“
I’m trapped! What am I
supposed to do now?” Alexander said. He burst into
tears.
“
Don’t move, Alexander.
I’ll try to cast the levitation spell on you. If the spell works,
you’ll feel your feet lift off of the ground. The spell won’t work
if you don’t believe in your ability to float. Confidence is the
key!” Dr. Stine said. He aimed the tip of his scepter at
Alexander’s feet. Electric spirals whirled around the
scepter.
Alexander closed his eyes.
He listened to the snarls and howls of the wolves echo throughout
the spiral staircase behind him. He heard the succubus, demons, and
hellhounds roar and hiss at the bottom of the pit. He felt warm
energy from Dr. Stine’s scepter surround his body. A few minutes
later, he felt a cushion of air form between his feet and the
ground. He opened his eyes and looked down. He was floating in the
air.
“
I’m scared, Dr. Stine!
What if I fall into the ravine?” Alexander said.
“
Don’t talk like that! Have
faith in yourself! Come to us right now!” Dr. Stine
said.
Alexander strolled toward
the edge of the cliff. He glanced down and watched a gust of wind
lift the remnants of the rope bridge into the air. He closed his
eyes and drifted away from solid ground. A tickling sensation
surged through his abdomen as he walked across open air. On the
other side of the ravine, Angelique and Persephone cheered for
him.
“
Where are you going, son?
Come to your father right now!” a deep voice commanded.
Alexander opened his eyes
and glanced over his left shoulder. Timothy Blanton stepped
forward. White foam dripped from the jaws of four wolves, which
groveled at Timothy’s feet. Alexander’s father wore a black,
pinstriped suit and matching trousers. His black, leather dress
shoes glistened in the dim glow of a wall-mounted torch. He’d
removed his neck tie earlier and undone the top buttons of his
white dress shirt. Black, curly chest hair bulged from the wide
gap. When Timothy stepped into a ray of moonlight, he dropped to
his hands and knees. His nose grew into a long snout. A black,
bushy tail caused the seams of his pants to burst when it protruded
from his tailbone. Timothy’s eyes transitioned from hazel to a deep
shade of red. Coarse, black fur covered his hands and face. Lean,
defined muscles caused the sleeves of his shirt and jacket to
rupture. Long, sharp claws formed where his hands once dangled.
Timothy lunged toward the cliff and snarled at his son. The rest of
the wolves formed a semicircle behind him.
“
Leave me alone, dad! I
don’t want to be like you!” Alexander said.
Timothy’s voice echoed in
his mind:
Don’t you DARE disobey me, son! You caused your mother
to die in Blanton when you stopped reading the Bible. She’d still
be alive if it weren’t for you! It’s time for you to show loyalty
to your family. Come to me right now and I’ll demonstrate mercy and
pity while I punish you.
Alexander’s hands covered
his face while he turned in the air. He peeked through gaps between
his fingers and stared at Timothy. A grin formed on Timothy’s
canine face. His black lips peeled away from rows of enormous,
sharp teeth. When Alexander stepped toward his father, Timothy
basked in the ray of moonlight and howled.
“
Where are you going,
Alexander? The wolves will kill you! Ignore your father and come
back to us!” Angelique said. Razor whined and groveled against her
breasts.
“
The levitation spell won’t
last much longer, Alexander! Please join us on this side before you
fall into the ravine! We love you and care about you!” Dr. Stine
said.
Timothy’s voice coerced the
boy:
Don’t listen to them, son. You owe it to the Blanton family
to obey me. You’ve been a very naughty boy, but you can redeem
yourself if you do what I say. If you decide to join them instead
of me, I’ll hunt you down. I’ll kill you and your friends. Choose
wisely. I won’t give you a second chance!
Alexander felt a gust of
wind beneath him and heard the flapping of huge wings. He looked
down and watched a demon hover beneath his feet. A thin smile
distorted the green skin of its triangular face. The demon’s hands
reached for the boy’s legs. Long, razor-sharp fingernails scraped
the bottom of the boy’s shoes. Alexander turned to face Dr. Stine
and the others. He floated and soared as he ran across open air.
Dr. Stine, Angelique, and Persephone extended their arms and
reached for him. Timothy and the wolves snarled and growled. The
demon hissed when his claws missed the boy by centimeters.
Alexander tumbled into Dr. Stine’s arms. Persephone kissed the
boy’s face. Angelique wrapped her hand around his and Razor licked
his wrist. Dr. Stine embraced him and whispered: “You’re safe,
Alexander. They can’t hurt you now. You’re very brave and you made
the right choice.”
Timothy’s voice ricocheted
in Alexander’s skull:
You’ve betrayed me and you’ve disgraced
the Blanton family. There’s nothing you can do to win my trust now.
Your flesh and blood are the only things that will avenge your
mother’s death!
“
Leave me alone, dad! Stop
tormenting me!” Alexander screamed. He rose to his feet, broke away
from Dr. Stine, and stepped toward the edge of the cliff. When he
glanced toward the other side of the chasm, he realized that his
father and the wolves were gone.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Dr.
Stine guided the group into a circular room, which was divided into
four sections by wide, arched portals. On the east side of the
room, a narrow tunnel, illuminated by wall-mounted torches, dived
deeper into the prison. High above them, the statues of gargoyles
sat on stone perches. When Dr. Stine peeked around a corner, he
motioned for the others to stop walking. His scepter glowed in his
hand.
Hot water boiled in several
cauldrons, which were scattered throughout the chamber. White foam
oozed over the brim of the huge, black pots. A loud, hissing sound
echoed throughout the room when the liquid oozed over the brim of
the pots and dripped into deep pits of flames and hot coals. Dr.
Stine cringed when he noticed severed hands and feet cooking in the
cauldrons with potatoes, celery, and carrots. Several red-skinned
imps danced next to the cauldrons. Sometimes, they paused to rip
body parts off of nearby corpses so they could add them to the
human stew.
“
What is it, Dr. Stine?
What’s wrong?” Angelique asked. When she tried to step in front of
him, Dr. Stine shoved her back into the hallway. He begged them to
be silent.
“
You can’t hide it from us
forever, Laurent. Tell us what’s going on so we can help overcome
the obstacle. What do you see?” Persephone said.
“
Imps are cooking stew in
several cauldrons. They’re using human flesh as their primary
ingredient. I’m trying to figure out how we can get around them,”
Dr. Stine said.
Small rocks tumbled from
shelves above them. The stone feet of gargoyles scraped against
their perches. Angelique gasped when she glanced up and watched the
stone surface of the gargoyles become brown, leathery skin. Red
eyes glowed in shadows near the ceiling. When the gargoyles
whispered to each other, Angelique and Persephone heard them
mention a name that terrified them. They gossiped about
Beelzebub.
Dr. Stine strolled through
the arched doorway and walked into an adjacent chamber. Angelique
cradled Razor in her arms while she tiptoed behind him. Persephone
and Alexander trailed Angelique while they glanced over their
shoulders. The gargoyles flapped their wings, descended from their
perches, and hovered in the air.
“
You do realize that we’re
surrounded by demons, don’t you?” Persephone said.
“
I’m aware of the
situation. Stay with me and walk quickly,” Dr. Stine
said.
Dozens of imps paused and
giggled when they noticed Dr. Stine, who sprinted toward the tunnel
on the eastern side of the room. Other imps stopped gnawing on
hairy arms and legs and tossed them onto the floor. Huge flies
buzzed around the dismembered carcasses of deceased prisoners. For
some reason, Dr. Stine remembered a book he read when he was
younger:
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding. He shuddered
when he heard the imps and gargoyles praise their master,
Beelzebub. The imps skipped toward them while a swarm of gargoyles
gathered in the air. Alexander wept and Razor growled when the
horde of creatures surrounded them. Dr. Stine lifted his scepter
above his head.
“
Get away from us! Leave us
alone for face my wrath!” Dr. Stine yelled. An ethereal shroud
surrounded Dr. Stine while sparks of electricity radiated from the
scepter’s crown.
Four imps stepped to the
side, which allowed Dr. Stine to guide the rest of the group toward
the dark corridor. A mischievous imp reached for Persephone’s
satchel and tried to steal it from her, but she ripped it away from
his hands and clutched it against her breasts. A gargoyle swooped
toward Alexander, who sprinted into the corridor before its talons
could penetrate the flesh of his shoulders. As they descended
another spiral staircase, they listened to the giggles of imps and
cackles of gargoyles slowly fade.
“
Why did they let us
escape? I thought we were going to die,” Angelique said.
“
Dr. Stine intimidated
them. They were scared of his scepter,” Alexander said.
“
I agree with Angelique. It
seemed too…
easy
. We need to be vigilant,” Dr. Stine
said.
At the bottom of the
staircase, Dr. Stine paused. He stared at a partial, stone bridge,
which extended from the bottom of the stairs and reached into the
center of a cylindrical pit. At the end of the bridge, a pedestal
rose from the center of a bone-covered platform.
On the other side of the
platform, the massive statue of a winged demon rose from red,
swirling mist. The upper torso of the statue towered above the
platform. The mist hid the statue’s waist, legs, and feet from
view. The statue’s hands extended outward and reached for the
pedestal. When Dr. Stine stepped closer, he noticed the sparkling
gems of a golden mask, propped against a chunk of stone on top of
the pedestal.
“
Look over there!”
Alexander said. He pointed at an open door on the other side of the
chamber. He frowned when he realized they’d need to levitate to
cross the chasm.
“
How are we going to get to
the other side?” Angelique said.
“
It would drain all of my
energy, but I could try to cast a levitation spell for all of us.
It would be risky, though. The spell might wear off unexpectedly,”
Dr. Stine said.
“
There must be a way to
extend the bridge. Maybe there’s a switch or lever nearby. Help me
look for it,” Persephone said. She scanned the walls and the
floor.
“
I think it’s a puzzle. The
gold mask is an important clue,” Dr. Stine said.
He strolled away from the
bottom of the staircase. When he walked across the stone bridge,
Angelique and Persephone followed him. Alexander hesitated when he
noticed the giant statue shift slightly. A scream formed in the
back of his throat when he watched a smile form on the statue’s
face. When the statue’s hands and arms moved, Alexander tried to
move but felt paralyzed. Then he exhaled a shriek of horror when
yellow orbs glowed in the statue’s enormous eye sockets. The
statue’s smile became a grimace.
“
What’s wrong, Alexander?
Are you okay?” Dr. Stine said. He whirled on his feet.
“
The statue is alive! I saw
it move!” Alexander’s fear caused his eyes to widen.
Dr. Stine focused his
attention on the statue and pointed at its glowing eyes. The
fingernails of Persephone’s left hand clawed the flesh of Dr.
Stine’s right forearm. A dizzy spell seized Angelique and she
almost passed out, but she steadied herself after Razor licked her
on her face. Alexander scampered away from the staircase, sprinted
across the bridge, and groveled next to Dr. Stine. He held his
Bible against his chest.
A shrill, loud voice
declared: “I am Beelzebub! Only fools enter my lair! Unless you
succumb to my one and only desire, all of you will perish in this
chamber!” The statue leaned forward and analyzed its
victims.
“
Please allow us to leave
the labyrinth and get to the ocean,” Dr. Stine said.
“
We’re running out of time.
It’s a matter of life and death,” Angelique said.
“
I could care less about
your needs and desires! Succumb to me or face death! You must
decide who will wear my mask and do my bidding! I’ll give you some
time to select my minion! If you reject my offer, all of you will
die!” the statue said.
“
I’ll do it. My family is
dead and I’m cursed. Let me save you,” Alexander said.
“
No, Alexander, you’re
young and have many years ahead of you. I’ve accepted the fact that
I won’t make it to Thames Keep in time to save Zachary. I know my
battery pack will expire before we get to Xavier’s throne room. Let
me wear the mask, Dr. Stine. I’m willing to sacrifice myself for
all of you,” Angelique said. She hugged Razor and kissed him for
what could be the last time.
“
There’s no need to discuss
it! I’ve done some horrible things in my life. I never should’ve
humiliated Xavier when he plunged into the waterfall. I feel
horrible about hastening the deterioration of his relationship with
you, my sweet Persephone. And it was wrong for me to steal
Desiree’s components, even though you would’ve died without them,
Angelique. I can’t stand by and watch one of my friends suffer.
I’ll be the one who wears the mask. Hopefully, my decision will
clear my conscience. Stand back while I approach the pedestal!” Dr.
Stine said. He strolled toward the circular platform.