บท 49: Second Floor [part 2]
I had to find a definitive solution before the prisoners who had escaped returned to try to kill me again.
With a heavy heart but unshakable determination, I set off towards the next challenge, aware that every step could be my last.
As I walked, the sound that had woken me echoed once more through the corridors.
I realized it was coming from a part of the prison I hadn't had the chance to explore until now.
Following the sound, I discovered a hidden passage behind a series of abandoned cells.
The passage led to a secret room with a complicated mechanism that controlled the locks and barriers between floors.
I understood that this was the key element to keeping the prisoners on the second floor and below in place.
With the mechanism active, the stairways would be blocked by heavy iron doors, making descent impossible.
But the sound I had heard was a signal of a problem: the mechanism had become defective because someone had tried to tamper with it.
Fortunately, it seemed they had little knowledge of how the various components worked, as they hadn't succeeded, and it was still possible for me to repair it.
Indeed, though the room was dimly lit by a row of faint bulbs, revealing an intricate set of gears, levers, and cables, once I approached the central mechanism, observing its components closely, I immediately noticed that some gears were out of place and a lever was broken, which explained the alarm sound I had heard.
I decided to start with the broken lever.
I searched the area and found a metal bar that seemed sturdy enough to replace it.
Using all my strength, I removed the damaged lever and placed the metal bar in its place, securing the new lever with bolts and screws I found in an old cabinet in the room.
Next, I focused on the gears.
Some were loose and others completely out of place.
With a rusty screwdriver I found among the debris, I began to tighten the loose gears.
I felt the reassuring sound of metal tightening into place.
For the out-of-place gears, I had to use some ingenuity.
I used an old leather belt as a strap to get the transmission system running again. Wrapping the belt around the gears, I managed to get them to mesh again and restore the correct movement.
With the main components repaired, I turned to the cables.
Some were frayed and others completely disconnected.
Carefully, I repaired the frayed cables, twisting them together and insulating them with electrical tape I found in a corner of the room, then reconnected the disconnected cables to their respective terminals, ensuring each connection was stable and secure.
After working feverishly for what seemed like an eternity, the mechanism finally seemed in better condition.
I stood up, covered in sweat and dust, and approached the control panel.
With a deep breath, I pulled the main lever.
For a moment, I feared nothing would happen, but then I heard a deep hum as the mechanism came to life.
The gears began to turn, the levers moved smoothly, and the iron doors of the stairs closed with a definitive clang.
Now I could be sure that this barrier would make it very difficult for the second-floor prisoners to reach the first floor.
But the sound that had woken me had been a warning: I couldn't let my guard down.
With the prison finally under a minimum of control, I prepared to face the next challenges, aware that the real battle had just begun.
So I paused to reflect on the best way to handle the situation and start hunting.
I needed to find the escaped prisoners and prevent them from organizing another attack.
I began to think of various strategies and ways to handle the situation, weighing the pros and cons of each.
I realized that acting alone was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
I could move more quietly and quickly, but facing groups of armed and desperate prisoners would be extremely risky.
On the other hand, trying to negotiate or persuade seemed useless after the previous failure.
Strength was the only thing that mattered in this case.
So I decided the hunt had to be methodical and relentless.
I had to use my environment to my advantage, turning the dark corridors and cold cells into deadly traps.
I had to move like a shadow, strike with precision, and disappear before they could react.
The first step was to regain control of key areas of the prison.
I needed a secure operational base, a place where I could retreat to rest and plan, since I had no intention of returning to the first floor if I could control the entrances and exits between floors here.
In this sense, controlling the lock mechanism gave me a significant advantage: I could isolate the prisoners, preventing them from moving freely between floors and giving me time to rest.
I began systematically patrolling the corridors, listening carefully to every sound, every whisper.
I used pieces of broken glass and mirrors to check corners without exposing myself.
Occasionally, I found traces of the prisoners: food scraps, footprints in the mud, signs of struggle.
I followed these tracks with the precision of a predator.
When I found a group, I didn't attack immediately.
I observed, studied their habits, their movements.
I waited for the right moment when they were most vulnerable, separated or distracted.
Then I struck to kill them.
I moved quickly, silently.
I used the environment: I caused debris to collapse on them, blocked doors to trap them, used shadows to confuse them.
When faced with a direct confrontation, I used every resource at my disposal: recovered knives, sharp pieces of metal, even heavy pieces of wood as improvised clubs.
I moved with determination, each blow precise and lethal.
Every prisoner I killed increased my resolve and strength.
Over time, the remaining prisoners began to realize there was no escape.
Their morale broke, and they started to disperse.
Some tried to hide further, using increasingly complex hiding places, while others sought a way to escape.
But I was always one step ahead.
I hunted them down one by one, mercilessly.
The second floor of the prison, which had recently been a place of despair and chaos, was becoming my domain, a place where I set the order.
Every corner, every corridor, every cell was under my control.
However, I also knew I couldn't let my guard down; I had to remain vigilant.
The battle for survival had just begun, but with control of the mechanism and a clear strategy, I had turned the prison into my personal hunting ground.
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