The cold that permanently inhabited his cell had penetrated his very soul, red eyes gazing without expression as though belonging to those of a corpse, long departed from this world. How he envied such a fate… It had been so long since these walls enclosed him, so long since his freedom had been stolen… If one were even to call such an existence freedom. His gaunt face and thin frame portrayed his obvious lack of nourishment, his skin pale from the absence of sun. His face was smudged with dirt, along with his hair, which smothered the fiery orange hue it normally held.
"He ain't dead yet?"
"No, but he looks close to it. Just give him some time."
Two guards stood outside his cell, peering in through the window in the door. He blinked slowly as the door opened, the weak light in the halls streaming in and pricking his eyes painfully. Putting a hand to his eyes, he pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the wall for support.
"Don't think of running out- you'll be dead before you make it." One of the guards shook a gun warningly, giving him a smirk. He came inside, shutting the door behind him, a paper bag in his hand. The prisoner watched him warily, noticing the belt at his waist. The guard gave him an angry stare, then walked towards him, landing a powerful punch to the thinner man's cheek. He stumbled, but didn't collapse.
"Pah! Look at you- too weak to even yell at me." The guard sneered, reaching forwards to grab the collar of the prisoner's shirt and pulling him upwards.
Gathering the scraps of his strength he still possessed, the prisoner landed a punch in the man's cheek, then tore off his belt, quickly winding it around the guard's neck and pulling. Gagging noised erupted from his throat as he was denied air, dropping both the bag and his gun. Eventually he joined them on the floor, his body limp. The prisoner managed a smirk- he had waited for them to be confident enough to enter like that, just bidding his time, mustering his strength… It seemed his plan had come out in the end, despite his original doubt.
"Hey! What happened in there?!"
Snatching the gun off of the floor, he whirled around, wincing as a bullet shot through his shoulder. He didn't waste a moment in returning fire, however, and his opponent was on the ground in a second. Gripping his wound, he ran out of the door, aiming his gun over his shoulder to take out the men behind him, eyes still set ahead as the dying screams echoed down the halls.
Cursing as he nearly tripped over his own feet, he fought against the tendrils of exhaustion that seeped into his body, his body protesting due to the sudden dash after such mistreatment. Still, he kept on running.
He had to get out.
The exit was in sight, freedom at his fingertips… Then, an excruciating pain seared through his abdomen as a bullet blasted through his stomach, bringing him to his knees. His vision was dim- the darkness overpowering his sight. Jerking himself around, he managed to shoot the guards behind him, then dragged himself up to his feet, ramming the door open and bursting into fresh air.
The abrupt change of atmosphere nearly sent him reeling to the ground, having been deprived of such clean air. Breathing deeply, he allowed himself a second to relish the slight breeze before he was off again.
I doubt I'll survive this… He thought, a grim smile making its way onto his face. Both of his wounds were bleeding far too much, his footsteps trailed by large splatters of blood. The sidewalk he moved along writhed and blurred in his eyes, making it difficult to even walk straight, let alone stand.
His heart began to race as his ears caught the sound of sirens- luckily, they were far off. But how long till they found him? How long would he even last out here? Making a last effort, he cut off of the road and into the bushes, the twigs and branches snagging on his clothes as he pushed through them. He felt the warmth of blood drip down his legs as the sticks snapped across them, though he hadn't the strength to stop them.
Eyelids fluttering, he dropped his hands down in an effort to stop himself as his legs buckled beneath him, though his efforts were in vain as his weak arms folded, falling with a soft 'thump' on the cool grass.
Darkness finally won him over.
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AN: You could call this a preview for the story, I suppose. So, tell me what you think