Prompt#1: A New Day

Word Count: 744 of 750 MAX
DAY 1 Prompt: A New Day


         My last day in this world. I watch as a sliver of sun cuts the horizon and ever so slowly ascends into the sky. Somewhere behind me, lost from sight beyond so much wood, iron and stone, the moon plunges into another horizon. I grip the bars of my window and press my face against the cold metal. A breeze carries the warmth of the new day to me, along with the scent of life in the town far below.

         I hear a key rattle in the lock of my cell door but I ignore it. I want to crawl through the iron bars and leap into the sky; fly free and far from my captors. The door squeaks as it opens and bangs against the hard stone.

         “Time’s up monster.”

         I ignore him, the jailer. I won’t let his words ruin the last moments of my life. I hear him and another move into the room. I grip the window harder knowing what’s coming next. The collar around my neck gets tight as the chain attaching it to the wall is gripped. The jailer, as he always does, gives it a nasty pull. I hold on as my head is yanked back, my arms stretched to their length.

         “Too late to fight now beast. Here, grab it here and help.”

         I feel the chain swing as the other person gets a hold of the links. I hear the jailer whisper, “On the count of three.” He counts and they pull hard.

         This time I push off the wall with my right leg turning as I do. The momentum of the two actions launch me directly into the pair. Before I’ve make contact my fists are swinging fast and hard. I barrel into the stranger and we both smash into the jailer. Luckily for me I’ve got two bodies cushioning me from the stone wall; not so lucky for my jailer. I drive a fist into the stranger’s face, trying to punch through him. I lift his head and smash it down into the jailer’s pasty visage. Once, twice, three times I use the back of this man’s head to bludgeon my foe. It stuns both of them senseless. A quick search produces a keyring, two knives and one blackjack. I use one knife to permanently silence two voices, one key among many to escape my chain and all come with me to the door.

         There’s a long quiet hallway with many similar doors leading away on either side. I know there are others like me hidden away behind the solid oak and forged iron but they aren’t my concern. I can see stairs leading up at one end, illuminated in a torch’s light. The other direction ends in a final oak and iron door. I hold the keys tight against me so they won’t rattle and quietly make my way to the stairs. I squat and peek around the corner. There are about thirty steps or so that lead to a door that looks a lot like all the others. I climb up and test the handle; the door swings open to a small room. The unmade bed in a corner has me guessing this is where the jailer slept. There is another door opposite this one with light coming from under and around it. Two shelf units stand next to each other on one wall with few items on them. A small fireplace is on the other side with a smaller table near it. I spy a plate displaying the remains of a meal. There isn’t much but I devour everything, trying my best to not visualize the jailer eating it first. I find his waterskin slung over a chair and drink from it. I take it for myself and ransack the rest of the room, taking everything I feel is worth something. I use the threadbare sheet on his bed to hold whatever I find, pulling the corners up and tying them together. It isn’t much but it's a beginning. I listen at the door and open it a crack.

         There is an empty courtyard before me. Across the yard is a large open gate that leads out of the keep and down to the town. I know there are guards all around but if I can reach that gate this might be a new day for me after all. I take a deep breath and step out towards my freedom.