…How many days has it been since I was trapped here?

Resting my dry, coarse palms on the cold floor of the hollow cell, I glanced wearily around me for the umpteenth time. Hair draped over my eyelids like curtains, obscuring what little vision I had. The sight before me, however, never changes. A bucket filled with a couple of days’ shit sat before me, tempting me to grace its presence with the moulded bread I had yesterday. The walls were, as usual, scarred by my markings.

Ah, that’s right. I’ve been here for about a year now.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I didn’t dread that. After all, unlike the poor fellow that got dragged out by a few brawny men after losing his sanity, I was anything but mad.

…Guess it’s time to start my daily routine.

Pushing myself off the binding comfort of the iron-hard mattress, I forced myself onto two limbs – then four – as I proceeded with my disciplined physical regime. That’s right. Every minute, no, second wasted is an opportunity to hone the body lost. And time was the one thing I couldn’t waste in this god forsaken place.

…53…54…55…56…57…

As my hardened muscles did its work, I quickly took a few glances at the mangled corpse hung in the cell opposite me.

Were the guards so lazy now that they couldn’t even bother to clear a few bodies?

The stench attracting the swarms of sex-crazed flies preparing for mating season fit right into this picturesque hell hole. Pungent as it is, nothing I’m not well acquainted enough with, though.

Read in a book once about how when a man’s sense of taste and smell get accustomed to something, everything tastes delicious...makes sense.

Suddenly, I stopped. Something was wrong. No, something was too right. Sure enough, at night when the tired ghouls stopped tormenting my poor neighbours, silence was of the norm. But it wasn’t night time. Yet I could hear the fleeting wings of flies a few metres away from me. It was too quiet. Letting my body fall naturally to the ground, I pressed my ear against the floor.

No footsteps. Strange.

I sat up again, this time, staring straight at the floor of my cell’s door.

Stolen story; please report.

The patrols should come around this time. I’ll wait.

Seconds passed, then minutes.

An hour passed and still no sign of life save the hungering insects.

Very strange.

I checked the small light flittering from the small gap they call a “window”. I wasn’t hallucinating.

Good. But what is this then? Where are the guards? In fact, where are all the –

A thunderous crack followed by the sound of a door being blown away resounded through the cells as countless hurried footsteps made their way into the chamber. Instinctively, I fell flat on my front and listened intently to the footsteps. Play dead. It’s a tactic used by idiots in front of idiots. At least that’s the kind of impression it gives off. But when you’re a half-naked man, incapable of magic, strapped in nothing but a semi-torn cloth around your waist, playing dead could be your ultimate move. It’s what that got me this far, after all. Every time the guards came to show me some “love”, they would see a motionless body lying on the ground.

Probably killed their interest.

The approaching footsteps snapped me out of my retrospection. Hearing the weight of their footings and the clanging of their armour, they are probably well equipped. Depending on the situation, this may or may not be the chance I’ve been waiting for.

No jumping the gun yet.

Reminding myself of the countless possibilities these unwelcomed guests may bring, I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing.

Well, if worst comes to worst, I still have that. No need to be hasty for now.

Remembering my backup plans refuelled my confidence. The footsteps gradually grew louder, now almost comedic, like a baby’s first steps – messy but concentrated.

Thud, thud, thud, thud. Thud.

They stopped.

Right outside my door were a couple of nincompoops standing completely still.

Bam!

The door slammed onto the floor as the hinges snapped, making me slightly flinch.

Shit!

Anticipating it and having it happen are two different things. Knowing that didn’t change anything though.

Did they find out?

I waited nervously.

A few seconds passed before…before the movements resumed its routine march.

Huh.

While that was an unappreciated experience, it did show they were after something. After all, they didn’t stop by any other cells, only mine, and they sure as hell wouldn’t be interested in a corpse.

Questions clouded my mind as I waited a few more minutes for the footsteps to distance. No need to be hasty now. The last thing I needed was a sorry mistake made at the start of my grand plan.

That’s right. I mustn’t forget the torture I went through to survive. The pain, shame and disgust they put me through – those fucking swine. I’ll make sure to carve my name into their skin, no, not Laventus Darex – that man is long dead. Darx. Four simple letters engraved into their very soul. But I mustn’t let this hatred blind me. Fools throughout centuries have made the mistake of letting their emotions get the better of them – I need to constantly remind myself: Feelings are good servants, but, like fire, can be very playful and dangerous masters.

Alright, enough of the self-pity and fumbling around my own emotions. Time to move.

Picking myself off the floor as silently as I can, I manoeuvred around the fallen door and peeked from behind the wall.

Left – check. Right – check. Good.

Whatever my would-be assailants were after are none of my business, but this is a chance I can take – a chance I may never receive again. A chance to start anew.