Scourge: A Grim Doyle Adventure

Chapter 19

Grim was dragged by hands that gripped him firmly, deeper into the black corridor. He struggled to free himself, but the arms enclosed around him. He kicked his feet and tried to yell, but heard a faint whisper in his ear.

“Shh.”

He stopped struggling and the hands released him. Another voice whispered in the dark.

“Just wait,” it said.

Grim and the owners of the voices waited as the sound of Eevenellin’s snorting moved closer. Then he caught sight of something down at the end of the corridor. It looked like Barny and Benny.

They tapped on the walls and waved at the Grundel who whipped around.

“Hey, you!” she called and ran through the tunnel after them.

Then they turned tail and ran.

Grim exhaled.

“Whew,” sighed the voice behind him. It was Benny.

Grim watched the blackness, waiting to see if Eevenellin would return. When he was convinced it was safe, he turned around. A soft green light surrounded his rescuers. They held out the watches their dads had given them. They pushed a button to turn off the projected images of themselves.

“What are you doing down here?”

“Sam said we were needed here,” Benny said.

Grim’s heart still pounded in his chest. “You know he’s sick?”

They nodded.

“We have to go back,” Grim said. “Do you know the way?”

Barny nodded. “We come down here all the time to get away from Madam Malkim. Chores stink.”

Grim laughed. Clever. It was no wonder he hadn’t seen much of the twins.

They traveled back up the corridor and hung a right. They sped through two more sets of long, dank tunnels, the twins leading the way. They stopped, and gestured for Grim to approach. Ben pointed inside a cavern where a flickering sinth torch cast barely enough light to see.

Sleeping on a stone bench was Veerasin. Her legs twitched while she dreamt and her ankles were still a little swollen. Without her hair to cover her face, he could see the other half more clearly. She was scarred horribly.

The twins crept out of the cave. Grim followed.

“What’s wrong with her? What is she doing down here?”

“Not sure,” they whispered. “We followed her down here.”

“Is this under Madam Malkim’s?” he asked.

Benny shook his head. He weaved his hands back and forth. “These go all under the city.”

Grim was distracted by muffled moans and tapping noises echoing through the cavern.

“There’s some weird things living down here,” Barny said. “We better go.”

“Do you know how to get out of here?”

They nodded. “These tunnels are easy. It’s the deeper ones that are harder.”

Down the corridors they traveled, the twins guiding him through the dark once more. Their footsteps hurried when moaning and a mad laughter echoed behind them. Benny kept muttering about Ogrim and Mechs in the darkness until they finally reached the final staircase. Barny waved his glowing watch in front of the two glass circles. The painting slid open and the three of them spilled out into Madam Malkim’s. They all exhaled a sigh of relief as it slid closed once more with a loud click.