Ria
After resting with my eyes closed for a bit I felt my strength coming back little by little. My body still felt like shit, the wounds nowhere near gone, but at least now I didn't feel like I would die any second now.
When I opened my eyes I already knew the annoying man in the other cell was awake and watching me. My skin stood on edge as I pretended I couldn't feel his gaze penetrating into my soul.
" Well, now that you're awake how about you tell me the reason why you ended up here?"
The man seemed to have a lot of will to live for having been in the dungeons.
I could tell him the truth or I couldn't. I owed nothing to the man, but maybe and just maybe if I was nice to him he wouldn't tattle when I escaped. Hell, he could even help me escape.
" I don't know, my friend kidnapped me"
" Why?" I could hear the amusement in the man's voice as he asked, eagerness penetrating into his every word.
That man really loved to include himself in places he had no place in being. If I was telling the truth I could see why he had an obsession with everything other than these walls. It had to be hard not been able to see the sun or the outside for god knew how long.
Judging by the way his cell seemed older than the one I was in and the way the shadow of the man was sprawling all over his straw bed as if it was the most comfortable thing in the whole world I was willing to bet he had been trapped here for quite some time.
When I stayed silent, not wanting to answer the noisy man's question he begun whining.
" Come on, tell me"
" If I do will you do something for me?"
My question intrigued the man. He got up from his bed and walked right up to my side, only a few flimsy bars separating us from each other.
The man, Raphael if I remembered correctly, looked amused for a second as he looked me up and down, judging me.
" I wouldn't try it if I were you " His voice was soft as he spoke, a hidden heartbreak underneath his words. " You cannot escape. Believe me, I've tried"
Raphael sounded defeated, his tone that of a man that had given up on everything. Well, I hadn't, not yet at least.
" I'll escape. You just have to shut up and pretend you don't see me"
The man scoffed.
" Sure, I can do that if that's what you want, but your plan is going to fail either way" I opened my mouth to tell him to shove his words where the sun don't shine when he spoke again, cutting me off before I could begin with my rant. " Now tell me, why are you here?"
I looked at the man, or at least the dark factions that I couldn't make out with the dim light and then at the bars that were keeping me inside. I was awful aware that this could all be a ploy from Cordelia to get me to admit what she wanted, but she already knew what I was capable of. There was no point in getting me to admit it and if he really wasn't with them I could be throwing away the only chance of not getting immediately caught when I escaped.
" I can call on the dead"
The man stared at me and begun laughing hysterically.
I frowned. What the fuck did he find so fucking funny?
" You're dead. Hahahha" The man broke out laughing, falling to the floor clutching his chest.
I stared at him, surprised. The man didn't seem in his right mind. He seemed unhinged as he laughed and laughed.
I didn't know what I had said that was so funny, but I wasn't planning to stay and find out.
I ignored the man thrashing on the floor and grabbed the knife from where I'd hidden it under the straw.
Once the metal piece was in between my hands I felt better, more sure in myself and more confident. It was what having something that could kill people in my hands did to me.
" Okay, fine" After laughing for a while the man finally calmed down, his body no longer thrashing on the floor as he got up and looked at me as if I was a weird animal he had never seen before. " What are you doing?" Raphael tilted his head and looked at me with curiosity shining in his eyes.
I saw his gaze was completely focused on the knife in my hands, probably wondering how I'd gotten it.
It wasn't going to get me out of here, the bars were made of metal too, but it was better than having nothing.
I ignored Raphael and approached the door. I immediately noticed there was no one outside. I could see the faint light coming from the torches on the wall, but there were no shadows to be seen. There wasn't anyone else outside, which honestly just set me even more on edge. A dungeon wasn't supposed to be this quiet. It was supposed to have guards and people looking after us so that we didn't escape. I didn't like this, not one bit, but first of all I had to run away. I would think about how creepy everything was when I got out of here.
Raphael watched me with amusement in his eyes as I proved the strength of the bars. I pulled on them as hard as I could, trying to take them with me and escape through the hole.
I immediately noticed that plan wasn't going to work. The bars were too firmly anchored in the floor. No matter how hard I pulled I wasn't able to pry them apart. There had to be another, more efficient way, of doing things.
I quit trying to break the bars and decided to try to bend them instead. Maybe if I bended them enough I would be able to pass through and escape.
Raphael smiled as he leaned in, half his body inside my cell.
I frowned, annoyed that he was looking at me. It was already hard enough to try and fit in a place where I clearly couldn't without having someone looking at me and commenting.
I pulled on the bars and tried to slither my body through the gaps. I really tried, but I was too fat. It was at times like this that I regretted eating all I could while I was with Arsheus. Maybe if I hadn't I would've been able to pass.
Who was I kidding?
The bars weren't made for prisoners to escape through.
I swore and fell down to the floor.
From his own cell I hear Raphael laughing as his eyes remained on me.
I turned to look at him and tell him what I thought of him when I noticed half his body was inside my cell.
Looking at him an idea lit up in my mind.
That could maybe even work.
I turned to look at Raphael and gave him my biggest smile. If I wanted my plan to work out I would need his help.
Raphael raised his eyebrows and looked at me weird, as if he knew I was up to something, but he didn't move away, keeping his position in the bars separating the two cells.
" Would you be willing to do me a favor?"
Raphael raised an eyebrow.
" Can you escape through the bars and open my cell?" I used my most innocent voice. I doubted it would work since he had already heard me using my normal voice, but it was worth a try. I had to convince him to slither through the bars and get the key to my own cell if I wanted to escape.
Raphael stared at me and then begun laughing again.
" No, I can't. If I could I wouldn't be here, trapped with you. I'd be outside"
Fair enough.
Then I didn't have any other ideas.
" Great" I sat back on the straw bed, defeated. There was no way I was getting out of here. I wasn't strong enough to break the bars and I didn't have any other kind of especial powers. I was fucked.
" I can't do it, but" Raphael's voice seemed to have an ounce of hope in it as he talked to me. I felt like ignoring him, but listening to him wouldn't kill me. " I think you could"
What?
I walked over to where he was leaning against the bars, curiosity taking over.
" What do you mean? The bars are too strong and I'm not thin enough to pass through"
" Yours are"
I tilted my head. I didn't understand.
" Come here" Raphael beckoned me closer and despite my better judgement I walked up to where he was, right where only a few metal bars separated us. I kept my knife on my hands, ready to attack if Raphael tried anything weird.
" What's the plan?" I somehow calmed down when he didn't immediately jump on me, his calm presence calming me down too.
" Come here"
Raphael leaned in closer and grabbed my hand. Before I knew it I was on his side of the cell, the bars barely stopping me as I crossed over.
Once I was on the other side I stared at the bars. They had seemed more solid when I had seen them from my side.
" That was easy"
From my left Raphael smiled.
" What'd I tell you?"
Fuck, fine. I had to give it to him. He at least knew what he was doing.
" What now?"
This time I was willing to listen to and obey Raphael as he took me to the side of the cell that led to the outside.
It could've been my impression, but I could've sworn that the bars on this cell were further apart than on mine. They were so far apart that I would even dare to say that I could squeeze through them.
Raphael's eyes shone when he saw what I was looking at. So he already knew. That had been his plan. I had to admit it was a well thought of plan, not shitty at all.
I didn't speak to him any longer as I put my plan into action.
It took longer than I thought it would, but I managed to squeeze my body through the bars, pain erupting every time my destroyed skin and bones touched the metal. It hurt like a bitch, but I had to keep going. I kept pressing myself against the bars, using my hands to get enough inertia to move until I finally reached the other side.
When I was out I stared at the cells. They hadn't been so hard to escape. Now I had to deal with the lack of guards and whatever that could mean.
I turned to leave and try to escape alone when the sight of Raphael caught my attention. He was standing on the bars, looking at me with his penetrating gaze.
As I walked away I felt guilt eating me up. If it weren't for him I would've never managed to escape.
It was true that he could be a spy besides a liability, but he had saved my life. Was I heartless enough to leave a man that had helped me out and saved me without even trying to trust him?
Fuck!
I ran back and looked at the lock.
It seemed easy enough to pick from this side. It was clearly made so that the prisoners would never reach it and get out, but if you were outside it was doable.
I picked the pin still attached to my clothes, I had to give my thanks to whoever decided uniforms needed them, and begun picking the lock under Raphael's attention.
He didn't ask me what I was doing or how long it would take. He stayed silent as my fingers did their thing.
It didn't take long before the lock clicked and the door opened.
Raphael took a tentative step out, his legs shaking and his eyes getting bigger when he got out.
" Let's go" I didn't give him time to get used to the new environment as I pushed him to move forward.
We had to run before anyone decided to check on us.
Fortunately Raphael regained his senses pretty quickly, his eyes turning sharp again as he inspected our surroundings.
" Thanks" His voice was soft as he lowered his head.
I felt good. I felt as if for once I wasn't the villain.
Now under the torches's light I could see Raphael clearly. He was the spitting image of a high ranking angel, his hair as white as snow and eyes as blue as the sky.
Under this light I was sure that my demonic factions were even more recognizable. I didn't know when the magic hiding me had failed, but at some point I had caught wind of my dark, black hair. Now I looked like what I'd always been, the villain.
Raphael didn't make any comments on my face as he thanked me and that meant more to me than anything else ever could.
It felt good to be accepted.
Raphael looked around and took a direction at what I hoped wasn't at random.
" Follow me"
I looked at his broad back and decided he was safer than choosing at random. At least he must've known where the exits were located.
" Can you get us out?"
Raphael chuckled as he begun walking faster.
" Trust me"
I was still suspicious, but I guessed I could trust him. He had been right before.
" I'll trust you, Raphael"
" Good" For once someone saying that didn't give me the creeps.
My gut told me I could trust this man. I just hoped I was right this time and not as wrong as when I had trusted Allea. That had been a big mistake.