The escape

Chapter 1

Arthur woke up breathing in the foul air of the lead mine. Realising it was food time he stood up and ran towards the hole where the food would be dropped down, seeing mining partner Lucian he ran toward him hearing him shout "ay phoenix you ready for the fight for food," he said with a mischievous smile on his face. Though phoenix was not Arthurs first name it was his last name, everyone called him it because of the way he'd arrived with flames raging all over his body, it should've killed him but somehow it didn't.

It turned out that it had been a guard who'd set fire to him! That guard when he had next come to deliver food into the mine soon found himself with an especially sharp rock in his back…

Eventually the guards had stopped hand delivering the food and had just resorted to dropping the food into the mine.

He turned to his friend and simply nodded looking tense and ready for anything. Arthur was different from most of the men he was not a great hulking figure but still everyone respected and liked him. Not because of his strength but because he was clever and cunning, and fixed many problems. But if you were to betray him you would end up with a sharpened rock, covered in the poisonous lead, in your heart to make sure you died.

Suddenly the food dropped and he rushed forward to grab the bread and meat that he was able to, kicks and brutal punches flying blood teeth and bone splattering everywhere while Arthur slipped past everyone grabbing the pieces that fell to the floor and catching what he was able to, he knew this was hell and he knew he held dominion here. This was the one place where he could forgive people for harming him. He rushed forward as Lucian went backward pickpocketing stealing knives tools anything that could be useful to Arthur and in turn Arthur grabbed food enough for both of them. Arthur turned and saw his friend being stabbed in the gut over and over blood and guts spilling from his stomach, Arthur looked at the man who had proclaimed himself Frans the slasher when he had first arrived whom was thrown into the pit for murdering his wife assisted by his son, everyone stopped. looking at Arthur and then looking to the man who'd stabbed his only friend. They saw Arthur walk forward pick up his dead friends carcass and returned to his part of the cave he searched everything his friend owned and found two pickaxes, looking like they were designed to climb, he then saw why his friend had been hoarding so much stuff knives lead and other things valuable on the top world as they called it. Rummaging through his friends' other possessions and saw his friend had been building another pair of pickaxes no doubt for him. Arthur then realised then and there he would escape tonight.

But first he would make that men regret their decision he picked up his prized possessions daggers made of pure lead which had taken him years to make and he was about to use one of them, and set off towards their hollow and threw a knife made of steel at the fist guard killing him without making a sound and then pulling his knife out covered in slick red blood which dripped warmly onto his hand, after all the years in the mine he had developed his own fighting style equal to that of the guards. He was stealthily walking into the hollow drawing his lead knife and moving towards the son of the man who'd killed Lucian, Arthur buried his knife into the kids leg and snapped the blade off whispering into the kids ear, "You are going to slowly die from the lead poisoning, however, I can grant you a quick death, if you tell me where to find your father." The kid pointed deeper into the cave as slowly a puddle formed around him. And Arthur stood up suddenly kicking the boy in the head slamming his foot into his head repeatedly bone and brain matter going everywhere.

He sank further into the cave creeping along the wall and came up behind Frans slowly pulling out his steel knife and slitting the man's throat hearing a slow release of air and seeing the man collapse blood slowly pooling around the body mixing with his son's brains from his feet. He stood up and walked out his face a picture of serenity but truly feeling an inner turmoil what if he couldn't escape, he would be killed by that man's friends and family

Back in his cave he packed everything into a sack, made from bits of dead people's clothes, and took the pickaxes and slowly looked up at the 40-metre-high wall with water running down the limestone like a waterfall with an overhang at the top. There were never any guards on top because they knew escape was impossible, he dug his first pick into the wall feeling his hand start slipping almost immediately he kept climbing one pick after another he pulled himself up he was relentless when he came to the overhang he jumped up and out so he was level with the top of the overhang. He had the third pick in his hand with rope attached, throwing with all his anger and frustration burying into a vertical crack he'd seen on his way down to hell, the emotions that had been festering inside him from the soul crushing years strengthening him climbing up the rope with all his strength, he finally emerged into the world collapsing onto beautiful lime green grass from exertion, after seven years in hell.