.
