Would you Listen?

Word count: 2634
Would You Listen?


        The sages, the village elders, even the priests, all said it was haunted, but I know now it is. Before the incident I had laughed at those who had told me about the haunted evil temple in the Foxtail Woods. I should have listened, but after years of playing in its empty corridors I wasn't about to believe it was truly haunted or evil.

        I still remember having a mid-morning snack with Constance on top of one of the high balconies. I fondly recall the expeditions with Justin and Gavin into the depths of the catacombs to rescue damsels and slay imaginary monsters. I also remember losing my virginity with Sabrina in an old empty room. I'm Robert, and I was twenty before I finally realized that in all our exploring and playing we had all somehow missed that black door. It was made of the blackest black walnut trimmed in tarnished bronze, the handle engraved with a skull. I had never seen such workmanship.

        It was the night before we would part company; leave this village called Ru'ek and go our separate ways, one last meeting in the place of our childhood escapades. I remember agreeing to meet back here in ten years time.

        Constance and Sabrina, now twenty, had grown up to be beautiful women. Sabrina had learned the sword while Constance has become a sorceress of considerable skill. At nineteen Gavin had learned, the not-so-accepted, profession of a thief and picked up how to use daggers and the bow expertly. Justin, at twenty-one, had earned his father's armor and his mighty axe, which he used with such tremendous proficiency. So unlike the gentle boy he had been. Me, I was the vagabond bard that they kept around. It was I who first noticed the door in a shadowy corner.

        "Look, I haven't seen that door before!" I exclaimed.

        "Neither have I," said Gavin.

        "I think we should check it out," offered Sabrina.

        The rest murmured their agreements and we walked towards the corner.
Constance turned the handle and pushed the door open on unseen hinges. Through the door we walked and into a small circular chamber. Light hadn't touched this room in quite some time, for the dust and cobwebs thickly covered six man-sized statues, just like the rank odor hung in the stagnant air. A chill permeated this small space and on the far side was an archway topped with another skull. It led into unexplored areas of the temple complex. I pressed forward and the others followed. I could feel eyes upon my back as I cautiously crossed under the archway. A rapid skittering echo from the left as large spiders, lurking in the shadowy nooks and crannies, broke the eerie silence. As everyone else passed beneath the skull and entered the passageway beyond I thought I saw something move. Had I paid more attention to that half-imagined movement we might have turned back. Perhaps then it might have not been too late. I ignored it and the blame lies solely in my hands for the events which transpired afterward.

        The hallway was pitch-black and Justin lit a torch for us to see by. The light seemed to be oppressed and it only cast a shine on half its normal area. What we could see was a passage held up by ornate arches, each about fifteen feet apart. We began to move down the corridor our footsteps echoing.

        "Just like old times, huh." Gavin whispered.

        "Yeah," I answered.

        But it wasn't the same. The halls that had become a place of our childhood didn't feel like this. The chambers hadn't been so cold or gloomy, hadn't been so thick with dust and age. These chambers felt and looked ancient, as if they had stood alone since before the village was here. They also felt evil and loathsome; as if they didn't want to be disturbed. I think the others felt it too, but clung to the vain hope that this was just another playful exploration. Denial is a great way to ward off panic, that was proven to be our mistake. We finally reached the other end of the hall, descended a flight of stairs that curved to the right and then opened into a room so large that the torch failed to illuminate it all. Then our light pushed past the hungry darkness after thirty feet and we could see thick granite walls and an elborate tiled floor. We moved toward what we agreed was the center of the great chamber when Sabrina saw the runes painted on the floor. They were within a double diamond shaped design with lines coming out all around it. The red paint seemed to be flaking. Suddenly Constance gasped.

        "It's painted in blo...blood. Dri...dried blood," she nervously whispered.

        I shuddered involuntarily as Justin moved the torch lower to examine it. The torch went out and Gavin nearly cried out only catching it in his throat, but the rest of us managed our silence. The ominous darkness and utter silence felt stronger plus it was getting colder, like an icy finger reached down under my collar and ran down my back. I hugged myself for comfort only for a few seconds before the torch finally flickered to life again. Justin stuffed his flint and steel in his belt pouch and looked uneasy.

        "Is everyone ok?" he asked.

        Sabrina, Gavin, and I nodded and then we looked around for Constance.

        "Where's Constance?" Justin yelled.

        "Maybe she got lost in the dark," Gavin offered hesitantly.

        "She must have fallen or something," Sabrina reassured.

        I should have gotten out right then and there, should have known what was happening, but once again denial was at work.

        "We should look around for her," Justin said quietly then proceeded to move away.

        We began to call her name, though it became distorted as it reverberated though out the massive chamber, the echo lost. We called for about an hour to no avail and called it off. Now that I look back on it I think we did get an answer. I seem to recall an icy breeze tickle my cheek and I felt different. I can't see how I missed it, the air was unmoving and stale. As fate would have it we decided to look for her, I was a fool then. We set out to our left and after several minutes came to a large iron door. It had an ugly, misshapen, rusty skull handle. Gavin reached out for it and closed his grip. He jerked back and stared at his hand in horror, then the door.

          "So cold....so evil," he raved, "don't open.... the.... the door. Just don't open it.... please it's coming.... we're all going to...."

        Sabrina put a reassuring arm around his shoulders but I saw that she was shivering too. Justin took a deep breath and tugged the door open. Where did that fear go I wondered? As the door swung wide a scream mingled with aged hinges rang around us in agony and pain. The screams sheiking in terror, it was evil and it was longing for death. I hesitated and then Justin acted.

        "It's Constance, we must save her," he announced.

        I saw madness take hold of him as he began to sprint down the passageway, Gavin cried out for him to stop yet we followed as best as we could. Justin was the most athletic so we knew we couldn't catch him. His cries became softer and softer with distance and finally stopped. Gavin, Sabrina, and I slumped against the wall weary.

        "It's after us, isn't it?" Sabrina mumbled.

        "We'll be fine," I assured her, "Justin will find Constance and then he'll come back here. Then we can all leave."

        "If Constance is fine, how do you explain the screams, Robert?"

        "It was just the wind passing through the narrow passage and whistling through the door."

        "Wind, there is no wind in here," Sabrina cried out, "If there was it would be so stale.....this place reeks of death."

        Sabrina broke down into sobs and we sat there for a time. I muttered reassurances to her, but we both knew we had lost two friends that day. Finally we lit a fresh torch and set off down the passageway to find our friends. Find them we did, Justin was first. We found his headless, dismembered body in the middle of the antechamber floor. All four limbs had been ripped from the sockets. Sabrina broke out into sobs again and I stood there, along with Gavin, solemnly mourning his death. The passageway here was different; the walls now had wide arched alcoves dug about five feet into each wall and the shadows never left their sheltered confines. I heard a soft clicking of legs followed by a crunch, as if something had just been eaten. I saw Gavin shutter then a hissing sound from in front of us. It wasn't a snake hiss I'm sure, but a deep, sharp, ring that grated against your ear drums. Sabrina drew her bastard sword and held it at the ready, Gavin notched an arrow into his bow, and I pulled out my long sword. The hissing faded and we all relaxed a bit. Sabrina put her sword away and dropped to her knees covering Justin's body parts with her cloak, a tear trickling down her cheek. Gavin kept his bow alert as we walked further down the hall.

        There was really no point in turning back. Now that I think about it the thing probably didn't eat us because it was already full. Anyways we finally came to a thick wooden door which was ajar. I swung it open as Gavin, with bow in hand, covered us. When fully opened a medium sized room was revealed. stairs led down to a partially submerged floor then led up again on the other side. In the middle of the room sunk up to its knees in murky green, putrid smelling water was a statue.

        "Should we go in?" asked Gavin.

        "I don't like the water," I complained.

        Sabrina looked uncertain, I shrugged, and then the decision was made for us. The statue moved, we all saw it turn around. We all recognized the features as Constance.

        "Constance," Sabrina called out, jumping into the water and splashing towards the middle of the room. Then Gavin noticed the glazed look in the statue's eyes.

        "Don't go in." he shouted, but it was too late.

        A dark red tentacle burst from the pool and coiled around Sabrina's waist. She screamed in horror. A piercing scream I'll never forget. As she was lifted high into the air screams still rang in my ears, even now as my hour draws near. Gavin loosed several arrows as I jumped into the pool sword freed from its scabbard slashing out. Another tentacle slammed into my chest knocking me backwards and underwater. I was able to upright myself in time to see several of those dark red tentacles drag Sabrina kicking and screaming, blood running down her body, into the depths of the dank pool. Bubbles floating up for a few seconds before the murky water began to take on a reddish hue.

        "Nooooooooo," I yelled, and then sank to my knees holding my head in my hands. I looked up after a few moments to see Gavin's face as grim as mine, but he wore a frown.

        "Constance was dead when we saw her," Gavin said, his hand on my shoulder.

        I stood up and shook off the sorrow, yet my thinking wasn't clear, which accounts for my actions. I drew my sword and ran towards the pool where my love had just disappeared. Gavin grabbed me.

        "She's dead Robert there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

        "Maybe we can save her," I said, "the bastards that are doing this are going to pay.....in blood."

        "You're so right." Gavin added menacingly.

        It was then that I noticed that Gavin had his daggers out and dark, blackish red blood was dripping from them. I glanced around and saw that Constance was missing and then I saw her arm sitting on the far side in a pool of splattered blood. Her face was partially submerged but not enough not to show that her lower jaw was missing. I looked back at Gavin in shock.

        "She wasn't alive Robert." he said.

        "But I saw her move Gavin, we all did."

        "She was.....undead, a zombie."

        "Then let's get out of here before that creature comes back."

        Gavin nodded and we stepped on the stairs and to the door. Gavin yanked it open and we went through. The hissing started instantly and Gavin unexpectedly lurched forward into the room. I jumped back and to the side as a hooked spike slashed forward at me. I slipped on some blood and fell back into the water with a splash. I came up quick just in time to see Gavin's head flying across the room and splatter against the wall. The shards of skull and gobs of brain matter fell into the water sickening me. I ducked back under and looked at the sunken area of the pit where Sabrina had been pulled. Blood red tendrils still rose from the depths in swirls. I came up for air just in time to hear the far door slam shut. The creature hissed loudly from the door as one leg stepped from the shadows and an arm followed. It was gripping a bloody hooked pole arm. I had no choice remaining to me and I dove and swam toward the pit. As I did I caught a glimpse of that blade as it was jabbed down at me, passing inches from my face. To the hole I swam and after several minutes saw a shaft of light. I swam as hard as I could toward that beam of light; it was my only hope, perhaps even an exit. As my head came above the waterline I gasped for breath and found myself in another flooded corridor. I climbed onto the floor and began to run.

        I don't know for how long I ran down that tunnel, but I finally reached a door. I pulled it open and saw a room beyond, quiet and well lit. There were four torches in sconces and the small room had a chair and desk. There was an oval rug on the floor and a picture on the wall showing an old man with piercing eyes. They seem to watch me and I honestly believe they actually are. While I had been running I had known that I was as good as dead. It's just that when I got here I stopped fighting and decided to make use of my remaining time. If somehow my body is found then people would be warned; besides nobody will or should be subject to the terrors that I faced, still face. There is no escape from this room and if you are reading this know that I wish you the best. Because if you are within this temple’s lower catacombs you are trapped as well. You should have listened to the elders and the priests in the village, the stories told about this haunted place. I hear the hissing and it draws near.

        In these final hours I realize now why I have been spared. If only I had the strength, the magic, or anything. He's too determined, he has wanted us....me..... for so long. At least my friends didn't know what was coming. At least they didn't have to wait in dreadful anticipation for more instructions. Perhaps I could lead more down here and it would leave me, satisfy his thirst for blood.