"What the heck were you thinking, knocking out your uncle?" Silvia asked with a vexed tone, while at the same time unshackling the chains on Alec's legs.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. He almost strangled me," Alec said with a deep sigh.
"Besides, how did you get here? You know it is not proper to be in a jail room, attempting to free a criminal. If you get caught, you're most likely to be punished." Alec asked with a worried expression on his face.
"You're not a criminal. And I believe that whatever that made you knock him out is worth it," Silvia calmly said. "Your aunt, I know she was the one that put you up to this execution. We have to be fast before those assholes of officers get here. I tricked them just to come here but they will be here soon."
"What?! You tricked an officer?!" Alec exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Come on Silvia, you know I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you. I think you should just leave me here to face my punishment. I have already accepted fate." With a fallen face he uttered that.
"Shhh, listen up, I'm not gonna watch or let you die, understood? So If you want us to get away here safely, you better start listening to me. Don't worry about where you will stay after this escape 'because I have already arranged it." Her voice showed how emotional she was at the moment.
Alec swallowed nervously at the thought of how Silvia will be punished when caught trying to free him.
"What if you get caught. I don't want to put you into my problems. You have already had the best of it during our time together as friends. So just leave me here. Maybe it my fate to leave the world this way," Alec said with voice full of sadness.
"Just shut up, and let me do my thing,"
Silvia was Alec's childhood best friend. She was the one that more often gave Alec food when his uncle starved him.
When she heard Alec was arrested because he fought his uncle, she rushed over to come see him and get him some food along, but after learning he would be punished by death, she sought ways to save him.
Since Silvia's dad was a retired officer, it was pretty much convenient for her to sneak into the jail room unnoticed.
Sometime later, the sound of footsteps resounded from the hallway.
"Oh shit, I by no means knew they would figure out my trick fast. Let's hurry Alec, we have no more time," Silvia uttered in panic as she increased the speed of her hand.
'I knew this would happen,' Alec hopelessly thought.
A few seconds later Silvia was done unshackling Alec.
As soon as Alec was free, the both of them quickly reached for the jail door to get away.
However, it was too late because before you could reach the door, it was pushed open from outside, revealing three huge figures.
If the jail room wasn't so dark that it hid the faces of the three officers under the shadow, the two friends could have been terrified with the look on them.
The fury in their faces spoke louder than words.
"You little brat, how dare you?!" One of the men barked in fury and that was the head officer.
"Get the young lady out of here and re-shackle this bastard back!"
As soon as he gave out those commands, two officers that came with him quickly went towards Alec and Silvia.
"Alec, run!" Silvia shouted as she dashed towards the two officers to distract them so Alec could have time to escape.
Alec wasn't stupid enough to think he could be able to outrun three officers, so he stood unmoved, even after hearing Silvia's words.
"I'm sorry, Silvia. As I said earlier, this is my fate and I have gladly accepted it." Alec said with a smile that reflected his whole pain.
"You fucking idiot! What are you still doing there? Run!" Silvia yelled as she struggled to smash free from the hold of the officers.
When the officers had successfully gotten hold of Silvia, one of them dragged her out of the room while the other rushed to shackle Alec.
Alec had no strength to struggle with the officer, so he stood calm till the officer was done.
As soon as the officer was done shackling Alec and at the head officer's signal, he gave Alec a forceful push that resulted in him falling to the ground.
Since his two hands were bound together with chains, all of his body came crashing to the ground.
"Arrr!!!" A loud anguish cry escaped Alec's mouth as soon as his body landed on the ground.
"Hoping for your little buddy to save you, what a dumbass you really are. Now I see why Elva disgusts you." The head officer said with a sly smirk on his face.
Turning to the officer who bound Alec, he made a serious note.
"His execution time has been shortened to the subsequent thirty minutes. Tell the officers in charge of his execution. As for the girl, make sure she is badly tortured till she realizes how terrible her mistake was."
Hearing the last few sentences of the head officer infuriated Alec who was still on the ground.
"Don't fucking lay your filthy hands on her, sicko!" He yelled with bloodlust.
"Then make me," The head officer mocked with a peal of grim laughter before exiting the room along with the other officer.
Leaving this time, they made sure to lock the jail door tight so no one would be able to penetrate inside unnoticed.
*****
Once again the jail room was back to being quiet with only hushed sobs from Alec being heard.
He had managed to get up from the ground and was now leaning with his back on the wall.
"I'm sorry, Silvia. I shouldn't have put you into this," Alec said as tears gushed off his eyes.
However, a few moments later he regained composure and stopped crying.
Exhaling deeply, Alec shut his eyes, tranquilizing his last few moments of life.
Not long in tranquility, he felt something suddenly drop on his leg.
His coronary heart skipped a beat at the surprising touch. Quickly shooting open his eyes, he saw a black book mendaciously lying beside his leg.
Seeing the black book brought back fresh memories of his uncle lying on the cold floor, convulsively choking on his own blood.
The black book had been with Alec since his childhood but not a single day has he seen the inside.
The book was glued tightly to its cover, making it impossible to be opened.
Alec was told that the book was the gift he received from his parents on his first birthday before they died.
But for the first time, the book opened itself when his uncle almost strangled him to death for stealing his money.
The black book had advised Alec through writing, to push his uncle's hands off his neck during the time he was being strangled and when he did, his uncle's body was forcefully thrown off him with an effective force.
The forceful impact sent his uncle flying to the wall, making him lose unconsciousness in the process and at the same time, terribly injuring him.
Remembering all these and how they all contributed to his current condition, made Alec furious.
"You...? After what you did, you fucking dare to appear before my face?!" Alec said with a flaring nose.
He set out his leg and kicked off the book in anger but then something strange happened; the chains on his legs fell off.
"What?! Didn't the officer get it locked up well?" Alec muttered in confusion.
As he was busy looking at his freed legs, a mild white light began lighting up the dark room. Seeing the once dark room suddenly lit up, Alec slowly shifted his gaze from his legs to where the light was coming from. He was surprised to see the light coming from the book.
Well, the light wasn't just from the book but the phrases written in it.
"WARNING: RUN NOW OR YOU DIE! RUN NOW OR YOU DIE!" The light made him see the words clearly.
Alec wasn't surprised by what he saw, since the book had done the same when his uncle almost killed him.
"And even if I'm gonna do that, how would it be possible with my both hands still sh-" Alec started to talk but halted his mouth when he saw the chains on his hands fall off.
Strangely, Alec couldn't refuse the book. It was as though he was hypnotized the moment he saw the phrases telling him to run.
However, weakly standing up, he picked up the black book and strode towards the door.
"What the hell are you doing, Alec? This same book was the reason you're in this condition!" Alec scolded himself.
"Let's just pray, this doesn't end up bad like last time."
Getting closer to the jail door, the chains used on it fell off, paving the way for him.
Entering the dark hallway, Alec was confused on which way to follow.
After he knocked out his uncle and attempted to flee, he was caught and beaten till he fell unconscious and then was carried to jail in that unconscious state. So he had no idea which way he came.
As he thought of which way to go, he heard a voice inside his head.
"Move to the right!"
What happened the next moment left him in shock. His body moved on its own towards the right.
"Wait, did my body just move on its own? That's unbelievable."
However, when Alec had covered a reasonable distance from the jail room he was once in, he sighted three officers coming his way. Seeing the officers, he quickly swerved to the adjacent hallway, to avoid being caught.
After they walked past, he continued his escape.
Alec was so centered on escaping that he didn't notice the dim light of a torch coming in front of him; someone was coming.
When Alec realized that, it was already too late cause before he could get to hide, the person coming forward saw him.
"Hey kid, what the heck are you doing out here?" The village chief questioned with a dazed look on his face.
"Please sir, don't inform the officers. I don't wanna die now. I didn't intend to-" Alec started to speak but was interrupted by the village chief's next statement.
"Come on kid, hurry and comply with me now. The officers in charge of your execution will be here soon," the village chief stated before leading the way out of there.
After thorough thinking, Alec had no choice but to follow the old man.
The guards were already on their way to his jail room, and there was a high chance he would meet them on the way if he continued on his own.
After seven minutes of a long walk, they halted in front of a rusty door at the end of the hallway.
"You will find yourself outside once you step through this door." The village chief uttered. "Don't ever think of running into this village to hide. I advise you to run up the hills and depart this kingdom as quickly as possible. And don't thank me. Leave now." The old man said before he turned his back on Alec and left.
Though the old man said not to thank him, Alec couldn't help but thank him inwardly.
"T-Thank you, sir."
Uttering that, he opened the rusty door and made his way outside.
The outside was already dark so it made it easier for him to sneak out.
Well, regardless of his hiding, the two officers on patrol noticed him.
"Look, didn't you see that movement over there?" An officer asked his colleague as he pointed towards the dark bushy part.
"Er, I see nothing there,"
"A prisoner has escaped!! Secure the perimeters!!" An announcement was once made from inside.
As soon as Alec heard that, he instinctively ran into the nearby forest, out of fear.
Noticing this sudden movement, the officers on patrol alerted the others and they all chased down Alec into the forest.