"Like A Prayer"
The large double doors that covered the entrance to Notre Dame let out a heavy, eerie creaking noise while being opened by J.G. Stantz, allowing Sean Spengler, Diana Zeddemore, Todd and Riley Daring, and himself to walk inside the wonderfully radiant cathedral. It looked just as brand new on the inside as it did on the outside, which the group deemed as just ridiculously impossible, considering that the building had to be over five hundred years old.
Spengler had already been scanning the building's interior, just as he had its exterior upon the moment the five of them arrived in the area. He expected the wings of the P.K.E. meter to go up, in response to the surge of paranormal activity that had to be surrounding them. However, the device wasn't picking up anything, much to Spengler's surprise.
Diana was oblivious to Sean's lack of discovery, asking him while gazing around the cathedral in shock, "Tell me you're getting some readings from all of this, man!"
"I'm not reading anything." Spengler replied. "The P.K.E. thinks it's just a normal, well-structured building."
"Dude, that's unreal!" Todd told him. "Even I know that Notre Dame is supposed to exist only in Paris, France! I've seen the…"
"Yes, Todd! We get it! You've seen the Disney movie!" Riley interjected in frustration. "Seriously, is that your only source of historical knowledge? Don't you ever watch P.B.S.?"
Todd had to ponder that question for a moment before he answered, "Only when I'm watchin' Sesame Street. I loves me some Cookie Monster!"
The area was partially lit with torches that hung on rows of columns. But the spaces behind them remained dark, allowing one shadowed figure to sneak behind them and watch the five visitors, without fear of being spotted. It was a short, hunchbacked figure wearing a dark blue cloak that hid its misshapen face, its pair of blue eyes peeking under and focused heavily on Diana Zeddemore.
"It doesn't matter what readings the P.K.E. is getting on this place." Stantz stated. "This place is obviously a manifestation, just like the Headless Horseman was a moment ago."
"You could be onto something, Jay." Sean acknowledged. "The moment we came upon the source of tonight's situation, that's when the Horseman arrived and attacked, leading us away from where we were intending on going. We're obviously disturbing whatever or whomever it is that's behind everything."
"We're disturbing it?!" Diana exclaimed, finding that very hard to believe. "It is the one that's disturbing us…disturbing me, most importantly!" She then stood in the very center of the room and angrily shouted, "Come out where we can see you, coward! Let's end this now!!"
Just then, a shushing noise came out from within the shadows, as did the hooded, cloaked figure that stepped out into the light and revealed itself. Diana, J.G., and Sean were quite alarmed by its sudden presence, reaching for their Proton Guns in preparation for an attack. However, they stopped themselves, as soon as they realized the figure was a human male…at least that was what they could tell from its pale, slightly hairy arms.
"Please, please!" He calmly exclaimed. "Don't shout. It's not wise to scream in a church…especially when my master can possibly hear you. The walls are thick enough for even the doves perched high above the rooftop to be frightened off by."
Hearing the gentleness in this young stranger's voice, Diana almost felt ashamed of herself for doing such a thing. Manifestation or not, she knew better than to shout in anger while in God's house. "I-I'm sorry," she told the stranger. "I was just so tired…so exhausted of all that my friends and I have been through this evening."
"Oh, there's no reason to be angry when you're under sanctuary in Notre Dame," claimed the hooded stranger. "Everything is so pleasant here, especially in the bell tower, where I…" The stranger suddenly stopped, as his hands went near his hooded face in shock as if realizing his blunder. "Oh…Oh, my! No…no, I've said too much already! My master will certainly punish me for certain!"
Diana raised her hands in protest, a little concerned and yet puzzled by the stranger's sudden anxiety. "Wait…Who's your master? I promise we won't tell him anything. We just…"
"You must leave here now!" The stranger demanded, urgency creeping into his tone of voice. "If my master catches you here, it'll certainly be…"
"Quasimodo!!!" A stern, hollow voice echoed throughout the room, speaking from within the shadows. Within a brief moment, the speaker himself stepped into the light, revealing his identity to be Judge Claude Frollo, the minister of justice for Paris, France back in 1502. He had a very serene yet ominous type of appearance, with a long black and purple robe and triangular-shaped hat to match.
The Ghostbusters and the Daring siblings were taken aback by Frollo's presence there, far much than they were from the fact that they were standing in the Notre Dame cathedral. But it was Riley who pointed out the most surprising fact of all, when she asked the hooded stranger, "You are Quasimodo…the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'."
The hooded stranger let out a deep sigh, before he pulled back the hood and showed his misshapen face to the visitors. He was indeed the bell-ringer of Notre Dame Legend, Quasimodo, believed by many who lived in Paris to be a monster that was raised by the distrusted Claude Frollo. Of course, from recently conversing with him, Diana would beg to differ.
"Quasimodo, what have I told you about interacting with guests?" Frollo inquired, sounding very displeased.
The misshapen bell-ringer did his best to hide his face with his hands, while he addressed his adoptive father. "I…I was only a-alerting them of the cathedral rules, Ma-Master. The woman was upset and felt the desire to scream. But I-I-I told h-her that she needn't to fret of trivial things, while inside of Notre Dame. Because we treat one another with kindness and love, m-much like you have to me, Master."
And right on cue, after Quasimodo's comment, Todd let out a fake sneeze that he incorporated the statement "Yeah, right" into. Riley glanced over at her brother and tried to refrain from laughing as she said, "Bless you, Todd."
Frollo glared at the group standing before them, his eyes directed toward each member, until they stopped directly on Diana Zeddemore. The sight of her brought Frollo back to a moment in his life that he dared himself never to remember again, due to the sheer displeasure of it all. However, Diana brought it all back to him, and he felt a discomforting desire to keep her there long enough to satisfy only himself.
He turned to Quasimodo, slightly rubbing his chin in thoughtful motion, and requested, "Set a table for our guests upstairs, Quasimodo. They all look a bit tired and hungry."
"Dude, unless you've got a Big Mac stashed somewhere in this place, there ain't no way I'm eating anything you've got." Todd complained, right before Riley slapped her hand across his mouth, keeping him from saying much more that would displease Frollo.
"We really have to oblige, Your Lordship." J.G. stated, starting to back towards the door they came through. "There's just too much that we've got to get back to doing this evening."
Frollo glared so heavily at J.G. that his eyes began to turn red…literally. Stantz suddenly felt himself become paralyzed, no longer able to back away any further towards the front door. He then started walking towards Frollo, looking so stiff that he almost gave off a zombie-like appearance. Of course, it did not take a strange way of walking to clue Diana, Sean, and the Daring siblings that something was wrong with J.G.
"Jay…what're you doing, man?" Diana asked.
Stantz did not answer and instead continued walking, until he was standing right beside Frollo. The minister of justice sternly told the visitors, "I'm afraid that I'll have to insist that you stay…if you wish to know why I brought you into 'The Seventh Circle'."
Zeddemore and Spengler both exchanged stunned glances at the revelation of their exact location. Diana felt the need to double-check with Sean, being as shocked as she was, when she asked him, "Does he mean 'Seventh Circle' as in…?"
"Oh, yeah," answered Spengler, with a nervous nod.