Ghost Mirror

Chapter 9 - The First Circles of Hell...

The shadow creature loomed over Spencer, Vince and Jessie, a wicked smile pasted across its darkened face.     

            Spencer took Vince’s place at the head of the group and reclaimed his sword from Vince who then went for the jammed door and tried to pry it open, Spencer held his sword up almost as though he were taunting the shade.

            The shade reached down to strike Spencer.

            Spencer sliced through the air, the sword cut right through the shades hand, but it left no scar, just a void that filled with darkness as though it were a wound that was healing.

            “How’s that door coming?” Spencer asked as the shade looked down on Spencer and laughed.

            “Not good.” Vince replied.

The shade pulled its hand back and struck Spencer sending him and the sword flying to the far side of the bath, rolling to a stop Spencer stopped in the corner, a torch within his grasp.

            Spencer stood up, knocking the torch to the ground, the shade lurched for Spencer; moving to attack Spencer, aggression no longer appeared to be its motive, now concern governed its movements.

            Spencer looked at the torch and then back to the shade.

            In the instant before the shades attack landed Spencer kicked the torch for all he was worth and the torch went flying just as Spencer did, the torch landed in the water and the shade reacted in pain.

            Spencer landed in the water five feet from the opposite side; he quickly began swimming for the safe side when he realized his sword was missing. Spencer looked back to the far side of the bath. The sword was not there.

            “Vince, the torches, douse the torches.” Spencer shouted before taking a deep breath diving under the water. Looking down he saw his sword a hundred feet down and still sinking, Spencer started swimming down as fast as he could knowing that he had less than ninety seconds to reach the sword and start his swim for the surface otherwise he would die of asphyxiation.

            The sword landed on a ledge a hundred and seventy feet below the surface of the water.

            The surface of the water was lit up briefly and the sound of something large entering the water weakly passed Spencer’s ears as he passed below a hundred and fifty feet.

            On the surface Vince and Jessie climbed out of the water on the far side of the bath and went for different torches. The shade struck for Vince leaving Jessie free to remove the third torch and gloat.

            “Hold it right there.” Jessie shouted drawing the attention of the shade.

His attack quickly redirected to Jessie allowing Vince to retrieve the final torch and discard it into the water.

            The shade dropped to the floor, half in the water, holding itself up by its arms. Jessie dropped the final torch into the darkened watery depths. The weakened shade began to condense into a smaller version of itself.

            The shade eventually climbed out of the water and lumbered toward Jessie.

            “NO!” Vince shouted, “Leave her alone.” Vince charged at the shade only to be backhanded by the shade. Vince was knocked back.

            The shade lurched closer to Jessie; she had nowhere to go except into the water, before she leapt she looked back at Vince.

            As her feet left the dais the shade followed close behind.  Jessie hit the water first and the shade entered next landing only a few feet behind, but did not move.