Because there was a party, the slaves participated in most of the preparations so they didn’t have to go out and dig. Emma had earlier thought digging was the most hectic work she had ever done, but working in the kitchen to prepare food for hundreds of people proved to be the most exhausting work. During her break from work, Kylie took her to where the tunnels were. The tunnels were near the barn, and Kylie had been assigned to feed the animals. They pretended they were going to feed the animals. In the store next to the barn was a trap door that opened to the tunnels.
“We can’t actually go in right now because we don’t know what’s in there and it would raise suspicion.” Kylie said. “When time comes, we shall come and use them. We’ll have to deal with whatever is in there at that time.”
“Okay,” Emma said. They closed the door and grabbed some herbicides and a sprayer. Outside, Kylie measured the powdered herbicide and put in the sprayer. She then measured two cans of water and poured in before shaking the mixture.
“You can get back to your work now,” Kylie said, glancing at a warrior who was seated on a large stone a few meters away. “Someone might get suspicious and it’ll be the end for us. I can’t wait to never have to feed stupid cows again.”
The guests started arriving at around 4pm and the party started at 6. It was a loud, big party. The pack members dressed up glamorously as did the guests. The lucky slaves, most of whom had been at the pack for long were able to attend the party as servers while the unlucky ones that were considered filthy were locked up in cages. These included Emma and her friends. Kylie’s group were able to attend.
Emma was lying on the floor in her cage, staring at the grey ceiling. She could hear music, laughter and noise coming from above. It was faint but she could tell that the pack was enjoying their party. As the minutes kept passing, her hope died. Kylie had probably escaped with her friends. Why would she care about Emma anyway, they were practically strangers.
Suddenly, the door opened and a hooded figure sneaked into the dungeon. Emma quickly sat up and watched as the person headed towards her. It was not Kylie but a guard wearing uniform.
“Kylie sent me,” he whispered to her.
“Where is she?”
“At the barn.”
The men removed keys from his pocket and started unlocking Emma’s cage.
“What’s going on there?” Alison asked loudly.
“The alpha asked for her at the party,” the guard said. “Maybe he regrets rejecting her now that he is drunk and lonely. I don’t know. I’m just following orders.”
“Wait, is that-
“Shhh,” the man said and led her out of the dungeon. After closing the door, he spoke. “You know they’d go crazy if they knew you were escaping and leaving them alone, don’t you?”
“Sorry, it slipped my mind.”
“Okay, shut up now, stand tall and follow me. Don’t act guilty. They’ll smell your fear.”
They got out at the back of the building and headed straight to the barn. There were a lot of people where they passed but most of them were drunk, or almost there. Besides, it was fairly dark. They walked past people like they weren’t doing anything wrong. Emma was surprised at how easy it was.
She regretted leaving her friends behind because they could all have escaped easily. Unfortunately, it was too late to turn back. She hoped to find a way to get them freed once she was outside. For now, she needed to go as far as possible from Venom pack.
Emma and the man did not talk until they reached the barn.
“Where’s Kylie?” Emma asked her companion when she saw no sign of Kylie anywhere.
“I think I delayed. She may have already gone through.”
“I’m scared. What if there’s a trap in there?”
“Well, this tunnel was built as a safety precaution. In case we are invaded, we can find a way out without being harmed. It’s almost never used. There are usually three guards stationed here.”
“So we don’t have to worry about those?”
“We don’t,” the man said casually.
“What?”
The man opened the door to the store. Four guards were passed out in the room, plastic cups scattered all over the floor where they were.
“Sedatives,” the man said. “Now we don’t have much time. Go and join the others.”
“Thank you so much,” Emma said when the man opened the trap door. Emma peered in and saw stairs. She went through the door and started walking down the stairs. She found a large room and saw a door to her left. It was ajar. She sniffed and could tell Kylie had been there. Her scent and an unfamiliar one were there.
The guard closed the door and Emma turned on the flashlight he had given her and headed to the door. She opened it and saw a long tunnel. She couldn’t see the whole of it because it wasn’t straight. There was a corner ahead. Emma started running which was hard to do given the circumstances. She ran as fast as she could, turning at different points. About ten minutes later, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel. She thought she had imagined it at first so she turned off her flashlight. The light was still there.
She smiled and imagined herself finally free, not having to work for anyone and living the life she and Tommy had always dreamed of. Emma laughed out loud and resumed her run to the finish line. When she got there, she was surprised to find that it led to a house. She climbed out of the tunnel and found herself in a warehouse. Emma sniffed hard and looked around. There was no one but Kylie’s scent was there. When she saw one of the three doors open, she went for it.
She popped her head out and looked around before stepping out. As soon as her feet hit the grass, she started running.
Suddenly. A figure appeared in front of her. “Not so fast.”
It was Alpha Axel.
What the hell, Emma thought.