Every Man For Himself (Slow Updates)

One

Chapter One

Pound. Pound. Pound.

With my eyes closed, I could register the throbbing of my head...

The moldy smell of my surroundings...

The sound of water dripping...

And something bothering my leg... tickling it...

I struggled to ignore the itchy feeling. Then, it stopped halfway up my thigh. I relaxed until I felt a sting in my leg spreading the painful sensation all over it. My eyes flew open as I realized a big cockroach sitting on my thigh. In a panic, I jerked my leg to and fro to get it far away from me. To my horror, it took off and flew across the room. Flying cockroaches made things a thousand times scarier.

I glanced down at my thigh and gasped as I looked at the small red spot which that thing left. I attempted to reach my hand out to scratch my leg and suddenly felt myself in an uncomfortable position.

That’s when I realized I was very, very stuck. I was wrapped securely by a thick rope, disabling me to move. Trying to ease my hands from the rope, I winced in pain. The thick ropes were tied so tightly that I felt like my blood circulation would stop. My whole body felt sore by the security of it. How long have I been in this state?

I looked around and took in the horrible sight. I was in a very cramped room with a tiny window on the low ceiling. There was water dripping from right above me, seeping into my shoe. The wall was torn and moldy, giving the room an uncharacteristic odor. I craned my neck to see if there was something I could use to get away, but to my disappointment, the room was completely and utterly empty. I sighed heavily.

I was going to give up on my hopes of finding a tool when I spotted a shiny metal cutter sitting right beside the foot of the chair. All I had to do was move back a bit. With all my strength, I pushed myself backwards along with the chair. Once my feet were next to the tool of freedom, I forced the chair to tip over to the right. Dropping onto the floor with a thud, I winced as sparks of pain shot down my arm, which was now carrying the weight of my whole body.

“Ow!” I cried out and squeezed my eyes tightly, trying my very best to not think about how much my arm hurt. I just prayed that I didn’t break it.

With success, I grasped the cutter, twisted my hand and started moving the sharp blade up and down the thick ropes which were winded around my left hand. It took time to set both my hands and arms free. Once I was done cutting the ropes tightening my stomach, I moved onto my legs.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” A deep voice rumbled from behind me. I froze and felt my heart sink but somehow, I managed not to give away any signs of fear. Closing my eyes to calm myself, I continued cutting the ropes around my legs, trying my best to ignore the sinking feeling inside my chest. Knowing that I was almost done, I slowed down my actions to get some time to think of a plan. “Stop moving. If you make the wrong move, someone isn’t gonna be happy. By the way, you know, you can’t escape from here.” He finished, satisfied with his threat.

After debating on whether to react to him or not, I decided to ignore his warning and slowly stood up straight when the ropes were undone. All I needed to do was get out of this guy’s grip. I spun around pulling my best expressionless face and faced the guy. He definitely looked scary, no doubt about that. He had a shiny bald head which, surprisingly, mismatched his unshaven beard. He had a long scar which ran from the corner of his right eye to the end of his jaw.

I considered my chances as I saw the only door when I peeked from between the guy’s legs. There was only one thing I needed to do, and that was to distract the guy. Crossing my arms, I began talking, “Why can’t I?”