When I opened my eyes again, I felt refreshed. Sure I still felt the dull throbbing of my newly acquired burn, but I was refreshed, and that was the only thing that mattered...
Okay, I lied.
What mattered to me right now was to find a way to get out of this weird place. And not worry about some figment of my imagination that is nowhere to be seen right now... Speaking of him, I haven't seen him at all since I woke up, which placed me in a rather good mood.
Thus my determination on figuring out where I needed to currently be; somewhere that was not in the very large radius of a man who, refused to give me his name, loves to tase people, and seems attached to his power authority like a hen to her chicks.
I paused in my thoughts, blinking. "That really gives off a creepy picture..."
Shaking my head, whilst shivering in goosebumps, I re-focused on my task. Glancing around, I took note of the ways a captive person could handle a situation. The bed sheet looked tempting in throwing out the window and climbing down, but the material was much too fragile. "It'd rip before I even reach the ground,"
I doubted that a wardrobe of random presence would do much, since it smash to pieces at point zero. I doubted such a plain thing could be a secret gateway to some randomly picked location... It wasn't even nailed to the wall!
My only option, after a inner debate on calling for the cleaner and making a break out the door, was the window. This is also because I came to the conclusion that flooding the en suite and my, temporary, room, would be a bad idea.
The window, after confirming my current position and enjoying a breath of fresh air, was situated on the fifth level of the entire seven-story estate. Seven stories is quite a lot in my opinion, but that was a matter to gape at another time. For now, I was planning on making a suicidal jump out there with the odds stacked against me. And for me to do such a thing... I actually don't know what had gotten into me...
Taking a deep breath, I let it out. "Okay, that's enough about questioning my sanity, I need to start moving,"
Making sure that I was somewhat mentally prepared, I climbed the window and managed on getting on to the other side. The breeze was cool, but chilly, as I looked towards the ground. I was starting to have second thoughts on whether I would make it there in one piece, or become mangled while doing so.
"Come on, Youroi, it's either this or being burnt by some half dragged smoke," I shook my head, a mental image of my family surfaced. I swallowed a clog in my throat, while my nose had become prickly. "it's for them, getting out of this hellhole is for them,"
My eyes scanned the bottom, and I spotted a tree. It wasn't so far off from where I was, and it looked to be big enough to hold my weight when I land on it... "That looks to be my only choice I've got..."
Taking a in a deep breath, I jumped off of the sill, fear clinging onto me as the wind whipped past me. My eyes squinted, focusing on the enlarging object coming up fast. I let a quiet mutter of a random prayer go past my lips, and fixed my position in order to catch a limb of the tree. The fall soon came to an abrupt halt, allowing my hazed mind to catch up, while I clung to the branch for dear life. A couple of seconds later my senses decided to tag along, bringing to my notice of my raised heartbeat, and a fresh throbbing pain in a little more than a few places. "Damn, I cut myself while falling into the tree..."
My conscious decided to barge in screaming that I was alive, warm, and unharmed, despite a few aching areas on my upper body. I shifted slightly, and pain tore through my left shoulder. "Kuh, make that with a possibility of a dislocated shoulder."
Bracing myself of the fact, I painfully managed to take a look through the leaves, to see what kind of situation awaited me.
"Nothing," I double checked. "suspicious, but nothing."
Letting out a breath through my nose, I jumped the remaining distance to the ground, swaying a bit and wincing with the pain in my joint. After a small pause of balance, I figured that it'd be best if I was to start moving, otherwise I'd be caught and who'd know, my only escape route would be locked up behind bars. Setting my jaw, I began moving, from cover to cover, deliberately forcing the pain from my senses out.
It had been a close thirty minutes when the first signs of a patrol caught my attention. I smothered a snort, looking them over while easing my pain as best as I could. "They send one out now? That's a hell of a lot of a delay."
Spouting some more nonsense, I figured that the best way out, without being caught, was both calculate and time my sprints to the next cover. It did well for the first dozen of sprints, but I was stuck there.
No more places where I could go and hide.
No more places that could save my skin.
I was done for.
"This is the worst taste of freedom I've ever had..." I frowned, tousling my hair, sighing deeply. "This is the only taste of freedom I've had..."
I settled down as much as I could, just enough so that I can run when I need to, and tried to think my way around this new problem of mine. There were at least three or four search parties, that I could see from my position, and a couple of shrubs that were downwind from where I was, while a large, by the looks of it, tree that was much farther down. I kept some scenarios running, trying to find some loopholes, and finally decided on throwing my cloth on the tree. It was risky, but it was better than meeting a small shrub where I wouldn't be able to hide in.
I then focused my attention on how the small blind spots appeared and disappeared quickly. "Dammit, this is going to be a pain!"
I would say that an hour had past with how numb my legs currently felt, and I now noticed how hungry I was too... I should seriously get something to eat after I get out of this place. "I just hope that this won't take long..."
A couple of hours later, I found my opening when a couple of the search and conquer parties, I was bored out of my wits and had to keep my mind off of my hunger somehow, left for the other side of this huge place. It only came to my attention that this place is seriously huge, which brings up the question: just where the heck did they take me? Getting back on topic, I got myself ready to bolt through the open space like a hare with a lynx on it's heels, trying to shake off the numbness as much as I could. "An estimated ten seconds should do me good,"
I soon began my countdown.
Ten.
The two search parties that were leftover, grouped up and began talking to one another.
Nine.
They looked to be frustrated... Is that guy crying?
Eight.
They break apart and to gain more ground. I allow my mind to clear from random thoughts.
Seven.
Most of them have gone from my view, which is a good thing.
Six.
The feelings in my legs have started to come back.
Five.
I completely forgot the pinpricks that come back after a period of numb sensation...
Four.
My only focus is the tree now.
Three.
I allow my position to shift into a sprint-start, this brings back my soccer warm-up memories...
Two.
I don't see anyone else in the clearing, and so I make my goal the only target. Everything else is just white noise.
One.
I push off and begin to sprint my legs off. The object of my target coming closer, however it's still much too far to feel even the slightest bit of relief. Fortunately, my eternity lasted ten minutes, and I was currently rejoicing in the fact that I was not seen. I wouldn't know what to do if I was. Gulping in some air, I slide down and catch my breath. "I seriously need to start an endurance program..."
It took a while until I was steady, and not feeling any nausea with a slight movement. And as soon as I felt settled, I took in my current situation.
Not much could be said to how much it differed to my last position, but this tree was closer to the eight foot brick wall in front of me.
...
"How the heck did I not see that?" I muttered, frowning. There were things that were okay if they were overlooked, but an eight foot wall, made of brick? That seemed much too impossible to miss... "Yet I missed it..."
I dropped my head down in my hand and gave a dreary sigh before getting back up and judging my position of risking yet another sprint that could very well cost me my life and freedom... whichever comes first.
After the tenth check, I braced myself on running out into the open. The thought on how I was to climb over such a height popped up while running in the open field, causing me to stumble in my acceleration. I quickly regained it, however, and headed full speed towards the brick wall. "Think of flexibility, think of flexibility, think of flexibility,"
Upon reaching the massive wall, I put a small jump in my last step before I 'walked' on the wall. A small feat of gravity playing its role. Physics was good for something after all... Before gravity decided that it was high time I fall and kiss the ground, I jumped up again from my slightly higher position and grabbed hold onto the ledge.
Pain seared through my arm, causing me to let out a hiss, immediately transferring my hold onto my other hand. The dull smarting throbbed with arrogance, channeling the pulsing pain to my brain. "Goddammit! I had to take hold with this stupid arm!"
"There he is!"
"Get him!"
"Why not shoot him down? The boss just wants him alive."
I cursed under my breath, realizing that another precious limb of mine was at stake with me standing so high up. I looked frantically in both ways and was a second too late in deciding on where I should head when the first few shots rang out, hitting the wall right underneath me. "Shit! Now's not the time to decide!"
I then ran to my left, hoping that I wouldn't be shot down like a duck in hunting season. A bullet whizzed by my good arm, making the scratch burn. "Is it too much to ask for?"
Another bullet whizzed by, at a much lower trajectory. I pushed myself further, in hopes of outrunning their view. That didn't turn out to be so when a much nearer bullet decided that it would make the mark on my leg, which in turn made me stumble and fall off of the wall.
The lone thought of it being on the other side was a relief.
But the next thought overtook me with fear.
I was falling off an eight foot wall, and this time I was pretty sure I would not be able to survive.
Great. My new life would end with some scandal that decided that 16 years was my deadline.
I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact, the blood rushing to my head. The impact didn't come.
"Che, you're heavier than you seem."