Chapter 48: Second Floor [part 1]
This chapter is only for readers 18+ and contains disturbing scenes. Please read it at your own risk.
As sleep enveloped me, my thoughts became increasingly confused and distant.
The images of the battlefield slowly dissolved, giving way to a deep and reassuring darkness.
My exhausted body finally found a bit of peace.
I don't know how much time had passed since I fell asleep, but at some point, a distant sound woke me.
I opened my eyes slowly, still feeling the weight of fatigue upon me.
The makeshift shelter I had created had protected me during the night, but now it was time to move.
I got up cautiously, feeling every muscle protest from the effort.
The pain was still present, but the sense of power within me was stronger than ever.
Once awake, I began to see if I could find clues about the sound that had woken me, but I found nothing on the first floor.
So I decided to try looking elsewhere: the second floor.
Finding the entrance to the second floor of the prison could prove difficult.
However, after traversing dark and silent corridors, finding where they led was quite easy.
Every step was a reminder of my fatigue, but also a confirmation of my determination.
The structure of the prison was a dark maze of corridors and cold rooms, with an oppressive silence that seemed to be soaked in despair.
As I walked, I could feel my heart beating harder, a sign of growing anxiety that put all my senses on high alert.
It was definitely true that the greatest fear of all was the fear of the unknown. The unknown I would find within this second floor.
Finally, I found a narrow staircase leading to the second floor.
As I began to descend, I felt a shiver of concern.
I had to prevent the prisoners from the second floor and beyond from coming up to the first, to avoid them escaping and hiding within the first floor only to escape later.
My mission was not over; there was still much to do.
Once I reached the second floor, I immediately realized the situation was more complicated than I had imagined.
The cells were larger, and many seemed to house stronger and more dangerous prisoners.
As I approached, some of them began to shout and bang against the bars, trying to attract the attention of the others.
I had to act quickly.
I decided to block the main staircase to prevent any attempt to climb.
I found a series of wooden beams in a nearby room and, using all my strength, dragged them to the staircase.
I arranged them to create a temporary barrier, but I knew it wouldn't last long.
I had to find a safer way to keep the prisoners in place.
While looking for other solutions, I heard heavy footsteps approaching.
A group of prisoners, led by a massive man with scars on his face, was heading towards me.
"Hey, you! Who are you and what are you doing here?" shouted the leader, his voice full of menace.
I knew the situation required diplomacy.
"I'm here to seek a compromise," I said firmly. "I want to have a zone on this second floor all to myself, where no one can enter!"
"A compromise?" the leader replied, laughing bitterly. "In this place, there are no compromises, only survival."
"I'm convinced you can reach such a compromise. I want my space, and you want yours. So if you give me part of it, we can coexist," I insisted.
Another prisoner, a man with a mad look in his eyes, intervened.
"And why should we trust you? You could be here just to deceive us."
"I'm not here to deceive anyone," I replied, trying to stay calm. "I just want a part of this space."
"Empty words!" shouted a third prisoner, glaring at me with hatred. "There's nothing you can offer us that's worth listening to."
I realized the situation was quickly spiraling out of control.
"You better listen to me," I tried one last time.
"If we continue like this, none of you will come out alive."
"We've heard enough," roared the leader, advancing menacingly.
"The only way out I see is through your dead body."
The prisoners began to close in on me, their intentions clearly hostile.
I felt my heart racing as I realized my words had had no effect.
I had to defend myself, kill him, or I would be the one to die.
The leader lunged at me with savage fury, brandishing a metal pipe.
I managed to dodge the first blow, feeling the air whistle close to my head.
Without losing a moment, I grabbed a piece of wood from the floor and used it as a weapon.
I struck him in the leg, causing him to stagger for a moment, but then I felt a searing pain in my side.
Another prisoner had hit me with a rusty rod.
I fell to the ground, the taste of blood in my mouth, but my survival instinct took over.
I got up and with a roar of rage drove the piece of wood into the neck of the nearest prisoner.
I felt his hot blood spray onto my hand, and his expression of shock as he fell backward.
The leader recovered quickly, grabbing the metal pipe with both hands.
He advanced towards me, eyes full of hate. I blocked his attack with a powerful kick to the stomach, which doubled him over.
I seized the opportunity and struck him again with the piece of wood, this time aiming for his head.
The blow was enough to make him collapse to the ground, unconscious.
Meanwhile, the other prisoners wasted no time and threw themselves at me with blind violence.
I felt punches and kicks everywhere, but I managed to keep my grip on the piece of wood.
With desperate movements, I hit anyone who came close, feeling bones break under my blows.
One of the prisoners, a corpulent man with a wild look, grabbed me from behind trying to strangle me.
With a desperate move, I grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall with all my strength.
The sound of his skull shattering echoed in the air, and his body collapsed lifeless to the ground.
The room was a chaos of screams and blood.
The surviving prisoners, seeing the determination in my eyes, began to retreat, but the leader, despite the blood dripping from his head, got back up.
He stared at me with pure fury and lunged at me, brandishing the metal pipe.
This time, however, I was ready.
With a fierce cry, I threw myself at him, driving the piece of wood into his chest.
I felt his body stiffen as blood began to flow from the wound.
I looked into his eyes, seeing his life slowly fade, until he fell lifeless to the ground.
At that moment, I felt a surge of energy coursing through my body. My innate ability "Steal" activated, and the lifeforce of the leader and the other dead prisoners began to flow into me.
I felt every wound on my body heal, every muscle strengthen, my mind clear.
With eyes shining with new determination, I turned to the other prisoners.
Terrified by the scene, they quickly fled, leaving me alone in the oppressive silence.
I knew my mission was far from over, but for now, I had won.
After this battle, however, one thing was clear: they were definitely more organized and stronger than the prisoners on the first floor.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone