"All is clear, Sire!" said the guard as he looked behind him and back at the dark space.
"What are you waiting for? Leave, keep searching for that, B*tch!" Spat Decan at the guards with rage having them all flinch at his words. He felt like a fool in front of all the guards, listening to a madman's actions. Walking out of the dark, confined area, he kept yelling at all the guards as he cursed the missing woman.
Upon seeing the guards leaving, the madman huddling on the corner of the cell closer to its gate stood up and shouted, towing his wild, unkempt hair that was matted with dust and dirt. The shout reverberated with a disturbing intensity through the cell's icy stone walls. It began as a low, ferocious growl and became louder and more intense until it exploded into a wild, ear-piercing scream.
Decan, who passed by the cell, turned around only to see the madman stomping his feet on the watery floor that gave out the unbearable stench of urine and blood. He hit his baton on the iron bars, grazing over the prisoner's fingers, having him step back, but the man continued to scream out loud. Decan, having no patience walked away caring no more of the madman's cry.
As if feeling the burning gaze of a certain someone, he turned around and swept his gaze at everyone, wondering who had the nerve to do so, but to his resentment, he saw none. He shook his head and walked away.
The guard, who was yet to close the gates of the cell, had his burning gaze fixated on the knight as he clenched and unclenched his fist, turned around, and made no noise as he waited for the rest of the guards to leave.
After ensuring that the rest of the guards had left the area, he turned his attention toward the barrel where the girl was hiding.
"Step out!" he demanded in a low and cold voice.
Feeling intimidated she could not defy his command. With great effort and pain from all the squatting for a long time and the numbness in her back, she felt her soul leaving every move she took.
Clutching onto the wall as a support, Alicia stood up on her wobbly feet. 'I'm doomed for real!' She thought as she showed herself out of her hide.
Before the utterance of clearances, Alicia had thought when the guard had to come to stand in front of her, she'd be straight to her deathbed, but to her surprise, nothing like that happened.
Her closed eyelids snapped open upon sensing no moves from the man. With confusion, she raised her head. He looked past her as if he saw nothing other than the cold walls. Then, he gazed behind him before he gestured for her to keep mute. He pretended as if he so nothing and kept searching for her before he shouted at the knight that the cell was clear with no sign of the girl.
As she trekked out of the shadows and into the murky light, Alicia's eyes met the distant watch of the madman, who had risen from his cell corner.
Sensing the gaze of the guard who was intensely looking at her, she shifted her gaze to him, who still kept looking at her with his burning gaze.
Alicia felt uneasy with the look of his. She opened her mouth and closed it like a wish, trying to form words in panic, but before she could, she heard him say, "You have not much time, unless..." he glanced out and back at her from top to bottom and came to settle straight into her terrified blue eyes. "You plan to rotten here."
Alicia's blood turned cold at the man's remark and the thought of dying.
"Are you able to walk?" Adrien questioned her, his eyes looking at the trembling feet of Alicia, who was bearly balancing herself with the support of the wall.
Alicia could only nod her head at the look of the man whom she still did not know. She wondered where had she heard the voice, as it was quite familiar to her ears. There was no way that she knew a knight or came across one before she had fallen into the trap of the crazy witch who kept poking into her already bleeding wound.
As soon as she stepped a foot forward, she whimpered in pain, feeling another pain shot. But this time, it wasn't on the back of hers, but right above her hip. That evil witch had been stabbing her in every possible way sucking the only energy of her body.
Adrien who smelt the fresh blood in the air narrowed his eyes and scanned Alicia from top to bottom and saw the wet patch on the gown staining in blood underneath the girl's clutch on her hip.
She was squeezing it in pain as if it would bring relief with her eyes shut tight.
"Ahh!"
"I'm sure I didn't see that earlier," he said with a cold and deadly look on his face. The look would have bored holes over already wounded injuries if possible.
"Th-at it was-sn't. The witch-"
"Shhh! It is alright. We do not have much time. We need to get out of here before the other guards return."
As Alicia opened her eyes with great effort in enduring the pain, she saw the armored man step forward. She could only get a glimpse of his deep black eyes that stared back at her. The man was fully covered in iron armor, unlike the rest of the guards who had come in search of her.
He stepped forward toward her and wrapped his fingers around her before he said, "Let's just hope you can walk and follow me. Make sure you make no sound," he instructed in a hushed tone.
Alicia nodded while wincing and struggling to stand on her feet. Making sure she took cautious steps, Alicia clutched the large palm of the man, trying not to make no noise. She was able to stand up on her own with the man's assistance, despite the fact that every movement caused her body to jolt with pain. She clung to his arm in need of balance, and the two of them started to go slowly through the dark corridors of the dungeon.
At the sudden click of his tongue and the abrupt stop of his footsteps, Alicia too came to a halt, staring at the back of his head with confusion etched on her face.
"This won't do anything but let us approach straight to hell," he muttered frustratedly, and soon Alicia felt her hands being pulled by the man and something unimaginable happened, causing Alicia's eyes to widen in shock and startlement. He hooked one of his hands under her legs and used the other hand to support her back just so he could carry her.
"My ba-back!" She squeaked in pain.
Upon hearing the girl wince even more and the wetness felt on his hand, he knew that the girl was badly injured on her back too. He had no choice but to do one thing if not for what he had done now.
The scrunched face of Alicia turned pale seeing the whole world turn upside down as she was not held up on the man's shoulder like a vegetable sack.