A Day in the Clouds (Chapter 23) - The Hours Between 0300 and 0400

_{This is a continuation of the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds. Be sure to check out the previous chapters to catch up with the story. Enjoy!}

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<< Chapter 22 (Part 2)

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_{The multi-talented @verbal-d (who, by the way, edited this chapter) has bestowed a wonderful gift for this story. Known for his lyrical rhymes, he's also a master when it comes to mixing melodious beats. To enhance the reading experience, play this on loop in the background as you read this chapter. Take a deep breath, and allow yourself to be consumed by the entire experience. Please be sure to follow and donate to @verbal-d! You can also follow his work on SoundCloud.}

I stood up from my bed as soon as I regained my composure. Sweat dripped down my entire body. I shook as I stood in the darkness, with only the sound of the giants snoring to accompany me. The frigid air sent chills down my spine. I took a step the same time a giant snored, so that I could mask the creak the floor made. They weren't in sync, so it wasn't too difficult to time.

Upon arriving at the door, I jumped up and grabbed the knob, turning it clockwise on my way down. The door unlocked, and I slid my myself between the narrow opening. With no other option, I had to make do with the opportunity afforded to me.

The hallway outside was pitch black. But, as expected, my eyes adjusted to reveal my surroundings. I ducked down and searched for the sword that I had crafted earlier. It took a while, but I eventually found it. I fastened it behind my back, with its cross-guard resting on the rear neckline of my garb.

The door squeaked, and the hairs at the back of my neck all stood in attention. I looked back only to discover that no one was there. The air was cold, and the glass windows were rattling because of the wind blowing up against it.

There was something unnerving about the entire situation. I hoped that the giants never predicted my move. How could they have ever expected me to go after their secret weapon? The one they portrayed as any wayward prisoner's doom. I would have still carried on with my strategy of gaining their trust. But, the loss of their secret weapon would have surely put a wrench in their tactics.

I took small steps as I descended the steep staircase. One wrong move and I would be tumbling down the jagged steps until way after I lost my life. The shadows on the walls moved, as if they had a life of their own. I gripped my sword's hilt, ready to draw it whenever a threat revealed itself.

The walls seemed like they were moving in closer together. They wept and howled, and a metallic grinding echoed from within them. Black ooze dripped down from the ceiling. It then made its way to the gaping chasm that waited beneath the staircase.

My lower jaw vibrated uncontrollably, and my palms sweated profusely. I squinted my eyes, bit my lip, took a deep breath, and continued with my descent.

No matter how frightening it was, I knew I had to face it. I had no control over my surroundings, so I decided to not stress about it. My body, however, was something that I could control. I steadied my breathing, and took my hand off the sword.

The stairs moved farther apart, and the ooze made the surface slippery. Every step I made was silent and deliberate, careful not to tumble over the edge. It was a harrowing descent, but it was the only route outside the prison. I didn't have any other option. The giants must've deliberately made it this way to discourage escape.

I had to conserve my energy for the impending battle. If what I had experienced — hallucination, premonition, dream or memory — was any indication, then I knew my opponent wouldn't be easily defeated. I focused on that realization. Traversing these steep steps was nothing compared to the duel that lay ahead.

What if I got caught before I faced that hellbeast? That would surely derail my plan of gaining their trust. What if it became morning by the time I arrived? Would the hellbeast be awake by then? I tried to distract myself with questions as I continued with my descent.

I spent a long while tackling the stairs that time began to lose its meaning. Gusts of wind attempted to throw me to the gaping chasm below, but I buckled down and stood my ground.

This was my summit. Many people considered climbing tall mountains a monumental feat. Descending this towering fortress would be mine. I had always found it easy scaling tall heights. But, I guessed that was what living on top of a mountain would do to a person.

Before I knew it, I had already made my way to the bottom floor with all my parts intact. I knelt down and kissed the ground where I stood. Never had I been more glad to be standing on a stable surface. My knees were weak, but I knew that I had to forge ahead.

I jumped up a cushion, then grabbed hold of the doorknob to unlock it. It made an eerily sharp creak, so I ran outside as quickly as I could. Running through the tiled hallway, I felt the sword dislodge from my back. Soon, I found myself in front of the brown, metal gate that served as the first line of defense for the fortress. Ironically, it became the last obstacle that stood in my way.

I gripped the sword, and used it to unfasten the latch. Its doorknob was higher than any of the other doorknobs I had encountered so far. There were no platforms nearby that I could use as a springboard, so I had to improvise. Luckily, the sword was long enough to reach it. Out of breath, I had trouble steadying my aim, but I eventually succeeded in unlocking it.

If I had planned to escape, it would've gone smoothly so far. However, that wasn't my primary objective this time around. I made my way out to the prison yard as soon as the metallic gate swung open. This was the part where I could've shouted 'Freedom!' but it wasn't the right line for this scenario.

    "Let's do this," I whispered, in a hushed, stern tone.

The cloudless night sky allowed the moonlight to dimly illuminate the surroundings. A soft breeze brushed across the prison compound. Sleeping prisoners littered the yard, like landmines in a battlefield. While I was certain that no one would alert the giants, I still had to be careful not to trip on anyone and wake them up.

Trust was hard to come by in the prison. If I learned anything in all my years as a captive, it was that I shouldn't trust anyone completely. Everyone had their own interests, and most didn't line up with mine.

I navigated my way through the cavalcade of slumbering inmates. Their constant shifting and turning made it hard to dodge them. I steadied my breathing, and focused solely on not tripping on anything. The battle could wait, and my viento would recharge even if I didn't will it to.

A cacophony of snores overwhelmed the silence. Sleeping amidst all the noise was an impressive feat. Exhaustion and the necessity of sleep played huge factors in allowing them to rest.

I held the sword high above my head, so that it wouldn't have any chance of bumping into anybody. The strain from its weight added to the difficulty of the journey. My shoulders became sore with every second I spent wandering the prison grounds.

As I passed the middle fortress, I caught sight of a small gathering of giants up ahead. Huddled in a circle, they sat on rusted, metallic chairs. They drank copious amounts of, what seemed like, alcohol. I drew my sword back, and hid behind some shrubbery.

Ari, the night watch giant, was among the group that sat just beyond the outermost fortress. I recognized two of the giants as members of Jenmu's fortress, but I was unfamiliar with the others. The light above them was dim, but it provided more illumination than the moonlight ever could.

There was no way of going around them. They were what stood between me and the opening where I last saw Coche. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hear the rattling chains that bound the hellbeast. Speaking of my ally, it wouldn't hurt if I had help when I took on the giants' secret weapon.

I had to think of a way to get through that opening. Even though they seemed absentminded, there had never been a successful escape during their watch. They may have been more cunning than the giants that guarded the fortresses. Considering that they had to guard the entire prison during the hardest time to keep watch.

As they sat there laughing and talking loudly, I was pretty sure that they had one eye on every escape route. Underestimating them was not an option.

I crawled towards the outermost fortress, and slowly pushed a ceramic vase that sat on an elevated surface to the edge. Careful not to tip it over, I positioned it just so that it was barely keeping its balance. After that, I raced back to the shrubbery where I hid earlier.

I waited a while to catch my breath, and to see if the vase would tip over by itself. Some time passed and, unfortunately, it didn't move an inch. I picked some loose rocks and threw them softly, one by one, at the vase.

My heart raced, and my breathing became labored. Sweat dripped down my back and the side of my face. I set the sword down, so that I could conserve my strength.

Eventually, the vase tipped over and broke upon its fall. Its contents spread all over the ground below. I looked on as the giants stood in attention. Just as I planned, the group rushed to the scene to examine what transpired. I picked up the sword, and gingerly walked past where they congregated.

The stench of liquor littered the air. It was intoxicating, and the pungent odor made me feel light-headed. I wouldn't allow this to be a deterrent to dissuade me from pursuing my objective. After all, this wasn't even intended as a trap against escape. Or, was it? It didn't matter. I held my breath, and ran towards Coche.

    "Wake up, old friend," I whispered, as I gently stroked its side. "I need your help."

The creature laid quietly, without a hint of the slightest snore. It was almost too silent, which troubled me greatly. I felt around for a pulse, or whatever sign of life, but I didn't know if its body worked the same way as mine did.

    "Coche? Are you ... Are you asleep? I-I ... I don't know what to do. How do I wake you up? Give me something. Anything."

From a distance, I heard the terrifying rattle of chains grinding against each other. I could've sworn that I heard a deep, throaty growl creeping up just on the other side of Coche. I gripped the sword's hilt tightly, ready to pounce on whatever would pop up.

As soon as I determined what direction it was going, I ran to the opposite side to catch it off-guard. Alas, it was nowhere to be found! I looked up to see if it was above Coche, but it still wasn't there. If the teevee was to be trusted, the beast would've been saddled atop Coche stalking me with fiery red eyes.

Chains clanked again, but this time I was sure it was behind the concrete fence a few meters away. The sound must've bounced off the prison walls earlier.

Without my viento, I charged silently, but aggressively. The giants had resumed their post, so I had to be careful not to make any loud noises. Blades of grass sliced against my bare leg, but I remained undeterred. I wasn't quite sure if I would ever get this opportunity again, so backing down wasn't an option. Heck, up until that point, I didn't even think about how I was going to make my way back.

    "This ends tonight, foul beast!"

As I entered its infernal den, the first sight that greeted me was that of a small creature. It had dark-colored fur and a huge resemblance to the hellish beast that devoured me in my dream. 'Small' was a loose description. It was large for my size, but in the perspective of the giants, it was almost as tall as I was, therefore it was small to them. The creature, which slumbered on the ground, had a heavy chain strapped around its neck. It could have been the one causing all of the rattling I had heard. But, it didn't look like the nightmarish creature that plagued my hallucination.

I stood there, confused. Trying to wrap my head around the whole situation, I rested my back against the concrete wall. Perhaps this was its offspring, and the parent was out prowling the night for prey. If that was the case, then it could be back any second now! I turned my back swiftly to survey the surroundings.

In my haste, I accidentally hit the sleeping creature, and, in turn, it sprang awake. I gripped the sword tightly and swung at its head, in hopes of decapitating it. My sword broke in two, but the beast didn't seem to have taken any damage. It looked at me with its beady eyes, and tilted its head to the side. Distressed, I threw the part of the sword that I was still holding right between its eyes.

It shook its head and flinched. With no other weapon, I stepped back until I hit the concrete wall behind me. The beast regained its composure, walked towards me and pushed its snout against my body. It sniffed me, as it readied to take a bite.

My eyes welled up, upon the realization of my impending demise. I wasn't going to go down without a fight, so I clenched my fist and cocked it back.

The beast turned its head to the side and barked hoarsely. Seeing an opening, I took a deep breath and used all the strength that I had left to knock it out.

Just when I was about to deal the killing blow, Ari intercepted my strike and pulled me up high in the air. The beast looked on as the giant dragged me away. It didn't know how lucky it was that it received a chance to live for another day.

_{The extremely passionate @ryivhnn has created this magnificent viento-inspired artwork for this story. Close your eyes and picture this masterpiece, as you imagine Ledd soaring to new heights. Please be sure to check out @ryivhnn's wonderful artwork and in-depth logs of her experiences with homeschooling her children. You can also become a patron of hers on Patreon so that you can support her regularly.}

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