I sat on the edge of Ōkui's filthy mattress as murder lingered outside the door.

Cho's men had kept him from murdering me, luckily. But I I had a growing suspicion that the only reason they did this was to use me later.

While some distracted Cho, others gathered in the room next to me. I could hear their conversation through the grimy paper walls.

A high pitched voice spoke in between the mumbling. "I've been scouting around. There wasn't much, but I did find one place." The mumbling quieted as he continued. "There's a grain mill close to the southward wall. We can climb to the roof and use the rope for the rest of the way."

A deep and bellowing voice answered. "It sounds like a good spot. But the grain mill is obvious. Guards watch over it relentlessly."

The high pitched voice retorted. "That's why we have the bait. The food delivery is in something like half an hour. We send him trying to escape that way, then let Cho tear him to bits." Well, good to see I'm being of use to this new group.

Another voice arose, questioning the high pitched one's plan. "And how do we know that'll get the guards distracted?"

This voice was quickly countered by the high pitched. "Do you think the other prisoners won't try to use the open doors? They'll have a bigger breakout to worry about."

Silence.

I considered getting up and trying to escape. If they were being this quiet, they may have realized I was listening. But before I could panic, the deep voice brought a conclusion. "Good. Collect the new one and we'll start setting up." Nevermind, I suppose I was going to have to panic.

I could hear them start to stand from their seats and exit the room. Think quickly now.

There was a window over Ōkui's old and burnt desk. I would have to use it. The rest of the plan could come after.

I opened the window and crawled onto the desk. The drop wasn't but a few feet. But I could already tell what would happen to my broken leg.

The door to my room started to open. That rush of adrenaline was all that I needed to push myself off the windowsill.

I levitated in the air for only a fraction of a second. Then I found myself on the ground. Whoever opened the door started to curse, the same as I when I felt my leg.

Luckily the splint took most of the damage, I could keep going.

I forced myself to stand as quickly as I could. Now, where to next?

Ok, they said the gates were about to open to let food out. I could try to get there and have the guards protect me.

The man jumped out the window after me as I started my rushed hobble. He was catching up faster than I expected. I would either confront him or lose.

I turned as the man charged into me. As he tackled me, I tried to shift my weight. All I could do was try to have the advantage on top of him. And it worked, mostly. We were both landed on our sides on the cold dirt. He was surprised by my unexpected actions, so I had time to make the first move.

My hand swung through the air towards his head, which was quickly blocked. He tried to grab ahold of me, but I was moving too much for him to get a tight grasp. He had to hold back to keep me in working order for their plan, but I could do what I liked.

Another swing, and another block. I tried to keep the offensive and punch again, but he was able to grab my arm before I had the chance.

One arm underneath me, immobilized. Another arm captured. One leg injured and unable to fight.

So it looked like I had but one option.

I kicked towards the man, trying to make some distance between us. He only held on tighter, like his life depended on it. And I suppose it did, somewhat.

After an uncountable amount of attacks, I finally gave out. I hadn't even made him budge the slightest in my weak and injured state.

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He quite literally dragged me back to the broken down hotel. Once again I was engulfed by the burnt wooden exterior.

Once inside, I was hastily tied down and blindfolded.

What felt like an eternity passed in the dark. But eventually a dreaded stirring began.

I was blindly hauled along by some random co-conspirator. We went from the warm inside of the hotel to the cold night, then the warmth of a fire.

The man stopped pulling me along abruptly. We must have arrived.

My vision returned as the blindfold was lifted. It took me some time to adjust to the light, but eventually, I saw the images of torches and buildings.

I recognized this place, it was the courtyard. This must have meant that the plan has begun.

The man next to me was large and tall. He looked blankly into the distance, waiting.

There was no way I would talk to this man. All options of communication were lost. The only way to survive now was to fight. Yes, fighting the half-yokai psychopath. Smart.

A group of people were shuffling closer in the distance. That must be Cho, right on time.

I could see clearly as they got closer. Men circled around him spewing lies from their diseased mouths. Cho took this information blindly. I could see him nodding constantly to their words.

The man beside me quickly untied me from my bindings. I stood as quickly as I could muster. I had little time in this situation.

The men slowly started to leave Cho as he got sight of me.

"We caught him trying to escape." They would say. "We thought you'd want to deal with him personally." They would say.

Cho was sickly. His eyes were blank and showed nothingness inside them. He had stopped tearing the skin from his arms, and as a result, they were charred black and rough.

The men started fleeing the scene as he got sight of me, their plan was falling perfectly into place.

Cho approached me slowly, like an animal readying itself for a fight.

This was it. Do or die time.

We paced in circles for a minute or two, both of us deciding what our next move would be.

I was the first to move in. Cho overpowered me in almost every way, so I would have to try and gain as much momentum as I could.

My fist swung through the air half-hazardly. Cho easily sidestepped out of the way and made his move.

He moved too fast for me to dodge. Cho's fist angrily punched into my gut. I could tell it would hurt, but the adrenaline kept me from feeling it at that moment.

I would have to try again and hope for the best.

Another swing, another miss.

Cho swung again, and again I failed to dodge or block.

This swing almost took me off my feet. Cho didn't look like he tired, he only got angrier.

I didn't even have any time to fight back before Cho attacked once more. This time he grabbed my collar and flung me to the ground.

The dirt made a loud thump as I landed flat on my back. The pain started catching up to me. I could feel it in my leg, my gut, and then my back.

Cho kept going. He kicked into my sides over and over again. I could barely muster enough energy to curl myself into a ball.

It kept going and going, each kick harder and with more vigor than the last.

My mind was bombarded with a thousand different senses in my body. Pain. The cold of the air.

I felt overly sensitive with each attack. My defenses were being broken down and there was nothing I could do.

For a moment, the kicking stopped. It looked like Cho had finally noticed his newly formed claws.

I tried to shuffle away, but I only managed to change my position on the ground.

He tore into me, red flew everywhere.

The world started growing blurry. If I were to survive, I would have to think quickly.

There, I felt it. Among the painful sensations, I could feel it. The prodding feeling from the back of my kimono.

I used all of my remaining strength to reach behind me, and there I found it.

The old Doctor's small knife escaped my pocket and reflected in the torchlight.

Cho was too busy indulging himself in tearing me apart to even notice.

Without hesitation, I embedded the knife in Cho's rotting skull.

And in just that one moment, it ended. The entire tide of the fight changed in a second.

Cho went limp to the ground.

I wanted to stand, but I couldn't tell where my legs where. My body didn't move when I commanded. My eyelids drift closer together without being told.

Everything went dark and quiet.

This was the part where we both went to hell together, I supposed.

I didn't feel right. I was scared to go. With all I had done throughout my life, I shouldn't be trying to resist. Hell was more than a fair price to pay...

But even though those thoughts went through my mind, I couldn't find it in myself to let go.

There was no fixing what I had done. I just wanted to feel the light one more time. The warmth of touch. But not this time.

This-

A bright light infiltrated my eyes. When I adjusted, I found myself in a candlelit room.

My body was covered in bandages. Everything ached, but not as bad as I would have expected.

I sat up from the sleeping mat I was on. The room I was in was stonewalled and old. Which brought me to believe I was inside the wall.

The warden was sitting in a chair, waiting for me to awake. I tried to speak, but my mouth was incredibly dry.

He rose from his chair and handed me a cup full of water. I drank without hesitation.

As I drank, the warden spoke. "You've been asleep for a few days now. Cho did quite a bit of damage, but you've seemed to have healed quickly." I finished my drink and started to speak, but the warden cut me off. "You're lucky to be alive, lucky I didn't let you die for turning my prison into chaos." He scratched his head and looked off into space. He snorted with a smile. "But you're due at the Shogun's. So we'll see if your luck has run out."

Another scrape with death, another on the way.

I lay my head back down. I couldn't decide whether or not I was happy to be alive. I suppose it depended on what happened in the next few days.