The Tower

Chapter 13

The sound of birds chirping away filled the air as Sarah walked around in the garden for a morning stroll. It had been a few pleasant weeks since the wedding and today they were finally going to go in. An unfortunate addition had been added to their group last night. 

 Amelia had requested Mary, Sarah and Stephone's  immediate presence in Daniel's office a few days back. Once they had all arrived, she cleared her throat and began. "Due to Sarah's ill health, it will be extremely difficult for her to venture into the castle. However, since we have a lack of people to venture in, there is no one who is ready to replace her.  Thereby, we have to let her go in. Partial reason for that is also that otherwise, she would sneak in.  So we - I have decided to add another person to make sure she is safe. I shall accompany the whole lot of you into the Cachtice Castle." Sarah stared at her. "No! you will die!" Amelia looked at her." And you think you won't?" Sarah quietened down. Misery filled her heart. "I don't want you to die."  "Back at you." She retorted. "Daniel! Say something she is your wife! How can you let her die?" Sarah pleaded with him. "He turned away. "Don't drag him into this. He spent the entire of yesterday trying to get me to change my mind. He couldn't."  Daniel looked at Amelia. "Don't do this.... please." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I have to."  "Why?" Mary looked at her with sorrow clearly reflected in her eyes. "I don't want Sarah to experience what I am now." Amelia sighed. "You must understand, Mary. I have to. She is my family." Mary gave her one last pleading look before turning away at the undesired response. And so a fight had ensued. Finally, she had been forced to accept that no matter what Amelia was coming. Sometimes she hated they had the same blood.

She shook her head willing the memory to go away. A bird flew around her and sat on her head. "My! I'm surprised they came to you."  Daniel appeared next to her. She inched a bit away from him. "Why?" "Well, Lamars are shy songbirds. Native to the castle." "They are beautiful." She said as she stroked its feathers. "Native to a certain princess of the castle, to be precise." She stared at him. "Laura?" "Yup. They came when she arrived and left with her. Came back when she did too. They've been here since she got burnt. Never leave. But they hate everyone. Seems to think they killed her." "Not a lie, anyway." Daniel handed her a bag. It was the same one she had the first time. She opened it - A flashlight, walkie talkie, snacks, rope, gun.  "Thanks." She mumbled as she slung it over her shoulder."When do we go in?" The bird had flown away. Oh, well. She liked that bird. Daniel glanced at his watch. "In an hour. Better get ready." She nodded as she walked away. 

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"Cachtice Castle is hard to enter so proceed with caution.  The entrance you are going to use is at the side of the castle. Let Amelia lead. She knows the way better than you." Daniel's voice crackled over the walkie- talkie once again. Sarah stared at the bricks once again. It was here...   "Sarah!" "Coming." She carefully made her way through the overgrowth of grass that guarded the castle. "We're here." Amelia stood before a small door. It had engravings on it. it seemed a little off.  "This is where Elizabeth's victims came in through." with that Amelia walked in with the rest following.  Almost immediately she was plunged into total darkness. Only the flashlight provided any light. They were in a hallway that seemed to split at a junction a little later. "Isn't Laura...?"

Amelia shook her head. "Nope. According to what the earlier expeditions reported, she only turns up in the main building, in or near the room where her mother died which is in the main tower or in the dungeons. She stepped over a fallen brick and continued inwards. "Sounds like half the house." She heard Stephone murmur. A strange look of determinations reflected in his eyes. What is he up to?  She began wondering about it absent-mindedly when she almost ran into Mary. "Why did you stop?" She asked annoyed. Mary pointed at something. She followed her finger. A gasp escaped her lips. The sight made her want to curl up into a ball and die. A man. Amelia walked over to him. She didn't even check his pulse. "He's dead. I didn't know him but he is definitely an agent." Sarah turned away from the rotting body. "Let's go." She tried to get the man out of her mind. The pale eyes.... The blood drained face........Dismangled legs....... His hands bent in awkward directions...His expression........ Why? No one deserves that...  "Mary, Let's keep moving. Mary?" She looked around her. No one. "Mary? Stephone? Amelia? Where are you? This isn't funny! Where did you guys go?" No one. Not a sound. Not a soul. Desperation. Fear. Panic. She ran. The sound of her footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty corridor. She had reached the junction. her desperation increased. It was like a drug. Like a disease that kept spreading... Slowly but surely it closed in on her, grabbed her and held her an eerie caress. Panic flooded her. She turned left and ran. she was screaming their names as loud as she could. The corridor seemed endless. It seemed to plunge down. Soon it emptied into another hall. She stopped.  Her eyes scanned her surroundings. A realisation dawned on her.         

                                                  It wasn't a hall.                           

                                              It was the dungeons.