Chapter 14: HUGH V: The Castle

First Draft: 23 July, 2010
Completed: 23 July, 2010
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Evangeline needed not see to know it was barely dusk, but someone was hitting her face with something cold, and from the feel of it, it would not stop until she opened her eyes. Struggling to open her eyes, she saw Chachazero using the thick iron key to wake her. "Wake up, you lazy fool!" she taunted.

Sitting up, she found herself free from the chain, and the doll was already trying to pull her up the stairs.

"Chachazero, where's Hugh," she asked.

"Master's fine, I'm talking and flying, aren't I? Come, quick."

"Where to?"

"Castle, he won, he won. He wants to see us."

Flinging Chachazero off, she repeated, "Chachazero! Where's Hugh?"

"Master's alive, I can feel it, come, we must go!" If dolls could cry, she would be.

It was obvious something was wrong. Faking ignorant, she hastily followed after the doll. Chachazero grabbed two knives and flew out the window, following after from the door, she was surprised, maybe not, the street was emptied of life, and the street was darker than ever, it felt dense enough to be within a hand reach. They travelled up the hill to the castle gate, meeting no oppositions whatsoever, but the gate was down, and the doll was at a lost as to how to enter it.

"Chachazero, there," Evangeline pointed out to what could be a side exit, littered with bones. It was no time to panic, it was clear that Hugh met resistance, could he have killed the guards? No, she answered herself, he killed the monsters guarding his lair.

The tunnel was long and windy, no doors or stairs, what could be minutes felt like hours, and she knew that they were already in the heart of the castle. Chachazero flew fast, disappeared beyond only to appear behind the girl, the whole castle was alive, and it was preventing them from reaching their goal. The doll panicked, worried that she might never see her master, Evangeline worried that they might never see outside.

They only thing they could do was to continue on the tunnel, until a bright light blinded them, it was an exit to a room. Evangeline would have imagined the doll flew in with haste without care calling out her master's name, but she remained with her, something spooked her. Evangeline could sense it too, it was the Chapel Ghost, she realised too late that the chapel never held a ghost, it was the Laughing Man all along.

Unarmed, Evangeline took the first step.