Cliffhanger Castle

Escape: Chapter 6

by: Michelle Jo Quinn

Tiffany's silent plea was all he needed. The fog in his mind cleared. The tips of his fingers and toes tingled. His strength was returning.

Think, Austen, he encouraged himself. What would his avatar do if this was a game? An invisible force pushed him towards the centre of the semicircle. Instead of fighting it, he took slow strides, while formulating his next bet move. His gaze travelled to Rhea--her expression blank as she looked on into the crowd—then returned to Tiffany.

With sidelong glances, he calculated his chances of getting away. No one in the crowd of corpses stood out as a leader. None appeared strong enough to fight him off if he had to. His heart thumped wildly within his ribcage. Adrenalin pumped. Fire ignited inside his chest. It was time for him to act like a man. Be the man. Tiffany and Rhea depended on him.

A chant echoed like the wind around him, unnerving him, raising every hair on his body.

When he reached Tiffany, his eyes immediately honed in on the single tear that fell down her cheek. Her bottom lip trembled.

"Tiff," he spoke to her in a low voice, careful not to alert the beings that surrounded them. "When I say so, we"—Austen eyed the ominous cloud forming in front of the stone altar and mouthed the rest of his plan, "run".

"You got it, Tiff?" He returned his gaze at her, waiting for a response.

But Tiff couldn't say anything. Her chin shook and tears continued to flow out of her terrified yes. Only when Austen looked at her mouth did he realize why she couldn't talk. A mumble was all she could produce. No, not a mumble. Tiffany tried to scream through lips that were seemingly glued together. Only a whisper escaped. Austen couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. This didn't happen in real life.

Through the plume of grey smoke, a dark figure in black velvet hooded cloak materialized before them. The chant around them grew louder. It's ghostly hands waved and Austen was forced to move his own hand to Tiffany's. The figure opened his black lips and began an incantation, effectively ending the others' chants.

Austen's eyes clouded over. A swirl of confusion muddled his mind. He felt the grip of Tiffany's hand tighten. He had to stay focused, and strong. Not bothering to glance around him, he yelled out, "Run!" He and Tiffany took off in a mad dash towards Rhea.

The dead witnesses tried to stop them. Austen gave each one a hard push. With one glance over his shoulder, he saw Tiffany doing the same thing, her tattered dress kept her from moving faster, but Tiff was a fighter.

The stone throne where Rhea sat appeared larger as they closed in. It would be a hard climb but they had to take it. "Rhea! Rhea!" he called to his sister. He looked behind him, and saw that they'd managed to leave the corpses crawling for them.

He stopped to grab Tiffany by the arms, almost shaking her. Her eyes filled with fear.

"Tiffany, I have to get up there to get Rhea. Go around and I'll meet you on the other side." She shook her head and gripped Austen's wrists.

"I have to. Keep running towards the woods. We'll be right behind you." He peeled her tight grasp off him. Before turning around to face the wall of stone, he cupped her face with both hands and kissed the top of her forehead. "Go! Go!" With a push, he sent her moving around the rock.

His climb up to Rhea was nothing like his earlier climb, where a chasm awaited him if he slipped. Only, if he looked down now, the deathly creatures would pull him and not let go. And god knows what they would do to him and his sister.

"Rhea." Austen embraced his little sister. Her back and shoulder were covered in a cloak similar to his. Without studying it too much, her crown appeared to be made of some kind of clear bone, so white that it glowed even without catching the rays of the non-existent moon. He scooped her up, placing an arm under her legs and one on her back. "Hey booger," he said, calling his sister with the name she disliked. "It's Austen. I'm going to get us out of here, okay?"

Rhea didn't respond. Her eyes were as dead as the lily that hung on his chest. He straightened, gathering her slender body close to him. He took a step near the edge of the rock. The climb down was impossible with Rhea in his arms. Why didn't he think of this before? Looking ahead, he spotted Tiffany who was still running. Good. All he had to do was get down from this big stone and catch up to her as he promised. He stood frozen momentarily on the edge.

The chant behind him signalled that the rotten corpses were nearing them. "Jump!" his mind ordered. Tightening his arms around Rhea, he obeyed. A sharp pain stabbed his right ankle when he fell to the ground. He toppled over, and Rhea rolled out of his arms.

Austen had to keep going. The creatures were getting closer. With a push of his hand on the wet ground, he straightened and picked up Rhea again. He ignored the pain that ignited fire up his leg. He had to get his sister to safety, away from whatever was chasing them. He would have to worry about her consciousness later on.

Up ahead, there was a blood-curdling scream. Black, hulking creatures with fiery red eyes and protruding fangs surrounded Tiffany. They growled at her. Huge claws tore at her dress.

"Tiffany!"

Austen didn't know what to do. He looked down at his sister. If he ran to Tiffany, he would risk Rhea's safety too. And how in the hell would he fight the monsters that captured Tiff? In his arms, Rhea began muttering something. She was gaining consciousness. He couldn't turn back where the dead were waiting for him.

A howl interrupted the madness, and the growling and chanting ceased. At the edge of the thick woods, a small animal appeared. It was a dog. His lost dog! Trusting his instincts, Austen took it as a sign. With Rhea safe in his arms, he ran as fast as he could towards Cigarro, promising himself that he would return for Tiffany.