88. Hellias

        No matter how hard she tried, Zara couldn't block out Sophia's episodic screaming, even though her screaming was travelling farther away with every episode. Panicking inside, she stared at the cell door, the only way out, fixating upon the bolt over the door on the opposite cell. She got up to give the a push and a wiggle, it was definitely locked. Unable to see the lock on her door, she eyed the lock across the aisle in greater detail... It was a bolt... It was out of reach... It was Nefilim height but it didn't seem to need a key... Nor did they use one to open Sophia's door... She reached up between the bars to try grasp the bolt but it was way out of reach. She tried to leverage herself up against the door, but the metal bars had been greased and were too slippery to climb.

         She scanned the cell for ideas and reached for the corner leg of her cot. She tried to pull it towards the door but it was either too heavy or bolted to the floor; it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, Zara sat back down on the cot, efforts hampered by the throbbing pain in her head. Sophia's screams were fading away, but she could still hear her, it was awful. What horrors did she have to go through in order to make it to the Promised Land? Hadn't Sophia not been cleansed of her sins already? 

        Her medal was now weighing heavily around her neck, digging into her skin, adding to the burdens she was bearing inside. Irritated, she held it in her hand, studying it too in greater detail, pondering its weighty significance to her life. She lifted the ribbon over her head and let it swing back and forth in her hand like a pendulum… Quantifying... How many gold beads were melted to make it? Wasn't it worth a lot? Was this Medal of Honor going to afford her nice things in the Promised Land? She ran her fingers along the red ribbon, when all of a sudden she had an idea. She returned to the cell door, and with the medal gripped tightly in her hand, swung the loop of ribbon up to catch the pull-bar of the bolt.
         It missed, throwing her off balance. The medal jammed against the iron bars as she lurched backwards, making a loud CLANG as she crashed down onto the floor. Panicking, she scrambled up off the floor and dove under the covers of her cot just in time.

         The footsteps of the guard paced up and down the aisle moments later. With pounding heartbeat, Zara peeked through a crack in the blanket to watch him walk past, scanning the room for the source of the noise. He checked on a few cells, rattled a few doors and then returned to the reception, leaving the noise unresolved.

         She had failed but learned it could work. After a few minutes, she had to try again. Once more she tried to lasso the bolt, being more careful this time. After only a few attempts, she managed to hook the pull but the bolt was stiff and the ribbon was stuck. She tugged gently on the ribbon, trying to pull the bolt without severing the fine fabric, her only lifeline now. She wiggled the door, tugging gently, slowly wiggling the door until gradually she managed to wiggle and tug the bolt through!

         The door lurched ajar as the bolt released, squeaking loudly. Zara froze… Bracing for the worst... But the guards didn't seem to hear the squeak... She tried to rescue the medal, now dangling above the doorway but she couldn't get it off! Panicking, she had to abandon it and using Sophia's screams to muffle the subsequent squeaks, inched the door open bit by bit, her heartbeat thundering like a herd of horses now, urging her on.

         Un-expectant of her escape, she hadn't made a plan. Swiftly, she glanced around the room in search of an exit, only to realize she was trapped between the guarded reception and the entrance tunnel to the dreaded TLS program. The reception was out of the question.

         The passage to the TLS Program was at the other end of the room. Zara crept quickly past the cells until she reached the hall, an open cavern with a passage that stretched downward into the sandstone bedrock a long way... There was little protection from visibility down the smoky torch lit path, there were no doorways or pilasters to tuck into if she had to hide, it was a huge gamble to venture down there...

         Her heart sank as she realized how trapped she was. There was no way she could risk going down that tunnel even if she wanted to, it was too long and well-lit, she had no idea what was going on below, she would most certainly be caught if she ventured to look.

         Suddenly, something darted behind her. She spun around, panicking, searching for some new danger… When she noticed a dark opening almost completely concealed behind a rough sandstone outcropping, carved into the cave walls... She walked closer to look, it did appear to be a passage... In the dim, flickering torchlight she could almost make out a worn path leading inside... She glanced back towards the cells, following the trail. Cast aside in the corner, half buried in a mound of rubble was a dozen or so bent old iron bars.... 
         She studied the entrance to the passage some more, noticing now some evidence that the bars had been in front of it once upon a time... She peered inside but the passage was pitch black, scary, too scary. She scanned the opening for more clues. A small faded sign was tucked into the shadowy alcove above the entrance, also hidden from plain view. She looked closer, trying to make out the words in the smoky darkness. It was covered in a layer of soot... She wiped her sleeve across to clear the dusty layer and recoiled in horror. "HELLIAS!"