Page 15 of Escape from Amazdom

"Stella, be careful!" Liz's voice breaks through my reverie, pulling me back to the present.

I glance ahead and realize I'm about to take out my best friend's eye with this lethal digging tool.

"Watch it, you psycho," she says, holding her hands up in defense as she stumbles backwards.

"Oh, sorry," I say, lowering my weapon. "I was miles away then."

"As in, miles away, locked up in a cage with a sweet monster towering over you, ready to provide you with a well-earned climax?"

"Maybe," I say, smirking. "We must share the same fantasy."

"Perhaps," she says, chuckling. "Where do you get all this energy, anyway?"

"It's my pent-up sexual fuel trying to express itself."

"Well, Champ will be a lucky monster when he finally gets to bed you."

"We'll see about that."

"As long as you're still alive to tell the tale."

Liz's lips tighten as she looks over my shoulder. I turn around. As usual, Zebos guards are staring at my ass. What is it with these pervy predators? It's not as if they've never seen female human buttocks before.

"Be careful of that one," whispers Liz, pointing discretely to the group.

"Who, the tall one?"

"Yeah, his name is Huevos."

"You mean like eggs in Spanish?" I ask, giggling. "Our Spanish teacher told us that eggs meant balls."

"As in the dangly type?"

"Indeed."

Liz cracks into a laugh.

"It sounds the same, but I've always thought it was with a double U."

"Oh, I see, so it's Webos. Still sounds like eggs, though. I guess that explains the shape of his head."

We share a smile as Egghead continues to stare at my buttocks with his mouth gaping open. If only I could launch my pick-axe at his head and teach him a lesson for being so blatantly rude. I doubt that would do my chances of freedom any good, though.

A piercing alarm reverberates through the air, causing panic among the female prisoners.

"Oh shit, it's the vultures again," mutters Liz, gazing toward the highest tower in Castle Zebos. "Fej is sending out for his next feed."

A blast of dread takes over, tightening my chest. Now I've seen Fej's true capabilities, I understand why everyone fears him. I can't show my anxiety, though. I have to remain strong.

"Don't panic," I say, gripping my pick-axe tighter. "They're not taking us today. Uh-huh, no way."

"Let's hope not," says Liz, standing tall.

Panic grips the other women in the mines as the ominous silhouette of the Volcanic Vultures descends upon us. The sight of these gruesome creatures makes my heart pound in my chest. Their eerie screeches pierce the air, sending shivers down my spine.

With wingspans that seem to defy the boundaries of nature, the vultures circle overhead, their feathers a blend of sooty black and fiery red. The stench of death and decay accompanies them as if they are drawn to the despair and suffering of this wretched place. The taste of bile rises in my throat, and I struggle to steady my breath as their sinister eyes fixate on Liz.

"Liz!" I shout. "We need to be careful, they're heading our way."