Ashlee, stop panicking. STOP.

But how can I? I'm really frightened right now; I don't know what this man is going to do with me! All this...all this...happened so fast, I don't know what to do now!

I'm still held tightly by the man, and though I am not trying to resist or make efforts to loosen myself from his grip, he still holds on as if I'll vanish into thin air if he let go of my arms even slightly! Thankfully, he'd released my neck after I tried to dig my nails into his arm, so now he's pushing me from behind, prodding me on by sticking his gun into the small of my back.

We leave that chamber with the gold and enter another tunnel, which was hidden by another stack of boxes, but empty ones. Then we proceed for about five more minutes and reach a similar chamber as before, but this one has some furniture kept inside it —a small wood cupboard, two plastic, cheap-quality chairs, a bed, a small stool containing some plates with leftovers of a half-eaten meal, and a few candles of different sizes. A bright bulb hangs from the ceiling, which looks like that of the tunnels. A door is on the wall opposite us.

The goon pushes me toward that door, and when I reach it, he points his gun at me again. "Kick open that door. And don't try anything with me, young lady, or I might pull the trigger." He sneers, and with no other option in hand, I do as I'm told. Anger is bubbling inside me with an equal amount of fear to keep it under control. The door opens easily and he gestures for me to step in.

It's another dark, underground chamber, but this time there's absolutely nothing inside except a single chair and a coil of thick ropes lying in a corner. There's not even a bulb to give some light! All the light that finds its way inside is through the door, from the other room.

The burly man makes me sit on the chair, and I know right away that he's going to tie me up. And so he does. I dare not protest, because the gun is still within his reach, and out of mine.

After securing me to the chair nicely and tightly, with my wrists behind the back of the wooden chair, and my legs tied to the legs of the chair as well, he gives me another evil grin and satisfied, takes his gun with him before shutting the door of the dark chamber. At least he doesn't lock it from the outside! Thank God for it.

At first, I can't see a thing. My eyes take around a minute to fully adjust to the sudden darkness. Then I start wondering for how long I'll be trapped here, what will happen to me after that, and...

Hey! Why don't I start thinking about how to escape? That's the first thing people do in movies and books, right, when they're held captive and left alone? Okay, so let's start. Mission: Escape.

Step 1: Get myself out of this mess, without falling into another. Well, I know that's what the whole mission is about, but I have to remember this in order to remain cautious and careful and alert at every other step!

Step 2: Get myself out of these ropes.

Step 3: Find a way to get out of this underground place without being seen and inform the authorities that I've found the gold smugglers' hideout!! Woo-hoo!

Umm...okay. No time to celebrate my future victory or be happy right now. Let's start with the mission.

Now...what do I do to free myself of these ropes which are beginning to dig into my skin? Think Ashlee...think. There's got to be a way. THINK!!

I look around the room, narrowing my eyes to get a better vision in the darkness. At last, finding nothing I suddenly have an idea. I start struggling with the ropes, squirming and pulling bits with my fingers. After a minute, I hang my head down, very tired. My hands ache so much, but going back to step 1, I remind myself I'm not gonna give up.

After resting for a couple of minutes, I suddenly remember that I have my penknife with me in the back pocket of my jeans! So struggling with the ropes again, I finally succeed in loosening them a little and raise myself up, moving my hands down at the same time. At last, they reach the pocket and my fingers extract the penknife from inside, with some difficulty. Subsequently, I begin the task of cutting the ropes with the knife.

After a few more minutes, my hands are free! I pull out the rest of my arm from the now slackened ropes and work upon the knots over my chest. Once that's cut, too, I feel more relaxed and free. Then I bend down and slash the ropes binding my legs to the chair.

Eventually, I'm completely free. I stand up and stretch, rubbing my limbs which had been getting devoid of blood due to the tight ropes. My legs are a bit shaky, but after I pace around the room a few times, I feel much better.

Wow! Step 2 accomplished!! Now time for the next step...

I now make my way to the door, which is shut but not locked. Avoiding producing any kind of sound, I cautiously open the door a kink and peep into the lighted chamber to see if someone's there.

Nope, there's no one. I open the door wider now, and, passing the room, I step into the tunnel leading back to the first chamber — the one with the gold.

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Surprise update! No time to write now...I'm rushing to school as soon as I hit the "Publish" button! But do hope you like it....more to come by Sunday ;)

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