ATLANTION - LAYLA BOOK1

Part 28 Layla and Farrar

Two soldiers with red hoods pulled tight over their faces, marched Layla and Farrar down a long, dingy corridor. The old inquisitor hag accompanying them handed Layla a dirty blindfold, leaving her feeling vulnerable and unsure at every step as they navigated the dangerous catacombs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, someone pushed Layla into a cramped metallic box, and they began to descend.

With every ding of the elevator, the pressure on her body grew abnormally, and the smell of the soldiers' sweaty bodies mixed with the metallic odor of their weapons. The speed and gravitational forces made her stomach lurch, her feet unsteady. She wondered if they would shoot her if she vomited on them.

It took a while until they exited, and Layla was at the end of her strength. The prison section must be deep underground, separated from the common areas, given how long it had taken them to descend.

Finally, they emerged into a spacious chamber, the voices of the inquisitor soldiers reverberating from the stone walls, creating an immense sound that echoed like a cave. Water dripped from the ceiling, the constant plop, drop, plop creating a piece of funny underground music. Layla smiled when a drop of salty water landed on her nose. More fell onto her face and slid across her dry lips.

Their footsteps echoed away into the darkness as somebody tugged at her bound hands, and she followed her captors. Sometimes she stepped into puddles of icy water, and the skin on her feet burned with pain. With every step, the tender flesh on her soles and toes numbed until the pain died, and the chilly air cooled her skin, making her senses sharp.

Approaching another gate, metallic chains clanged, and rusty hinges screeched. Suddenly, all her senses went on alert. The stench lay in heavy layers in this place, and Layla could almost taste it, although she didn't wish to savor the gore and decay.

"From now on, you must walk in a straight formation. Do not lean on metal bars left and right; it would mean imminent death, I assure you," barked one soldier, nudging them to walk. Screams and moans filled the air, disturbing every nerve ending, and Layla paused, her lip trembling with instinctual fear.

"You could take the girl's blindfold off; she would walk faster," said Farrar, his voice soothing to her.

"I am afraid not. These are the instructions, and you are no exception, Sir Greenday. You are now one prisoner," said the guard, pulling her chain with force.

As they walked forward, more screams and rattling teeth, claws scratching metal and stone, filled the air. Horrible howls made her teeth ache, and the hair on her arms stood on end. The fire from torches and yellow lanterns pushed grey shadows and shapes through the blindfold, lurking on all sides. Some creatures tried to grab at her, and the soldier in front struck them with his sword, creating a clang, clang, sound that echoed off the metal bars and bars protruding between them.

A spray of hot liquid touched her arm, and she wanted to bathe. For one second, she was disgusted and wanted to protest. In the next, she was petrified. "Fresh soul and tender meat. Mmm mm..." whispered something to her right, a foul stench from rotten teeth filling her personal space, gliding over her cheeks.

Her heartbeat drummed madly, filling her ears, and the heavy breathing was everywhere. Ravenous beasts surrounded her.

"I would bath in maiden blood to regain my beauty," cackled a twisted creature in front of them, its eyes glinting with malevolence as it clawed at the cage bars.

"Come, I want to put my claws in your throat," it hissed, causing Layla to recoil in terror.

Farrar sensed her fear and stopped for a moment, pressing his warm hands over hers to offer comfort. "Thank you," Layla whispered, bowing her head.

He leaned in close and whispered, "I will come for you," his voice determined and reassuring.

As they moved on, another voice joined the chorus of screams, a male voice choking and coughing as it spat its words through the bars. "I want the man's heart. His father took my sister for his experiments."

Layla huddled on the cold, damp floor, her hands still chained together. The screams of both men and women echoed through the prison, mixing with the snarls and growls of the hellish creatures dragging prisoners between the bars. The sound of wet flesh being torn and gnawed made her stomach turn, but she couldn't look away from the horror surrounding her.

She closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds, but they only seemed to grow louder and more terrifying. The madness of it all was overwhelming, and she felt herself slipping further and further into despair.

Suddenly, rough hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up from the floor, dragging her along the ground. She stumbled and tripped, struggling to keep up with the guards. The smell of death and decay was almost suffocating, and she gagged as they dragged her through the putrid darkness.

The screams of the other prisoners followed her, haunting her every step. She tried to stay strong, to resist the terror that threatened to overwhelm her, but it was too much. Tears streamed down her face as she was pulled further and further away from everything she knew.

Layla's heart ached for the poor soul, and she wondered how many others were trapped in this hellish place. As they entered a silent chamber, the soldiers removed Layla's blindfold, and she looked around frantically for Farrar, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is my friend?" she asked the soldier, her voice trembling with fear.

"They ate him," the soldier grinned, his eyes gleaming with sick pleasure.

Layla knew she was alone now, trapped in the darkest pit of the underground, and the realization filled her with a sense of dread. She had no idea how she would escape this hellish prison, but one thing was certain: she would fight with everything she had to survive.

As Layla looked around the chamber, her heart was heavy with fear and dread. The thought of losing Farrar made her feel sick, and the realization that he might be gone forever was too much to bear. She clutched her hands tightly, feeling the cold metal chains dig into her skin, as tears welled up in her eyes.