Category : Stories

Sub Category : Suspense/Mystery

I woke up in handcuffs inside wht looked to be a human-sized birdcage suspened high above the stone floor below kept up with an iron chain.

Luckily for me I keep lockpicks hidden in my shoe. Unfortunatly that didn't help me down from the cage.

I looked around at the room outside of my confinement. There were several other birdcage-like things also suspended from the ceiling although there were several that were lower hanging than mine. Maybe if I could unlock the door...

I squeeze my hands through the metal bars and start picking the lock when I hear someone shouting somewhere down below me.

"THE PRISONER IS TRYING TO ESCAPE!" the voice yelled.

I heard a lot of scuffling noises as I hurriedly finished picking the lock. I carefully pushed the door open so as not to tumble to the ground far below me and the door swung open with a screech.

I spotted the nearest cage and prepared to jump to it when my cage started to lower, they must have been trying to lock the door again. I didn't want to wait for that to happen so I jumped over to the other cage. I just bately made the landing and I gripped onto the chain for dear life.

I had just gotten my bearings when the new cage started to lower as well, this time however I wouldn't be jumping, I would instead have to fight my way out.

The cage hit the ground with a loud thump and I stood up to my full height, leaped down, and landed on the back of one of the guards knocking him down. Another guard swiped at me with a sword but I ducked out of the way and then got ready to fight for my life.

                                ...

I don't know how many people I had to fight but I finally was able to tear free and run out of the room where I found a long and narrow corridor with many doors. Unthinking, I continued running but about halfway across one of the doors opened and I was yanked inside.

The door slammed behind me and locked from the outside, I tried to unlock it but I realized that somehow in the struggle I had lost my lockpicks. So I turned around and scanned the room. It actually looked kind of nice, the was a big plush chair in front of a fireplace wherein a nice fire crackled. There was a bookshelf filled with old tomes. The floor was a nice hardwood and there was a big soft rug covering most of the center of the room. There also a small intable next to the chair that had a plate of food as well as a bowl of something and some candles on it. The candles were lit and seemed to smell of lavender. On the plate was mashed potatoes covered in gravy, peas buttered and salted, and a sizeable peice of grilled steak. In the bowl was some yogurt topped with a variety of berries. That was everything of note in the room.

"You're not supposed to be here yet." Said a male voice behind me, "But since you're here go ahead and have a seat and some food."

I turned and looked at the strange man in shock. "W-what?"

"You heard me."

Without speaking I sat in the chair, it was actually a really nice chair. But I didn't dare telax or try the food. I stared at the stranger trying to figure the situation out.

"I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're wondering. You have successfully passed the first test so congratulations are in order. Go ahead and eat you've earned it."

I cautiously reached for the food, I was pretty hungry after all. "Why am I here?" I asked between bites of mashed potato.

"You will know soon enough, and just so you know if you don't pass the tests or if you try to escape you will die."

I almost choked on my food. "Woah there, I never asked to take your stupid tests."

"I never said they were mine, I'm just the messenger, and for the record neither did the rest of us asked for this."

"The rest of us?"

"What? You expected to be the only one to go through this? Amateur."

Suddenly the man dissapeared as well as the food. The candles also went out but the fire was still burning. I sat there for a few minutes then got up and went to the door to try the knob again. This time the door swung open easily. I stepped out of the room and set of at a run. I didn't care whtlat the stranger said I had to get out of there.

Somehow I found a door out into the open. I saw that the building was in a clearing in a forest so I ran for the tree line. I was almost there when I head a loud bang amd then I felt a flash of pain in the center of my back. I fell to the ground and the stranger reappeared in front of me.

"I warned you that you would die if you tried to escape." Were the last words I ever heard.