"When Beth's baby is born" said David to Sarah "it will basically mean the end of the world. And I mean our world, not this one, the aboveground."
.
.
"I know. I read the pages too."
.
.
David and Sarah were talking together, their voices low, hushed and urgent. Beth was sleeping in the room next door and neither of them wanted to wake her. She had been crying for hours, whether due to stress, hormones or a combination of both, Sarah was unsure. Beth had eventually exhausted herself and David had insisted that she went and laid down to rest.
.
.
"Beth won't allow that to happen" said David. "I don't know what lengths she will go to or what she's prepared to do, but she will not let the birth of this baby destroy all that she holds dear."
.
.
"But it's her baby. Surely there must be a way around this. She honestly cannot think that killing her child is the best way to stop it."
.
.
"It's not her baby" he said sadly. "She conceived it and she's carrying it, but that baby is no more Beth's child than it is yours or mine Sarah."
.
.
"But what are we going to do."
.
.
"You know the answer as well as I do. As barbaric as the thought is, we both know what has to happen…." he trailed off, unwilling to voice the fact that they both knew.
.
.
.
.
The end would justify the means. They could not allow the child to be born.
.
.
.
As David and Sarah talked deep into the night and as Beth slept on soundly, none of them had any idea of the danger that was headed towards them. Deep in the innermost heart of the Labyrinth the beast had been set loose and he was hungry.
.
.
He made his way thorough the gates of the castle, which opened on his command, and into the Goblin City. As he travelled through the city the goblins scurried away into their houses, bolting the doors and hiding under their beds. Though the beast
generally preferred sweeter meat, he had been known to turn to the goblin population when he couldn't be bothered to hunt and the goblins hid, lest his hunger make him turn on them.
.
.
But the beast didn't stop.
.
.
The beast continued through the city gates and through into the junkyard. The Agnes hid, camouflaging herself among the junk that she so treasured, shaking so hard that she shattered eight of her most treasured porcelain tea cups.
.
.
And the beast didn't stop.
.
.
Sir Didymus didn't see the beast approach, he was asleep at his post in the bog. Ambrosius heard him though, and as the creature passed he cowered under the newly-built bridge until the monster had passed.
.
.
And the beast still didn't stop.
.
.
.
The fireys huddled together in fear, up a large tree, knowing full well that he could easily climb. They had gathered together all their limbs and heads, knowing full well that a single finger could give away their hiding place.
.
.
But the beast didn't stop.
.
.
.
There was only one person who had ever witnessed the beast being let loose on the human population of the labyrinth. He had not run faster than all of his friends. He had not hidden better than everybody else. He had not been spared because the beast or his mistress had felt pity. Duncan had survived for one simple reason; by the time the beast reached him, he could not eat anymore.
.
.
As the beast passed Duncan's hut. Duncan stifled a low moan. He knew what dreadful business was about tonight and he shuddered at the thought of the bloodshed that was to occur that night. He remembered the last time that the King and Queen had allowed the beast to run loose, one by one, men, women and children had all fallen to the hunger of the beast. The massacre that had occurred had never been forgotten by the collective consciousness of the labyrinth. Though the rain had eventually washed away all traces of spilt blood. The evil that had occurred could never be undone.
.
.
For the first time in 20 years, Duncan remembered what it was like to feel fear. He remembered the screams; the agony; the sounds people made when they were torn limb from limb; the crunch of bones. But the one sound that would haunt him for the rest of his days, the sound that invaded his dreams and made him wake screaming. The sound of pleasure, of sheer contentment. The sound the beast made when it was finally full.
.
.
.
.
.
As Beth and many others continued to sleep in peace, the beast made his way into the clearing of the encampment, gurgling to himself happily. It had been many a long year since he had tasted the sweetness of human blood and tonight he would gorge himself on many victims.
.
.
The guards on duty had grown lax of late and didn't see the beast at first. They knew of Beth's arrangement with the Goblin King and they believed that this gave them a modicum of security, they thought they could trust King Jareth. On both counts they were wrong.
.
.
The beast crept deeper into the clearing. Slowly and quietly he climbed a tree with large, sturdy branches. He crept onto the platform where he dispatched the first guard quickly and silently. He didn't stop to feed, nor to suck the marrow from the bones of the guard. There would be time for that later. When they were all dead he could feast at his leisure.
.
.
He managed to kill one more guard before he was discovered and the alarm was raised. Screams echoed out into the night. The beast hadn't had this much fun in years.
.
Sarah was just about to go to bed when she first heard the commotion. She pulled her boots back on, and headed out of the hut when heard someone calling her name frantically. "Sarah! Sarah!" it was Rhett "Sarah, thank God I've found you!" Rhett seized her by the hand and started dragging her along the platform.
.
.
Sarah let go of his hand and stopped "what's going on?" she asked, feeling sick to her stomach, all around her were screams and cries of terror and pain.
.
.
Rhett grabbed her by the wrist and continued moving "We have to get you out of here" he replied, not really answering her question.
.
.
Sarah wrenched herself free. "I am not going anywhere with you, not until you tell me what is happening."
.
"Sarah," he pleaded "we don't have time. It's the beast and you have to get out of here before he kills you."
.
.
Sarah froze in shock, Rhett took full advantage of her terror and continued to pull her towards safety.
.
.
A few moments later they were climbing down the ladder to the shelter of the trees. Sarah looked back to see the beast in full force, killing everyone he passed. Rhett hauled her into the covering darkness of the trees. "Stay here Sarah" he instructed her fiercely.
.
.
"Where are you going?" she asked dazed.
.
.
"To fight the beast" she looked at his waist, there was a sword there. She had never seen it before.
.
"No!" she grabbed his arm and stopped him from walking away "he'll kill you!"
.
He pulled Sarah even closer and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was gentle and desperate and over far too soon. "I have to make sure you're safe" he told her, he sounded worried, "and I have to help the others."
.
.
Sarah looked over his shoulders, where a group of men, led by David and Paul, were gathering weapons and heading back towards the beast.
.
.
"Come back to me" she commanded.
.
.
Rhett squeezed her hand before running off with the others, back up the ladders. Sarah watched as Sabrina, a quiet girl she had never really spoken to was ripped apart limb by limb and she vomited after she watched him remove great chunks of flesh with his teeth.
.
.
"Come on Sarah" Katherine called, "we need to find somewhere safe. "
.
.
"There's nowhere else to go" she replied unhappily "this is our home." So they stood at the foot of the great tree, watching and waiting for their fate to be decided.
.
.
.
Beth was awoken by the screams, soon after Rhett had started to drag Sarah away. It didn't take her long to hear the cries. It took her only moments to understand that Jareth had broken his word. It took her less than a second to decide to find David. She ran from hut to hut, calling his name but he was nowhere to be seen. She stumbled as she ran, twisting her ankle, but ignored the pain and continued on her quest. The night air was cool and her breath hung around her as mist as she ran. Until she took a wrong turn.
.
.
And found herself face to face with the beast.
.
.
.
There was a body at his feet, the flesh so mangled that she couldn't tell who it was. His fur was matted with blood and gore so much that it stuck to him in horrifying clumps. Beth fought back the bile that was rising in her throat.
.
.
He came towards her, gurgling happily. She looked delectable, juicy, sweet.
.
.
"So you're going to kill me now are you?" She prompted boldly, her features poised. So the beast would kill her. It would be over. There would be no more hard decisions to make. The choice was taken out of her hands and it would be quick.
.
.
The beast paused. This was the girl. The one that belonged to the Goblin King. He was no fool. If he hunted this one all that would be left of him in the morning would be ash. If hunted, this girl would be his ending.
.
.
The beast turned and walked away.
.
.
"I thought not" said Beth cockily. "Jareth may not think on me, but no harm will ever be allowed to come to this child." She said the words without thinking, but it was the truth, Jareth and his Queen would never allow them to hurt the baby, and they had no idea of Beth's attempts to rid herself of it.
.
.
.
.
.
The men were regrouping now, they gathered their weapons together and went to hunt the monster, that was in turn hunting them.
.
.
They were little more than a mob, a rabble armed with pitchforks and torches, only a select few, like Rhett had ever managed to find or forge proper weapons in the underground.
.
.
They were climbing up the ladders, back into the heart of the bedlam when the beast finally came to them. It jumped from the raised platform and landed with a thud. Panic spread throughout the men, how was such a fiend to be defeated.
.
.
"Archers" bellowed David, to those who had made it up the ladders. Moments later they responded by sending a dozen arrows whooshing through the sky. Half of them landed true.
.
.
He lashed out at the closest attackers, but they were wary and darted out of harms way. David seeing an opportunity, grabbed a torch from a frightened youth and held it to the Beast's thick coat. Seconds later Ludo was ablaze. Those who watched, sickened by the acrid smell of hair and blood, could not tell where his fur stopped and where the flames began.
.
.
The Beast, having never known such agony opened its jaws and howled. He renewed his assault with greater fury. David was knocked to the ground, where he lay unmoving, his head covered in blood With a single swipe of his great paw, two more men were felled and another succumbed to his razor sharp teeth..
.
.
More arrows felled and the Beast began to fall back, now defensive rather than offensive. Seeing their one opportunity the men pushed forward. If they failed, not only would they be ripped to pieces, everyone would fall – they had to do this now.
.
The beast stood with his back to Rhett, busy with the soon-to-be-corpses in front of him. Rhett stepped forwards, sword in hand, the beast turned, unable to see the danger in front of him until it was too late.
.
Rhett swung, his blade sharp and his aim true.
.
Moments later the beast's head fell to the ground and rolled a little way down the slight hill. It stopped his vacant eyes reflecting the starlight.
.
It was over.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Goblin King approached the fallen body of the beast. He nudged it gently with his booted foot. The beast didn't move.
.
"Well I didn't see that coming." He announced to Sarah.
.
.
"What did you expect to happen? Us to just sit around and wait to get slaughtered?"
.
.
The Goblin King threw back is head and laughed "Well, to be honest yes. I expected to get here and to see the beast feasting on your insides. This is a surprise. But I must admit, Sarah, that in your case it's a pleasant surprise. I find myself…." he paused "…pleased that you haven't been eviscerated."
.
"Well" said Sarah sarcastically "I'm glad that you're glad."
.
.
"Well I suppose I should go and break the news to my wife. She will be most distraught. But I think I will drop by and see you in a couple of days my dear."
.
She didn't reply. She had no idea of what to say. Even after all this time the Goblin King frightened her so much that she felt herself trembling.
.
.
"You know, Sarah, I have a feeling that you and I are going to become very good friends."