"Jerome..." she whispered faintly. Her delicate voice filled with fear and nervousness. Her bright blue eyes lit up the room around the two of them in a peacefully calm way. "Ready?" She quickly jumped up to a crouching position balancing on two feet carefully. Her long silvery hair fell perfectly around her circular pale face as she looked towards Jerome, a boy with messy brown hair that had wispy bangs draped carefully over his emerald green eyes.

Jerome signaled to her, putting the plan in motion.

They pushed the weakened bars with all their might, and eventually the creaky iron cylindric columns collapsed. The girl quickly ran to the left while he ran to the right. Jerome couldn't help but feeling slightly guilty having the girl run towards danger to cause a diversion while he worked on lowering the drawbridge out of the prison grounds.

But he knew that it was better than waiting for a death sentence that was laid on both of their heads. They had to try to break out. He quietly kept jogging down the eerie, shadowy corridor until he got to a four way pathway. He chose to go down the path furthest to the left, just as the girl had told him.

Before long he had reached a machine mechanism that had buttons for all the machinery needed to keep the criminals in the grounds. Analyzing the board, he quickly found the switch marked gate. She had told him to flick the switch when he heard her signal, only then would he know the diversion was in place. And waiting left a lot of time for mistakes in their plan.

It had been around half an hour before he heard her call. The call was of some bird type noise, perhaps a common crow. Those annoying creatures always bugged him to the extend of almost shooting one down with a simple flick of a wrist holding a pebble. And so he pushed the button and started sprinting back down the way he came from and entered the middle corridor. There, he met the girl along with company.

"So, Jerome isn't it?" The guard with broad shoulders and at least a head taller than him shouted in a gruff voice. Jerome simply nodded his head, for the girl was being gripped tightly by the neck with a sword drawn and inches away from her neck. The same guard who spoke began to circle Jerome while one of his soldiers continued to hold the sword dangerously close to the girl's neck, making her face even paler. "Zania isn't it? What a pretty name." Broad shoulders commented while now circling the girl. The girl remained silent while the guard continued to talk. "Zania and Jerome. You both have committed serious crimes, and by attempting to break out we hereby announce your death sentences for tomorrow evening. Be prepared around midday for your last words. You may release the girl, and take them back to their cells."

While they were being escorted out of the hallway the girl mouthed the words I love you, dear friend, before she quickly disarmed the guard gripping her shoulders and grabbed his weapon. "Run!" She screamed while she continued to dodge the other guards and their swords. Jerome on instinct began to run towards the open gates at tremendous speed, leaving the girl behind who had managed to receive one painful stab to the thigh.

Soon after running across the drawbridge two troops of guards were sent out to run after him. But before they could get across the bridge, it was lifted and he had already entered the pitch black forest. Yet, he knew the chase was not over. They were coming for him, and they would not rest until they saw his lifeless body.