“
Is someone there? I
thought I heard someone whispering,” Angelique said.
Persephone screamed when
hands reached between the bars of the jail cells. Women and
children sobbed and begged for help. In a jail cell on the left
side of the corridor, an old man leaned against his cane and
swatted flies away from his forehead. Across the aisle from him, a
middle-aged man rose from his cot and limped toward the bars of his
cell. Dr. Stine cringed when he noticed the lack of flesh and
muscle on the prisoners’ bones. Their torn, soiled clothes draped
loosely around their malnourished bodies. When a little boy begged
for oatmeal, Dr. Stine plucked the key ring from Persephone’s hand
and strolled toward the boy’s jail cell. He tried to fight the urge
to set the boy free. Deep in his mind, he sensed it was a trap.
When he hesitated, the boy started to cry.
“
They’ll die if we don’t
set them free. I already have a guilty conscience for not helping
the girl upstairs. I’ll have nightmares if I don’t do anything,”
Dr. Stine said.
“
I’m so hungry, sir. I
haven’t eaten in three days. Please help me,” the boy
begged.
“
Polinus drinks our blood
until we’re dead. He comes every night and takes one of us away.
We’ll help you defeat him if you set us free,” the old man
said.
“
I don’t trust them, Dr.
Stine. I think they’re deceptive,” Alexander said. His eyes widened
when he heard the wolves howl at the top of the spiral
staircase.
“
Alexander is right. I
think they’re trying to trick us,” Angelique said.
“
It’s not true! We’re
starving! We need medical care! If you leave us here, all of us
will die! Please show some compassion!” a young, blonde-haired
woman said.
Dr. Stine listened to the
keys jingle in his hand when he shook his wrist. He stared at the
faces of the prisoners and felt a knot form in his stomach. Tears
leaked from the corners of his eyes, snaked across his face, and
dripped to his chin. He remembered the image of the Minotaur
slicing off the girl’s head with the axe. He realized that he
could’ve saved her life if he’d opened the door. His guilty
conscience compelled him to insert the key into the lock of the old
man’s cell.
“
Don’t do it, Laurent.
Think about why the architects of this prison placed booby traps
under the floor. They knew these prisoners were…different. I’m
begging you to ignore your emotions and think rationally,”
Persephone said. She pinched his left arm.
“
She’s right. They’re
trapped in jail cells for a reason,” Alexander said.
Dr. Stine stared at the old
man and analyzed his facial expressions. He leaned toward the
cell’s door and waited for Dr. Stine to turn his wrist. Saliva
oozed from the left corner of the old man’s mouth. His hands
clenched into fists. When Dr. Stine removed the key from the lock
and stepped away from the jail cell, the old man jumped up and down
and screamed. He pointed at Dr. Stine, yelled expletives at him,
and kicked his cot.
“
Let me out of here! I’m
tired of being trapped like a caged animal!” he said.
“
They’re not prisoners.
They’re minions of Polinus. They’re trying to trick us. If you let
them out of their cells, we’ll be butchered where we stand,”
Persephone said.
“
Don’t listen to her! She’s
a fool! Unlock…our…cells…NOW!” the old man said.
“
Can you prove your claims,
Persephone? I love you, and I trust your judgment, but what if
you’re wrong? We can’t let them starve to death,” Dr. Stine
said.
“
I don’t need to prove
anything. All you need to do is look at them,” she said.
Dr. Stine focused his
attention on the prisoners. He gasped when they opened their
mouths. Long, sharp incisors dangled from red, moist gums.
Claw-like fingernails scraped the metal bars of the jail cells. Red
eyes glowed in the gloom of the prison. The vampires reached
through the bars and tried to scratch Dr. Stine and Persephone. The
old man stared at Alexander and tried to hypnotize him. He cursed
in frustration when he realized it was impossible. He pointed at
Alexander and said: “He’s marked by wolves!”
The blonde-haired woman and
the little boy hissed at Persephone. The woman’s left claw wiggled
between two rusted bars and clawed at the air in front of
Persephone’s face. The little boy dropped to his hands and knees
and tried to grab Persephone’s feet. She ignored them and stared
into the old man’s eyes. Although his lips didn’t move, she heard
his voice. He said: “Step closer to my cell. Let me show you the
darkest secret of all. Then you’ll never want to leave the
penitentiary.” His voice soothed her nerves.
“
Snap out of it,
Persephone!” Angelique said. Her left hand grabbed Persephone’s
right shoulder. When Persephone didn’t respond, Angelique screamed
in her ear.
“
W-w-what happened? I
must’ve been daydreaming,” Persephone said.
“
He hypnotized you! We need
to get away from them right now!” Angelique said.
Sharp claws reached through
the bars while Dr. Stine guided them toward the end of the
corridor. People of all ages and ethnicities bared their sharp
fangs and stared at the group with red, glowing eyes. After Dr.
Stine checked an adjacent hallway and verified that it was safe, he
motioned for the rest of the group to follow him. Somewhere in the
labyrinth behind them, the wolves exhaled howls that caused their
eardrums to throb.
“
Aren’t you glad you didn’t
open those jail cells?” Alexander said. He glanced over his
shoulder and bit his fingernails. He didn’t see his father and
exhaled a sigh of relief.
“
I can’t believe I almost
fell for it. They’re very convincing,” Dr. Stine said.
“
Can we please stop
talking? The wolves are right behind us!” Angelique
said.
Dr. Stine sprinted toward
the top steps of another staircase, but he paused when a sharp pain
radiated from the wound in his shoulder. His hand touched the wound
and withdrew immediately when he felt the warmth of a fever. He
peeled his robe away from his neck and glanced down at the wound. A
yellowish-white pus oozed from a dime-sized, red opening in the
middle of a wide section of red skin. Persephone peered over his
shoulder and caught a glimpse of the wound. Seconds later, she
rifled through her satchel and located another healing potion.
Without hesitation, she pulled the robe away from the wound and
splashed the red fluid on it. Dr. Stine’s teeth clamped down on his
tongue and he tried to stifle a scream. Persephone analyzed the
wound and frowned.
“
It’s not healing as
quickly as it should. The radiation from Professor Beauregard’s
nuclear bullets isn’t fading. I should’ve known this would happen,”
Persephone said.
“
What if it doesn’t heal?”
he asked. Blood oozed from bite marks on his tongue.
“
You’ll develop a severe
infection. The radiation might cause malignant cells to form. A
cancerous tumor could develop,” Persephone said. After she pulled
the robe over the wound, she handed Alexander another antidote. He
stared at it for a few moments before he plucked it from her hand
reluctantly. When he didn’t resist, Persephone smiled.
“
I haven’t shown any
symptoms lately. Why do I have to drink another one?” Alexander
asked. He removed the cork from the flask’s opening and chugged the
liquid down.
“
It’s better to be safe
than sorry. There’s only one more antidote. If my current supply
doesn’t cure your affliction, I’ll be forced to take drastic
action,” Persephone said.
“
What kind of drastic
action?” Alexander said. His eyes widened and his lips
trembled.
“
Don’t worry. I’m not going
to hurt you,” she said. She closed her satchel and
smiled.
“
I’m feeling better now. My
shoulder doesn’t hurt as bad,” Dr. Stine said.
“
If you need another
healing potion later, just let me know,” Persephone
said.
Dr. Stine smiled and
descended the first steps of the spiral staircase. Persephone,
Angelique, Alexander, and Razor followed him. They walked faster
when the howls of the wolves intensified. Spider webs clung to
their faces when they plowed through them without slowing down.
Angelique squealed and swatted a black widow off her face.
Persephone slapped a brown recluse on her arm and cringed when its
corpse leaked fluid and internal organs onto her skin. At the
bottom of the staircase, they strolled into a wide chamber. It
boasted a ceiling which loomed fifty feet above them. Large cracks
in the ceiling allowed rays of moonlight to filter into the chamber
and illuminate sections of the floor. Even though he recently
consumed an antidote, Alexander avoided walking into the light. He
sprinted ahead of the group and examined a rope-and-wood bridge,
which spanned the width of a deep ravine. He frowned when he
realized how weak the frayed ropes and fragile boards seemed. When
he stepped onto the first planks of the bridge, it swayed back and
forth. He jumped backward onto solid ground and sighed.
When the rest of the group
caught up to him, he said: “It’ll collapse if we try to walk across
it together. We should try it one person at a time.” Before he
could finish his comment, the wolves exhaled barks and howls. He
knew his father was nearby.
Dr. Stine peered over the
edge of the cliff and gasped. At the bottom of the ravine, dozens
of winged demons, a giant succubus, and several hellhounds fixed
their gaze on the bridge. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness of
the abyss. The beasts exhaled vicious snarls and guttural grunts,
which echoed within the pit and up into the ravine. Dr. Stine
pointed down at the horde and motioned for the others to look over
the edge of the cliff. Persephone and Angelique gasped. Alexander’s
hands covered his pale face.
“
If the bridge collapses,
I’ll try to cast a levitation spell. This is similar to what
happened when Xavier failed to reach the waterfall when I was a
young boy. Even though Saxines taught me well, my guilty conscience
could result in failure,” Dr. Stine said. He thought about how he
and Reginald laughed at Xavier after he fell. Persephone snapped
her fingers and pinched him on his forearm to wake him up. He
grinned and examined the bridge.
“
Let’s send Razor across
first,” Dr. Stine said. He shooed the dog forward with his scepter.
Razor’s brown eyes widened and he whimpered before he stepped on
the boards.
The dog trotted across the
bridge without incident until he reached a splintered, decayed
board in the middle of the bridge. He turned around and barked at
Dr. Stine. When Dr. Stine waved his free hand and urged him to
continue, Razor jumped over the weak board and landed on all four
paws. He wagged his tail when he reached the other side.
“
Okay, who’s next?”
Alexander said. He listened to the wolves’ howls get
louder.
“
It’s your turn, Angelique.
Move quickly, if possible,” Dr. Stine said.
Angelique stepped onto the
moss-covered, mildew-plagued boards. She listened to wood creak
while the boards splintered under her weight. She held onto the
dry, frayed ropes as she walked across the bridge. A huge beast
roared at the bottom of the ravine. Angelique glanced down and
screamed when an eight-foot-tall demon flapped its wings and tried
to fly toward her. She stared straight ahead when she felt the
demon trying to influence her thoughts and decisions. When she
stepped over the rotten board, she pulled a muscle in her left calf
and winced. Moments later, she hobbled to the other side of the
ravine, picked up Razor, and kissed him on the bridge of his nose.
He licked her face.
“
I think the bridge is
strong enough to hold two of us,” Persephone said.
“
Are you sure? I think it’s
too risky,” Dr. Stine said.
“
Trust me. If I’m wrong,
get ready to cast your levitation spell. I’m confident the ropes
and boards will support our weight. Besides, we’re running out of
time,” she said.
Alexander bit his
fingernails while he watched Persephone and Dr. Stine step onto the
bridge together. They tiptoed across the boards and listened to the
boards crack and splinter beneath their feet. The old ropes creaked
and stretched when they reached the middle of the bridge. Razor
groveled against Angelique’s left leg. Angelique closed her eyes
and prayed that the bridge wouldn’t collapse. When Dr. Stine and
Persephone reached the weak board, Persephone stepped over it with
agile grace. She sprinted across the rest of the bridge and stood
next to Angelique and Razor. Dr. Stine lurched over the board and
winced when the pain in his shoulder throbbed again. His left foot
dived through the weak board and his body leaned against the ropes
on the left side of the bridge. Dr. Stine gasped when he heard
ropes snap and pop behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and
watched the bridge’s floorboards drop into the ravine with the
shredded ropes. Angelique and Persephone jumped up and down and
screamed. Dr. Stine’s feet found solid ground and he lunged toward
the other side of the bridge. He collapsed into Persephone’s arms
moments before the rest of the bridge tumbled into the ravine.
Hellhounds and demons surrounded the remnants of the bridge after
heaps of rope and wood impacted the ground. The succubus pointed at
Dr. Stine and hissed.