Young Writers Society

Derik jumped forward and drove his fist into Kazimir's face, a bit harder than he'd meant to, grunting loudly as he delivered the blow.

Kazimir was ready for it. Derik hit harder this time, and that was good, because it helped to sell it as he stumbled again on his feet for just a second, stunned, and then lost his balance as his eyes rolled back. He fell backward again, freefalling until his shoulders and head hit the floor.

And, he was out. But not really. He could hear Jada curse under her breath as the door creaked open.

"The hell-- I'm sorry about Kazimir, but damn, he deserved that," Jada said, sounding impressed with Derik. "He didn't hurt you too badly, did he? No broken bones?"

There was clearly some backstory between them, and Derik was fascinated to know what it was. Kazimir seemed saucy, sure, but nothing too terribly out of the ordinary. But he apparently had a reputation for beating the shit out of his cellmates."

"I..." Derik hadn't been expecting that question. But he quickly grabbed his abdomen and bent over, coughing, as he intentionally stumbled backward away from the door in hopes she'd take the bait and follow. "I don't know. Fucker got me pretty good." He groaned loudly.

Jada took a small step into the cell, but she seemed wary.

"I'll get you a healer," she said quickly.

"Wait, I... I don't know if it's actually..." Derik groaned again, making a big show of taking a few steps closer again as he clutched his side. "I don't know if it's that bad? I don't want to bother the healer. Can you just look how bad it is?"

Jada gave Derik a look like she was unimpressed, and she folded her arms.

"You knocked him out cold," she said dryly. "I expect your fist to be more busted from hitting his miles-thick skull. Do you want me to wake up your aggressor or get you a medic? Pick your poison."

"Some things are worth it," he forced a grin but made sure that it looked pained. He didn't know what he was doing. He'd expected guards to rush in and try to pin him, not try to verbally spar it out with a guard. He rounded his shoulders, making a show of looking weak, as he stumbled towards her. "Can you just take me to a new cell? I don't wanna be here when the fucker wakes up, and I know a medic doesn't, either."

Jada rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she muttered, stepping forward towards him. "Turn around."

"O...okay..." Derik slowly turned around, making sure he was at an angle where he could vaguely see her approach. He legitimately felt uneasy at turning his back on her. What if she tried to drug him again? "Are you uh... gonna cuff me again... or?"

He wished he could tell if she was alone or if there might be others lurking in the doorway. He couldn't tell -- and maybe they'd got lucky and it was just one guard to deal with -- but the universe was rarely so kind.

There were quickly becoming far more moving pieces than he was comfortable with.

Kazimir knew that was his cue. He rapidly flipped up to his feet and grabbed Jada around the neck immediately squeezing so hard to both cut off her windpipe and her only way to call for help. But in his hurry to silence her, he’s missed one little detail. From somewhere, she’d pulled out another syringe.

Without hesitation, she stabbed it into his thigh, squeezing a lot more than was the “designated minimum dosage” into his bloodstream.

Well, that was going to hit him eventually, but it wasn’t going to yet. Besides, better he take the hit than poor low-tolerance Ricky.

Unrelenting, he squeezed all of Jada’s air out, keeping her in a headlock until he felt her body go limp, and she passed out. To avoid alerting the guards, he guided her body to the ground so it wouldn’t thump.

“C’mon, Derik,” he whispered. “Let’s go.”

He grabbed Jada’s keys off her waist just in case and handed them to Derik, since he was the one with the brains, and then darted out the cement door and for the open barred one.

Derik was glad Kazimir took care of the guard. And, as mean as he felt, he was also glad was the one who took the Lumshade. He was sure it didn't feel great -- but apparently, Kazimir enjoyed the feeling. And, it hit him slower. So they could still get free.

Derik pocketed the keys as quietly as he could and then rushed after Kazimir towards the hall.

Kazimir was still riding a rush of adrenaline. There were two guards at the end of the hall - both young men, and one of them bent out a water whip from a hold of water they kept on their belt. The other stepped forward, looking like he was about to fold the earth beneath him.

Kazimir remembered this guy. He was ready now.

Kazimir jumped just as the earth under him gave way, leaping forward through the air at full speed. The man lifted a rock out of the floor but Kazimir rammed into him head-first before he could throw it anywhere. Him and the earth mage went ramming into the ground, and Kazimir landed on top of him with his full weight. The man let out a wheeze, and Kazimir smashed the man’s head with both of his fists before the man could get his bearings.

Boom. Knocked out.

Kazimir wore a crazed smile, and his heart was racing, but then he felt a rope of water whip around his neck, pulling tight.

Derik yelped as the floor just... disintegrated? He wasn't sure what happened, but he didn't like it. He instinctively threw his hands down and tried to call the R'hyk before he remembered it'd been stolen from him. But, to his delight, it was there when he tried. It was faint and only helped him forward a step or two before it fizzled out, but it was all he needed to get past the chasm.

Kazimir attacked one guard, so Derik turned towards the second. He started forward as that man snapped a whip towards Kazimir. It was... water? Derik didn't understand. But it was clearly dangerous. So without a second thought, Derik lunged forward and drove his fist into the man's jaw as hard as he could. The man stumbled backward, disoriented.

Derik spread his hand across the man's face -- palm directly over his nose -- and thrust it forward, driving the man's head into the wall behind him. The man collapsed with a loud groan, knocked out. Derik turned back towards Kazimir, "Hey, you okay?"

Kazimir let out a broken laugh as the water fell limp around his shoulders, and onto the man he was still sitting on. He got to his feet with his head spinning, but otherwise he was fine.

“Yeah,” he said, still wearing a smile. He reached over and patted Derik’s shoulder roughly.

“Let’s get outta here before... you know.”

He grabbed Derik’s hand and pulled him out of the hallway and into the front room. He was running as fast as he could while dragging Derik behind him, and they sped past four different guards who were all just a little too slow and taken off-guard as him and Derik burst out into the street.

“Come on!” Kazimir shouted as he let go of Derik’s hand and started running.

He, at least, knew these streets better than Derik probably did.

Derik felt anticipation growing in his chest as they sprinted down the hall and past the other guards, but they made it past! He ran after Kazimir as fast as he could, thankful that he now had a guide this time, rather than trying to hide behind crates and make sense of things. Since that clearly didn't work out so well last time.