The Riches of Power

Shackles and Chains

POV Karen

"Are you insane?" Asked the woman exasperated. Her small frame was a mixture of irritation and fear. Her hands were in fists, and her muscles tense. She constantly turned her head down one end of the hallway giving it a worried glance. "If we don't leave right now you might as well decide what your last words will be." She argued. When none of us moved she must have mentally hit herself "This is ridiculous" She decided as she stomped back into the room.

That's when we began moving. We weren't very sure how we were going to get everyone unchained at first, nor were we sure about how big this room actually was. "If you are against the wall move as far away as you can" I called, my voice bounced off the walls. We waited for the crackling and grinding of chains to subside before we gave Elaina the signal. I heard nothing but where the light from the hallway conquered the room, the acid slithered across the wall like a living being.

"It's done, everyone come over here towards the door." Elaina announced. The hundreds of shackles scraped the floor as many figures crawled and hovered towards the light.

"What is your brilliant plan now?" The woman prodded. There wasn't much we could do now.

"We run" Pieper answered, which was the only option at this point.

The woman had no problem with this plan seeing that she was already out the door, I ran after her the other seven and Elaina on my tail. The hundreds of unfortunate souls followed desperate, but hopeful. I only began to panic when I heard the painful screeching coming in a wave of sound. There had to be thousands.

We moved faster, keeping track of the, always faster, woman. She twisted and turned in the maze of hallways. That's when I could hear the heavy footprints of treacherous creatures that only nightmares could conjure. When we came to a fork, we would turn in the direction that didn't have any dangerous sounds. The flapping of wings became apparent to my ears over the sound of chains, and that was spine chilling. They were close, way closer than I wanted them to be. I reached into my pocket and slid my hand over the cool, blue, metal envelope shaped box. The angelic engravings grazed my fingertips and made my actions surer as it unfolded into my scythe. I was already running, so I just swung my scythe out in front of me so that the curve of the blade was on the dark wood. As it rolled I was hoisted high into the air. Before I lost any height I lifted my scythe from behind me and swung it over a chandelier, so that I hung in the air. Both of my feet and my right hand rested on the staff of the scythe so that I remained angled against it.

I glanced over the herd of sickly people who gave me little notice. At the end of the hallway I caught a glimpse of the hoard of demons some were bat like, circling erratically in the air. There was a cross between hallways, and where they met, demons were being shoved so forcefully against one of the walls that many seemed to have just died there. The hallways was full from top to bottom with vicious creatures, it was like a flood.

They were much faster than we were and were beginning to close in on the stragglers.

POV Charles

When Karen jumped backwards towards the crowd, we moved to the sides allowing the herd to pass. Gazing upward at her slim frame as she seemingly, effortlessly rested on her scythe that that was hooked one of the arms of the chandelier. The mass of escaping humans was terribly similar to a stampede. They ran as if their life depended on it, which it did. They shoved one another, many being shoved underfoot, being weak in the first place, they were incapable of getting up before being trampled on. Since they filled the hall every passing individual's chains would whip at our ankles or their bodies would momentarily crush us against the wooden wall with crown molding designs piercing uncomfortably through our clothes. My eyes returned to Karen who had begun flipping from one chandelier to the other using the curve of her scythe. Craning my neck, I scanned over the crowd. An ocean of revolting creatures were trailing, their hungry cries were their drive. Many were humanoids holding weapons as they chased, but most were savage, rabid creatures such as the traipses.