Chapter 177: Run, Mother, Run

Elira

I gritted my teeth, pressing the dull knife’s edge against the rope fibers. My shoulder burned constantly, blood dripping steadily down my arm, but the intense pain was no longer a weakness—it was pure fuel. Every careful drag of the blade scraped my skin raw, every desperate pull felt tighter than the one before it. I twisted my wrist until the thick rope frayed violently, and the first strong strand snapped with a faint pop. Then another gave way. ...