The other prisoners had realized by now that Lucian didn't seem to care about freeing them at all
They now began to rain abuses and curses on him, swearing every foul word they knew.
"Get back here you cunt!"
"Fucking sissy boy!"
"You wouldn't last a minute out there!"
Lucian barely spared a glance at the prisoners hurling curses at him. Their insults bounced off his back like pebbles skimming a pond. He had no time for their petty frustrations, not when he could almost taste freedom.
The door ahead creaked as he pushed it open, revealing a narrow corridor that was dimly lit by a single, flickering bulb. The walls were grimy, their peeling paint long forgotten. Lucian squinted into the gloom and spotted a steep staircase descending into what he assumed was the second block.
He hesitated for a moment, listening. The air was eerily quiet except for the faint hum of chaos in the distance. He wasn't sure if the absence of guards was a blessing or a trap, but he had no choice but to press forward. Each step down the staircase creaked beneath his weight, the sound unnerving in the stillness.
The bottom of the staircase led to another heavy door. Lucian pushed it open cautiously, wincing as the hinges groaned.
The moment the door swung wide, a wave of noise hit him like a wave.
Shouting, screaming, and the clang of metal echoed through the air, accompanied by the acrid stench of blood and sweat.
The second block was in utter chaos.
Prisoners had broken out of their cells and were locked in feral combat with guards who were hopelessly outnumbered. The fluorescent lights above flickered erratically, casting a strobe-like effect over the carnage.
Shadows leaped and danced across the walls, making the scene even more surreal.
The ground was littered with bodies, some moving, some not. A guard lay slumped against the wall, his face a pale mask of death. His eyes were frozen wide in terror, and his chest was riddled with stab wounds. Nearby, a prisoner was sprawled on the floor, clutching his side as blood seeped between his fingers.
Lucian stepped over the bodies gingerly, his nose wrinkling at the pungent smell of decay and unwashed bodies. In the corner, two inmates were bashing each other with makeshift weapons-one with a metal pipe, the other wielding a broken chair leg. A few feet away, another prisoner was dragging a screaming guard by the ankle, his face contorted with rage.
Why were there so many weapons and objects in this prison?! Lucian's mind screamed.
Surely prisons were supposed to avoid having anything that could be used to inflict pain, what sort of prison was this anyway?
Lucian's first instinct was to turn back, but he knew he couldn't. He had to keep going till he escaped the prison. The commotion was his cover. If he could stay unseen and unheard, he might be able to slip out unnoticed. But before he left, he scanned the room for anything he could use to protect himself, just in case.
He looked around the block but there was no weapon or any object he could use as one.
Eventually, his gaze fell on a bone lying near the edge of the room. It was a temur, bleached white and jagged at one end. Lucian felt his stomach churn as he imagined how long the owner of the bone must have been dead for it to be stripped clean.
He reached down and picked it up, gripping the narrower end tightly. The broader end was sharp and uneven, perfect for tearing through flesh if it came to that. Lucian hoped it wouldn't.
Weapon in hand, he began to move through the block, keeping his body low and his footsteps light. He passed a guard struggling with two prisoners, their combined strength forcing him into a cell.
They were occupied enough to not notice an armed skinny boy sneaking past them and so Lucian slipped by undetected, his heart pounding in his chest.
The further he went, the thicker the chaos seemed to grow. Fights erupted
everywhere, a whirlwind of fists, teeth, and makeshift weapons. The floor was slick with blood, making every step treacherous.
Lucian felt his stomach twist as he stepped over a severed hand, its fingers curled as if still clutching for life.
Then he saw them, the twins.
They weren't really twins, Lucian guessed, but they looked identical. Both were hulking brutes with blonde hair, clean-shaven faces, and broad shoulders that seemed to fill the narrow space around them. They were standing near the center of the block, trading punches with anyone foolish enough to come close.
Lucian's throat tightened. If they saw him, there was no way he could talk his way out of it. He gripped the femur bone tighter and inched closer to the wall, trying to blend into the shadows.
For a moment, it seemed like he might make it. He was nearly past them when one of the men stepped back suddenly and bumped into him. Lucian froze, his heart plummeting.
The man turned, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at Lucian. A grin spread across his face, wide and toothy, as though he'd just stumbled upon a prize.
"So, you wanna fight, huh?" the man said, his voice lighter than Lucian had expected but no less menacing.
"No," Lucian said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "I don't want any trouble."
The man cracked his knuckles, his grin widening. "Too late for that."
The second man had noticed the exchange and turned to join his twin. He wore the same predatory grin, his eyes glinting with the same madness.
Lucian swallowed hard. His body tensed as the two men closed in on him. There was no escape, no way to avoid what was coming.
The system blinked to life and Lucian almost jumped, he had forgotten all about that.
[You have a new sidequest]
[Side quest: Get to the end of block D]
[Reward: new skill, assasin's instinct]
"You picked the wrong block, kid," the first man growled, lunging toward him.
Lucian barely had time to lift the bone in defense.