Raven's heart began to pound as she slid out of her alcove. She drew her father's dagger from her boot and slipped out of the bedroom, exhilaration flowing into her veins. She crept into the moonlit corridor and made her way slowly through the shadows to the end of the hallway. 

"Raven!" A voice hissed from the darkness. Snapping into alertness, Raven whirled around to face the sound. "Who's there?" she demanded, her blade raised high.

"Keep it down!" the voice whisper-yelled.

"Jack?!" Raven spat, not bothering to keep quiet, "what are you doing here?!"

"Why are you always so rude," Jack muttered, stepping irritably into the light, "it's my house anyway."

"What, did you expect me to be all cuddly and soft? I just died, I just found out there's an afterlife. I just realized I'll never see my friends and family again, at least until they die too.

"I'm basically held captive here. Did you expect all smiles and thank yous? Or maybe you did." Raven seethed, "maybe you thought I would be just like you, that same, silly smile plastered across my face." Not waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel, stalking down the hallway.

Droplets of salty tears gathered in Raven's eyes as she ran. She hadn't asked for this, not any of this. Not her death, not her afterlife. Not this.

Her vision swam as she walked on, tears clouding her sight. She was supposed to be a warrior. She was supposed to be better than this. It was what was expected of her. She was meant to be as swift as a raven, and as smart as one. When she tried, she failed. When she didn't try, she failed too.

Endless rooms and corridors flew past her as she stumbled into a jog, fading from memory as quickly as they arrived. She didn't know where Jack was now, didn't care. Sure, he'd been nice to her, smiled when he'd seen her... but people don't always mean it when they smile at you. She'd learned that a long time ago.

On and on the floors went, the ceilings, the walls; the corridors, the rooms. Sometimes she felt as though she was going circles, an endless marathon. Just like life, or the afterlife, apparently. She crashed through door after door, not looking back.

She jolted out of her trance as a sudden sound pierced the silence. The alarm's ringing began to speed up with urgency, "Jack you coward!" What a way to show someone they aren't a prisoner; sound an alarm when they run away. Darting to a small window, she peered out. The ground lay only a couple of metres below; low enough to jump from without any damage.

Raven shoved it open and clambered through to the other side, clinging to the cold windowsill with her fingertips. Her gaze shifted uncertainly to the grass, the wind had picked up and the ground seemed a lot further away than before. She breathed deeply, the fresh, foresty scents lingering thick in the air. Sucking in a sharp, short, breath, she shut her eyes and dropped ungracefully to the soft earth below.

By now the sun had crept up over the horizon and dawn was fully on its way. Several birds had begun to whistle from the trees, starting the day afresh. The grass felt damp from rain as Raven trod through it, involuntarily admiring the beauty of the whole place.

She could still hear the distant alarm but she didn't care anymore. They could do what they liked for all she cared. She was free now. However she wasn't daft, she kept her guard up as she broke into a jog, her boots barely making any sound as they struck the ground.

She paused for a moment as she reached the treeline, glancing back towards Porta ad Inferos; it was an old building, with features of a castle, yet it looked so modern and futuristic. She sighed and turned back to the forest, shaking off her thoughts.

Her footsteps crunched loudly on the dried leaves as she made her onwards, the hairs rising nervously on her arms. The sun didn't shine here. The light breeze grew into a wind as the Gateway to the Afterlife faded further and further into the distance, becoming almost invisible through the trees.

A small scream escaped her throat as a large hand suddenly clamped over her mouth.

"Hello there, Raven isn't it?" A voice sounded from behind her.

Raven writhed wildly around lashing out with a kick, trying to get a glance of her captor.

"Stop struggling! Look, I don't want to hurt you but I have to take you back to the gateway." The young man muttered, shoving Raven to the ground. He pinned her down and quickly tied her wrists together with a length of rough rope.

"What do you want?!" Raven hissed, bringing a knee upwards into the man's face. He didn't so much as flinch.

"Do you mind?" He grumbled, pulling her to her feet.

Raven blinked, who did this man think he was?!

She knew it would be useless to try and run away, or drag her feet along the ground, or even to try and fight back, but she walked stiffly, watching the man with utmost contempt.

As she followed behind, eyeing the back of his tanned neck and dark hair, she devised a plan. When she got back to Jack, she would pretend to have had a change of heart; she would act as though she was sorry, Jack would begin to trust her and then she would plan her escape.

By the time Porta ad Inferos came into sight again, thick clouds had rolled over the morning sky and a light rain had set in, creating a dreary, grey scene. As they approached the vast building, the black carriage came into view too, a woman in tight-fitting, dark clothes waiting beside it.

As always, if you have any feedback I'd love to hear it, and if you notice any mistakes please do let me know. Thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying it so far!

~Windy