Welcome to Hell {Prinxiety}

Chapter 3

Virgil's POV (Age 16)

One night, Roman climbs up onto my bed while everyone else is settling in, "What do you want more than anything?" He asks randomly.

"Right now? Sleep," I mumble, not awake enough to even understand half of the words he said. I'm not even sure if I answered the right question, all I heard was 'want.'

"If you could have anything in the world, you would choose freedom right?" He specifies, apparently deciding that telling the half-asleep, grumpy person in front of him what he means is too much work.

"I guess?? Can't whatever this is about wait until morning?" I say, fighting the urge to shove him off the bed. To be fair, I probably couldn't do that unless I got up, which isn't gonna happen anytime soon. 

"Technically yes, but I'll be too excited to sleep until I tell you," He says, way too energetic for a mining slave. Does he really think that I'm going to care about that threat? Well, he's right.

"Fine. What is it?" I rub the sleep from my eyes.

He frantically fans himself, trying to calm down, "Okay, okay, okay. I may or may not have found a possible way out of here."

My heart stops, and suddenly sleep isn't my priority, "You what?" I whisper, trying to decide if I should actually have hope or not. Knowing Roman, his plan is probably to steal a guard's uniform and have me stand on his shoulders. 

"I was digging around like usual, but some rocks fell on me so I looked up, and saw the sky," He says, looking happier than I've ever seen him, "I guess no one thought to check how far underground we actually are."

"So what do we do? When would we even escape and how many guards are outside this place?" I ask. We're freaking locked away in complete darkness with no food just for talking back to a guard, what the hell would they do if we tried to escape?! There's a reason that it's never been done before. 

"We could try to escape tomorrow, after dinner. In the crowd of kids I'm sure we could sneak into the strip where I found an exit," Dammit even I'm getting excited about this, that's just Roman's effect on people.

"Okay- wait tomorrow?!" That is too soon, way too soon, they're gonna catch us.

He takes my hands in his, "It's gonna be okay. The sooner we leave the less time they'll have to shut down that part of the mine, please say you'll come with me."

I stare at him, trying to find a time when he's been more serious. Nothing comes to mind, "I will."

- - -

The next day after dinner, we're all heading back to the bunks when Roman pulls me into one of several mining strips. I held tighter to his hand out of what had to be fear. I willfully ignored the rush of excitement I got from the contact because hope was dangerous down here. And if those hopes were crushed...there's no telling what that would do to someone.

"Hey!! Where do you think you're going?!" A guard shouts.

Instead of answering, Roman takes off running over the uneven ground, dragging me along with him, "It's over here!" He tells me, trying to keep quiet even though they already know we're here.

He pulls me by the hand, looking around for the exit he had found earlier, "Is that it or is there just another hole in the roof?" I ask, pointing towards a small opening.

"That's it, we're actually gonna do this!!" He says excitedly. He helps me up onto the ledge, climbing up after, "We just need to widen the opening more," We don't have our tools so we have to use our hands to pull at the rock and dirt in an attempt to loosen it.

"Get back here!" An adult yells, but I can't see them yet, that's a good sign right?

Roman pulls another large rock loose, looking back towards where the guards would be showing up any second, "Here's the plan; I'll boost you up and go make sure they can't follow us. If I don't show up..." He trails off, "Be safe." 

"I should be telling you that," I say, trying to lighten the mood slightly. Hearing Roman talking about not making it out with me is a whole other kind of fear that I'd rather avoid. He offers me a leg-up, lifting me up to the hole. It's been nine years since I've seen the sky, nine, "I forgot how many stars there are," I mumble.

"They're beautiful," He comments, snapping me back to reality.

I scramble up onto the ground, quickly turning around to offer him help if he needs it, "You go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

I stare at him for a second, before nodding and finding a place to hide in the trees. At least I have a good view of the beach, that's good right? What if he didn't see which way I went? What if I don't hear him leave and I can't find him?! This island could be massive and we might not find each other and what would happen then? One or both of us could run into a guard and then that's it, we're screwed, plan over. I jump with every twig that snaps or bird that sings, waiting for Roman to speak up, waiting for someone else to come running out of the small hole we made in the ground. 

After what felt like hours, but was probably a minute or two, I climbed back down and went back towards the exit. I hear some people talking below, but none of them sound like Roman. He was going to tell me to go on without him if he didn't make it right? But can I actually do that? I hide under a bush for cover in case someone else pops out of our makeshift exit, hoping to see Roman's ecstatic face pop out.

I notice the sun starting to rise after what was apparently hours of me just sitting under that bush. Roman never came out.

A/N: Technically these first three chapters are all in the past, so pay attention to the little labels on them and the next chapter at the top.