Devil's Gateway

Chapter Six

The wail of a baby greeted me as I slammed the door shut behind me. The piercing scream resonating in my mind, sparking a migraine. Pulses of pain pounded against my temple. I closed my eyes. The image of a screwdriver grinding against the inside of my skull filled the blackness behind my eyelids.

The heartbeats in my hand and leg droned on. Pressure built underneath my skin, feeling like a volcano on the brink of eruption. Opening my eyes, I stole a glance down at the spider-bite. The skin had turned black, with green pus oozing from the pin-sized hole on top of the wound.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I peered around the room. A dim light illuminated the void. Squinting, I leaned forward. Something moved in the glow of the light. The creature, whatever it may be, was blurred from the throbbing in my skull. From what I could see, it seemed to be small in stature.

Killer babies? Baby demons? What else could this house conjure up to frighten me?

"Alright Blue, you gonna show your ugly face or do I not get to phone a friend anymore?" I shouted into the emptiness.

A thunderous snap, like the flick of a switch, answered me. Light trickled in from the ceiling, falling upon the sides of the room. The dark curtains drawn back to reveal dolls standing on the concrete floor. Ten dolls on each side of the room. The pink and blue dresses they wore had faded, old blood staining the material. Their porcelain skin cracked, pieces strewn about on the ground below them.

One of the dolls legs had broken off, leaving the toy face down on the ground. Another doll had mechanical legs underneath its blue dress. The one that terrified me the most had needles stuck into every square inch of its body like a pin cushion. Red, glowing eyes replaced the standard white seen in the other dolls. Upon its lips lay a threatening smile.

"Trevor," Allison's voice sang.

The figure moving in the center of the room floated forward. A cerulean aura seemed to breathe from her skin.

"What more do you want from me?" I whispered. A bead of sweat rolled from the side of my temple down to my jawline. The room spun faintly, like the beginning of a carousel ride.

"You've been poisoned," she said, circling me. "Nasty little creatures those spiders are."

"How do I fix it?" I huffed. A faint pressure had settled on my throat.

She laughed behind me, snaking an icy finger down my shoulder. "Who said it was fixable?" With her finger remaining frozen to my shirt, she floated in front of me. Sapphire eyes rounding playfully on mine.

"So that's it then? I went through all these hellish trials to die by Little Miss Muffet's worst nightmare? What is the point of all these stupid rooms? Why didn't you just kill me the second I stepped inside?" Anger boiled to the surface.

"What fun would that have been? We love watching a bug squirm before killing it." Her finger traced the stubble on my jawline.

"I will not give you the satisfaction of seeing me die!" I spat.

Her eyebrow raised as she drew back her lips, exposing her teeth underneath. "I love the determined ones. It's fun to watch their strength wither with each room."

"Is seeing me die from a spider bite your idea of good ol' family fun? I figured you would have wanted me to go in a more exciting way. That Leviathan would have been a way better film to watch repeatedly in your sadistic mind," I said. The pressure on my throat tightened, making my breaths ragged.

"I like your spirit, Trevor. Which is why I will let you in on a secret. This house indeed has a finish line. Anything with a beginning must have an end. If you make it through the rest of these rooms, alive mind you, you will have a choice to make. What that choice is, I am not at liberty to discuss. And there is indeed a way to cure your poison, however it is not a simple task. See these dolls." Her hand left my face, motioning towards the dolls on both sides of the room. "One of these dolls holds the cure to your ailment. I'm sure by now you have noticed the syringes each one possesses. Find the one with the cure and you are free to move on to the next room. Choose the wrong syringe and there will be a price to pay."