I reached the end of the corridor and sped down another flight of stairs.

I swung myself down the stairs and stumbled as I reached the bottom.

Forcing myself back up, I cast a glance over my shoulder to see three ogresses stumbling down after me.

I have to get out of here.

I rushed to the end of the corridor.

My heart sank to my stomach as I found myself standing at another staircase leading upward.

With the ogres closing in, I had no choice but to take the risk.

They were catching up.

Their legs were about twice my length as they hurtled after me.

I rushed madly ahead, reaching the top floor.

Their shouts echoed around the floor, and soon more doors opened as I rushed past.

And then I stopped.

I’d lost track of how many hallways I’d run along, and now I found myself standing at yet another dead end.

But this time, there wasn’t any staircase to save me.

I gripped the handle of the door closest to me and tried to force it open.

Unlike the library I’d entered before, this room was locked.

I moved to the door next to it, my pulse quickening as a group of ogresses were now within a few feet of me.

My hope ebbed away as that door didn’t open either.

I let go of it and stumbled back, climbing up onto the window ledge so at least I could gain some kind of height advantage.

As the first ogress reached me I kicked out and caught her nose with my foot.

She groaned, and stumbled back, clutching her face.

Two ogresses pushed her aside and wrapped their hands around me, pulling me down roughly from the window and pinning me to the ground.

I glared up at one of the ogresses pinning me down.

Her face was contorted with annoyance.

She twisted my arm so tight it felt like it might break.

“No!” I shouted.

“Where did she come from?” the ogress I’d kicked in the face grunted.

“Don’t know,” another said.

One of them bent down and took a closer look at me.

“New recruit, perhaps,” she said.

Three pairs of eyes looked me over, a grubby hand now closing around my mouth.

“We should return her to the rest.” I found myself being hoisted up until my body was leaning against an ogress’ chest.

“Don’t touch me,” I said through gritted teeth.

The ogress holding me let out a hoarse laugh and began thundering down the corridor.

“No, let’s keep her.

I fancy a midnight snack.” To my horror, she stopped outside the kitchen I’d been in previously.

“This one probably escaped from the dungeons downstairs,” she said, setting me on my feet.

The door slammed behind the last ogress, trapping me inside the kitchen with them.

As I tried to force myself against the door, one of the ogresses caught me and threw me across the room.

My head slammed against the wall.

I dug my teeth into my lower lip, forcing myself to get up.

These monsters aren’t going to make a victim out of me.

Not again.

I was so sick and tired of being thrown around.

Just because I was an underdog didn’t mean that I couldn’t bite.

I stared at the three ogresses hurrying about the room preparing the equipment.

One of them heaved a huge metal pot onto the stove and began lighting it.

I scanned the counters.

My eyes fixed on a drawer one of the ogresses had just opened—filled to the brim with carving knives.

Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I saw red.

I lunged for the drawer and pulled out a knife.

Throwing myself at the nearest ogress to me, I plunged the blade into her chest.

I’d expected it to be hard to pierce through her leathery skin, but it wasn’t much more difficult than I imagined stabbing a human would be.

I could only assume that this knife was extraordinarily sharp.

Either way, my knife met its mark.

Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp before she began choking on blood.

I pulled away, drawing out the knife with me.

Clutching the stab wound, she collapsed on the ground, squirming as the blood spurted out of her.

I turned on the other two ogresses.

Neither of them were armed—yet.

I lunged for the closest one to me and plunged the knife deep into her stomach.

Her hands gripped my neck, but I moved fast, even though my head was screaming with pain.

There was a squelch as I pierced some kind of organ.

Blood oozed out, soaking my already wet hands.

Her hands loosened around my neck as she fell back against the wall.

I didn’t understand why this was so easy.

Perhaps they were so used to humans around here being docile, they were in shock—long enough for me to take the next one down too.

I stabbed her in a similar place—the highest spot I could reach, just above the abdomen.

I stabbed the dagger in twice to make sure I’d done enough damage.

She staggered back, her head slamming against the stone wall as she slid down to the floor.

The three monsters now all lay on the ground.

I searched myself for any regret that I’d just claimed three lives.

I felt nothing.

I realized I’d been through so much, I’d become jaded.

I was so sick of being a weak human, at the mercy of supernaturals.

As I stared at the three corpses, I felt nothing but triumph.

Satisfaction, almost.

Something had snapped in me, and somehow, I felt there was no going back.