100

Escape

Akari and Dean made their way deeper and deeper down the underground base. With only two guards guarding each level, Akari and Dean quickly took care of the guards and swept through each level within minutes.

Akari had a bad feeling. Her gut was telling her that something was wrong. It was too easy to enter the underground base and go through each level as if they were taking a walk through a park.

Was the mage so arrogant that he or she wouldn't be caught so there was so little security? Or did she and Dean walk into a trap?

When they reached the tenth level, there was a foul smell that waft through the air. Akari knew they finally reached the dungeons where the prisoners were held. Dean and Akari waited by the door as they pushed their magic sense out. The magic sense searched and scanned for every body that was behind the door.

Akari felt six healthy souls on the other side of the door. Four of them were sitting close to each other while the other two was further away, lying down. Beyond the guards were 20 flickering souls. Some of them were lying down, some were curled up in a corner, some of them were strung up.

Dean brought out an sleeping incense out as Akari lit it up. After Dean placed the incense under the door, they waited to let the incense work on the guards. After ten minutes, Dean opened the door with the key that the ninth guard carried on him, that Dean took.

As the door swung open, the smell of feces, vomit, blood and human rot almost made Akari vomit herself, however she focused her mind to not add to the scent in the air. Dean went and checked each guard to make sure they were asleep before taking a set of keys off of one of the men who were sitting around the table.

Keys in hand they passed each cell looking for Rin. None of the prisoners looked up when Akari and Dean passed by them. It was as if the prisoners lost all hope of escape. It was as if they knew they were going to die there. When they reached the last cell on the right, Dean stopped.

Akari saw a bloody, naked man strung up by his arms and legs with chains. His head bowed forward as if he held no consciousness. His white hair held stains of dirt and dried blood. All over his body were wounds made from a whip. From head to toe he was covered in lacerations as blood slowly drip down each wound.

Opening the cell, Dean quickly unshackled Rin and held him as Akari checked to see if he was still breathing. His breath felt faint and his soul flickered like a candle as if it would blow out soon. Akari grabbed the key from Dean and quickly went to each cell and opened the door.

"Quickly. Run. Free yourself." Akari said softly as she opened each cell door. She even unshackled those that were hung up, just like Rin. "If you don't take this chance to leave, you'll die here."

Akari encouraged every prisoner to flee. To Akari's surprise, those that were too weak to flee on their own, other prisoners helped them stand up so they all could escape the hell hole that they were trapped in.

Dean was already at the door waiting for Akari as she was the last one to leave. As a group, they all escaped quietly and as quickly as they could. Dean lead the way as Akari encouraged everyone from behind the group.

They slowly made their way up each level, with each level behind them the prisoners became more hopeful. With each step they found more strength. With Akari's help, she used her magic to helped guide those who were losing strength and stamina.

It took less than 20 minutes for Dean and Akari to infiltrate the underground base and rescue Rin. But with the wounded, malnourished, torture prisoners, it took them an hour to reach the hidden door that opened up to the Redcorner Bookstore. One by one they left the underground base, as Akari was the last one to leave, she closed the hidden door until she heard a click. The moment she turned around, she saw the prisoners all stand still in one spot as if they were too scared to move.

Akari crouched down as she made her way around the group and shelves to see what was happening. What was it that made Dean stop. What made the prisoners so scared that they couldn't even move an inch.

Akari crept up and poked her head out to see who was the ghost that made everyone scared. Akari saw Dean still holding on to Rin as if he was a sack of potatoes. And in front of Dean was the woman she saw before. She wore a hat with a veil, however this time, there was a slit down the veil exposing her features.

Akari could not see who the woman was. The bookstore was totally dark and she was too far to recognise who the culprit was. However the words that the woman finally spoke made Akari's heart drop and her skin cold.

"After such a long time, it's really good to see you again, my love."