Castle 2

Craig watched as Actor and Casino entered the room.

`Where's Goniff? He asked

`Damned if I know `, said Casino. `One minute I'm talking to him and the next he's gone`.

Craig sighed.

`Gone where ? He asked with more patience than he felt.

`Just told ya, I don't know, just gone`, Casino replied

`You look for him? Asked Craig

Casino looked at him and smirked

`Now why didn't I think of that` he said `Course I looked, he's just gone`.

`Go look again`, said Craig starting to get angry

`Tellin' you Warden you can look all you want , but the limey ain't there`, Yelled Casino. `Ask him if you don't believe me`.

Craig turned to Actor

`Well? He asked

`We have looked Warden. `Checked every room on the way back here and Goniff is nowhere to be found.` said Actor

Craig was about to reply when Chief butted in.

`Company's here, two of 'em, they're tryin' to keep out of sight, don't look like Krauts, but they got guns`. He said

Craig nodded

`Chief take the balcony, Casino over there,` he said

Both men disappeared.

Actor and Craig stood either side of the fireplace , guns pointing towards the door.

And waited.

The door slowly creaked open.

A man appeared with his hands raised above his head

`We are friends ,` he said

`Come ahead and keep the guns where we can see them`, said Craig.

They watched the two men enter.

`You something to tell me? Asked Craig

The man looked at him

`My sister has a bad cold`. He said.

`Perhaps it will improve with some sunshine`, Craig replied.

The man smiled with relief

`She prefers the snow`. He said dropping his arms slowly.

`My name is Phillippe, and this is Henri ` he said `You are Lt Garrison?

Craig nodded

This is Actor, said Craig

`And the one behind us? Asked Phillippe smiling

`That's Casino and the one above you is Chief.

Both men looked up and saw Chief leaning over the balcony rail with his gun still trained on them.

`Now him I didn't see`, said Phillippe.

`People rarely do until it's too late`, said Craig smiling.

`We can leave as soon as you are ready`, said Henri .

Craig looked at him.

`We have a slight problem, one of my men is missing`, he said

`Then we must leave quickly`, said Henri `In case he has already betrayed us.

`Goniff wouldn't do that and we ain't leavin' without him`, said Casino angrily.

`I did not mean to cause offence`, said Henri `But a missing man usually means betrayal, and I for one do not want to meet the Gestapo tonight.

`Yeah well Goniff ain't no traitor`, said Casino once more.

`Understood`, said Henri. `Have you checked the castle thoroughly?

`We were just going to split up and do that `, said Craig

`Then we will help`, said Phillippe. `Just tell us what you want us to do ,

`Let's split up and start at the top and work our way back here`, he said

They all nodded

`When I find him I'm gonna kill him`, grumbled Casino

`I thought he was your friend, said Phillippe looking confused

Casino looked at him and grinned

`Don't mean I ain't gonna kill him now does it? He asked.

…..

Goniff sat up and immediately wished he hadn't.

`Ow me 'ead`. He said

He opened his eyes and fear ran through him as he realised that he couldn't see anything.

`Warden`, he yelled `Warden this ain't funny`.

`Alright Goniff, think`, he said quietly. `Matches, that 's what you need, matches.`

He gently tried so stand , walking his hands up the wall that he had been leaning against.

He found that not only could he stand upright but that by stretching sideways he could reach the other wall.

It's a tunnel`, he said to himself, `A secret passage maybe`.

He reached into his pocket and found the box of matches.

Lighting one he tried to look around as quickly as he could.

He breathed a sigh of relief when in front of him he saw an old fashioned torch. He lit it quickly before the match burnt out and sighed with relief as light

flooded the passageway.

`Just like in the movies`, he thought

He looked at the wall in front of him and saw the door he had obviously fallen through, but as hard as he tried he couldn't find a way to get it open .

There looked to be a hole where a lever could go but having looked around the floor he couldn't find anything that would fit into the hole to release the door.

`Now don't panic, got to be another way out`,

`Maybe you just carried the 'andle from room to room , there's got to be more than one way in here.`

He realised that he was muttering to himself, and smiled.

`Okay, can't just stand 'ere, ` and he carefully edged his way along the passage.

`This ain's so bad, have to come out somewhere now don.t I? he asked himself

He gulped and kept going, wishing he was more sure of the answer.

He kept walking until he felt something break under his foot.

He moved the torch down slowly to see what he was walking on.

He shook as he looked at the skeleton on the floor in front of him. He tried to run but tripped and landed in the middle of the pile of bones.

He yelled and tried to push himself away dropping the torch as he tried to scamper away on all fours. He was yards away when he realised he could no longer see,

the torch rested near the skeleton.

Goniff shook.

`Only a pile of bones, can't hurt me`, he said shakily. Now pull yourself together mate and get the torch`.

He crawled carefully back to the light and slowly reached out for the torch.

His hand shook as he grabbed hold of the base and pulled it quickly towards him.

He stood up and started to run , slowly at first then faster as he fear hit him in the need to get away.

He turned the corner and something grabbed him.

He screamed and dropped the torch , stuggling to fight off the thing that was holding him.

He couldn't breathe,

He pushed the thing away , and tried to run but his legs wouldn't do what he wanted them too.

He felt the hand on his back and then there was only darkness once more.