Chapter One: In the Dark
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I am not going to die here.
She had already paced the perimeter of her prison so many times she could do it with her eyes closed. She made another circuit of the room anyway, eyes wide open, straining in the dim light filtering in through a long crack in the wooden doors overhead to scan and analyze every inch of the place. There was not much to see: blank earthen walls, steep wooden steps, all of it currently visible only in the sepia tones of old film.
"Once you've seen one root cellar, you've seen them all," she murmured aloud. "I knew I shouldn't have signed up for this tour."
The flippant words rang hollow.
With a sigh, she sat down on the bottom step to rest, to rub her bruised shoulder, and to consider her options.
I could spend another hour or two throwing myself against the doors. Or I could start digging. Or I could sit here and scream for help.
She took a shaky breath. None of those options were much comfort.
There's always a way out. I am not going to die here.