Page 13 of Liar Witch

The first rope falls as I reach the halfway point, sending inmates plummeting to the ground below.

I push my muscles to move faster, ignoring the burn in my wounds.

More fall, screaming.

Fuck. Am I going to make it?

I say a small prayer to the Goddess in my mind even as I curse my own stupidity.

Then I feel my rope start to give.

I glance up.

They’re cutting it.

My mind goes blank for an instant as I meet the eyes of the man cutting the rope.

The determination in his eyes scares me enough to risk swinging the rope from side to side. The inmates already climbing up below me mean I don’t really manage to get any significant swing, but it’s enough.

I leap onto the rope on my left, arms outstretched in desperation.

For the longest second I just fall.

Gotcha! My hand twists in the rope and I waste no time in swinging myself up.

Just in time to see the rope I was on before drop.

I have to move faster before they move onto this rope next.

Only a few feet separate me from my goal.

I heave myself over the ledge, only to find the office above in more chaos than the space below.

Other inmates have beaten me here, and they’re attacking guards and pilfering weapons.

There’s a whole pile of them on top of a bloodied corpse I assume might once have been the warden.

One of them holds aloft the key to the cuffs with a victory shout.

I don’t stay to watch. Instead, I remove the dagger from between my teeth and bolt from the room.

I need moonlight. A direct connection to the Goddess.

Stairs. Where are the fucking stairs?

I race along the corridor, ignoring the stitch in my side, shoving every door I come across.

Most of the rooms are offices.

My whole body aches. Every whip mark on my back has started to make itself known again and my wrists are burning. Whatever boost the adrenaline gave me is wearing off as my wounds reopen under the strain.

The last one on the corridor looms, and I barge straight through it.

Stairs. Atlast.

Goddess. Why are there so many?

My fists clench as I stare at them.