~ "Put your hands against that wall," Takyle ordered. "Do you have the keys for these cuffs?" The man nodded. "Unlock them. One false move and I'll slit your throat."
Takyle watched the man closely as he reached into his pocket and slowly drew out a ring of keys. He chose a small silver one and raised it to his neck. Takyle pushed her left wrist out slightly to allow him to unlock the cuff, keeping the blade in her right hand pressed to his skin. As soon as the lock clicked she transferred the blade to her left hand and the process was repeated.
"Drop the keys and put your hands behind your back," she ordered, taking a step back. Within a moment Takyle had slapped the cuffs on her former captor's wrists. "Down on the floor; lay on your stomach."
Once the man had gotten to his knees she made him pause long enough for her to quickly pat him down; removing his belt, a small knife from his boot, and another ring of keys.
"What are these for?" she asked, holding them over his shoulder for him to see.
"They're for upstairs."
"How many more people are out in the hall?"
"Just one," he said. Takyle assumed that he was lying.
"What are you supposed to do in the event one of your prisoners gets loose?"
"Subdue them. If they get off this level we sound the alarm."
"Well thank you. You've been incredibly helpful." Takyle pushed the man down on his stomach and bound his ankles with the strip of cloth she'd taken off the bed. She then looped his own belt through the chain on the cuffs and the knots on his feet, pulling it tight so that his knees were bent, leaving him quite literally hogtied. Takyle pocketed both keyrings and stood.
"Now I want you to scream like I'm killing you. And if you're not convincing, I actually will. Get my drift?" The man nodded. "I'm going to stand behind the door there and you'll do your thing," Takyle informed him, stepping away to take up her previous position. When she gave him a silent nod, the man hesitated for only a second before opening his mouth and yelling loudly for help as he'd been told. Takyle heard a scuffling outside in the hallway and then the door swung open and two men charged in.
The first one stupidly ran right over to his compatriot on the ground, while the second man recognized something to be awry and skidded to a stop just inside the door. Takyle ducked out from her hiding place and the man dove at her, just missing as she jumped out of the way. As the man turned around for another go she leapt out of the doorway, catching the handle and slamming it closed just as he reached it. She drove one of the bolts home only the barest fraction of a second before the man would have been able to jerk the door open again.
Takyle quickly whipped her head around to see if there was anyone else in the hallway and found no one. The ridiculous levels of adrenalin that had allowed her the quickness of wit and foot needed to pull off that last stage of her daring escape left her hands shaking and her heart pounding in her throat. She refused to think about how close that last man was to pulling the door open when she'd bolted it, nor what would have happened if all the locks had required keys. Faster than these men she was; stronger, not a chance.
Keeping her vent cover turned blade and the knife she'd requisitioned to hand, Takyle turned immediately to her left and moved quickly and silently off down the hall. Time to locate Jaden and Andrew. ~
1 comment:
Good work Takyle! That was one heck of a chapter.
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