His shaggy, dark hair flopping behind his head, Randal ran as hard as he could. His body ached from the last several weeks of torture and malnutrition, but adrenaline pumped madly through him. Each stride of the orc brought him closer.

A dead end far ahead, they neared the corner he wanted. Randal could hear the loud, labored breathing of the orc behind him. He grunted now, not happy to be forced to run, but he had started to chuckle again, this time breathlessly.

The orc reached forward, nearly able to grab the prisoner’s scrawny neck.

Just a little farther.