The first two screamers looked the most human. One man and one woman. They still had most of their hair, and although they were completely covered with deep scratches they still had most of their skin, along with some of their clothes. The third screamer’s skin, however, was nothing but eschar and scar tissue. It was completely naked, displaying a peculiar run as it sprinted without bending its elbows or knees. Cavernous bloody holes marked where the creature’s eyes and ears should have been, and its nose was a crushed mass. The creature’s lower jaw hung by threads, flapping against its own neck as it charged the guards.
For a moment, Jere assumed that this was how the guards planned to kill him, though the quick unsheathing of the scimitars proved otherwise. The male screamer threw himself at the bald guard, who pushed it aside. The screamer paid no mind to the effort and moved on to the next guard in its sight. This guard, a thin man, didn’t react quickly enough and tripped over himself in fright. The woman screamer ran to the other side, scratching and biting at one of the younger guards.
That left the third screamer - the jawless one - which was rushing straight down the middle of the group. Towards Jere.
Jere dropped to his knees. The jawless screamer swung its emaciated arms out and lunged forward. Jere rolled to his right, with the jawless screamer’s hands scraping the sand near Jere’s feet, before continuing on.
Jere’s roll was unbalanced, and he bumped into the bald guard. Jere couldn’t tell whether he noticed, as the guard simply regained his footing and moved towards the others.
“Rally up, keep your distance! Who let them out?!”
“I don’t know! The cages were locked!”
“Does this look fucking locked to you?!”
The screamers were in a frenzy, scratching at the guards and running blindly from one to the other. The men continued to bark orders but most of them were drowned out by the screeching. Nails scratched against armor, causing a cacophony of scraping thuds. The bald guard rushed to assist the thin guard, who had yet to regain his footing and was still being attacked.
Jere had landed on his back and was now on the periphery of the guards. He gave a good tug at the rope around his hands, but it was no use. He was still trapped, though at this moment he was running on survival instinct. He could run, though he remembered that the guards carried bows. It would only take one shot, and he was nowhere near cover. Still, he rolled to his side, put his hands underneath his chest, and pushed himself off the ground.
“Wait, the dagger.”
Jere reached down his thigh and felt only skin. He looked back and saw the dagger on the ground, between two guards and the jawless screamer. They had their scimitars out now and were blindly slashing them side to side, though they still shuffled backward out of fear. The older guard was pushing the male screamer away, as he had yet to pull out his scimitar. The woman screamer was limping - it looked as if one of the guards managed to get a lucky slice on the side of her knee. It was chaos, and it just so happened to be occurring over the dagger.
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Still, maybe Jere didn’t need it. His hands were tied, but the guards were paying no mind. He could get away. He would only have to sprint for a moment before their bows were out of range.
A hushed voice called on Jere’s right side. “Don’t do it.” It was Adok, standing not more than a few paces away from Jere. His bow was fully drawn and aimed at Jere’s head. “I can’t let you run.” With everything going on, somehow Adok managed to keep his eye on their prisoner.
“What are you doing? Help them!” Jere gestured at the ongoing clash next to the two, trying to emphasize his bound hands.
“Not this time, Jere.” Adok arched his arm even farther, the arrow completely drawn.
Jere didn’t have time for a retort. He quickly considered his options. In front of him lay certain death from Adok’s arrow. Behind him lay certain death from the screamers. To his left was the cliff face of Ash’s western border, and to the east was the cells. He couldn’t fly, and he couldn’t dig a hole.
“I’m done,” he thought.
Jere considered the options again. All he had to do was dodge one arrow. Adok was a capable archer, but Jere knew how fear could affect a situation. Adok was young, after all. Jere tried to think of the hardest shot he had to make when he trained with the bow. The hardest target for him were ones that were running side to side. Shooting ahead of a target was difficult, even when well-practiced. At the very least it was harder than a target getting closer.
So that left running to the side. He wouldn’t be able to scale a cliff before Adok could grab another arrow. By that time, the guards could subdue the screamers. They would have fun taking turns shooting him down. That wasn’t reasonable.
That left the cells. Somehow they seemed to be Jere’s only option. He had been watching the door. No more screamers had left - surely they would have been joining the others? But no, there were still only three. That meant that even if they had escaped, it was only from a single cell. A cell that as far as Jere knew, was wide open, empty, and only twenty paces away.
"I must be mad to even consider."
Jere didn’t think about the logistics any more than that. He didn’t think about how he would lock the doors, whether there could still be screamers roaming around free, or whether the guards would simply follow him into the cells. Jere just needed to sprint for a few seconds.
Jere eyed Adok’s grip and his composure. Three fingers around the string, nock between the arrow. It was good form. Jere wasn’t sure whether the fletchings were aimed appropriately, but at this range, Jere didn’t think it would matter. What happened next was up to the Gods.
Jere sprinted to his right. His position was slightly lumbering considering his bound hands, but he was a quick sprinter. He heard a twang from his side, and a whoosh to his right. The arrow passed behind his head. Jere thought he felt the hairs on his neck being sheared.
But it didn't matter. Adok had missed. Jere was still running.
Jere wasn’t looking when he ran into the cells. He hadn’t turned his head to see whether Adok had nocked another arrow, or whether the other guards were still fighting the screamers. He had no idea whether he was being chased by anyone, screamer or guard alike. He simply ran straight ahead until he was covered in darkness.