Chapter 7
"You've got to be kidding…." Courtney gasped. She knew that people work better as a team, and being split up, well….
"WE ARE SO SCREWED!!!" Gwen groaned.
"Come on guys lets stay positive!!" Bridgette said weakly, trying to hide the fact that she was just as convinced as Gwen was.
"Ok, maybe Bridgette's onto something. If we stay positive, we might have a better chance." Courtney said, naturally assuming herself as leader like always.
"Ya, you're right Court!" Gwen said smiling, and Bridgette nodded and smiled.
"WELL THEN LETS DO THIS!!!" Gwen shouted, and Bridgette turned around and walked into the room, the door closing behind her. Courtney opened the door across, and managed to get through, waving goodbye to Gwen and calling to her that she'd see her soon. Gwen stopped at the final door and sighed, thinking about Courtney's last words.
See you soon? Alive or dead?
She took a deep breath, and walked into the final room quietly, slamming the door behind her and any chance of going back.
Alanis continued to stare at the scene in front of her in shock. In a dark corner of the room, barely noticeable, were four black and gold keys, each with a different engraving on them. From a glance she could tell which person's was which, since the sign on the key matched the sign on the golden frames of their canvases. Gwen's had gold flames on hers, Bridgette had a beach and sunset, and Courtney's had a glacier floating in the ocean, which left her own to be the one which had a single delicately and beautifully carved tiger on the front of hers. And in front of those keys to the canvases, standing guard over them waiting, watching Alanis with cold, soulless eyes was…..
Lindsey?!
The blonde was drumming her decayed fingers on the table impatiently, glancing at the entrance every so often. She was deformed almost beyond recognition. Her eyes where blood red and her skin was decayed, her whole body rotting away. In some places blood dripped out excessively, dripping onto the carpet like raindrops. In others, bone showed through, jutting out of their natural place. Alanis was disgusted and revolted at what this nice but oblivious girl had become, been forced to become, and the room span, getting blurrier and blurrier with each second. Alanis leaned up against the cold frame, swaying and falling…falling…falling…but subliminally…
Her eyes were closed. But it didn't matter; her mind saw everything it needed to. Drake appeared out of thin air, surly waving Lindsey away like an irksome fly, a pest. He had no use of the oblivious chick anymore. But he would wait, he was not hungry, yet….. His eyes looked to the empty frame and he grinned. From the first night he met her, he knew she was not one with a heart of steel. He grabbed the elegant tiger key he had carved, just for her, his love, his life, his soul, and smoothly unlocked the frame, with actions quicker than any human. He smirked. Being a vampire was much more rewarding. Increase in speed, intelligence, strength, and power. And it was even worth the endless hunger, the endless lust for the blood his body endlessly craved for. The frame opened silently but slowly, worn with time, and use, and with a bright flash his to-be bride was on the carpet, unconscious. Drake smirked an even bigger sadistic grin. He was pleased with the powerlessness of the girl, how weak and unable to fight she was compared to him. Or so he thought….
Courtney:
Courtney paused and groped around in the musty darkness, feeling for a candle or anything that could bring light to her eyes. Her hand felt upon something cold, plastic, rather not dusty for a place like this…
Light switch? Great! That's helpful. Stupid, stupid Dunc-
"If I we're that stupid, would I have been able to lure you here alone?" A voice said quietly from behind.
All the blood left Courtney's face, all the bravery she had mustered gone through the floor, all the sounds her heart was making intensified and multiplied by ten. Her heart beat so fast it was a hum, sending blood coursing through her veins. The door locked behind her with a small click and Courtney ran away from the sound, trying to find a weapon, something, anything.
DID YOU FORGET WHAT YOUR FRIENDS GAVE TO YOU SO YOU COULD LIVE WHEN THIS TIME CAME?! Her inner voice screeched.
Courtney turned around, her bravery coming back at the thought of her old friends being let down, being unremembered, lost, forgotten…
With a battle cry she spun, her arms outward filled up with an almost overwhelming cold sensation, and the ice flew, in a razor blade sharp circle, making a deafening crash that shook the dust off the rafters, and the whole mansion's skeleton shook with the magnitude of the force. Panting, Courtney waited. One minute, two minutes, two hours, two days, she couldn't tell how long it was silent, untill….
Bridgette:
BANG!!!!!
Bridgette yelped, surprised at the sudden intense loud sound. With thumps like rain, something fell in front of her. Using the candle she had found mysteriously lit, she leaned in closer toward where the sound ended. She blinked, mildly surprised.
Books? I guess im in the library. Hmmm…
Her mind churned. This was invaluable. There could be something in one of these books about what was going on, how they could escape, how they could, she hoped with ever fiber in her body, save her friends…
Bridgette reached up high to grab a book when her hand smacked something hard. It was the corner of a desk, beautifully crafted and polished, with a single, black journal sitting in the middle of it, pen laid askew over top of it, as if someone had just got up and left it, suddenly interrupted….
Bridgette shuddered, and sat down the arm chair in front of it, setting down the candle. The candles flames danced upon something tall and shiny. She looked over and sighed in relief. An electric lamp stood looming over the desk. She reached up to turned it on when a word on the page caught her eye. Bridgette slowly lowered her hand back down ignoring the lamp, and started to read-
Geoff's log,
Duncan had better find some food already, im starving!! It better not be one of those strugglers like last time. They don't seem to taste as good when they're freaking out. She finally got here yesterday, with Gwen, Courtney, and this other chick from the family night thing. I can't wait until we reunite once again, and ill never have to let her ago. At least after the Enter, she won't leave my side. Ever. If she Exits, then…well…
The pen marks had dug deep into the page at the beginning of this sentence, as if the writer was quickly getting angry. By the end of it, the author had pressed so hard there was a hole in the pages going to the very back and through it. Bridgette's mind went into a rush, a thousand questions filling up her mind and body-
Geoff wrote this, why? Whats he talking about? Is he going to kill me, make me his slave? What's Enter and Exit?
Bridgette took a calming breath and grabbed the book she was going to read, and read the cover-
Beschermers van de Duisternis
The words rang a vauge bell in her head. In highschool, her parents had forced her to take Dutch. Trying to remember the title, she turned the dusty fragile pages carefully, and read the headings, translating it in her head-
Becoming- pg. 10
Beginning- pg. 26
Powers- pg.42
Enter-pg.63
Exit-pg.63
"Enter and Exit!" Bridgette whispered to herself excitedly, flipping through the pages until finally-
Chapter 4- Enter and Exit
When Virgo holds hands with Leo, and Pisces is in love with Capricorn, take the fledgling-to-be under the moonlight. Take a blood encrusted dagger, one that has taken the lives and souls away from many, and plunge it into their hearts. When Virgo turns away from Leo, and Capricorn follows suit from Pisces, it shall be done. The victim will have become a mild vampire. They hav Entered. But be wary, they may Exit. Exit is when the elements, ice, water, fire, psychic, and the unknown Fifth, unite in such powerful harmony that they may destroy the vampire, possibly saving their condemned souls, or killing them for eternities beyond.
Bridgette's mouth was wide open in shock. Everything made sense now. The mass killing, the eternal night, the seemingly inhuman strength of Duncan, all of these ghosts and the elements. Quickly, she flicked the light switch on, eager to read more. And screamed at the familiar pink open shirted, tan hat wearing, blond surfer who became a blur of pink, and then red…red…red….
Gwen:
Gwen nosed around the dark room, feeling around for some sort of light. After the loud bang of what seemed to be coming from the Courtney's room, her normally brave swagger dimmed down deeply into fear. Gwen's heart leapt up when she felt the wax of a candle. She grabbed it, and lit it up with her hand, glancing around alertly at her surroundings. It was an extremely dusty bedroom, with an mirrored armoire and a single, master bed sitting in the middle. Subliminally, Gwen's conscience warned her not to go near the peculiar sleeping arrangement. It had no mattress, but it still had pillows, blankets, and a headboard at the top and bottom. But the moldy blanket was raised up vertically in the middle, as if covering something...
Gwen's held her breath and went over to the bed, let the air out, and ripped the covers off of the object. Gwen stared, frozen in horror, at the sight in front of her. A single, black wood coffin, big enough for two full grown men to lay in with comfort, lay in front of her, not as dusty and forgotten as the other objects in the room. Gwen turned around, running for the door, when her eye caught something in the mirror. She stopped, and was hypnotized as a huge, familiar black silhouette emerged slowly from the wooden entombment. Gwen threw the candle at the figure, and the light danced upon his green eyes, black hair…. She bolted to the door, away from Trent, and kicked it down with ease. Quickly, she turned and slammed it shut, and grabbed the lock gear and welded it shut with her breath. A furious roar, followed by a multitude of bangs against the old door filled up the mansion. Gwen ignored them as best as possible, and turned toward Courtney's room, thrusting the door open. Gwen put her hand cautiously into the doorway. It went through, and something cold grabbed it and pulled Gwen into the room. Gwen threw a flame in the middle of the room, where it stayed levitating. Courtney had grabbed her hand, and pulled her in, eyes widened in fear. She appeared to be the only one in the room. Until a dark shadow of a figure not visible plowed into her, and she fell, groaning in pain.
"Courtney you ok?! Can you stand?!" Gwen said urgently, pulling her friend up before Duncan could attack again. Courtney nodded, and said nothing as Gwen dragged her toward the door. Gwen through Courtney out into the hallway as she saw the shadow coming around again. Gwen jumped out, just in time, as she heard the thump of Duncan's body against the wall where Courtney had been standing a split second ago. Courtney had gotten her breath back, and leapt up.
"We gotta go get Bridgette, NOW!" She screeched, running for the blond girl's door. Gwen turned around, welded the door shut again with her breath, and went into the open door that Courtney had opened. Courtney stood, her shadow dancing around the room with the raging fire in the fireplace. Books off of shelves were strewn everywhere, and the room showed signs of a massive struggle. Courtney turned around to Gwen, with tears swimming in her eyes.
"Bridgette is gone too."