The Curse of Dreadgrave Manor

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - LOST AND FOUND

Max screamed, and he almost fell from the ladder. Kris snapped the torch's beam into the hatch and illuminated a familiar face.

"Lewis!" Max cried. "We're glad to have found you!"

Lewis peered around nervously, oblivious to their relief.

"Quickly, both of you! You've got to climb up here now! Those monsters will have heard you with all the noise you're making!" They clambered up, and Lewis lifted the ladder behind them, pulling the hatch door closed in one swift motion.

"Hang on." He whispered. "There's some candles and matches around here somewhere." Max heard the strike of a match and watched as a lone flame lit a candle in front of them.

"Where have you been?" Kris asked as they sat cross-legged in a circle. "We've been so worried about you!"

"I'm so sorry." Lewis whimpered, his eyes glossy with tears. "I've been hiding up here for hours. Ever since you dared me and left me in the basement yesterday, this house has done everything it can to stop me escaping! Last night, Montgomery

Dreadgrave, or rather what's left of him, chased me through the vents and somehow, I ended up trapped in here!"

"Forget the stupid dare!" Kris replied. "We... no, I should never have dared you to come here. It was a stupid idea, and I'm sorry. When we get out of here, you can be the leader of the Dare Doer's Club for two months, I promise."

"So, was it you we saw in the window? Were you the one we heard screaming?" Max interrupted, desperate to move the conversation along. "It sounded just like you, and we tried to find where it was coming from."

Lewis shook his head. "No... that was him. He pulled the same trick on me and pretended to be Kris last night, calling out for me to reveal my hiding place. I couldn't leave the attic until I knew for certain that you both were really you. So, I thought I'd wait it out until the coast was clear, however, when I heard you being chased through the vents, I went back down to try and warn you. I couldn't find either of you, but I did find this though.

I'm sure it wasn't in there earlier." He reached behind him and grabbed something.

"The book!" Kris exclaimed. She crawled over to him and pulled the key out of her pocket. It slid into the lock perfectly, and the catch clicked open. "It's time we find out what the big secret with this book is."

She flicked through the pages and scanned line after line of elaborate handwriting.

"It's a journal." She explained. "It used to belong to Montgomery Dreadgrave back when he was alive." She turned the page and studied the text.

"Guys...." She looked up nervously. "This isn't good news at all."

"What's wrong?" Max asked. "What does it say?"

Kris took a deep breath and tried to comprehend what she was about to say.

"According to this book, all the stories and the legend of Dreadgrave Manor are completely true. It says here that Montgomery was desperate to discover the secret of immortality. Using black magic, he summoned a demon named Archnael and made a soul pact. If Archnael is given a hundred innocent hearts before a hundred years passes, the demon will grant Montgomery the power to become immortal. When

Montgomery's physical body died, Archnael allowed his spiritual form to continue living until the deadline is reached, so that he can still fulfil the terms of the pact."

"That explains all the kids that have gone missing over the years." Max gasped. "Montgomery Dreadgrave has lured them here and sacrificed them for their hearts!"

"That's pure evil!" Lewis screwed his face in horror. "We've got to get out of here!"

"We've tried everything Lewis," Max replied exasperated. "The doors lock themselves whenever they want to; the windows won't break no matter how hard we try and trying to escape through the basement brought us face to face with that zombified freak! This house will do anything to keep us trapped in here."

"I thought so too." Lewis looked at the floor, defeated. "When you left me the other night, I was so scared after a couple of hours I decided I didn't care about being in the club anymore. But no matter what I tried to do, I just couldn't escape. I thought there was something wrong with-"

"Guys!" Kris interrupted. "We need to stop talking and figure out a way to get out of here now." Her panicked expression silenced them all. "Why?" Max asked. "What's wrong?"

"Montgomery still uses this journal. He's kept a tally on the back page of how many hearts he's collected. It's all here; Names, dates, everything. Oliver was his last victim."

"Well, how many more does he need?"

"Two." Her voice quietened. "But that's not the worst part."

"What is?"

"Tonight... is the final night for the terms of the soul pact."