Forest of Fear (On Hold)

Forest of Fear chapter 3

I went down on my hands and knees trying to find a clue. This couldn't be happening. There HAD to be a clue. I was digging through the dirt trying to find that damn clue. Morgan looked down at me then put her hand on my shoulder.

"Marshall, I'm not telling you to give up but...maybe we made a false assumption of the letter?" Morgan whispered to me in her soothing voice.

"...What do you mean, 'false assumption'?" I questioned her.

"Well, maybe we didn't take the letter correctly. Maybe the kidnapper wanted to toy with your mind or something?"

"I doubt it. But there had to be something...an object that made the music."

I stood up and brushed the dirt off my coat. I leaned on a wall that seemed to be shrouded in dirt and ivy that curled and twisted into an elegant pattern. The sun was beating down on us and then suddenly, something was different about the wall. It...shined? I started to break off the vines of ivy and wiped off the heavy amount of dirt. Morgan ran to the wall and began helping me. Then, there was no loner ivy and dirt, but instead, a large door with a gold design. Iput my ear against the door, and only faintly heard the tune that lead me here. The object that made the music, was behind this door and now, i needed to find the key. Redundant? Indeed. Morgan was on the ground, and her eyes widened. I ran to her and she grabbed the collar of my shirt to bring me to her level.

"I...I think I found the key to the door," Morgan announced, hugging the key to her chest.

"Come on! Lets go open the damn thing!" She grabbed my hand and ran to the door, the key still tightly grasped in her hand. She gave me the key and allowed me to open the door. My hands were shaking, and so it was nearly impossible to get the key to open the door. After many attempts, I was finally able to get the key to open the door. The doors glowed and opened slowly as the music it made before, started to play again. Morgan and I stared at each other.

"Are you up to it?" I asked her.

"When you are Marshall." She replied back. 

I took a deep breath and went inside with Morgan behind me. It was all up to me now to find the other clues to find my family. Because in truth, the only thing the note told me was the location, to find the key to open the door, and to be prepared. And to be frank, I'm nowhere near prepared. The doors behind me closed making it completely dark. I rummaged through my bag and found a flashlight. I turned the flashlight on and nearly jumped when I found somebody else was in here besides Morgan and I. The man was thin but very familiar. His face was covered by a white mask that resembled the one in Phantom of the Opera. His scarf was long and reached to his knee. Oddly enough, he was wearing a stainless white suit. In his hand, he held a flute. H stopped playing once he noticed us.

"Ah, took you long enough. I've been waiting about, what? Eleven years? And you're still as frightened looking and weak as ever I do hope to believe? Or else this fight won't be fair if you win." The man said.

"Now, I bet you're wondering who I am. Well, you probably remember me by action and not by name. I stole your family. I'm not ashamed to admit. Quite my best work if I say so myself. A whole family. But my name, is The Riddler. But please, do feel welcome to cal me just Riddler." He tilted his top hat to cover his face, creating an eerie shadow that loomed over his face.  His smile was scary and persuasive, and it made me shudder. He jumped from the place he sat only a few moments ago. He smiled eerily again and walked over to Morgan and Me. I held Morgan's hand so he wouldn't be able to take either her or me easily. He laughed to himself. Then the small chuckles, became maniacal fits of laughter. He held the flute in his hand then threw it into the air. When it landed back to him, it became a sword. 

"Be aware that you are more than likely about to die in which case I'll make sure it's as swift and painless as I possibly can." He ran at me with the sword in his hand and missed me as I dodged with Morgan's hand still in mine. I looked through my bag and found a knife. It was all that I had compared to a sword but it was the best I could muster. I Looked around and found a rope that operated like a pulley system to open the door prior to what's supposed to be my death at this point. I ran to the front and tried to jump to the top, scraping my hands in the process. I hauled myself up to the top of the boulder as Morgan stood in front of Riddler as a distraction. I looked at where Riddler was running to and it was exactly where I wanted him. Under the pulley system. The pulley system used heavy boulders to keep the doors opening and closing. I cut the rope just in time before Riddler could run and kill Morgan. The boulders fell and all that was heard was Riddler's sinister laugh. It was suddenly silent. 

"This was only the beginning, Marshall. But I applaud you to your ability to use so little to attempt to protect yourself. And so, I leave you to finding the rest on your own. I know about the note. And it was your brother who sent it. Just be aware, that this fight is only the beginning. We  will be meeting again. So for now, I bid you farewell." Riddler disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Morgan was holding tightly to the sleeve of my jacket. 

"Riddler seriously pisses me off...I only I had a sword-no, a katana*! Then I would kick his ass..." Morgan said sounding disappointed that she didn't have her sword. 

I walked further down into the cave and we decided that we should rest. I rummaged through my bag again and found a blanket. Do I have everything in my bag? Yes. I do. It's a magical bag of wonders. Kind of like Marry Poppins. I put my knife back in my bag and took out the blanket. Morgan put her bag behind her head as a pillow and I did the same. I put the blanket over Morgan and I layed down. This was only the beginning.

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*Katana= A samurai sword.