---- 383.


    SECRET EXIT KATHERINE Sweat poured down my body, my teeth chattering uncontrobly inside my mouth.


    It felt like the seconds were stretching into hours.


    T could hear the rattling of the pulleys as they passed through the wheels, the screech of metal against stone, and the wood trembling.


    It onlysted a moment, yet to me, it felt like an eternity.


    When I finally reached the end of my descent, the dumbwaiteror whatever this box wascame to a stop.


    Tstayed still, silent, listening only to my own ragged breathing and the frantic pounding of my heart against my chest.


    I opened my eyes slightly, feeling the dampness on myshes.


    My hand reached out to pull the lever.


    Beyond these metal walls, I might find my deathI didnt know.


    But there was no turning back now.


    With a screech, the doors began to open.


    I pressed myself against the back of thepartment, fighting off my ghosts, bracing myself for a battle.


    But none of that was necessary.


    Outside, it was dim, looking like an underground space.


    I wasnt surethere was little airflow, and the stench of dampness, rot, and decay was suffocating.


    ---- Swallowing hard, I forced my stiff muscles to move, stretching my legs to slip them over the edge and climb out clumsily, still trembling slightly.


    Iremained on high alert, scanning my surroundings.


    Dark stone walls greeted me.


    It was a small space, like a storage cer.


    My boots echoed in the deathly silence, broken only by the steady drip of water from some moldy corner.


    I covered my nose with my handthe stench was unbearable, like a tomb.


    It was obvious this ce hadnt been used often, but what caught my attention the most was the arched opening leading into a dark corridor.


    Thesitated for a moment, but there werent many options.


    I jumped suddenly as I heard the metal doors m shut behind me and the mechanism activate.


    The dumbwaiter was returning to the surface, straight to the wardrobe.


    Was it automatic, or was someone elseing? I had to hurry.


    Clenching my fists, 1 decided to follow my magics instincts.


    I rushed toward the tunnel, plunging once more into the thickest darkness.


    At first, I walked cautiously, afraid I might step into a hole.


    I could feel tiny creatures skittering along the walls, the ceiling, the floor.


    Faster steps, then quicker, almost running...


    finally sprinting toward the exit of this ustrophobic pit.