House Of Wax : Nick Jones FF ✅

Twenty-Nine. 29

A string of lights dangled along the walls of the hand-carved tunnel, casting a dim glow. It was a similar tunnel to where Dalton and Wade had been. Lilian and Nick moved swiftly, heading towards a "T" intersection of a larger tunnel ahead. They scurried past a large, rusty generator taking up half the tunnel.

Next to the generator, attached to the tunnel wall, Lilian noticed a line of labeled light switches: Main Street, Flannery's, Pet Shop, Theater, House of Wax, Pool/Voices, Church/Music, Chimney Smoke—it went on and on. It all started to make sense to her. She looked back at Nick, concern etched on her face.

"Are they coming?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Nick glanced behind them but saw no sign of the brothers. "Don't know. Whatever you're planning, babe, I need you to be quicker."

They picked up the pace, reaching the point where the tunnel branched into another.

Peering into the new tunnel, they were unprepared for what they saw. It was an old mine shaft, dimly lit by a string of lights hanging from the rocky ceiling. Lining the tunnel was a long row of cars, vans, campers, and even a furniture truck, parked bumper to bumper. Some had suitcases attached to their dusty roofs, others had mountain bikes still in racks. These vehicles belonged to people whose trips had all been cut short.

"My God..." Lilian whispered, horror evident in her voice. 

"Keep moving, love," Nick encouraged, using a nickname and placing his hands on her waist to guide her.

Lilian and Nick pressed on, Nick's bow at the ready for any sort of confrontation. They followed the lights further down the row of cars. Nick stopped, looking back to make sure no one was following.

"What are they doing?" Lilian asked, her voice trembling. Nick shook his head, unable to answer. He had no idea. He noticed stacks of cases against the side of the mine shaft, filled with wax. Next to them were boxes stuffed with wallets, cell phones, sunglasses, keys, and other personal items—trophies from the victims.

They pushed on another twenty yards. Nick stopped again. Although the tunnel continued straight ahead with more and more cars, another line of lights abruptly turned to the right, heading into a much smaller tunnel.

"Which way?" Lilian asked, her voice filled with desperation.

Nick hesitated. "Uh... don't know." He lifted his bow in front of him and cautiously moved into the smaller tunnel, Lilian following close behind with her bat.

At the end of the short tunnel, they saw it was blocked by a large piece of plywood. Nick carefully slid the plywood open a crack and peeked through. Instantly, he turned around, fighting the impulse to vomit.

"What? What is it?" Lilian asked, fear gripping her.

Nick's face was pale. "Shit... shit... shit."

He couldn't bring himself to describe the horrors he had just seen. But the urgency in his voice and the look in his eyes said it all—they needed to find another way out, and fast.

Lilian forced herself to look. Her knees grew weak as emotional pain surged through her. From her point of view, not six feet away, Carly's waxed head sat on the workbench, overseeing her body lying on the table. Lilian couldn't move, her eyes fixed on Carly.

Nick fought his emotions as he slid the wood piece open further. He was distraught, but he needed to focus. "C'mon," Nick urged. But Lilian still didn't budge, fear paralyzing her. Nick grabbed onto her shoulders, trying to snap her out of it.

"We're getting out of this. Don't lose it now," Nick insisted, his voice firm. Lilian still couldn't move. He got right in her face. "I mean it, Lil. I need you. Maybe Dalton and Wade got away—we still don't know."

She finally nodded, though both held little hope. "I'm going to get a closer look, find anything helpful, and then we're gone," Nick said. "Yeah... okay. Okay," Lilian replied, trying to gather her strength.

INT. BASEMENT - BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Nick approached the table. It was hard for him; this was his baby sister. Even if they had hated each other and always fought, seeing her corpse made him nauseous. He dug into Carly's pocket, pulling out her phone, wallet, and anything else that might be useful.

"Ahhh!" A sudden scream startled Nick. Instinctively, he ducked as Dalton approached with a broken piece of wood, poised to strike. "DUDE!" Nick shouted. Upon hearing his friend's voice, Dalton's eyes widened, and he broke into tears. "NICK!" Nick quickly reached out to Dalton, dropping his guard and wrapping him in a tight hug. "Man, where have you been?"

Dalton sobbed, unable to articulate a response. Nick's heart ached as he realized something was seriously bothering his friend. "God! Don't ever leave me again!," / "Yeah, Yeah," Nick whispered soothingly, still keeping his voice low, unlike Dalton who was screaming and crying out like a child.

"Nick?!" This time it was Lilian who screamed. Spotting Dalton, she rushed to him, relieved to find her friend unharmed despite the blood trickling down his head. Nick grunted in frustration, realizing their disguise was now revealed, yet he couldn't resist embracing them both.

As soon as the hug ended, Nick punched Dalton's shoulder. "Are you stupid! Keep it down!" Before Dalton could respond, another voice joined in. "There's really no point of that anymore." Nick and Lilian snapped their heads to see Wade, the last person they expected to be alive. With wide eyes and disbelief, Lilian approached him cautiously, still unable to fully comprehend his unexpected presence. Wade's clothes were torn, and his face was streaked with dirt and blood, but he was undeniably alive. 

Lilian, always the kind-hearted one, pulled Wade into a hug, crying tears of joy and relief that everyone was safe. Nick, however, kept his distance, glaring down at Wade.