Lucifer of The Silent Killer

Chapter 9 : The Escape

The door was shut tight. Heinrich was left alone in the room.

Heinrich closed his eyes for a moment. The pain from the earlier torture had drained his strength, though it had not vanished completely. He needed time to regain his energy. The only way was to ignore the discomfort he was enduring.

In his half-conscious state, the image of Liv’s beautiful face appeared behind his eyelids. Her tenderness, love, and affection had turned Heinrich into a different man.

Liv felt so real. She stood before him with her gentle smile.

“Liv…” The name slipped out deeply. “I love you…”

“I love you, Erik.”

Liv’s soft voice sounded so clear that Heinrich blinked. A spark of strength emerged. He did not know where it came from, but suddenly it was there, inside him.

“Help me, Liv.”

Heinrich looked up at his hands bound to the ring in the wooden ceiling. He tried to pull them down. The rope was tied tightly to the iron ring. There was no other way for him to free himself except by relying on physical strength.

“Damn it.” Heinrich’s strength was not enough after the torture.

But he had to escape. Ignoring the pain, he pulled his arms downward.

“Argh…”

Blood slowly dripped as the rope rubbed against his skin. But wounds were not the end of the fight. Suffering was its fuel.

Heinrich pulled the rope bound to the ring with all his strength. He kept forcing it until his effort finally succeeded. Not only the rope, but the ring came loose as well.

Thud.

Heinrich’s body collapsed onto the floor. He lay there for a moment, breathing heavily.

After a while, Heinrich tried to move. With what little strength he had left, he shifted his body sideways. His movement was exactly like a small caterpillar.

When he reached the wall, Heinrich tried to rise and then sat with his back against it. He regulated his breathing, calming himself, gathering what remained of his drained energy.

But the longer he stayed still, the more intense the pain became. Heinrich had to find a way to free himself from the bindings. He scanned the room, looking for something he could use. In that situation, his gaze fell on a nail embedded in a wall beam. There was no other choice. Heinrich inched his body closer to the nail.

The nail was rusted. That would actually help him. He positioned his hands, adjusted the rope, and rubbed it against the nail with a steady rhythm. Not rushed, but not careless either. Heinrich did not care that the wounds on his wrists were getting worse.

However, the repeated motion loosened the nail instead. Before the hemp rope binding his hands snapped, the nail came loose from the wall.

“Damn it,” Heinrich muttered softly. He stared at the frayed rope. “Just a little more,” he murmured.

Not running out of ideas, Heinrich rubbed the rope against the edge of a wooden plank. Exhausting, painful, and of course burning. His skin was scraped raw.

After a fairly dramatic struggle, the hemp rope finally broke. Heinrich quickly freed the bindings on his legs. It was difficult, but manageable. Still, once all the restraints were gone, he had to think carefully. He did not know how many guards were outside. His strength was nearly gone.

The first thing Heinrich did was coil the remaining rope still attached to his right hand and connected to the iron ring. He gripped the metal object. The ring could serve as a weapon.

Heinrich rose, forcing himself to stand upright. He took a deep breath, then let it out. After that, the tall, solid-built man stepped toward the tightly closed door.

The door was locked. That was not a problem for Heinrich. He grabbed a chair and slammed it to the floor until it broke apart.

The sound of the broken chair caught the attention of one of the guards. “I’ll check inside,” he said as he stood up. Without suspicion, the guard opened the door.

Already prepared, Heinrich pulled the man inside. He wrapped an arm around the guard’s neck and twisted it in one swift motion until the crack of breaking bone was heard.

The guard died with his eyes wide open.

After dealing with one guard, Heinrich banged on the door.

“What’s going on, Leif?” another guard called from outside. There was no answer, and that raised his curiosity. He stood up, intending to check the room where Heinrich had been held.

As soon as the door opened, a blow from the iron ring struck his nose. The man staggered backward several steps. He was still standing, but fresh blood poured from his nose, soaking his lips and dripping onto the front of his clothes.

Once more, Heinrich slammed his fist into the guard until he collapsed and lay motionless on the floor.

With hands and face smeared with blood, Heinrich moved through the cabin with confidence. Apparently, the place was not heavily guarded. That made Heinrich certain he had not been taken to Vokter’s main headquarters.

Before leaving the cabin, Heinrich took the guards’ pistol and long-barreled rifle. He stood still for a moment, as if analyzing the place.

“Too easy. Too clean,” Heinrich muttered suspiciously. Instead of feeling relieved, he grew more cautious. “This feels staged.”

Moments later, the silence shattered as a radio crackled to life. Heinrich turned sharply.

“Good to see your impressive performance, Lucifer.”