Chapter 9: A Prison Holds Many Tales
I was growing nervous as all three of us entered the elevator. Isabelle waited for a moment before pulling the lever. The elevator gave a lurch before descending downwards. All of us remained silent, tension high in the air. Something is going to go wrong. It always does. I thought silently, watching as more and more doors slid past. I wonder where we're going, exactly. I was about to ask when suddenly, our descent stopped.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Isabelle asked, laughing timidly. We exchanged a worried glance before Daniel decided to pull the lever again.
"It's not working." His voice barely left his lips before the earsplitting roar came again. The elevator began to shake violently before something cut it loose.
When I awoke, my eyes were blurry and there was a strange ringing in the air. It took a few moments for me to gain my composure and stand up. What just happened? We were going down the elevator when suddenly- I whipped around, desperately examining my new environment. That's when I saw the massive pile of rubble. The elevator had crashed!
Taking a deep breath to calm down, I glanced around, feverishly searching for Daniel and Isabelle. I saw them near the debris, whispering in hushed voices. Letting out a vague sigh of respite, I made my way toward them.
"Are you alright?" Daniel asked, helping Isabelle to her feet. She zealously brushed off the dirt and dust from her crimson dress.
"Yeah, just a little dazed." She replied, glancing upwards at Daniel.
"No concern for me?" I asked tauntingly, appearing from the dusty haze. They both turned toward me, surprise shining in their eyes.
"Oh great, I hoped you were dead," Daniel teased, "I'm glad you're okay." Though he was trying to lighten the mood, something in his tone hinted toward uneasiness. His gaze flickered from Isabelle to me.
"Yeah, sure." I replied with a shrug. Daniel frown at my response but didn't say a word.
"Where are we?" Isabelle piped in. I turned around, examining the room through narrowed eyes. It was hard to see, even with torches lit, but I could make out two large lion statues to my sides. On the opposite end of the room, there was a gate blocked by some debris.
"I think I remember," Daniel said, "This is the Prison." I turned toward the man, wondering how he knew that, but I didn't protest.
"Well, that doesn't sound so good. We should be more careful in here," Isabelle breathed. I nodded distantly, staring at the gate with dread. Beyond the metal bars lay more darkness; thick and suffocating. Disquiet began to flutter in my chest, instantly telling me that beyond the gate was dangerous.
"Let's continue, shall we?" Daniel asked, a stressed tone lining his voice. Isabelle and I followed him to the gate and we spent a few moments rolling the boulders away. When our path was clear, I tentatively opened the gateway, wincing as the old metal creaked and whined.
I waited until my eyes adjusted to the gloom, and quickly realized that our only option was to go right. We were about halfway down the old corridor when the silence was shattered. A scream filled the air, followed by the sound of metal being dragged across stone. We stopped, gazing into the darkness, trying to find the source of the horrific noises. When the sounds ceased, Daniel and I exchanged a glance.
"What the hell was that?" I asked, throwing a look over my shoulder.
"I-I don't know. But it doesn't sound good, does it? Should we turn around?" Isabelle stated.
"We can't turn around. There's nowhere to go. The sounds are gone and we need to keep moving." Daniel said sternly before stalking past me. I looked at Isabelle before following the man.
We turned the corner of the hall, only to see the Prison opened up into more corridors. There was a staircase to our front, darkness lying thick at the top. There were two more halls, one to our left and right. We decided to go right, but the hall was cut short from a rock fall. I let out a sigh of frustration before we turned around. Isabelle was pale in the dim light, shaking slightly. Daniel's eyes were wide, gaze flickering back and forth. They're both nervous but I can't blame them. There's something ominous about this Prison; I don't like it. It's too cramped in here…
"Should we go up the staircase or go left?" Isabelle asked, voice quivering noticeably. Staircases are always bad. I thought silently, gazing at the stone steps.
"Let's go left," Daniel said flatly. This time, the eerie hall was clear of rocks. There were three metal doors. But the one at the end had blood smeared across the front. We froze, gazing blankly at the smudge of crimson.
"I guess this is where the scream came from," Isabelle said with a taut laugh. Daniel and I cast an anxious glance at the woman.
"Let's just search these rooms quickly," I said before opening the nearest metal door. It was heavy and hard to open, but I managed. The cell before me wasn't anything special. There was a bare bedframe lying against one of the walls. A bucket and chains were the only other things in the cell. But, something caught my attention.
Bending down, I picked up what looked like a hammer. Intrigued, I exited the chamber.
"Hey, look at this," I said before holding up the hammer, "I found it in the cell." Daniel took it from my hand.
"Well, we might need it. I'm gonna hold on to it for now." He said before walking back to the staircase. We paused at the bottom, a feeling of dread filling the air. Who's gonna go first? It's definitely not me, I've been injured enough.
"Ladies first?" I said with a sneer, turning to Isabelle. She visibly paled, glancing from me to the stairs with apprehension.
"I'll go," Daniel said with a sigh before going up briskly. We followed, Isabelle holding my sleeve with an iron grip. We were almost to the top, and I was beginning to think that our vexing was useless. But suddenly, the beast appeared from around the corner at the top of the stairs. Daniel let out a yell of surprise as he came face-to-face with the horrid creature. The monster lashed out, landing a deep score on Daniel's arm. He yelped before falling backwards. The monster let out a low growl before sprinting down the stairs. I quickly helped Daniel to his feet before bolting down the hall, desperately trying to reach the room with the destroyed elevator.
Casting a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw that I was ahead of my friends. They were frantically following me, but the creature was mere feet behind them. Silently, I willed the two to make it. After a few more hysterical moments, I flew past the gate and hid behind one of the boulders. I could hear Daniel and Isabelle enter the room, but I was too afraid to see where they went. Silently, I listened for the beast. I waited, expecting to hear it smash through the gate, but no sounds came.
"Daniel? Isabelle?" I dared to call out.
"We're here," They replied in unison. Diffidently, I climbed out of my hiding place and glanced over at the gate. It was unscathed, meaning the beast had given up the chase before we even reached safety.
Turning around, I saw Daniel and Isabelle climb off one of the lion statues. Despite our depraved situation, I couldn't help but smile. That was, until, I remembered the wicked creature had injured Daniel. I rushed over to the man, worry gripping my mind. He must've known why I had come over.
"I'm fine, Felix." He said gently, "It wasn't as bad as I had thought." I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"I think the beast is gone," Isabelle piped in, "We should get going." I nodded in agreement before we set out again.
It didn't take long to reach the staircase, but this time, we were more hesitant in our ascent. Thankfully, no monsters came when we reached the top. But now, there was a labyrinth of hallways.
"Which way?" Daniel asked. I nudged the man to go left. I wonder what we have to do here. We have a hammer, but what do we use it for? There were quite a lot of cells, but I knew we didn't have time to search them all. There was a dangerous beast lurking about, and we needed to move quickly. Finally, Daniel halted and entered a cell.
"We can do just a quick look," He stated before examining the chamber through pale emerald eyes.
"Hey," I interrupted, "There's something under the bed!" Daniel immediately pushed the bedframe to the side, only to see a hole in the rock. In fact, it was a tunnel.
"It's too small to go through," Daniel stated, "Only Isabelle could fit."
"Try using the hammer!" Isabelle said, happy that we were finally making some progress. Daniel gripped the hammer and pounded at the rocks relentlessly, but it made no difference.
"We need something else," The russet-haired man said, breathless. I let out a sigh of exasperation, loathing the thought of staying in the Prison any longer. Isabelle was sharing my frustration, for she gave Daniel an irritated look.
"Hey, I don't like it either." The man said before exiting the chamber. We followed mutely, gazing at the dark hall before us. There were three doors in this hall. One for each of us to look through, I suppose. Splitting up might be wise here… The two must've been sharing the same idea, for they went ahead of me. Daniel took the nearest door while Isabelle wandered into the one at the very end of the hall. I didn't even realize I was alone until ghostly silence began to draw out. Growing panicked, I ran toward the cell that my friends didn't go into. I slammed the metal door shut, suddenly feeling safe. I sat against the cold metal for what seemed like an eternity. That was, until, Isabelle's voice rang out through the Prison, shattering the stillness.
I left the cell, only to see the woman dashing through the halls, making her way back to the cell with the tunnel. She was holding something in her hand. Daniel followed closely, so I did the same. We regrouped in the cell, gazing into the tunnel.
"I found a chipper. We can use the hammer with it and widen the hole," Isabelle said, panting heavily. Daniel went to work again, and this time, it worked. All three of us could now fit.
"So, who wants to go first?" Daniel said mischievously. He looked at me, but then I turned towards Isabelle with a grin.
"You guys are pathetic…" She muttered before jumping down. Daniel and I waited in dreadful silence, wondering if anything horrid was in the tunnel. But then, Isabelle spoke up.
"It's all good," She said, voice echoing. Daniel didn't say a word as he jumped down as well, leaving me alone. Again. With a sigh, I went down as well.
The two were waiting for me. When I landed next to them, they set off down the tunnel. It was hard to see and very narrow. It felt like I was suffocating, the thought of all the dirt and rock ready to collapse made me sick. Finally, the underpass branched off into two directions. Without slowing our pace, all three of us went left. We came across a wall of rocks but I could see light seeping through. Daniel tentatively gave one of the stones a push. It fell, revealing another area beyond. We went to work, removing the wall of rocks until we could climb out of the tunnel.
"W-where are we now?" I asked, taking in my surroundings. It still looked like the Prison, only worse. It wasn't as dark as the previous area, but the space seemed more compact. Damn…
"It's the Northern Block of the Prison." Daniel said dully, "Let's hurry up and find our way out of here." When he grew silent, my gaze traveled to the stone walls. There were signs that pointed in different directions. The closest one to me said "Kitchen".
"Hey, let's go this way." I stated before following the arrow. Daniel let out a warning but if fell on deaf ears. The arrows led to a short staircase with a door at the top. I bolted up the steps and went into the Kitchen; Daniel and Isabelle weren't far behind.
"Don't go running off like that!" Isabelle scolded. I ignored her accusing tone and gazed around the new room. It was larger than previous areas. There was a lit fire, shelves full of pots and bags, and more rotten pig carcasses. And at the very end of the room was a barrel full of fizzing acid. The three of us walked over cautiously, treating the acid as if it were some sort of disease.
"Do you still have the chemistry pot?" I asked Daniel.
"No, we lost it the explosion back in Storage," He replied.
"Then we need to find something to carry this, right?" Isabelle asked.
"Yes, but why do we need acid?" I questioned.
"We'll find out soon enough, now won't we?" Daniel smirked before turning to leave the Kitchen. We followed him down the staircase until the monster happened to show up. It appeared from around the corner and immediately ran toward us. Surprised, we bolted back into the Kitchen, slamming the door shut behind us. The horrific beast started to claw its way through, and we barely had enough time to hide before it broke in. We were in the back of the room near the rotten pig carcasses. I could feel bile rising in my throat, the smell getting the better of me. Isabelle looked ready to vomit as well. Daniel had is eyes clenched shut, muttering beneath his breath. After a few dreadful moments of silence, I climbed to my feet and peered out from our hiding spot.
"It's gone…" I breathed. Isabelle then retched. Daniel helped the woman to her feet before we left the Kitchen, again. We followed the signs until we were back by the tunnel.
"So, we need to find something to hold the acid, right?" Daniel asked. Isabelle and I nodded.
"Let's keep following these signs," The woman stated, "They will probably lead us to the right place." We spent a great deal of time, though, trying to locate the right sign. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic and nervously bit down on my lip. We had been wandering for what seemed like hours and I knew that a run-in with the monster was due.
We were heading down a particularly long corridor, the dim light cast of from the torches making the place seem even more portentous. There were only two prison doors in this hall, and we were about to pass them when a voice rang through the air.
"Is he safe? Well, it's for his own good." It was a deep, old voice. Daniel stopped in his tracks, as if recognizing the strange noise.
"What was that? Did you say something?" I asked the man.
"I didn't say anything…" Daniel mused. The atmosphere grew tense as we stood, dumbfounded.
"We probably imagined it," Isabelle reassured, "Let's just keep moving. I thought I saw a sign that said Storage. It sounds promising." We followed the woman, keeping silent incase another strange voice came.
Sure enough, we came across an arrow that read Storage. We followed until it led down a staircase. Uneasy, we went down, only to see a door at the end of the dark corridor. I went in first, only to see the room was fairly small. It was full of shelves, but most of them were empty.
"Look!" Daniel said, "Can we use that?" He pointed toward a glass jar sitting on a top shelf. Can glass even hold acid?
"It's worth a shot. Do you see anything else that would work?" Isabelle replied. She reached forward and grasped the jar. Good, now let's get out of here! I'm getting anxious.
We soon returned to the Kitchen, fearful because the door was gone. The monster shouldn't come twice, should it? Isabelle dipped the jar into the barrel of acid, being careful not to get the dangerous liquid on her hands. When she filled it to halfway, another low growl came from behind us. Really? Again? Give us a break! I cast a glance over my shoulder, only to see the disgusting beast charging through the door. We didn't have time to hide.
"Run past it!" Daniel ordered, showing a sudden surge of bravery. I thought his plan was idiotic, but it was our only option. We charged at the monstrosity, and it was obviously taken aback by our response. Luckily, that gave us enough time to run past and down the stairs. We weaved through the narrow halls, pausing only to see if we were still being chased. We weren't.
"That was terrifying! Brilliant plan, Daniel." Isabelle snapped, panting heavily.
"Oh, could you have come up with something better?" He retorted.
"Hey, both of you! We got out alive and with the acid. That's all that matters so quit arguing. You're worsening my headache." I interrupted, malice lacing my tone. They were both caught off guard, but nodded vaguely.
"Let's just go see what we need to use the acid on…" I muttered before continuing down the corridor. We were back in the same place where we had heard the strange voice. This time, though, when we passed the two doors, I suddenly felt drawn to them.
"Hey," Isabelle broke the silence, "I want to explore." Daniel looked bemuse at her statement and was about to protest.
"I do too." I broke in. He stared at us blankly, though Isabelle looked grateful.
I watched in dread as Isabelle bolted into one of the cells. I waited and listened, expecting to hear a threatening growl, but nothing came. So, I assumed it was relatively safe. I wandered into the cell next to the one Isabelle had vanished into, taking in the new environment. There was a bedframe flipped over on the broken rock floor. Chains were attached to the walls, obviously meant to hold someone in place. Taking a closer look, I realized the stone walls were tainted with dried blood; alarmingly large amounts too. My eyes widened in recognition. That was my blood. My blood. I collapsed, the whole world going black.
When I came to, my hands were suspended above my head by a damp rope. Everything in my body ached; the slight throbbing in the back of my head grew irritating. I opened both eyes and waited for my vision to adjust to the gloom. When they did, I saw a man standing a few meters to the left, holding what looked like a leather whip. Eyes wide, I recalled what had happened earlier in the day. The man, Daniel, had dragged me out of my cell and brought me to this strange place. For what: I had no idea. But when he started to walk behind me, I kind of figured it out.
"Y-you don't have to do th-this…" I mumbled. The man let out a callous chuckle, gripping the whip tightly. When he raised the device, preparing to strike, my eyes widened.
"Stop, please! I didn't do anything!" I pleaded.
"That's what they all say," He whispered, eyes taunting. The man lashed out with the whip, landing a searing blow across my bare back. I let out a choked wail at the sudden blossom of pain and could feel the warm flow of blood seeping out of my new wound. Daniel paused for a few moments, letting my pain subside before lashing again. Clenching my teeth shut, I tried to bear with the agony, but the evil man kept hitting the same wound countless times. He paused one last time and I let out a relieved sigh.
"Oh, don't think it's over just yet!" He laughed mercilessly, lashing out more and more, hitting my exposed back without any rest.
I soon lost count of the lashes, but I knew it was many. Feeling lightheaded, my legs buckled and I collapsed onto the bloodied stone floor.
"Get up!" Daniel snapped, hitting me on the back of the head with his fist. I whined at the burst of pain in my skull, and I tried to obey. But my limbs wouldn't cooperate.
"I-I can't…" I said, voice slurring. Then he smiled. Smiled. Daniel walked away, setting the bloodied whip down on the table. I watched him through narrowed eyes, quietly pondering the man's next actions. He examined the torturous instruments on the table with thought before picking up what looked like a bone saw. When he turned back to me, grinning sadistically, I frantically tried to get out of the ropes.
"Hey, stop squirming!" He snapped, "You'll only make it worse."
"Get the hell away from me!" I screamed as he approached. Daniel tilted his head to one side before raising the saw. He placed it on my left arm, casting a sly glance at my face.
"I'll do anything; j-just please s-stop." Tears began to stream down my face. He stared at me for a long moment, pale emerald eyes showing no signs of mercy or sympathy.
Then he grinned again before moving the saw back and forth, slowly cutting into my arm. I started screaming when Daniel sawed deeper into my skin, blood flowing from the wound. Soon, I could feel the saw's teeth grinding against my bone.
All my energy was gone, I couldn't even scream anymore. Daniel lifted the saw and moved to my other arm. He was about to repeat the process but a door slamming open caught his attention.
"That's enough, Daniel." It was an old man. I remembered that his name was Alexander.
"But-,"
"Look at him, he's almost dead. I told you we can use this one multiple times. Take him back to his cell." Alexander ordered. Daniel wanted to keep protesting, I could tell, but he nodded and untied the ropes. I collapsed onto the floor, lying in a pool of my own blood.
"Get up, you filthy swine!" Daniel hissed, gripping my wrist with extreme force. He dragged me through the halls, showing no compassion as he threw me into my cell.
"There's more coming; be prepared." He said in an eerily calm voice before closing the door and walking away.
When the horrific scene ended, I was left a trembling mess. Tears were streaming down my face as I slowly climbed to my feet. I knew just who to blame now; who to blame all my strange scars on.
Legs shaking with the effort to walk, I sluggishly made my way toward Isabelle's cell. When I entered, Daniel was standing in front of Isabelle, eyes widened in horror.
"I-I swear I didn't know u-until elevator crashed. I swear!" He shrieked. I stalked over and shoved the man into the wall. He let out a choking noise, surprised at my sudden appearance.
"You traitor! You tortured her! You tortured me! You tortured us! You and that bastard Alexander! I never want to see you again. Get the fuck away from us!"
Daniel collapsed against the wall, sobbing hysterically. He was a pathetic mess.
"I swear I didn't know. I swear…" He whispered between sobs. Turning my back on the man, I kneeled down next to Isabelle. She was quivering, terrified by Daniel. She must've had a similar memory. Gently, I grabbed her hand and helped the woman to her feet.
"We should get going." I said soothingly, struggling to control my emotions. She nodded, gripping my hand tighter. But before we left the cell, I turned toward Daniel.
"I should kick you like you did to me," I hissed in disgust, "But I'll be taking this instead." Reaching down, I picked up the jar of acid we had collected earlier. When we had left the cell and Daniel behind, Isabelle finally spoke up.
"So you were the one," She whispered, "You were across the hall from me. I heard you and Daniel arguing." She tightened her grip on my hand until it hurt.
"Yeah, I guess I was…" I mumbled, lost in thought. We soon found the gate that lead to the exit to the Prison. There was an old, corroded padlock loosely attached to the metal. Silently, I poured the acid on the padlock and watched it wither away, giving us access to the door beyond. With one last whine, we left.
