What’cha got?” “Nothing” I said. “ There must have been some mistake, for I just had some leftover food that I was eating.” “Oh, is that so?” said the guard. “ That’s funny because you aren’t supposed to have food in your cells!” “ Or leftovers!” He yelled. “ That is it!” “You have two more hauls of rocks to sculpt tomorrow!” and with that the guard checked his watch, and left. Off on break, I assumed. I went over to my book and hid it in my pillowcase, just to make sure. I sat on my rickety old mattress and tried to think of how to survive the next day, as I always did before bed, and as usual, I decided that if I made it today, I would probably get past tomorrow as well. I very slowly went over to the sink and tried to turn on the water. Finally, after many days, it was working again, and I used my finger to brush my teeth. That night, I slept for only two hours, due to the night shift guard’s extensive snoring, and my worries for a friend of mine.

Why’d she stab them? She’s just getting herself into more trouble. I thought. At around one in the morning, I sat up and got out my journal. I flipped to where I had my escape plans, and found my newest one. I thought it must work, because I had spent so much time and energy on it. Here was my plan: I would wait for the rock truck to drop off the daily bunch, and since I had two more loads to sculpt, I would be outside when it came.After, I would wait for the guard to turn his back to the truck, and I would hop on, and close the doors. Then, the next day, after surviving off of moldy bread and a slightly fermented apple, I could wait for the truck to pick up new rocks, and get off when I got there, and the driver wasn’t looking. After that I had to run to the boundary and jump the fence, then go deep into the forest of the Darker and the Dark. However, my apple and bread were getting worse and worse every day.

I also didn’t know how I was supposed to make it on the truck, continue to be on the truck, even get to the boundary, manage to jump the fence and not get caught in the forest! I would need another day or two to collect supplies.The problem was, I would have to get myself in trouble again,but I could most likely do that. Weapons I could find in the training room, and I could find food in lord Ranto’s parlor, I would have to be able to sneak into the parlor, get food, and during battle training take weapons, though. I needed smaller plans for both of those things, too. Ok. Mini plan 1: To get weapons from the training room, I would need to destroy cameras one and two, and to do that, I would need to distract the guards in the camera room. Mini plan 2 : To get into lord Ranto’s parlor, I would need to use the ventilation system to get into the cook room (at a time when the cooks are asleep), open the door to the main vessel, and take a left into the freezer room.

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise.“Ca-chink!” I looked up. Prisoner 45, my roommate and best friend, walked in. I heard the guard say, “That’ll teach ya for messing with the guards of Lord Rantowantwan!” Then the guard slammed the door and locked it, and grumbled to himself as he walked down the hall to the big iron prison door. I walked over to 45, and asked her what had happened. I had already known that she stabbed a guard with a fork when they tried to hurt me, but I had no idea what would happen next. She stood there, eyes on the floor. She said nothing and walked over to her mattress, and sat down. I observed her behavior, and it was very unsettling to watch her stare at the floor, with a depressed expression, and her body language just screamed, “Something very bad is going to happen.” For a few minutes I sat and tried to think about what would be happening, until 45 spat out the word “execution” , and then and there I knew. 45 would be executed in a matter of days.

“When!?” I screeched. “Tomorrow” Said 45. I told 45 that we were escaping tonight, and that I had a new plan. Chapter two My new plan: … uhh, run for it?...but with weapons! 45 told me it was a terrible idea. I knew that. I asked 45 if she had a better idea. She told me to just stick with the old plan. “Fine, but we will have to move quickly, the rock truck gets here in an hour!” I said. 45 said that she wasn’t allowed to leave the room to go to training and sculpting. I told her to make it look like she was sleeping, and sneak into Ranto’s parlor. I handed her a map that I got from another prisoner, and mini plan 2. Then one of the guards arrived to take me to early morning training. I told 45 to meet me outside in 47 minutes. As I walked away with the guard, 45 smiled and waved goodbye. The guard rounded the corner and took a right, pushing me towards the door to the training room. “In.” He bellowed. I walked in and he shut and locked the door.

“Nooooooo.” I said as I saw a brand new camera pointed right at the door. Another one to break. I thought about how I was going to break them, when I saw a small red button on the bottom of the cameras. I walked up to the one pointed at the door and looked at it. “Huh” I said. “What do ya know.”The button marked EMERGENCY. In very small print it said: Warning! Do not press! Beta protocol will engage system shutdown! Wait, I thought. If it engages shutdown, the door will open and the cameras will turn off! Without hesitation, I pressed the button.Crap. I thought. The guards will be here in seconds.I looked around. There was a vent in the corner, but as I walked over and started unscrewing the lid with a penny that was on the floor, I heard shouts down the hall. “It was that 666 prisoner!” “Let’s get ‘em!” The guards were coming. I had to get in that vent fast. Chapter 3 “Where did he go???” “I don’t know! Just find him!”

I watch the guard’s feet shuffle around the room. I sink deeper into the ventilation shaft as the guards frantically search the room. “She ought ‘ter have ran out to the sculpt‘ in courtyard! “ yelled a guard. The rest followed as he led them down the hallway. I punched the mostly resealed vent out and smashed the glass to get to the weapon area. I grabbed a taser, a dagger, a sword, a hammer, and a pistol. I ducked back into the vent and started crawling through the shaft in the direction of the armory. I had figured that we should have shields and maybe a helmet or a breastplate. I got to the armory and made sure that all the guards had left. Fortunately, (and unfortunately) all of them were out looking for me. I punched out the vent again, and ran in and grabbed two shields, a helmet, and a breastplate. I swooped back into the vent as quick as possible, and started heading to the shaft that reached the outermost walls. I kept crawling forward when I heard something.

Another person was huffing in the next tunnel. I freeze as I think “DID THE GUARDS SEE THE BROKEN VENT?” “ARE THEY COMING TO KILL ME?” I bring up the pistol as I scooch forward with my heavy load. “Why didn’t I grab a bag?” I think to myself as I hold the trigger. I stop as the other person gets closer, breathing harder and harder. They finally cut in front of me, and I scream as I get ready to shoot. “AAAAAAAGH!” Their head whips around and I put my pistol down. “45?” I ask. “666?” She says back. “ It’s you!” I say. “I was wondering how you were doing!” “Not well.” She replies. “When I snuck into the parlor, a guard saw me and shot me in the arm. I managed to get food, but I’ve been losing a lot of blood.” I rip off a sleeve of my shredded gown, and hand it to her. “Wrap this around the wound. It will slow the bleeding until we can give it treatment.” She wraps the old cloth around the open wound and says “Thank you. I just hope we can treat it before it’s too late.” “Don’t say that.” I say.

“Everything will be ok.” “I hope you’re right.” She says. I hand her a shield, the sword, the taser, the dagger, and she chose the helmet. We continue our long crawl to the third outmost wall, next to the guard area, on the left hand side of the courtyard. The guards had already gone to search the rest of the prison, and a rock truck was parked in the middle of the courtyard. I punch out the vent again, but we wait for the passenger to finish dumping the rocks on the dirt. As we watch the passenger gets in the car and starts to make conversation. As he heads back out to get the sculptures, we start to sneak towards the car. He finishes loading the sculptures and gets back in the car. As he continues their earlier conversation, we quickly scramble up the back of the wall to the back of the car. The door was still open, so we hopped inside and ducked behind some sculptures. As the passenger approached the door, he slammed it shut without taking a second look.

We heard the motor stirring as we started moving toward the border of the Darker and the Dark. 45 ate her bread as I tore off my other sleeve and began to unwrap the bloody cloth from her wound. She winced as I untied the knot and took off the bandage. “Holy carp” I muttered to myself as I looked at the bloody, mangled flesh and the hazelnut fur stained with deep crimson blood. I begin to wrap the other sleeve around her arm when she whispers “do you think we’ll make it to the border?” I paused for a second then whispered “ I think so, I mean, it did sound like good plan in my head.” “Just because it seems like a good plan at the time doesn’t mean that it’s gonna work.” “Whatever.” I say. “We just wing it.” The next day, I wake up to 45 sobbing in her sleep. I shake her and she wakes up out of breath. “Are you ok?” I say. “WHISPER.” She says in a hushed tone. “Sorry” I say. “But yes. I am fine.” “Ok.” I respond. But, in a few hours, 45 begins to drift in and out of consciousness.

I realize that she is starting to loose too much blood, so I squeeze the wound to apply more pressure. “Hang on.” I whisper. “Only 30 minutes until we get to the border.” I give her the rest of our bread and a pear. I use my hands to claw through a few kiwis. When there are about 5 minutes left until we get to the border, the vehicle comes to a halt. “What’s going on?” 45 whispers. I pause as I hear a raspy voice say “ Two prisoners have escaped. Your truck was there in the time range that they could have escaped at. They had stolen from the weaponry and the armory. A guard had managed to shoot one while they were stealing from my pantry, before he was tied up. You are going to let us look in the back of your truck, and will be charged for aiding in the prisoner’s escape.” “WHAT!?” Said the driver “We didn’t help them escape!” “I will be the judge of that.” Said the voice. “THEY FOUND US.” I whisper.

Chapter 4 We duck closer to the floor as we hear footsteps approach the back of the truck. The door slowly creeps open as I hold back a scream. Two guards open the door as I see the large shadow of Lord Rantowantwan. The guards quickly find us and throw us on the ground. I scramble to my feet and whip out my hammer, but before I can swing, I’m tased and chained. I try to bite a guard, but get tased again at a higher voltage. 45 sticks a knife in one of the guards before she is chained too. Lord Rantowantwan picks up the chains and pulls hard. I am brought up to my feet along with 45. “You, will be faced with the highest punishment possible,” He said, smirking evilly. “you will die.” I am injected with a dubious substance and find myself tiring. I am tossed on a small aircraft as I drift into the void. I awake in a small cubic prison. I look down to discover all four of my paws chained to the wall, and I can barely move a step in any direction, except backwards.

As I sit down, I hear loud footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of keys jingling. Ranto himself walks up to the door with a twisted grin. “Today’s the day.” He says, as he unlocks the door. “You ass.” I say. “We can start now if you want.” He says. I shut up. “Thought so.” He says, snidely. He chains my neck and unchains me from the wall. He pulls me from the room. “Why haven’t you killed me yet?” I ask. “You deserve a long and suffering death. I am still deciding between the noose or the gas chamber.” He replies. We stop at the edge of a balcony, overlooking a guillitone. He chains my feet and my neck to the floor. “But first-“ He says. “-you will watch your best friend die.” I freeze as I watch my friend get dragged along the desert sand by two burly guards. They bring her up to the guillitone and rest her head down. She is too weak from loss of blood to fight back. “YOU CANT DO THIS!!” I scream. “Oh, yes I can.” Said Ranto with a smile. “I am a god. I can do whatever I want.

And I will especially do it if it’s going to hurt.” He says. “KATHY!!!” I yell. Ranto makes an odd hand gesture to his guards. “Sabboth?” She calls back, a look of horror on her face. And I watch as the blade falls down opon her neck. Chapter 5 Terrified and angry, I stare down at the fresh carcass of my beloved friend. A sudden wave of hostility washes over me, as my brain boils and my mouth foams. I screech and hiss and growl as loud as I possibly can, fuming. Ranto strides over to clamp my mouth shut, but I rip the bolt holding my neck to the floor, and the chain smacks his head. He is now extremely angry, but so am I. I thrash and tug about tearing another bolt. Then another. I kick and scratch at Ranto with my front paws, still working on freeing the back ones. Ranto grabs a large butcher knife and swings it down at me. I narrowly escape it, and it breaks another chain. I pull my back paw out of the last anklet.

I then proceed to take chunks of scales and skin out of Ranto. He fights back, clawing and bashing the knife around. After I’ve had my fill, I made the fastest run I ever had in my life. I bolt across the balcony and scramble up to the roof. Ranto chases after me, beating his torn, bloody wings to pick up speed. I dash across the roof to the southeastern tower, the one closest to the border. The forest is in sight, I just have to make it there. I bound onto the tower roof and run to the edge. Ranto is coming straight at me, mere feet away. He reaches for me, extending his claws… but I have a trick. I dig my claws into the tower wall and slide down, missing his hands by inches. His wings are too maimed from battle to fly down. Instead, he yells: “Seize them!” And the guards begin their chase. I bolt across the hot sand towards a small four wheeler, while guards behind shoot like crazy. Two bullets dig into my back right leg and my left arm. An arrow hits me in the neck, narrowly missing the jugular.

I wince and cringe from the pain but I keep moving. Eventually I get to the car and start the engine. I floor the pedal. I check the rear view mirror and realize I was just in the palace. Knowing that, I estimate about twenty minutes until I make it to the fence. I wrap my wounds with torn cloth. The guards are still following close behind. I have to make it. For her. I think to myself. I arrive at the border, but there is no time to spare. Ranto and his guard are quickly approaching. I limp out of the vehicle and attempt to climb the fence. I make it about halfway up when Iook back. I see Ranto walking towards me as I am rendered unconscious. Chapter 6 I wake up in a small, stiff bed. I look around. There is a shelf next to me, and a bunch of… hospital equipment? “Probably just a trick to make me feel like I’m safe. Who knows, I could already be dead.” I think to myself. “Ranto is evil like that.” I mutter. I look on shelf next to me.

On the bottom, there is a small white tray with two little blood spattered bullets and one broken arrow. I look down at myself and realize that the bullets are gone, and my back leg, arm, and neck are all bandaged. “What kind of sick joke is this?” I say aloud. “What?” Says an unknown voice. “Oh great, you’re here. Just get it over with, please.” “Get what over with?” Asks the confused voice in the dark doorway. “ Aren’t you the torturer, executioner, tormentor, or whoever?” I ask in a stern tone. The voice snickers. “Torturer? Executioner? Ha! Do ya have your head on right?” Says the voice. “You’re in a hospital, we’re not gonna kill ya.” Says the voice. “Well if that is true, then how did Ranto not capture me?” I ask. “Easy.” Said the voice. “I fought him for ya.” And the voice limps into the room, with bandages and mangled fur all over them. “Oh my god. Your eye!” I whisper. “Oh, this old thing? Nah. I got this 11 months ago, when I escaped from that wretched place.”

They reply. “ This time I lost somethin’ a little more valuable than that.” They say, and hold up their leg. “ Holy shit…” I mutter. “Your foot…” “Yep.” They reply. “That tyrant took it with him.” They say. “Don’t worry though, they’re making me a prosthetic.” They say to me. “Grabbed ya off the ground, jabbed him in the side, he tore off my foot and I limped into the forest.” They stare down at their still intact foot. I stare at them in shock. “T-Thank you. You could have died.” I reply. “Ah, it’s nothing.” They say. “Anyway, the whole sanctuary is so excited to meet you!” They say with enthusiasm. As they finish talking, the nurse walks in. She unwraps my bandages. “How…” She mutters. “What is it?” I ask. “Your bullet wounds are healing at a bit of a quicker pace…” “How???” I ask. “I don’t know.” Says the nurse. “Anyway,” she says “I’ll change your bandages and get you a wheelchair. You should be able to leave soon.” “Really??? Leaving this quickly!?” The nurse gives me an odd look.

“Kid, you’ve been here for months. You fell into a coma.” I stare at the floor in shock. “It’s been months since that happened? Since…” I fall silent. “Never mind.” I say quietly. The stranger and the nurse exchange confused looks. “Anyway, I forgot to ask your name.” I say to the stranger. “Horizon. I’m the sanctuary leader.” “Yours?” “Sabboth.” I reply. Chapter 7 The nurse rushes off to sign the release forms, leaving me and Horizon in the hospital room. After many awkward minutes of attempted conversation, I come up with a new topic. “How did you escape?” I ask Horizon. “Well, I just burst out winging it. I stole a delivery truck, and floored it. After about twenty minutes, though, the guards were on my tail. I got struck in the eye with an arrow, and managed to shake them off. My escape wasn’t too eventful, and I’m very lucky for that.” Horizon replies. I’m completely astonished. How did Horizon get off that easy? Or am I not getting the full of it?

After they finish with their very brief escape story, Horizon then proceeds to talk about the sanctuary, an apparent home for escaped survivors. After twenty minutes of their rambling about food specials at “The Cracked Hammer”, the nurse returns with a wheelchair. “You are free to go.” Says the nurse. Horizon and the nurse help me into the wheelchair. Horizon then proceeds to steer me out of the building, and into the outdoors. I am immediately flooded with attention. Pointing fingers and excited looks fly in my direction. I smile awkwardly and give a small wave. As I stop waving, two males come up to me, one holding a child. “Hewwo” says the little child, of about 3. “Hello there! Who are you?” I reply with a soft smile. “Charwie” replies the kid. “Yes, and they’re Aren and Wilbur.” Says Horizon, pointing at the two dads. “Welcome to the sanctuary! It’s not much, but we all stick together here.” Says Aren with an enthusiastic grin. “Isn’t that right, honey?” Asks Aren, nudging Wilbur in the side.

“Of course!” Replies Wilbur, settling Charlie on his shoulders. “I own the tavern over there. It’s on the left.” Wilbur states, pointing to two large identical buildings. “Aren owns the inn on the right.” Wilbur explains. “I’ll be sure to look at it!” I respond, showing a thumbs up. The couple then has to go off, and Horizon steers me toward two more large buildings, and a significantly smaller one. We pass a community garden stocked with fruits and vegetables, and a park with a little group of children playing. On the opposite side, we pass a small koi pond, and an outdoor market, with a multitude of stands packed with different items. There is a also a small grocery building at the end of the stands. When we arrive at the buildings, I notice the sign closest to us labeled- “

That’s all I have written lmao

Rantowantwan is a cringe name. Like seriously cringe

Only the recent chapters are any good lmao