Claimed by the Wrong Alphas

Kael

I bolted from the room just as two warriors rounded the corner, their weapons drawn.

Without hesitation, I took the opposite corridor, trying to run and still be stealthy. In the next few minutes, the quiet facility turned into a maze of running boots and shouted orders.

My mind raced, calculating escape routes as I ran, trying to remember how I’d entered and to create my own escape. I knew that emergency exits would be sealed and main entrances would be heavily guarded. My only option would be through one of these rooms.

I darted into a room, closing the door softly behind me as the warriors chasing after me ran past. Using my pen-like flashlight, I swiped the room, noting it had lots of boxes covered with white clothes.

I moved past the boxes, searching silently for a window. Luckily, I found one.

It took me nearly ten minutes trying to get the window to open, but when I finally did, I stuck my head outside of the window, looking at the ground below. I didn’t recognise this part of the facility.

Left with no other option, I swung my legs over the window, refusing to calculate the distance from the window to the ground.

I landed in a crouch on the soft grass, then scurried towards a dwarf flower fence. I saw a flashlight sweep the area I’d landed before additional orders were barked. The warriors must have noticed that I’d escaped using that room.

Running quietly through the flower fence, I tried to find an exit, but I reached a security barrier. I vaulted over it and immediately sprinted down a maintenance corridor. Behind me, I could hear at least six people pursuing me.

Suddenly, a warrior emerged from a side passage, blocking my path. I didn’t slow down; instead, I launched myself into a sliding tackle that took the man’s legs out from under him. Before the warrior could recover, I was past him and was racing toward an open tunnel I saw.

The tunnel was narrow, forcing me to crawl for several meters before it opened into a drainage system. I paused for a moment, trying to determine where the drainage system led.