Ellie darted to the left, her dagger glinting in the dim light as she struck first, plunging it into the side of the nearest guard. He gasped, eyes widening in shock as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his wound. The echo of the blade sinking into flesh pierced through the tense atmosphere, but Azad followed suit quickly, aiming a kick at the second guard. He hoped to knock him off balance, but the guard stumbled only momentarily, quickly regaining his footing.
The guard swung his sword desperately to defend himself, and Azad ducked just in time, the blade whistling above his head. Panic coursed through him as he felt the rush of air against his skin, but he couldn't let that deter him. He pivoted, preparing to help Ellie, who had already engaged the wounded guard.
The wounded guard, now consumed by rage and pain, lunged at Ellie with reckless abandon. She dodged, narrowly avoiding the strike, and retaliated with a swift blow to his knee. He crumpled to the ground, howling in agony, but as she turned her attention back to the second guard, she realized they were now in a precarious position.
Just as they thought they could overpower the remaining guard, a chorus of shouts erupted further down the corridor. More guards were on their way, and the sound of alarm filled the air, causing a chill to race down Azad's spine.
"Get ready!" Azad shouted, panic flooding his veins as he glanced back at Ellie. "We need to retreat!". Azad said, grabbing Ellie's hand as they dashed away from the guards, down the corridor. The sound of their boots echoed against the stone walls, amplifying the urgency of their escape.
The narrow corridor twisted like a serpent, the rough stone walls pressing in on them as they hurried through the dimly lit passage. Ellie led the way, her heart pounding as adrenaline surged through her veins. Azad followed closely behind, his senses heightened, aware that every second counted.
"Quick! This way!" Azad urged, leading them through the labyrinthine corridors he had memorized during their long months of imprisonment. The cold stone walls seemed to close in on them, the flickering torches casting unsettling shadows that danced along the surfaces, threatening to reveal their hiding place.
They sprinted through the winding passages of the dungeon, the echoes of their footsteps mingling with the distant shouts of guards. "They're escaping! After them!" someone yelled, and the sound sent a jolt of fear through Azad's core, driving him to move faster. Their freedom depended on reaching the old rusted iron gate before the guards could block their escape.
"Keep going!" Ellie shouted, urging him forward as they navigated a series of sharp corners, the rough stone scraping against their arms as they barreled past. They ducked under low-hanging arches, feeling the dampness of the air clinging to their skin, an ever-present reminder of their grim surroundings.
As they approached a crossroads, Azad felt a swell of doubt. "Which way now?" he gasped, trying to remember the path they had forged over the last year.
"Left! Trust me!" Ellie replied, her voice steady despite the panic that threatened to overwhelm them. They veered left, the sound of their pursuers echoing ominously behind them.
Every second felt like a lifetime as they pressed on, adrenaline fueling their flight. The narrow passage felt claustrophobic but it was their only chance at freedom.
Azad could feel the weight of panic pressing down on him. "We better reach the old rusted gate before they seal it!"
As Azad and Ellie reached the dimly lit section of the dungeon where they had painstakingly sealed off their escape tunnel, panic coursed through Azad's veins. His eyes scanned the stone walls, searching frantically for the mark they had left to guide them to freedom.
"Where is the mark?" Azad gasped, his breath ragged from the sprint.
Ellie, equally breathless, pressed her hand against the wall, feeling the cold stone beneath her fingertips. Her eyes darted from one weathered surface to the next until they finally settled on a faint, almost imperceptible scratch in the stone—a mark they had carved weeks ago.
"It's this one," she whispered urgently, pointing to the stone block with trembling fingers. "Hurry! Mine it with the pickaxe before they come!"
Azad's heart pounded in his chest, his pulse almost drowning out the muffled echoes of approaching footsteps. The guards were closing in, their armor clanking in unison as they barreled down the winding dungeon corridors toward them. Time was slipping away.
With shaking hands, Azad swung the pickaxe over his shoulder and slammed it into the stone. Sparks flew as metal clashed against rock, and the jarring vibrations shot through his arms. He grits his teeth and swings again, faster this time, determined to break through the blockade they had spent months preparing.
Ellie stood beside him, glancing nervously over her shoulder as the sound of footsteps grew louder, the guards' shouts echoing ominously in the distance. "Faster, Azad!" she urged, her voice barely audible, yet laced with panic.
"I'm trying!" Azad grunted, sweat beading on his forehead as he slammed the pickaxe continuously into the stone. Cracks began to form along the surface, but it wasn't fast enough. The guards were almost upon them.
The footsteps were now unmistakable—dozens of guards, their boots striking the stone floors with terrifying precision. The sounds bounced off the walls, a relentless chorus of impending danger. They had moments left before the guards would round the corner and spot them.
With one final, desperate swing, the stone block cracked and shifted. Azad quickly wedged the pickaxe into the crack and pried the block loose, revealing the entrance to the tunnel. Ellie wasted no time, grabbing Azad by the arm and pushing him through the narrow opening first.
"Go, go!" she whispered fiercely, scrambling into the tunnel after him.
Azad and Ellie quickly reached back, grabbing the loose stones they had just mined away, and sealed the entrance behind them. The blocks fell into place with a satisfying thud, masking any trace of their escape. As the last stone slid into place, the tunnel grew deathly quiet, save for the distant sounds of guards' footsteps as they thundered past.
They had barely made it.
Finally, they reached the entrance of their hidden tunnel—a gap barely wide enough to squeeze through. Azad shoved aside the loose stones they had used to conceal it, revealing the rusted iron gate that had been their only hope for escape.
"Almost there!" he gasped, pulling Ellie into the dim light that spilled from the opening. The gate stood before them, covered in vines and grime, a relic of a forgotten past. Azad reached the gate first, his hands shaking as he pulled on the cold metal handle. It resisted at first, rusted from years of neglect, but with a determined grunt, he twisted and yanked, the hinges protesting with a loud creak.
But Just as the gate began to budge, the echoes of hurried footsteps grew louder behind them. "This way! They're escaping through the old gate!" a guard shouted, panic edging his tone.
"Come on, come on!" Ellie urged, her eyes darting back toward the approaching voices. With one final heave, Azad pushed against the gate, rusted hinges creaking in protest. The old iron groaned as it began to yield.
"Go, go!" Azad shouted, adrenaline fueling his every movement as they bolted through the narrow opening, leaving the darkness of the dungeon behind. The moment they were through, Ellie turned to shove the gate shut just as a guard rounded the corner, his eyes widening in shock. The moonlight flooded over them, illuminating their path to freedom as they fled into the night, hearts racing with the thrill of survival.
In their wake, the guards' shouts faded, swallowed by the shadows of the dungeon, as Azad and Ellie raced toward the uncertain promise of freedom beyond the walls that had held them captive for so long.