Chapter 4
1270 Words
Chapter 4
The 1st guard reached for Regina's arm. Regina grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and shoved him into the 2nd guard. Both men fell to the ground. The 3rd guard swung his spear at Vinny's head. Vinny ducked and punched the guard in the throat. The guard dropped the spear and staggered backward.
Dorian's face turned red. “All of you! Get them!”
More guards came running from the building. Vinny counted 6, then 10, then 15. Regina kicked one in the knee and elbowed another in the face. Vinny grabbed a spear from the ground and swung it, hitting 2 guards at once. But the guards kept coming.
“Vinny,” Regina said while dodging a sword swing. “We need to end this fast.”
“Then let us end it,” Vinny said. He dropped the spear and walked toward Dorian.
The guards tried to block him. Vinny punched the 1st guard in the nose, grabbed the 2nd guard by the collar, and threw him into the 3rd guard. Regina moved beside him, stabbing a guard in the shoulder with a dagger she had taken. They cut through the guards like a knife through bread.
Dorian was backing away. His eyes were wide. “Stop them! Stop them!”
Vinny reached Dorian in 3 steps. He grabbed Dorian by the throat and slammed him against the stone wall. “You wanted to break my wife's arms,” Vinny said, his voice low. “You wanted to make her wash your feet.”
Dorian tried to speak. Nothing came out.
Regina walked up and stood next to Vinny. She looked at Dorian with cold eyes. “He is not worth killing,” she said. “But he needs to remember this.”
Vinny nodded. He punched Dorian in the face. Once. Twice. Three times. Dorian's nose broke. Blood sprayed across Vinny's knuckles. Dorian's head lolled to the side.
“His ribs,” Regina said.
Vinny kneed Dorian in the ribs. He felt something c***k under his knee. Dorian screamed, a high pitched wet sound. Vinny dropped him to the ground. Dorian curled up in a ball, crying and clutching his chest.
“That is for the spit,” Regina said. She kicked Dorian in the side. Another c***k.
The guards stopped attacking. They looked at each other. Then they looked at the couple standing over the broken heir. Someone shouted, “Kill them!” and the guards rushed forward again.
But now there were more than before. Vinny looked around and saw guards pouring out of every door and alley. 50. 100. 150. They kept coming. The street filled with armor and swords and angry faces.
“Regina,” Vinny said while grabbing her hand. “We cannot fight this many.”
“Then we run,” Regina said.
They ran. Vinny pulled Regina down a narrow alley. Guards chased them. Vinny knocked over a cart full of vegetables, spilling potatoes and carrots across the ground. The 1st few guards slipped and fell. But more came around the cart.
“This way,” Regina said. She pulled Vinny through a doorway into a dark building.
The building was empty. Dust covered the floor. Vinny saw stairs leading up and a door leading to a back room. He heard the guards shouting outside.
“Upstairs,” Vinny said. “We can get to the roof.”
They climbed the stairs fast. The stairs creaked under their feet. At the top, a wooden door led to the roof. Vinny kicked it open. The roof was flat and covered in old tiles. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange and red.
Guards were already on the roof. 4 of them stood near the edge, swords drawn. Behind them, more guards were climbing up from another building.
“Trapped,” Regina said.
Vinny looked down at the street. 3 stories below, more guards waited. There was no way out.
“We surrender,” Vinny said. He raised his hands.
The guards rushed forward. Someone grabbed Vinny's arms and tied them behind his back. Someone else grabbed Regina. A guard punched Vinny in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air.
“Dorian wants them in the dungeon,” a guard said. “Alive.”
They were dragged down the stairs, through the building, and across the street. Vinny saw Dorian being carried away by 2 guards. Dorian's face was a mess of blood and bruises. He was moaning.
‘Good,’ Vinny thought. ‘He will remember.’
The dungeon was cold and dark. The guards threw Vinny and Regina into a cell with iron bars and a stone floor. A single torch burned outside. The guards left without saying a word.
Vinny sat up. His ribs hurt from the punch. He looked at Regina. She was sitting against the wall, rubbing her wrists.
“You okay?” Vinny asked.
“My wrist is sore,” Regina said. “The rope was tight.”
Vinny moved next to his wife and put his arm around her. He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Then we wait for the right moment,” he said while looking at the cell door. “As for the guards, they will get lazy, bored, or might fall asleep. We will wait and watch.”
Regina leaned into him. “How long?”
“Maybe tonight,” Vinny said. “Maybe tomorrow night. Whenever they make a mistake.”
They sat in silence for a while. The torch flickered. Vinny closed his eyes and listened to the footsteps of the guards outside. 1 guard. Then another guard came to talk. Then the 1st guard left. 2 hours later, the same pattern.
“The guard changes every 2 hours,” Vinny whispered. “When the new guard comes, there is a moment when both guards are here. Then the old guard leaves.”
“So we have maybe 30 seconds,” Regina said.
“30 seconds is enough,” Vinny said. He smiled at her. “It has always been enough.”
After what felt like hours, footsteps approached.
The old guard stood up. The new guard walked in. They talked for a minute. The old guard laughed at something. Then the old guard walked away.
The new guard sat down and pulled out a piece of bread.
“Now,” Vinny whispered.
Regina pulled a pin from her hair. She bent it straight and stuck it into the lock. The lock was old and rusted. She wiggled the pin for 10 seconds. The lock clicked.
Vinny pushed the cell door open slowly. The guard did not hear them. He was chewing his bread with his mouth open.
Vinny moved like a shadow. He grabbed the guard from behind, clamped his hand over the guard's mouth, and slammed the guard's head into the stone wall. The guard went limp. Vinny caught him before he hit the ground.
“Take his sword,” Vinny said. “And his dagger.”
Regina grabbed the weapons. She handed Vinny the sword and kept the dagger for herself. “The stairs are that way,” she said, pointing.
They climbed the stairs. The stairs ended at a wooden door. Vinny pressed his ear against it. Shouting came from the other side. Metal clashing. Men screaming.
“Fighting,” Vinny said. “Lots of it.”
“Guards fighting each other?” Regina asked.
“Sounds like it,” Vinny said. “Does not matter. We use the chaos to get out.”
Vinny pushed the door open.
End of Chapter 4
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