Code 83

Prolouge

Silence.

Snow fell outside the building, creating a thick blanket over the unforgiving cliffs.

The rustle of a leaf could be heard from miles around in the still night air.

All was quiet but not for long. Never for long.

The scream echoed across the mountain ranges, causing sheets of snow to fall.

These sounds were to be expected when you were this close to the compound, but today seemed... different to all the others.

The screams grew louder and more frantic. Amongst them, you could hear shouts and commands that were being quickly ordered, unlike the usual orderly, snappy instructions that kept things running as they should.

Things were not running as they should.

~~~

The prisoner ran.

His footsteps were loud in the now quiet air, only minutes before having been filled with noise.

A slight grin crossed his face.

They underestimated him.

They shouldn't have done that.

Turning a corner, he ran towards the kitchens to stock up for his upcoming journey. They never really cared what the prisoners were fed, so long as they weren't dead. That meant the next week or so he would be eating the prison food, only uncooked. The food was usually cooked in large batches and stored in snowboxes to keep it fresh. None of the prisoners knew where this storage was and looking would only waste more time that he could use to escape.

He raced past the mess of bodies that were scattered pretty much everywhere in the compound. He didn't need to be reminded of what he, along with some of the other prisoners, had done.

He turned corner after corner until he reached the main gates. The majority of the other prisoners had craved freedom as the highest priority. He, along with a handful of others, had thought first. The ones who had raced out at the first opportunity would most likely die within a day or two, maybe less. Hanging around had its risks too. The longer he stuck around, the more likely he was to be recaptured. But security was less of a problem than the fact that other people chose to stick around too. The food that people could find wasn't gourmet, but it was still food. Maybe. Anyway, no one wanted to have to halve their food with someone who could stab them in the back at any moment. So, they struck first. Their years in the compound had turned them into what the public thought they were already.

Bloodthirsty, savage beasts who will attack at less than a moment's notice.

So they had fought. No one had wanted to give up on the chance to survive. If they didn't get the food, they would die. If they tried to get the food they might die. So what was the harm in trying?

Quite a bit, it seemed. He didn't tolerate weakness. He'd tied the others up and pushed them down the closest of the slopes surrounding the plateau the compound was on. They wouldn't die, but they wouldn't be able to get back up the slope before he blew up the place where he had suffered for so many years. He wanted to leave behind all traces of his pain, starting with the prison.

He hesitated only a second before taking the last step out of the gate. His first free step in years.

As he strode out of the circle of hills surrounding the plateau, his steps slowed, then sped up as he took in the surreality of his freedom.

He managed to get halfway across the open field before the compound exploded.

His only regret was that he hadn't taken a longer look at the beautifully destroyed sight of the dead prison guards, their crimson blood staining the smooth stones of the corridor.

He managed to cross the rest of the way to the farthest slopes from the compound. He hoped this was the right way.

That evening, as he sat on a large flat rock that he was using as a campsite, he gazed over the seemingly endless sea of white peaks and wondered if he had made the right decision to leave. He quickly shook his doubts off and stood up.

He threw his head back and let out a long, deep cry that rang across the peaks, shaking the snow.

He was free.

He was coming.

 Hey guys!

Thank you for reading this!

I will not upload very often, and I have no upload schedule.

Please tell me any way I can improve my writing, I'd love to hear your opinions!

Star out!