43: Needle in a Haystack
Anyra
Have you ever played Pac-Man and kept running into those ghost guys at every turn, no matter how hard you tried to hide from them? That’s what it feels like as I run down hallway after hallway, blasting people full of tranks who seem to be popping from nowhere.
My boots hit the hard ground with worryingly loud slaps. I’m sure that’s what’s attracting the guards now as I race down another hallway.
I’ve no idea where I am, only where I’m going. I know that I need to head to the center of the compound. That means I keep moving forward, and I’m bound to find SOMETHING, right? Sure, that’s how it works.
I slam my back against another wall, hearing an approaching guard. The guard turns out to be a panicked serving girl who can’t be any older than sixteen. What the hell is my father doing in this place?
I place a finger on my lips and whisper a silent “Shhhh.” The girl stops whimpering and scuttles away.