End of the Line

#8 - The Maid's Baby

Chapter 8 - The Maid's Baby
published: Saturday, 19 January 2019

Leo held a flame in his hand as he followed Jason along the corridor. Jason's magical spatha gave off a small golden glow of light.

There was only one door at the end of the path, and Jason tentatively pushed the door open.

As they walked in, Leo took quick note of the stacked boxes in the room. There was a counter with wooden bar stools, and cabinets on the wall.

Jason flipped his spatha in his hand and it reverted back into a golden coin. He dropped it into his pocket. "It's just the castle kitchens. No one will be here since they're all frozen."

Leo's eyes searched the room. Something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He pushed away the feeling of uneasiness. "Well, if it's the kitchens, then let's get some food."

Jason looked conflicted, but Leo was already emptying pantry boxes to find snacks.

"Why don't they have any Fonzies?" Leo complained as he pulled out yet another loaf of mouldy bread.

"Probably because this place existed before the first century," Jason muttered. He sat perched on a bar stool, glancing away warily.

"You need to chill," Leo insisted. He pulled out some vegetables that had gone bad, and – guess what? – more stale bread. "It's not like they would keep soldiers in the kitchen."

Jason didn't relax at all. "Every single attack so far has happened when we turned our backs or let our guard down. I'm not letting that happen again." He looked down at his feet. "The last time it happened Piper was taken, and she could very well be dead."

Leo set the pantry box back. "Come on, Sparky. She's not. You can't think like that. It'll just bum you out even more."

Jason sighed. "It's all I can think about." He suddenly fell silent. "Leo, do you ever have nightmares?"

Leo continued shuffling through boxes.

More rotten food.

"Like prophetical nightmares?" Leo asked.

"Like wake-up-in-cold-sweat nightmares," came Jason's answer.

Leo turned around to face his best friend and opened his mouth to comfort him, when he suddenly realised what had made him uneasy earlier.

The stove was on; the purple flames flickered in the air. They were minuscule, but they were still there.

Leo fell his heart start to pound against his ribcage. "Jason, if no one's here, why is the stove on?"

Jason instantly sprang to his feet, his imperial gold sword in hand this time.

A soft whine came from somewhere in the kitchen. Leo strained his ears to find the source of the sound, and silently gestured towards the small trapdoor at the bottom of the pantry.

They crept towards it, and Jason slashed the lock at a blindingly fast speed and yanked the door open.

Leo was surprised and confused to see a girl sitting underneath, a fussing baby in her arms.

"What are you?" Jason demanded. "What do you want?"

The girl climbed out with the baby in her arms, a terrified expression on her face.

Leo reached a hand. "Jason, calm down. It's just a girl."

When his friend didn't reply, Leo squinted to look closer at the girl. There was something strange about her. Her skin was pale and...translucent. In fact, Leo could see through her entire body, and there was a shimmering aura that surrounded her form, flickering madly.