by Heath, Joel
The door slid open revealing a staircase that spiraled downward to the next level. Arriving on the next level Spencer immediately noticed an escalator that looked to be running, getting on it took them down another three levels. At the bottom of the escalator, they found a sign for an elevator.
The elevator shaft ran through the heart of the chasm in the middle of the mall, and it looked to go down quite a ways, almost to the bottom where another elevator picked up, only one floor below where the first one stopped.
Spencer, Vince and Jessie got in and pressed the button for the lowest floor they could get to and the elevator began to move.
The ride made Jessie a little uneasy, but she endured it realizing things could really be much, much worse.
The elevator doors opened twenty-eight floors from the top floor; Jessie was the first one off, then Vince and Spencer.
Spencer looked around and only saw one escalator. It climbed up to the next level, but there was another escalator that started above them and it dropped down to the level below them where an elevator waited to bring them to the ground floor.
Spencer, Vince and Jessie charged up the escalator, and their blood ran cold. Thirty feet away stood a large wolf that was covered with rippling muscles under its fur, and stood on its hind legs. The wolf reared its head back and belted out a bloodcurdling howl before it began snarling.
Spencer raised his sword as a deterrent tactic. The wolf was not intimidated and continued toward Spencer.
“Get to the other escalator.” Spencer said, Vince nodded and took Jessie by the arm and then carefully skirted the chasm not taking his eyes off the wolf until they were to the top of the other escalator.
“Spencer, we’re clear, get moving!” Jessie called, her voice echoed through the vacant mall. Spencer slowly moved toward the second escalator and the wolf stayed with him, waiting for Spencer to make a mistake. That mistake came when Spencer briefly glanced back to check his progress, the wolf snarled and lunged.
The wolf’s claws cut through the air intent on driving them into Spencer, but he blocked the wolf with his sword.
“Vince, get the elevator, find Gretchen.” Spencer shouted.
“What about you?” Vince shouted.
“I don’t matter right now.” Spencer replied angrily.
The wolf noticed Vince and Jessie. It released its assault on Spencer and leapt over him, charging at Vince and Jessie who were quickly descending the escalator.
The wolf quickly realized that he wasn’t fast enough to catch up before his new quarry got away so he climbed up on the railing and leapt.
The wolf sailed though the air as though everything were in slow motion, Spencer had only a split second to get everything right so he hurled the sword, and it tumbled as it whipped through the air.
The wolf would have to land on the escalator before he scurried down the rest of the way, but the sword struck first, piercing the wolf in the shoulder an instant before his feet touched the escalator. The momentary diversion caused the wolf to miss his mark and tumble over the side of the escalator, falling more than twenty floors to the ground.
Landing on the ground the wolf exploded into a black fog that quickly dissipated, when it cleared the wolf was gone and the sword clattered to the ground. Spencer raced to the escalator and hurried down to meet Vince and Jessie.
“I thought you were dead.” Vince admitted.
“Yeah,” Spencer replied, “Me too.”
“Come on, the elevator is here.” Jessie said, moments later the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Jessie selected the lowest floor, then the elevator doors closed and the elevator began to descend.
On the ground floor the doors slid open, Spencer noticed his sword lying on the ground where the wolf used to be and approached the sword before picking it up and putting it back into its sheath. Then he headed towards a door on the far end of the court. Spencer pulled the door open, inside was an elevator.
“Another elevator?” Vince asked before everybody filed in, one by one.
There were no buttons inside, just a posh looking elevator car. The elevator doors closed and the elevator began to move.
It was another minute or two before the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a high school. The halls were clean and clear of debris, much like the mall, but most of the lights were out, a few lights flickered weakly.
Spencer stepped out of the elevator to have a look around a chill ran down his spine, a chill he could not explain.
“Are you okay, Spencer?” Vince asked.
“There’s something creepy about this place.” Spencer remarked.
“It’s a High School, they’re all creepy.” Vince replied.
“No, I mean...” Spencer stopped at the sound of a disembodied moan, almost begging, pleading for relief.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t know.” Vince replied.
Another ethereal moan filled the air and faded, and seemed to continue at seemingly random intervals.
“I think we should find the exit as soon as possible.” Spencer suggested and Jessie nodded in fear and agreement.
“So where do we start?” Vince asked.
“The main office.” Spencer decided.
“Which way?” Jessie asked impatiently. Spencer thought for a second and then pointed toward one end of the hall.
“This way.” Spencer said and he was on his way.
Jessie and Vince followed.
“Are you sure you’re going the right way?” Jessie asked not wanting to.
“Not at all.” Spencer replied.
The hall continued for another couple hundred feet before intersecting another hall, to the left was a third hall and to the right at the end was an open area, Spencer headed for it.
As the hall opened up to the commons area Spencer noted a couple doors that sat like book ends to a row of windows.
Spencer tried the door knob and the door swung open to the main office, there were papers strewn about, the lights in the office were not much better. A wicked fit of laughter replaced the moaning.
Spencer decided to move on.
“Where are you going?” Jessie asked, as though she accused Spencer of quitting.
“I know where to go from here,” Spencer replied, “Your book will confirm.”
Jessie stopped and opened the book to the circular diagram then flipped to the page for the fifth circle of hell.
“Who ever thou art, act well thy part.”
The door to the auditorium sat open, Spencer walked through the open door to see row after row of seats, there were several spotlights in the upper seats and the lights were focusing their light toward the stage where a door frame secured a door. Spencer walked down the nearest aisle towards the stage as Jessie and Vince caught up. As he arrived at the stairs, Spencer climbed the stairs to the door.
Approaching the door he turned the knob and pulled the door open, beyond it he could only see the auditorium so he walked through the open door.
Turning around to inspect the door Spencer saw something that was not the auditorium, it was a carnival, but there was nobody there.
“Jessie, what does your book say about the sixth circle of hell?” Spencer asked. Jessie and Vince walked up the stairs as Jessie opened the book she was carrying and turned to the page for the sixth circle of hell.
“Things are not as they seem, it’s not as much fun as you might think. Deception abounds.” Jessie read as she and Vince came around the door to see what Spencer was looking at.
“A carnival?” Jessie asked disappointed. “Spencer?” Vince asked, “Did Jessie just say ‘carnival’?”
“Yes, she did.” Spencer confirmed before proceeding through the door.
Jessie took Vince’s hand and walked with him through the door.
The smell of hay and popcorn and cotton candy filled the air. A darkly overcast sky hovered over the carnival as a thin veil of fog filled in the gap left by the clouds.
The moaning continued joined by an occasional scream form an unidentifiable person.
“That’s a little unsettling.” Jessie commented. The carnival might as well have been put up in an unmarked cemetery, the ground felt odd as though it were riddled with long buried bodies.
Spencer nodded before pressing into the sea of tents, booths and carnival games with Jessie and Vince on his heels.
“Where are we going?” Jessie asked.
“I’m looking for the fun house.” Spencer replied.
Spencer finally made his way through the sea of tents to the main midway where most of the main attractions sat.
A familiar face stood out in the mist. The fortuneteller complete with her glass enclosure.
The fortuneteller sat still and quiet until Spencer approached, checking the coin return slot as he had done in the fourth circle of hell he found a coin. Inserting the coin the fortuneteller came to life.
“Greeting weary traveler…” the fortune teller greeted, then saw who it was, “Oh, it’s you. Still trying to save your friend? Or have you given up and now you wish to leave this dreary place?” The fortuneteller asked.
“I’m looking for the fun house.” Spencer said.
“Why do wish to find the fun house?” the fortuneteller inquired, he was a poor actor, Spencer saw through the delaying tactic.
“Look.” Spencer said slamming both fists onto the glass, “I’m not leaving with out her, now cut the crap and tell me where the damn fun house is.”
Reluctantly the fortuneteller lifted a hand and extended a single finger, Spencer, Vince and Jessie turned in the direction the fortuneteller indicated to see a creepy face peeking out from behind the words ‘fun house’. A pair of hands wrapped wormy fingers around the edge of the sign that otherwise had a face that resembled a demonic clown with sharp teeth exposed.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Jessie commented.
“If any of you want to turn back, now is the time.” Spencer offered.
Jessie smirked at Spencer.
“I didn’t come all this way just to turn back now.”
“Know this,” the fortuneteller added, “If you make it beyond the ninth circle you will be forced to endure things that you wouldn’t see in your worst nightmares.” The fortuneteller warned, “You will be tested beyond what most of what gods children can withstand.”
Spencer paused for a second. “Thanks for the warning.” Spencer said before leaving and walking towards the creepy fun house.
The fun house grew more sinister and more disheartening as Spencer drew near, but Spencer pushed on towards the door which eerily creaked as it swung open.
The floor inside the fun house was comprised of dilapidated wood flooring, it hadn’t seen a broom in a decade or so, but the corridor was surprisingly free of cobwebs.
A dark and sinister laugh erupted from deep inside the fun house, echoing as it went. Spencer was surprised by the laugh, but he only paused briefly before stepping inside.
Another laugh, as dark and sinister as the first, echoed through out the corridors.
The corridor continued on for fifty feet or so before Spencer realized that Jessie was being a little quieter than her usual self. Turning back he noticed that she was gone.
“JESSIE!” Spencer shouted, his voice trailing off into a never-ending echo.
Vince started to turn to go in search of Jessie when Spencer stopped him.
“Let me go, Spencer.” Vince demanded.
“No, Vince, you can’t help her.” Spencer urged.
“LET ME GO!” Vince shouted as he struggled against Spencer’s grasp.
“VINCE!” Spencer shouted.
Vince reluctantly stopped struggling.
“Come on, let’s get to the end and finish this.” Spencer said quietly.
Vince followed Spencer to the end of the hall to a small room.
There was a door on the far wall and a swirling pattern on the floor. As they neared the center of the room the floor began to turn, after each rotation it accelerated faster and faster, the walls blended together until only darkness remained. Vince and Spencer noticed several handholds on the floor, Spencer reached for one. Vince tried but the centrifugal force was too great and Vince was swept off into the shadows, Spencer was losing his grip. Then he noticed the floors rotation was quickly slowing down.
As the rotation came to a stop Spencer slowly got up, shaking off dizziness before he was able to continue through to the next room where a dead end obstructed any further progress.
“Where the hell do I go now?” he mumbled, and then the floor dropped out from under him sending Spencer into a chute that lead down, curving this way and that, until he hit the end of the slide and landed on his rear end.
Standing, he saw thirty mirrors side by side in a full circle and above him was naught but darkness surrounding a large crystal maybe four feet across. Surrounding it was three smaller crystals that were two and a half feet in length.
A face appeared in the larger crystal, that of a clown with a wicked smile.
“My master has declared your progress to be unacceptable; I will cease your progress, and stop you from reaching the lowest level of hell.” The clown hissed.
Spencer smiled as he drew his sword. The clown shifted down to one of the thirty mirrors and began pacing from one mirror to the next staring at Spencer as he moved around the circle.
“If you want to get to him, it will be as his servant.” The clown said and then snapped his fingers, as he did two faces appeared in the crystals: Jessie and Vince.
“As you can see, I have imprisoned your compatriots, Mr. Masters and Ms. Monroe.” The clown gloated and then pointed as the crystal that was, as yet, unoccupied.
“Here is where I will deliver you to Lucifer and receive the honor of converting you to his cause.” The clown finally stopped moving and stared at Spencer before a bolt of purple lightning shot out of the mirror that the clown was standing in, Spencer barely managed to dodge the bolt and it harmlessly entered the mirror on the opposite side of the circle.
The clown continued to move around the circle, randomly firing purple lightning at Spencer, one such bolt grazed Spencer’s arm as he tried to leap out of the way, Spencer cringed at the pain.
Spencer drew his sword, he tried to deflect the next bolt of lightning, but instead the lightning shot out of the mirror and stuck the blade of Spencer’s sword, and the blade actually absorbed the energy.
Spencer’s eyes grew substantially, he wasn’t expecting to survive the hit, but his sword was charged with a dark energy, Spencer sliced through the air and a bolt leapt from the tip of the sword and struck the mirror that jump the clown was in, but he jumped out of the way. The mirror was not damaged, so Spencer followed up with a strike to the glass the mirror collapsed into a pile of broken shards.
Spencer noticed the clown had jumped to another mirror on the opposite side of the circle.
“Is that all you can muster?” the clown challenged.
Spencer raced across the circle of mirrors and swiftly struck down the mirror. The clown barely managed to get out of the way before Spencer’s stroke fell.
Spencer continued attacking each mirror that the clown infested. It was strange that the clown never moved to any mirror on one whole side of the circle. Spencer suddenly realized that it was trapped, and they both knew it by the look in his brown eyes. Spencer continued smashing mirrors until the clown had nowhere left to go, the sword still had enough energy for one last bolt which Spencer shot directly at the large crystal above the floor.
“NO!!!” was the final word from the clown as his screams echoed through the chamber.
The crystal shattered as the bolt of dark energy came into contact with it, spraying the entire room with millions of shards of crystal and silencing the clowns screams.
The remaining crystals and mirrors must have been somehow dependant on each other because they, too, shattered as well causing Jessie and Vince
to drop down from the shattered crystals.
Jessie managed to land on her feet, but Vince wasn’t as lucky, he landed on his back.
Spencer and Jessie helped Vince to his feet and began searching for a way out, as the entire room started shaking, very large fragments of debris started falling to the ground.
“There!” Jessie said, she led the way to the door and Spencer pulled it open, on the other side of the door was what looked like a ships engine room.
“It’s better than staying here!” Spencer said as he noticed Jessie’s apprehension. Spencer, Vince and Jessie stepped through.
The engines hummed as the ship churned though the sea, heading for an unknown destination, a destination it would never reach, the ship rocked violently, as though it had struck something. Alarms began blaring, Spencer noticed a touch screen display, and tried to make some sense of what was going on.
“Where are we?” Jessie asked.
“The seventh circle of hell, I would guess it’s representing an ocean liner, I would guess this thing has all the toys.” Spencer guessed perusing the display.
Worry spread across Spencer’s face as he finished examining the display.
“What’s wrong?” Vince asked, almost not wanting an answer.
“We have a hull breach and we’re taking on a lot of water.” Spencer replied.
“We’re sinking.”
Chapter 10 – The Final Circles of Hell Alarms continued to sound as water started to fill the ships lower decks, and the water was rising fast, Spencer’s feet were already submerged in ice-cold water. “Jessie.” Spencer called, Jessie knew what Spencer was asking for, and she had the answer.
“It says Let nobility be your savior,”. Jessie read.
“What the hell does that mean?” Vince
asked.
“I don’t know, but I hope it doesn’t mean
staying here and drowning.” Jessie said. “Agreed, let’s get moving.” Spencer said
and moved toward the door and into the corridor. “We have to find some stairs, now!”
Spencer said, they continued practically running
down the corridor.
“Spencer,” Vince began, “Is it me or are
we going down hill?”
