03-escape(part two)

The pits were a place of punishment. If you got into a whole lot of trouble with the guards then you were sent here. The Pits were a whole lot of holes in the ground most were only wide enough for you to sit down in with a spider colony, they were about 5 meters deep and the walls were coated with stone so flat that you couldn’t climb. No guards were about so our window was about 10 minutes to get the weapons and go. Luckily Hammond had thought of everything and had brought a rope; which he tied to me and sent me down into the green darkness. I saw shapes of weapons at the bottom of the pit as I was slowly lowered down. My heart started pounding again I really hoped none of these went off. I recognised Some swords one was a black rapier thin and lightweight deadly fast but no good for blocking the other was a broadsword it was also black but big and heavy, I wrapped them both in cloths Hammond passed down to me, to stop them from rattling and put them into sheaths. There were four more weapons in the ground and two other shapes I couldn’t quite make out. I picked up one weapon and realised straightaway that it was a crossbow.

“Put the swords into a knot at the end of the rope and pass them to me.” Hammond whispered I did as he asked and called out softly to raise the rope.  The other four weapons were two crossbows and two other bows. The two bows weren’t stringed and I realised with a start that the other two shapes must be the quivers to hold the bolts for the crossbows and the arrows for the bows.

“Hurry,” Hammond whispered to me urgently. I picked up the crossbows and put them in the knot for the rope told Hammond to pull it up. We loaded the bows and quivers in the same way.   

 “Raise me up now ham,” I called softly up to him. We’d been there too long already.

“Let’s go,” Hammond untied the rope for me while I grabbed the weapons I put the sword on my belt and the crossbow quiver and bow on my back Hammond passed me a sack and told me to put it on, I took the crossbow off my back and did as he asked he then handed me another strap and showed me his crossbow gesturing to strap around it. I copied what he’d done. The strap went around my neck, once I had got it in position we each loaded a bolt into our crossbows and ran towards a small ditch that held storm water, nobody ever went near because it stunk. We were running through a small patch of trees when I saw a guard walking on patrol out in the open and I dropped down immediately Hammond who had done the same crawled up to me,

“Do you want me to get him?” he asked softly I shook my head,

“No need to kill when we don’t have to, plus I don’t know how good a shot you are.” Hammond chuckled quietly. We waited for him to pass, his torchlight disappeared around a corner, and that was when a gravely voice chuckled in the quiet,

“I got you now boys.”