I shook my head and got to it. I used the various guards’ clothes to soak it up. It took me five minutes to finish the hallway before I got to the guards’ room.

There the puddle was massive, but nothing a couple more socks couldn’t handle. As I was finishing up, I heard the thumping of boots coming from the hallway. They were approaching here step by step.

Looking around the room, a cramped space under the beds was the only safe space. I threw the bloodied clothes under it, before I too followed.

“Have you heard? There are new prostitutes that arrived. I saw them myself and let me tell you there are some eye candies right there.” One of them said as two of them stepped into the room. A third one stayed in front the doorway.

“Again, with this bullshit? The last time you said this shit we ended up banging what could only be described as a frog in a shape of a woman.”

“Yet you still enjoyed it. Going round after round on her.”

The last man walked in saying. “Enough of the nonsense. Rather than talking about useless things who do you think will be sent to Opportunity?”

They came to the opposite sides of bed and took out a box from under. Inside was some kind of plastic protective gear.

“Why do you care it’s better to be here and do our job. Out there we’ll be probably once again beaten like slaves. Besides, the risk is huge.”

As if you are better than slaves. Fucking dogs waiting to be put down.

“You’re right, but if we manage to help out by a large margin, we can get promoted.”

“Forget about it, man. This way you’ll only end up dead. Here you too can be promoted without any risk just like Isao.” The man said the last bit with unconcealed jealousy in his voice.

“What did he do anyway, that garnered him the attention of the Lord?”

“He killed his own family. Alongside some other people. The guards who were there on that day were paralyzed by the brutality he showed. Supposedly, he was smiling the whole time. Brad can confirm it.”

“Yes, he was.” Brad, the third guard, replied as they went out the room. Protective gear covering most of their body.

The rest was muffled speak as they deported. I waited under the bed for what seemed to be fifteen minutes before I went out.

The next stop for me was the factory.

So, I walked back through the hallway, passing by the cell where the poor man died. But there was no body.

“Oh, Kyle you came just in time. Come help me with packing this garbage. “I heard Brad’s voice from behind me.

I knew that if I didn’t do something I’d be fucked. I took out a rag from the uniform and tied it around half of my face. In one hand I had the metal piece. I was glad thought that I took the dead guard’s clothes and wore them making a disguise possible.

“You heard me?”

I turned to him and replied while coughing “Sorry, it’s just that I got nauseous from all the fumes.”

He packed the two bags full and we were off. Both of us took one. We were about to go through a doorway straight into the factory.

“So, what’s your plan, escapee?” He said as he pushed the door open, before I could grasp what he said.

Fuck.

“Let’s go. We’ll talk while walking.”

I followed him. What else could I do?

“You want to escape, eh?”

I rolled my eyes “Is it that obvious?”

He chuckled to himself. We were heading out the factory.

“You know that outside no one will help you if you decide to report me. I’ll stab you to death out there.”

“That’s quite lucky that I don’t plan on doing that.” I could feel his smirk. It was disgusting, such arrogance. That’ll be his downfall.

We stepped out of the factory in silence. Each of us having something on our minds. Weighing down on us.

As the doors closed behind us, I lunged at him. He was prepared and we ended up in a competition of strength as he held my hand.

But not for long as he pushed me away. He threw the bag to the ground and placed his hands above his head.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Look I don’t want to fight you. Hell, I even want to help you, but you too have to help me a bit.”

I stared at him in silence, not letting my guard drop.

“I don’t have all the time in the world. If I don’t get back to the factory in five minutes. I’ll end up just like Kyle here.” He pointed to the hall opened bag. Bone was sticking out from it.

“Then you shouldn’t get on my bad side.”

He laughed at that.

“You’re quite something, kid. You’d make a great comedian. Has anybody told you that?”

“Get on with it.”

“Jeez, it seems more like you’re the one who’s time is ticking.”

I flashed my improvised dagger at him. Calling it a sharp piece of metal seems silly as I already slain a person with it.

“Okay kid I need you to help me kill Isao.”

“That’s no problem when I’ll be escaping, I’ll send him your regard. A slash to the neck should be enough.” I relaxed a bit.

“No that isn’t what he deserves.” His voice got deeper before he said to me without an ounce of emotion. “Besides he’s mine.”

“Sorry, sorry my guy. I didn’t know you two were a thing. So because of that he even killed-“ I didn’t get a chance to finish before I felt myself free falling.

The sky sure looks great tonight.

And of course, the impact came. It forced out the breath out of my lungs and I was left gasping for air. As I thought everything was over, a boot squeezed my face.

“He’ll kill no more. That I promise you. The last thing he’ll think about will be the atrocities he committed. And how he’ll wish to be in their place rather than suffer in my hands.” He uttered, word by word, spitting each word as if it was destined.

And here I thought I was the mentally unstable one. I have to admit someone’s got bigger issues.

He turned his sight back down on me. “So, what do you say now? Are you willing to help me?”

“It’s hard to argue with you on this, you presented some strong arguments. Like the boot on my face.”

“So, it’s a, yes?”

“Of course, man. If you can’t see I kinda don’t have a chance for refusal.”

“Yeah. It would appear that someone’s all talk no bite. I can’t believe you killed Kyle.” He’s back with his humorous tone. Hate to admit it, but I prefer this side of him.

“Well, it happened. But yeah, it was mostly because I caught him off guard.”

“That explains it.” He chuckled and put down the boot from my face. He then extended a hand to me which I took and was back to standing on the ground. “By the way great joke kid.”

“What joke?” I said and looked at him baffled.

“Hey Brad, Kyle. You should hurry up and throw out the thrash. We still have more stuff to do before we can go to the brothel.” The other guards got visible in the distance of the streets on their way back into the factory.

“Yeah, we’re going.” Brad called out.

I turned my head to the side and helped Brad pick up the trash. We walked past each other they were talking amongst themselves and weren’t paying any attention to us, fortunately.

“Kid don’t be so stiff. Like that, you’re only going to out yourself.” He whispered to me.

“It’s just too stressful.” I whispered back.

“Kyle!” My heart jumped.

I looked at Brad and he at me. Subtly he nudged with his head for me to turn to them and respond in any way.

Fuck, fuck, fuck and FUCK.

I turned to the two guards and silently looked at them with pissed off face, thanks to the rag only my frown was visible. It was enough.

“Someone’s feisty! Be glad you get to work and not just slack off. Finally, you can earn your pay.”

They both had big smirks stretching across their faces like mascaras.

I turned back around and continued walking, one hand holding the bag of trash and with the other I flipped them off.

I only heard their laughing as it was getting further away and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Solid performance.” Brad said.

“Thanks.”

“Why not speak thought? It would’ve been over quicker.”

“You uncovered me because of my voice, didn’t you? It would be stupid for me to repeat that.”

“The voice wasn’t it, but Wow.”

“…”

“I didn’t know you were so smart.”

“Really dude?”

“No offense taken, but-“

“Some taken.”

“You don’t look the smartest. The whole plan of escaping isn’t doing you any justice. With a razor. Really? Couldn’t you have found something else? Anything.”

“…”

“What’s next? Are you going to give everyone a razor to escape?”

I chose to ignore him and continued walking, thankfully it seemed we were reaching our destination as there was an end in front. Where a large stable or something of a sort was.

We heard the squeaking of pigs even before we came into a building before us. It was a pig farm and surprisingly our destination. There were fences all around, hay mixed with mud and the intense smell.

“Are we in the right place?” I asked him just to be sure.

“Yes, we are.” He turned to me. “But this might be a bit disturbing for you.”

We walked by one pig pen where the pigs were already grouped about something that was fed to them before we came. The smell… it was familiar. I looked over and saw it. The pigs fat and bloodied, the hay too bloody and they were stepping all over it caught up in a fight of a sort. Fighting over the last of remains.

I felt my blood turn cold and before I could do anything about it, I felt bile in my mouth as I remembered what was given to us. With one hand I held my mouth close not to throw up.

“It’ll be fine. If everything goes well for you. Your lunch was the last meal you had here.” He said and waited for me.

I closed my eyes for a moment and cleared my mind. I spit out the stomach acid and wiped my mouth on the back off my sleeve. With a whoosh we threw the bag behind the fence. “I’m holding you on that word.”

Then after completely calming down and thankfully walking out of that farm. We went walking back on those same streets we took to get here; I started on what’ll be done. “I’ll tell you my plan and we’ll be out in no time.”

“Sure.”

“We’ll save as much people as we can. As for how, we’ll use the method I used with cutting of the skin. Then through the sewer and out.”

“That’s nice and all, but basically what you’re saying is take razors, take people and run. People like you were here before and do you know how they ended up?”

“Dead.”

“There you have it. Another point for you.” He stopped in his tracks and applauded me before asking. “What makes you think you’ll succeed?”

“Look around.” I said.

Around us were the downtown streets of once our great civilization now occupied. They were broken and cracked in places with no cars to be found anywhere, yet the factory behind us still continued.

“There’s no Prophesized Ones.” He remarked with no great deal of surprise in his voice.

“Neither are you stupid.”

He clicked his tongue, but smiled all the same.

There really weren’t, Kaiya wasn’t lying to get our hopes up. This can be done.

“But where will we go?”

“Five minutes from here is a Portal Hall. There when the clock hits midnight that will be our escape. We can get near there thanks to the sewers.”

“Seems promising.”

We walked till we arrived before the gate of the factory where he at the front stopped.

“You forgot one thing.” I couldn’t see his expression as he had his back towards me. But the clenched fists betrayed how he felt. “Isao.”

“In the chaos it’ll be our chance to strike.”

“Right.”