48: Trapped
I’m Just the Guard! by Schwab
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I groaned, shifting from one uncomfortable position to the next. My hands, held fast behind me, chafed against the ropes tying them together. My jaw ached; the cloth stuffed in it was far too large for my mouth.

That...doesn't sound right.
 
My eyes flew open but I saw nothing but darkness. I panicked for a second, thinking I had gone blind.
 
Eyes aren't your only tool, Flake.
 
That's right. It'd be stupid to rely only on sight in this type of situation. At least, I thought it was. I wasn't often tied up in dark rooms and gagged, hidden away from the world. I sniffed hard, inhaling slow and deep. Then I coughed against the gag as dust flew into my nostrils. I will not be doing that again.
 
The room was obviously dusty. That meant it was unkempt and had likely been that way for some time. I'd also smelled hints of mold and death - water leakage and home to rodents; noted. Judging by the rough wood digging into my skin - yes, I was once again stripped of my clothing, although my captors hadn't seen fit to leave me my trousers - I was tied to a chair that hadn't seen the light of day in a long time. So, I had two choices: die a horrible death alone in this room or try to escape.
I struggled against my bindings but the knot was strong. Flexing as much of my (sadly missing) 23 strength as I could, I pulled against the rope. My muscles strained until something tore in my upper arm. I bit down on the gag, relaxing my arms once more.
 
Cursing my stupidity, I leaned back against the chair. Now I was injured, trapped, and alone. Great going, tough guy.
I scratched the itch on my calf with my foot, lamenting my futile attempt at escape.
 
Then I paused.
 
My legs. They hadn't tied down my legs.
 
Grinning, I stood up. The chair forced me to hunch over but that was fine. I just needed to find the way out of here. Taking a step forward, I stepped on something plump and prickly. Momentum carried my foot down and the thing popped, splattering my calves and feet with a viscous liquid.
 
Gross. I bent my knees, trying to get a good look at what I had stomped on. Squinting through the darkness, I could just make out the flattened body of a dead, furry creature, lying on its side. Its ruptured stomach dripped with whatever stuff was coating my legs and its insides slowly oozed out of its body.
 
I wonder how long it'd been dead. Probably longer than I've been here. How long had I been here? There was no way to tell. Ugh, I'm getting distracted. I straightened up as much as I could, stepping away from the dead creature. The stuff on my legs was starting to burn and I could see my health steadily dropping in the corner of my vision.
 
Time to go.
 
I traversed the room as best as I could. My foot scraped against something sharp and I winced. Looking down, I saw the claw of one of the bloated creatures had sliced open a thin cut in the side of my foot. Grimacing, I side-stepped it. Careful not to put too much weight on the hurt foot, I walked away. Watching the floor keenly, I kept an eye out for any more of the fat nasties.
 
I nearly stepped on another bloated body but I lurched to the side just in time. The chair on my back unbalanced me and I tilted further than I intended. I turned so my back was facing the floor, hoping the chair would break my fall. It did, rather painfully.
 
The rotted chair broke on impact. sending its shards flying. A couple stabbed me in the back, sinking in a few inches. I gasped at the pain, rolling onto my stomach. Okay.
 
Okay. I think it's time I take a step back.
 
Resting my head on the floor - it was made of cobbled stone, like everything else in this place, I took stock of my injuries. A torn muscle in my arm - my bicep, I think it's called. Acid blood on my calves, eating away at my skin. A cut on my foot. And now various pieces of wood chips lodged in my back.
 
Ha. Haha. This is just going great. How'd I even get here, anyway?
 
I just...I remembered being attacked by Hale. She'd stabbed me with those claws. What was up with that? I'd been stabbed before; I was used to the pain before. I shouldn't have passed out like that.
 
Unless...claws are something different than regular blades? Perhaps there was an effect on them that made them more volatile?
 
No, that sounded stupid. I'd gotten cut from the creature and it hadn't had the same effect. So what was it about Hale's claws?
 
The memory was blurry in my head. All I remembered was her flying at me, her nails suddenly much longer and much, much more stabby.
 
Ugh. I knew she wasn't trustworthy. Every non-Human I'd met so far had been some kinda sleazeball, and Hale was no different. She'd probably been the one to tie me up in here.
 
When I get out of here...When I got out of here, we're going to have words.
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