Rayssa

Rayssa stumbled down the dimly lit corridor, not taking her eyes off the small sliver of light beneath a meek wooden door that represented her last chance of freedom. No one stopped her. No one stuck out there foot to trip her, no one reached out to grab her or wedged a gun in between her and the door. No one. They didn’t even try.
When Rayssa reached the door, she didn’t bother to check to make sure no one was looking, but simply turned the brass knob and thrust the door open. It never occurred to her that it might be locked, or that maybe she should think about why it wasn’t. She just ran through.
What she saw frightened her, but not for the reason you would think. What lay behind the door, was a beast. Not the kind you read about in fairy tails, or saw on television, but a different kind. It wasn’t a hairy monster with talons and horns, or a fire breathing three headed dog, but a man. A tall, balding man with a crooked smile that dangled beneath his squashed-flat nose. She would have preferred to see a beast.
The man’s wicked smile grew as he saw the anxious expression on Rayssa’s face. What sounded like a growl escaped the man’s lips. Then came a low, rumbling sound, like thunder, and Rayssa realized that the man was laughing… at her. He doubled over in laughter, and it was all Rayssa could do to keep from crying out in astonishment and anger.
When he gained control of himself, he looked Rayssa straight in the eyes, and a serious look fell over him. “Did you really think it was going to be that simple?” No, she hadn’t. She hadn’t thought at all.
Chapter 1
“Try that again and you won’t have any feet left to run away on!” growled the vicious man as he dragged Rayssa by her hair down the corridor and back to her lonely cell. She turned her head away in an attempt to hide the angry tears that spilled down her cheeks, but the man pulled harder yet on her hair, and she was forced to look straight into his cold, narrow eyes.
“Keep in mind miss; I don’t make idle threats.” He said, his voice shaking as another laugh rumbled out of his mouth. Just then, a short man with a cane limped by, accompanied by a rather large man carrying a knife. As they walked, the larger man saluted the flat-nosed man beside Rayssa, as a broad grin spread across his oily face. He pointed towards the short man’s feet with his knife. To her disgust, Rayssa saw that where there should have been feet, disfigured stumps stood, bloodied and bandaged. “He tried to escape as well. His guard wasn’t so forgiving.” The flat-nosed man whispered. He grinned at the astonished look on Rayssa’s face.