My Second Escape Plan
BRIANNA’S POV
“Please let me go,” I fought against Sebastian’s guards’ unyielding grip as they escorted me to an underground part of the castle I’d never seen before. What was with these castles and secret underground passages? “Please…you can’t be doing this to me. Please…not again.”
“Sorry miss,” one of them said. “We only answer to Alpha Sebastian.”
In one quick motion, he pulled out a long handkerchief from his pocket and tied it over my face. The other guard held me still while he did this. It made me quiet, with only my muffled sounds heard as the kind of tears I hadn’t experienced since coming to this castle streamed down my cheeks.
Sebastian couldn’t be doing this to me. I thought he said he wouldn’t hurt me. I thought he was different from his fellow Alpha kings at that auction hall. That he was nothing like Hermes. But I was wrong to think that. He was proving not to. Now he was really hurting me.
The guards stopped in front of a closed door. One of them let go of me to open it, while the other kept holding me tightly. I stomped my foot hard against his, causing him to suppress a groan and release me.
I rushed toward the stairs. Before I could rip off the handkerchief tied over my face and ascend, they suddenly caught up with me. They were so huge that a step they took was equivalent to two steps for me.
“No…!!” I gritted, fighting against their hold as they dragged me into the room. “Let go of me!”
“Alpha Sebastian wouldn’t want us to hurt you. So don’t make this hard for us,” one said angrily.
The room was quite big but only had one cell. Inside that cell, there was a tiny window that let in just a bit of light, so the room stayed dimly lit. There was also a small bed and a few other items inside the cell. The air felt wet, chilly, and thick, reminding me of the basements in Hermes castle.
Unlocking the cell, they guarded me in. Not throwing me in like I had thought they would. And locked it back immediately.
“You can’t keep me in here,” I shouted at them, banging against the cell. They shook their heads in disapproval and left, shutting the door behind them.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
After yelling and banging on the metal for a while, I got exhausted and gave up. I sat down, running my fingers through my messy hair, regretting not closing those wardrobe doors and hiding the luggage properly under my bed. If I had done that, I might have already been on a bus heading back to my kingdom. My attempts to escape never seemed to work, no matter how much effort I put in.
*****
After I returned from the castle hospital, security became tighter than ever. Two, three and at times four guards stood by my room door. I wasn’t allowed to engage in any form of conversation with the maids as they served me aside telling them what I wanted. The door was left open whenever they served me with the guards monitoring everything I say and every move I make.
Despite all that, I still held onto hope. Held on tight to the scalpel the doctor had left for me, trying to come up with my second escape plan and picturing myself driving it multiple times right into Hermes’s chest. If I had to kill him to escape this hellhole, then I’d do it without looking back.
An idea suddenly clicked as my gaze fell on the small glass flower vase on top of my vanity table.
Rising and rushing to the door, I pressed my ear against it, listening attentively to what the guards were doing and saying. There were two and for this plan to work, I needed just a guard around.
They laughed loudly. And chatted about visiting a brothel and drinking themselves into oblivion in the coming night. I thought of giving up and going back to lie on my bed. They wouldn’t stop talking and laughing. It was obvious they had no intentions of leaving their post until their shift was over.
I was about to go back to bed when I caught the sound of the heavy footsteps of one of them walking away from the door.
This was my chance. I had to carry out my plan quickly before he returned. If he returned, I wouldn’t be able to handle two of them at once.
Cautiously, I hid the scalpel beneath my gown. Hurrying over to the small glass flower vase on the table, I pushed it off, causing it to shatter into pieces. Swiftly, I knelt, took out a shard, and made a small cut on my forefinger, a slight wince escaping my mouth as a trickle of blood emerged. I screamed loud enough to attract the guard’s attention and then in the next second, the door flung open and he burst in.
“What is it?!” He snarled at me.
“I’m hurt,” I showed him the cut on my forefinger, feigning tears. “I need first aid right away.”
“How can you be so clumsy and stupid?! What are you? Five years old?” He snuffed out and rolled his eyes. “I’ll go get one of the maids.”
He turned and headed for the door when I quickly took out the scalpel and charged toward him. I climbed onto his back and stabbed him in the valley of his shoulder blades. But that did little to no harm. He stifled a groan, put his hand over his shoulder and grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling it so hard I screamed in pain.
“Get off me you crazy bitch.”
“Nooo…” I cried out as he pulled my hair harder. Instinctively, I drove out the scalpel and stabbed him multiple times in the same spot, squeezing my eyes shut and gritting my teeth as his blood spattered on my face.
He was as stubborn as a bull, and not easy to take down. It wasn’t until we reached the doorway that he began to weaken. His groans ceased, and his hand released my hair. I sensed his breath fading slowly as he bent over and fell forward onto the floor, face down.
I got off him and wiped off the splatters that stained my face. My heart was beating fast. Way too fast. Causing me to breathe in shallow, quick gasps. I just killed a man! I had never killed before.
Calm down, Brianna…. Breathe…just breathe…You’re not a murderer…You only did what you had to do to survive.
A shiver coursed through me. My teeth chattered as I repeated that to myself, a constant reminder that I wasn’t a killer. But a survivor.
“Hey!!”
A yell from the side of the hallway startled me, making my heart jump in shock. Turning, I saw one of the guards racing toward me.
No!!
I began running as fast as I could, forgetting to take out the scalpel from the guard’s shoulder. The scalpel which was my only weapon.
Navigating the castle wasn’t difficult for me since this wasn’t the first time I was trying to escape. As I hurried down the stairs, I glanced back and saw the guard closing in on me. When I turned forward again, I accidentally collided with a maid carrying a tray of food, sending it scattering in all directions.
This caused me to lose my balance and fall off the stairs. But I got up anyway, oblivious of the bruises I sustained. Those didn’t matter at the moment. What mattered was getting past the front door. Getting the hell out of this hellhole. Regaining my freedom. Far away from Hermes and his sister.
As I reached the main hall of the castle, three guards were strolling toward the rear of the castle. They didn’t see me. But the sudden shout of the one pursuing me quickly drew their attention.
“Quick!” his loud voice resonated. “Get the sedative!”
Fear like I have never known before welled up inside me. If they manage to catch me, Hermes will surely deal with me mercilessly. Like never before. I couldn’t afford that.
I was hopeful when I saw that the castle’s front door wasn’t locked. I threw my entire weight against it, causing it to forcefully fling open. I stumbled but managed to stay on my feet as I continued running.
The soft rays of the sun on my skin reminded me of just how much I have missed coming out in the open fields to enjoy it. I was free at last. I made it out. I just needed to escape the four guards behind me and…
Fuck!!!!! The castle gate. I completely forgot about it. It never for once occurred to me. It was secured with a large padlock. I glanced at the fence, considering if I could climb over it. But it wasn’t possible. It was tall and had active electric security wires at the top.
All the hope I had faded as quickly and as brightly as it ignited. I felt the freedom I worked so hard for slipping away like sand from my grasp again. The freedom I killed for. My world was turning dark right before me. And there was nothing I could do.
Skidding to a stop, all I could do was bang my fist against the gigantic gate, screaming for help at the top of my voice. “Help!!!… Anyone!!! Please help me!!!…”
Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind, shutting me up. I was lifted off the ground, and my attempts to break free were useless against the strong grip. Then, a needle was jabbed into the side of my neck, and a calming sensation washed over me.
“Not again… please,” my voice was reduced to a distant echo as my eyelids grew heavy and gave in to the calming sensation that overtook me.