Chapter FIFTY- SIX: A NIGHT OUT IN THE WOODS
Harder and harder it gets.
The difficulty in getting past the room became a thing of the past after I found the hair pin. But getting past the guards at the main door was something I still haven’t figured out, but I still needed to try.
I had to think fast because staying another night at the manor would mean that I would have to looking at Ryan’s lying face again. I might not be able to hold myself from spilling. His shits has gotten way up to a height that I might not be able to put up with. I knew it would be best I stayed away from him until I could find a way out.
So I waited until it was dinner time before leaving the room. But before that, I made sure the guards wouldn’t find out I was out of the room just yet; buying me some time. With the duvet, I covered the pillows in a position they would think that I still laid there sleeping and then, then I locked the door from outside. One of the ladies in the maids uniform, walked down from ahead through the hallway. I was already too close to flee or hide behind the doors. I only maintained a poise like every freeborn would do, hoping she had no idea to what was going on. We walked past each other without saying a word. But then, I turned.
“Hello, excuse me,” and she turned as well.NôvelDrama.Org holds this content.
“Good day ma’am, how can I help you?” She responded with her heads down.
“I was wondering if you knew where Madam Ana kept the bottles of the tranquilizer. Don’t worry, It’s for one of the castles. It had this injury in one of its limbs, its in so much pain. Thought I would put it to sleep for a little while. I heard the tranquilizer helps.”
“Yeah they really do help with situations like that but I don’t know where it is kept.”
“Oh that’s a bit disappointing. I really hoped to put that cattle to sleep.”
“Although, words have been heard that it is kept in a box in the store room. But you should confirm from Madam Ana which box it is in particular since there are so many boxes there. If it is about a cattle, then she would pay keen attention. She doesn’t really joke with the livestock.”
“Yeah, I know right? I will surely tell her about it right away. Thank you,” I said.
She bowed and walked past me. I didn’t exactly know where this store room was located but being a slave before, I had gone through a lot of rooms that looked like a place for storage. So I headed down the hallway to these locations avoiding getting to meet any guard. The doors stood like a puzzle and I didn’t know which to invest the little time left in. I could have sworn it was the one by right but it looked like it had never been opened before as cobwebs and dusts covered every part of it.
“I hope it’s this one,” I settled for the door opposite to it and inserted the pin through the key hole. After a few twists, it opened.
“I’m really getting good at this,” I chuckled and rushed into it. There were shelves all around with boxes and cartons. It sure looked like a store room. I began my search for the substance. The room had only a small window, but the lights had gone down so I had to walk slowly going through all the boxes with my hands searching through it. The first three boxes held only artefacts and I threw it off still searching.
“Fuck! I don’t have time for this,” I stopped for a while and Iscanned the room again. Lights from outside seeped I through the small window and so I saw dimly.
“Where would this be?”
I walked quickly towards a brown box underneath the shelf and slid the lid open to find the bottles of the tranquiller perfectly arranged.
“Bingo!”
I took a bottle and then two more and I dashed out of the room. There was just a stop left to make. I needed to get to the kitchen just in time before the meals were served. As I got there, the food already laid on the dishes and I walked in. I stood around watching as the chef and maids worked and just when everywhere seemed clear enough, I emptied the tranquilizers in every food I found open.
Initially, I had only wanted to target the dishes specifically for the guards but at that moment, I couldn’t risk getting caught or missing the dish. So it was time to wait. And so I waited. When Ryan had injected the tranquilizer in my body, it didn’t take too long until its effect kicked in strong. So I just had to wait a bit longer and then set towards the main door to find the guards all lying fast asleep like I had predicted. Watching how helpless they were only gave me am insight of how I had been all through my stay at the manor. I didn’t know how much effect the tranquilizer in their food would last for and so I knew that I needed to hasten up.
Without making a sound, I yanked the bunch of keys from the chief guards waist. Gently opened the door as I ran off towards the woods. I didn’t stop to look back if anyone could be watching, maybe someone who had missed dinner. I just ran as fast as I could. I couldn’t exactly tell what part of the woods the well was located. Everywhere all looked the same as I ran ahead. And then I stopped to catch my breath turning around to make sure that I wasn’t followed.
“Kieran,” I called out in a low voice as I got to the well. I looked over my shoulders and ahead but he wasn’t there.
Could he had lied? What if he had alerted Ryan about where I was?
“Oh God this is bad, this is bad,” my pacing increased as well as the sweat in my forehead.
“Hey,” I turned sharply.
“Kieran, oh God thank God I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“I am a man of my words. You sounded troubled over the phone. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ryan. I would tell you all about it but first I need to know that I can trust you.”
“Well, you called me and here I am. What about Ryan?”
“I can’t really talk about it here but all I can say is that he is up to no good.”
“I see.”
“Look, you have to help get out of this woods. This would be the first place he would check if he don’t find me back home.”
“I still don’t understand any of this.”
“Look, I would explain to you once we get to a safe place. Please help me. I don’t trust anyone back there. Something strange is going on in there and I can’t stay there anymore.”
“Look Clara, as much as I want to help you, you should know that everything comes with a price.”
“A price. I kind of know that already.”
“Well?”I am willing to pay. I understand that. What do you want in exchange for helping me?
“You know what I want Clara,” he moved closer, tweaking my hair, “I want you.”
“Okay fine, I agree. Now let’s go we don’t have much timegrabbed my arms as he pulled me away towards the opposite direction from where I had come from. I just couldn’t begin to imagine how furious Ryan would be when he finds out that was I was missing. The pain that would be in his eyes as he would have the slightest idea where I would be. This was just the beginning of another adventure. I could feel it.