5

It seems to me that Mariusz is using some kind of gas. I don't understand why I blacked out.

— Mr. Kaminski, I brought you food. If you don't do anything stupid, I'll undo the handcuffs...—A woman came in with a tray in her hands. When she took the mask off her face, I realized that this was a young girl, just with a low-pitched adult voice.

— Come on, free my hands, my wrists are numb.—I said.

When she unbuckles the handcuffs, I immediately grab the tray, but I don't start eating, I empty the carafe of water in two sittings.

To my surprise, the nurse left while I was eating.

I don't care if they added poison to the food or water, I don't care anymore...

Suddenly I noticed a note under the carrot cake. The ink on the paper was a little blurry, but I was able to read it.

"Dariusz! Try not to sleep after the lights are turned off. Breathe less when the lights in the room go out. They're running gas through the pipes.

I have to get you out of here.

Although you don't remember me, I remember you well.

Lizzie."

I lifted the carrot cake along with the note, and then crumpled the note in my hand along with the napkin. Then I immediately started eating the cake quickly.

I would not say that it is very good...

I think Mariusz will notice if I deviate from my habits and leave at least something on the plate...

A little later I spilled lemon juice on a napkin as if by accident and immediately noticed that the ink was washed off.

That's what gel pens are good for...

I sat up on the bed. It feels like I've been lying in bed for over a hundred years...

getting up, I warm up and see one camera behind the mirror, two more in different corners.

Surely they are not real, but just so that I can see them...

Why would I give Mariusz such pleasure and break them?

Something is missing... The locket!

My eyes immediately darted around in fright. Hearts began to beat fearfully.

Mariusz took the last thing related to my family from me!

I hit the glass mural with my fist. The thinnest glass sticks to the skin in almost weightless grains, some fall to the floor.

I look at myself in the mirror and shudder.

— Damn, how long have I been lying here?—I scream.

I have at least three days of stubble on my face!

On Gloriaterra, people have practically no lines on their hands and they do not change. And new lines are rarely added - because our life span is five hundred years or more!

You can tell the time by the stubble, by the hair that has grown out... Not an exact science, but at least something... Or else...

taking a knife from the tray, I open the bandages on my arm. If things don't go well, it's better to bleed out than to sit here...

The bandages creak disgustingly and still give in - the knife is blunted, after all, Mariusz took care of some things...

I'm looking at the stitches on my arm. They were removed... And that means I've been here for at least five days!

Enrique... He probably already thinks I've been killed.

Strangely enough, I don't stop believing in him. He is the only good that still exists in this world.

I can hear the switches clicking in the distance. So the day is over and it's time to go to sleep...

I try to breathe in as much air as possible and hold my breath.

Now I see this gas.

When the lights went off, I saw a remote control on the wall. He was right under the mural that I smashed.

The door opens silently.

— Darek... Darek, are you awake?— a voice, distorted by an air mask, calls out to me.

The exact same mask falls on my blanket and hits my knee. How heavy it is...

and I was shot in the knee six months ago...

— Can't you be more careful? And don't call me Darek!—I said, putting on my mask.— Who are you and why are you helping me?

— Why don't you remember me, Darek?—she asked with a slight intonation of sadness.

— And why should I?—I asked.

— The house is further from yours on the same street. My father was your older brother's boss.— She said. Suddenly, the girl pressed herself against the wall.— Don't make a single sound!—

There were strange smacking sounds in the corridor, as if a very heavy wet cloth was being dragged or... corpse. These sounds came at the same time as the puffing, as if the one who was dragging something was barely strong enough to do it.

Suddenly, the sounds approached with incredible speed. Or better yet, with the impossible, if the creature that makes these sounds is really so tired...

— A Tyrant brain-eater worm...— I suddenly found out.

I stepped forward.

— Hello, worm... And how cute you are, though...—I carefully reach out and stroke the scales of the worm, which has appeared less than half around the bend.

The worm was dirty yellow in color. I immediately tried to make eye contact with him and not break it off.

— Step back, Dariusz, are you crazy or just pretend?—Lizzie said.

— Yes, and for a long time. I've tamed two of them at home, but they're small...—I say.— They can be converted to food from crickets, but you need to add pig brains to this. Let me explain right away: I didn't kill pigs myself! Unfortunately, I was too young when I was at home...— I can feel her looking at me, and I try to give all my attention to the worm.— A collar with an electric shock?! What a freak this Mariusz is! —

— What are you going to do?—Lizzie tugged on my arm, and the worm growled at that moment.

— I need to take it off him!—I said angrily.

I found one lock. The oiled metal clicked wetly under my hand.

The collar slipped off carefully, but it still scratched my palm.

I shook my hand and licked the blood off my palm. I always know it's disgusting, but licking wounds has long been a habit for me.

— You're going to take us for a ride, aren't you?—I ask the worm, throwing the collar aside.

— Are you going to sit on it?—Lizzie twiched, but I sat her down on the worm in front of me and sat down myself.

The worm rose up in a thick ribbon, almost hitting us on the ceiling.

I laughed when he jumped up on one of the ledges and quickly slid down the stairs.

— Get down, Lizzie, they're going to shoot!—I scream and literally lie down on the worm. At the same time, I do not let go of the protrusions on the worm's back.

Lizzie screams funny when a bullet hits the ceiling.

Are we really going to be able to break out after all?

The beam on the ceiling seemed to grow in front of us. My lower lip throbbed and went numb, apparently my face took the full brunt...

— Isn't it so funny now?—Lizzie shouted.

A worm crawls through the great hall. A thought suddenly occurs to me: now we will fly through the guard post!

There is very little space...

— Lizzie, there will be an emergency axe at the turn! Can you reach it?—I ask loudly.

I hope the worm doesn't go straight through the gate with an electric lock. Although, he shouldn't, because the lock will hurt him...

— How? I'm barely more than a meter and a half tall! You reach out, you're taller!—Lizzie screamed in fright.

I understood the reason for her panic. As I thought, the worm is wrapping up.

— Hold my legs!—I shout at Lizzie.

I grab the axe and flinch - the bullet hits right under the shoulder blade. It seems to be stuck in the shoulder blade...

I feel like it became very painful for me to breathe.

On the opposite side of the suburban highway (are we on the other side of the residence?) the worm falls to one side.

All. He's finished.

— Are we happy?—Lizzie looks around, but I immediately pull her towards the forest:

— Run, we need to go to the forest!—

Bullets hit the body of a worm that has long since lost its life.

Before we left there, I stroked the giant worm's body on its side, as if saying goodbye to it.

This huge body was a good cover for us.

It seemed that there was no strength in our legs anymore, but our bodies were already running purely on autopilot.

A huge thick branch grows strangely in my path, sticking out of the ground like someone's hand.

I hit the wood hard with my temple, the bone cracked in my leg. It went dark in my eyes.

Blood flowed from my nose and splashed into my eye.

I inhaled and exhaled to see if my ribs felt broken. Not broken...

— Dariusz!—Lizzie looked at me with such fright, as if I was about to die.— How are you?—

— I'm going to live, I just hit my head very hard. They are far away, but if we lie here and rest, we will be captured.I jumped to my feet and swayed.— My head is ringing like a bell... —