Chapter 18
"D.O.O.M"
"Here it is." Said Richard as he pointed towards the library.
"What are we waiting for, lets go!" said Heiji impatiently, he was about to run into the room when Hakuba grabbed hold of his shirt.
"Wait! We dont know whether there will be anymore traps or not, be wary!"
"Okay okay! I am wary enough!" grumbled Heiji. "Now can we go in?!"
Carefully, the four boys stepped into the dark room. It was pitched black, they couldn't even see their fingers in front of them.
"Now I know why my dad called this the dark room." Muttered Richard under his breath.
"Er-----this might sound stupid, but what are we looking for?" asked Shinichi, after pointing his flashlight all the way around the library and decided he didn't see anything special.
The boys stared at each other, (or trying to see each others faces in the dark.) then Heiji pulled out the papers. "I dunno, lets have a look------"
L.M1.M2.E1
M1 *6**7*
L *2* *4-F---*
M2 *1* *5*
E1
---Wife
"So, we now solved the first two lines------ the third is : L *2* *4-F---*" said Heiji, pointing his flashlight at the paper.
"On the sentence L, the word number 2 is ---time." Said Shinichi. "So something to do with time------mmmm----hey, Richard, are there a clock in this room?"
"Yeah, a big grandfather clock. It is right----there." Answered Richard, pointing his flashlight at the far right corner of the room.
There, stood silently, was a big grandfather clock. The dials weren't moveing. It looked so old and dusty.
"It looks dead." Said Heiji straight away.
"As far as I can remember, the dial has never moved. I don't know what my father didn't throw it away. It must be broken or something."
Said Richard.
"Well, I think we are about to find out." Said Hakuba, walking towards it slowly, because it was so dark. Everyone followed behind him. They felt uneasy and exciting at the same time. (especially for the detectives, they just love solving mystery!!)
Shinichi and Hakuba both stood close and examined the clock, while Richard looked nervously around them. "I hope Aunt Alice and John are not watching us right now."
"I doubt it." Muttered Heiji. "Hey, so have you two had enough with this clock?"
"It is built into the wall, we cant move it." Said Hakuba. "So far, I cant see anything different about this
clock compare any other grandfather clock----strange-----what is the next code?"
"*4-F---*" said Heiji.
"What are you talking about?"
"*4-F---*!!! Thats the code!"
"Right right, just kidding----"
"How could you possibly have time to joke around!?!"
"All right! Just---Chill!!" shouted Shinichi furiously "We NEED to solve the codes!"
"-----" Everyone went quiet and decided to listen to Shinichi before he explode.
"So the fourth word in that sentence is---Your" said Richard, looking at the paper.
"Your? That doesnt make any sense."
"F---, that might mean something." Said Heiji.
"Look, there is three dots after F, so if we replace the Y in Your with F, and fit the o.u.r with the three dots if each dot means a letter"
"That give us the word Four!!" shouted Richard. "Wow, you guys are brilliant!"
"Course we are." Nodded Heiji. "Well, Hakuba and I am anyway."
He meant to make Shinichi angry, and it worked. Shinichi glared at Heiji with anger, but Hakuba managed to stepped between the two of them in time.
"Four, I suppose that mean four o'clock then?" said Hakuba quickly. "I am going to move the dials to four o'clock, okay?"
Hakuba reached up to try to move the dials on the clock face but then he realised there was a sheet glass door to protect the dials. Next to the glass door, there was a little lock.
"Damn, Richard, where is the key to open this glass door?" asked Hakuba in frustration.
"I didn't even know there is a glass door!" replied Richard. "I have no idea where I can find the key for it."
"In that case, I hope you don't mind this." Said Hakuba.
With out a warning, he swung a punch at the glass door, and it shattered with the crisps sound of glasses.
The boys stood silently with slightly raised eyebrows.
"------Hakuba! Do you know how much the clock worth now that you broke the glass?!" gasped Richard.
"No, and I don't care either." Replied Hakuba, he reached out and started to move the dials.
"---------Gee---Anne is going to kill me!" Thought Richard.
Suddenly, the grandfather clock came alive. The mechanic inside the clock started to move and rotate, then it rang. The loud, heavy, deep sound came deep with in the clock itself.
The whole mansion went still and the gracious sound echoed between the dark corridors and hundreds years old walls.
The clock rang four times and stopped.
The boys looked at each other, none of them moved when the clock was ringing.
"So-----it is not broken Richard, it still work." Concluded Heiji.
"Look!" said Kudou, pointing his flashlight at the clock face.
The numbers that indicate times on the clock sunk into the clock face, and some letters risen next to the numbers. They were the same colour as the clock face, and it was clear that they used to be level with the surface of the face. So it would be impossible to see those letters if they weren't rise slightly.
"What are they?" asked Richard.
"Letters. A, O, F, G, O, K, L, R, D, H, M, and H" answered Hakuba, leaning close to the clock.
"I don't get it----what is the next code on the paper?"
"M2 *1**5* and Awaits your most horrid doom" said Heiji.
"So the first word is Awaits. Well, we waited didnt we, for the clock to ring?" said Shinichi. "So the next word is *doom*. That souldnt be too hard."
"Try moving the dial to the letter D, O, O, M." Suggested Heiji.
Hakuba moved the dials till it pointed at the word D, then he moved it to O twice, then M.
Nothing happened.
"Try to move the dials anti-clockwise" suggested Shinichi.
So Hakuba tried.
Again, nothing happened.
"Clock-wise then!" said Heiji.
Still, the place was silence and still. Nothing happened.
The detectives looked at each other. "Are we missing something here?" asked Heiji.
"I dont know, but what else can we try?" asked Hakuba, frustrated.
"Why not try pressing the letters?" said Richard suddenly.
Hakuba blinked. "-----okay."
The looks on the detectives faces were obvious. *Why didnt I think of that!*
So Hakuba pressed the risen letters down slowly.
"D------.O.----O.-----M.
The boys held their breath.
A sudden loud noise busted out with in the wall, a deep, rumbling sound, the clock went off again with loud rings, grandfather clock starting to come alive!
Hakuba jumped back, away from the clock when it started to shook slightly, to the boys amazement, the wooden front of the clock starting to move.
Like a door, it swung open and revealed a black tunnel.
Dusts, and a breeze of chilled wind came rushing out of the tunnel and blew onto the boys faces.
Then everything went quiet again. The clock went dead. All that could be heard was the howling wind and rain battering against the windows.
The cold and errie tunnel was in front of them.
They solved the codes.
"------I think you should be detective too, Richard."
Said Heiji finally.
***********************************************
"Did you hear that?!" asked Aoko to Shiho, who sat silently next to her, stared at the locked door.
Shiho nodded slowly. "Yeah----it came from the direction of the library--I think the boys are on the right track."
"So---they will be back soon, wont they?" asked Aoko again.
"I hope so." Replied Shiho. "They need to find Pandora first of all to rescue Ran and Kazuha."
Aoko looked worried, she sighed and held Kaitos cold hand tighter.
"Kaito is gona be so mad that he missed all those actions. He love mucking about and go treasure hunting."
"------How is he doing?"
"Not good----I-I dont know what else I can do Shiho---I ---"
Aoko starting to get watery eyes again, Shiho held out her arm and put it around Aokos shoulder.
"You have done everything you can, Aoko."
A sudden noise went behind the girls, it came within the wall behind the shelves. It sounded like something was behind it, pushing, scratching the wall. It was getting louder and louder.
Aoko and Shiho jumped up to their feet, Aoko stood in front of Kaito and swallowed hard.
Shiho moved back slowly towards the door, and got the key out of her pocket.
"Aoko---you know what we have to do, right?"
Aoko looked horrified. "No---I am not leaving Kaito!"
Shiho didnt say anything. She knew Aoko wont leave Kaito, so she decided to herself that if the situation should arise, she will do what ever she can to get Aoko out of the danger. Even if that mean Leaving Kaito laying injured on the floor.
Louder and louder, the clicking sound came from the wall was the most scary sound to Shiho and Aoko.
Aoko breathed faster and faster, her heart beats uncontrollably, her palms were cold and sweaty.
"If only Kaito is all right! He would know what to do!" thought Aoko.
A loud bang came behind the shelves.
Aoko and Shiho`s eyes widened with fear at that moment.
The shelves began to move to its right, taking a part of the wall with it, slowly, it revealed a tunnel behind the walls.
It was a secret passage.
A rush of cold air filled the dark stock room.
Two girls stood frozen, stared at the black tunnel and was ready to face what ever will come out from the tunnel.
Shiho wished she have a gun or some sort of weapons with her.
There was a few seconds of silence.
Footsteps.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer and closer from the tunnel.
A shadow appeared slowly from the tunnel. It was careful and wary.
Shiho pointed her flashlight at the dark figure.
"---!!!???"
A little girl, stood there, one hand reaching out to cover her eyes from the sudden light.
Her big green eyes seemed to be as shock and Shiho and Aoko`s.
"Who---are you?" asked the little girl.
Shiho and Aoko was too surprised to say anything.
Another footsteps went off behind the little girl.
Another figure appeared behind her. Then another.
"Shiho!!!" shouted Ran
"Aoko!!!" shouted Kazuha.
"KAITO!!?!!" shouted both of them together when they saw him on the floor with blood all over his shirt.
Aoko and Shiho just opened their mouths. Still too shocked to come up with any words.
"What happened?!" asked Ran, "Are you guys all right?"
"RAN! KAZUHA!" cried Aoko finally.
She thrown herself to them and cried.
Shiho also rushed up and the four girls hugged tightly together.
They are safe and finally got together.
For now.
To be continue---------------------------------
"D.O.O.M"
"Here it is." Said Richard as he pointed towards the library.
"What are we waiting for, lets go!" said Heiji impatiently, he was about to run into the room when Hakuba grabbed hold of his shirt.
"Wait! We dont know whether there will be anymore traps or not, be wary!"
"Okay okay! I am wary enough!" grumbled Heiji. "Now can we go in?!"
Carefully, the four boys stepped into the dark room. It was pitched black, they couldn't even see their fingers in front of them.
"Now I know why my dad called this the dark room." Muttered Richard under his breath.
"Er-----this might sound stupid, but what are we looking for?" asked Shinichi, after pointing his flashlight all the way around the library and decided he didn't see anything special.
The boys stared at each other, (or trying to see each others faces in the dark.) then Heiji pulled out the papers. "I dunno, lets have a look------"
L.M1.M2.E1
M1 *6**7*
L *2* *4-F---*
M2 *1* *5*
E1
---Wife
"So, we now solved the first two lines------ the third is : L *2* *4-F---*" said Heiji, pointing his flashlight at the paper.
"On the sentence L, the word number 2 is ---time." Said Shinichi. "So something to do with time------mmmm----hey, Richard, are there a clock in this room?"
"Yeah, a big grandfather clock. It is right----there." Answered Richard, pointing his flashlight at the far right corner of the room.
There, stood silently, was a big grandfather clock. The dials weren't moveing. It looked so old and dusty.
"It looks dead." Said Heiji straight away.
"As far as I can remember, the dial has never moved. I don't know what my father didn't throw it away. It must be broken or something."
Said Richard.
"Well, I think we are about to find out." Said Hakuba, walking towards it slowly, because it was so dark. Everyone followed behind him. They felt uneasy and exciting at the same time. (especially for the detectives, they just love solving mystery!!)
Shinichi and Hakuba both stood close and examined the clock, while Richard looked nervously around them. "I hope Aunt Alice and John are not watching us right now."
"I doubt it." Muttered Heiji. "Hey, so have you two had enough with this clock?"
"It is built into the wall, we cant move it." Said Hakuba. "So far, I cant see anything different about this
clock compare any other grandfather clock----strange-----what is the next code?"
"*4-F---*" said Heiji.
"What are you talking about?"
"*4-F---*!!! Thats the code!"
"Right right, just kidding----"
"How could you possibly have time to joke around!?!"
"All right! Just---Chill!!" shouted Shinichi furiously "We NEED to solve the codes!"
"-----" Everyone went quiet and decided to listen to Shinichi before he explode.
"So the fourth word in that sentence is---Your" said Richard, looking at the paper.
"Your? That doesnt make any sense."
"F---, that might mean something." Said Heiji.
"Look, there is three dots after F, so if we replace the Y in Your with F, and fit the o.u.r with the three dots if each dot means a letter"
"That give us the word Four!!" shouted Richard. "Wow, you guys are brilliant!"
"Course we are." Nodded Heiji. "Well, Hakuba and I am anyway."
He meant to make Shinichi angry, and it worked. Shinichi glared at Heiji with anger, but Hakuba managed to stepped between the two of them in time.
"Four, I suppose that mean four o'clock then?" said Hakuba quickly. "I am going to move the dials to four o'clock, okay?"
Hakuba reached up to try to move the dials on the clock face but then he realised there was a sheet glass door to protect the dials. Next to the glass door, there was a little lock.
"Damn, Richard, where is the key to open this glass door?" asked Hakuba in frustration.
"I didn't even know there is a glass door!" replied Richard. "I have no idea where I can find the key for it."
"In that case, I hope you don't mind this." Said Hakuba.
With out a warning, he swung a punch at the glass door, and it shattered with the crisps sound of glasses.
The boys stood silently with slightly raised eyebrows.
"------Hakuba! Do you know how much the clock worth now that you broke the glass?!" gasped Richard.
"No, and I don't care either." Replied Hakuba, he reached out and started to move the dials.
"---------Gee---Anne is going to kill me!" Thought Richard.
Suddenly, the grandfather clock came alive. The mechanic inside the clock started to move and rotate, then it rang. The loud, heavy, deep sound came deep with in the clock itself.
The whole mansion went still and the gracious sound echoed between the dark corridors and hundreds years old walls.
The clock rang four times and stopped.
The boys looked at each other, none of them moved when the clock was ringing.
"So-----it is not broken Richard, it still work." Concluded Heiji.
"Look!" said Kudou, pointing his flashlight at the clock face.
The numbers that indicate times on the clock sunk into the clock face, and some letters risen next to the numbers. They were the same colour as the clock face, and it was clear that they used to be level with the surface of the face. So it would be impossible to see those letters if they weren't rise slightly.
"What are they?" asked Richard.
"Letters. A, O, F, G, O, K, L, R, D, H, M, and H" answered Hakuba, leaning close to the clock.
"I don't get it----what is the next code on the paper?"
"M2 *1**5* and Awaits your most horrid doom" said Heiji.
"So the first word is Awaits. Well, we waited didnt we, for the clock to ring?" said Shinichi. "So the next word is *doom*. That souldnt be too hard."
"Try moving the dial to the letter D, O, O, M." Suggested Heiji.
Hakuba moved the dials till it pointed at the word D, then he moved it to O twice, then M.
Nothing happened.
"Try to move the dials anti-clockwise" suggested Shinichi.
So Hakuba tried.
Again, nothing happened.
"Clock-wise then!" said Heiji.
Still, the place was silence and still. Nothing happened.
The detectives looked at each other. "Are we missing something here?" asked Heiji.
"I dont know, but what else can we try?" asked Hakuba, frustrated.
"Why not try pressing the letters?" said Richard suddenly.
Hakuba blinked. "-----okay."
The looks on the detectives faces were obvious. *Why didnt I think of that!*
So Hakuba pressed the risen letters down slowly.
"D------.O.----O.-----M.
The boys held their breath.
A sudden loud noise busted out with in the wall, a deep, rumbling sound, the clock went off again with loud rings, grandfather clock starting to come alive!
Hakuba jumped back, away from the clock when it started to shook slightly, to the boys amazement, the wooden front of the clock starting to move.
Like a door, it swung open and revealed a black tunnel.
Dusts, and a breeze of chilled wind came rushing out of the tunnel and blew onto the boys faces.
Then everything went quiet again. The clock went dead. All that could be heard was the howling wind and rain battering against the windows.
The cold and errie tunnel was in front of them.
They solved the codes.
"------I think you should be detective too, Richard."
Said Heiji finally.
***********************************************
"Did you hear that?!" asked Aoko to Shiho, who sat silently next to her, stared at the locked door.
Shiho nodded slowly. "Yeah----it came from the direction of the library--I think the boys are on the right track."
"So---they will be back soon, wont they?" asked Aoko again.
"I hope so." Replied Shiho. "They need to find Pandora first of all to rescue Ran and Kazuha."
Aoko looked worried, she sighed and held Kaitos cold hand tighter.
"Kaito is gona be so mad that he missed all those actions. He love mucking about and go treasure hunting."
"------How is he doing?"
"Not good----I-I dont know what else I can do Shiho---I ---"
Aoko starting to get watery eyes again, Shiho held out her arm and put it around Aokos shoulder.
"You have done everything you can, Aoko."
A sudden noise went behind the girls, it came within the wall behind the shelves. It sounded like something was behind it, pushing, scratching the wall. It was getting louder and louder.
Aoko and Shiho jumped up to their feet, Aoko stood in front of Kaito and swallowed hard.
Shiho moved back slowly towards the door, and got the key out of her pocket.
"Aoko---you know what we have to do, right?"
Aoko looked horrified. "No---I am not leaving Kaito!"
Shiho didnt say anything. She knew Aoko wont leave Kaito, so she decided to herself that if the situation should arise, she will do what ever she can to get Aoko out of the danger. Even if that mean Leaving Kaito laying injured on the floor.
Louder and louder, the clicking sound came from the wall was the most scary sound to Shiho and Aoko.
Aoko breathed faster and faster, her heart beats uncontrollably, her palms were cold and sweaty.
"If only Kaito is all right! He would know what to do!" thought Aoko.
A loud bang came behind the shelves.
Aoko and Shiho`s eyes widened with fear at that moment.
The shelves began to move to its right, taking a part of the wall with it, slowly, it revealed a tunnel behind the walls.
It was a secret passage.
A rush of cold air filled the dark stock room.
Two girls stood frozen, stared at the black tunnel and was ready to face what ever will come out from the tunnel.
Shiho wished she have a gun or some sort of weapons with her.
There was a few seconds of silence.
Footsteps.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer and closer from the tunnel.
A shadow appeared slowly from the tunnel. It was careful and wary.
Shiho pointed her flashlight at the dark figure.
"---!!!???"
A little girl, stood there, one hand reaching out to cover her eyes from the sudden light.
Her big green eyes seemed to be as shock and Shiho and Aoko`s.
"Who---are you?" asked the little girl.
Shiho and Aoko was too surprised to say anything.
Another footsteps went off behind the little girl.
Another figure appeared behind her. Then another.
"Shiho!!!" shouted Ran
"Aoko!!!" shouted Kazuha.
"KAITO!!?!!" shouted both of them together when they saw him on the floor with blood all over his shirt.
Aoko and Shiho just opened their mouths. Still too shocked to come up with any words.
"What happened?!" asked Ran, "Are you guys all right?"
"RAN! KAZUHA!" cried Aoko finally.
She thrown herself to them and cried.
Shiho also rushed up and the four girls hugged tightly together.
They are safe and finally got together.
For now.
To be continue---------------------------------