Silver Skin

47

No way out
~
Accalia
~

It was squeaking that rose Accalia out of sleep, the scampering of rats that stuck close to the walls.

Then it was an earth-shattering bang that snapped her out of the sleepy daze.

Sitting up, Accalia peered around the dungeon, finding it gloomy and ashy, the afterglow of torches bringing smoky fumes and orange hues of light.

The noises, the bangs of what sounded like bodies colliding with each other or a body smashing into stone walls grew louder.

Accalia clasped her hand around Cadence's mouth and woke her up. Her black eyes were devoid of any light and she gasped out of sleep.

Cadence looked ready to punch her, lay Accalia out cold along this floor.

Accalia pressed her finger to her lips, hushing her.

When Cadence's terror-filled gaze swivelled on Accalia, she relaxed back into the cold, hard ground and slapped the hand off her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Cadence asked hoarsely and rubbed her eyes.

Accalia silently pointed beyond the door, beyond their prison.

"Noises. I think people are coming down here." Accalia explained.

She moved her head in direction of the bars and tried to hear more. Would they have neighbours? More prisoners to occupy these cells and more guards to don the halls?

Accalia couldn't only imagine what they were in for if that happened. Each prisoner would be beaten and assaulted at every hour. There would be rest.

"It's them," Alexene said from the corner of the dungeon and Accalia's blood cooled in terror. "Adriana and—"

Another crash echoed and roars reaped up and down the passageways. There was a scuffle. A body being thrown at every turn and a snicker echoing through.

Someone was fighting, while another was thwarting their every attempt.

Soon enough, Erisa and Tala slipped out of their uncomfortable rest and watched cautiously at the door.

Accalia waited. No pulse of hers jumping, nor her breathing heightening and faltering. It was controlled and levelled.

It was the guard that showed himself first. The bulky, bald one. The guard that Cole sent away today.

Melina showed herself second, her honey-coloured dress swaying by her knees, her caramel skin gleaming against the torches and her pearly white smile digging a wound inside Accalia's chest. 

She smiled sweetly and her cat-like eyes swayed to the hall, to where others ascended from.

Accalia's breathing was neutral but she couldn't control her heart slamming against her chest as Adriana stalked in her line of vision, dragging Cole pathetically behind her.

Cole was black and blue. His marks embedded into the greyness of his skin and his face was swollen. His attire, nice leather and trousers were torn at the seams and parts of him showed more gashes that bled without relent.

He was unrecognisable, but the hollowed-out pits of grey irises spoke through his wrecked face, and Accalia's heart splits into pieces from shock.

He couldn't walk, so Adriana did it for him, cupping him by the back of the neck and rearing his head back so all he had to do was stare at the prisoners before him.

Cole was tall, but no taller than Lycus or Rexton.

Accalia had to stare up at him, which was a given, but when she had to crane her neck to see Adriana, her gaze couldn't help but to fall to the floor.