Kaleidoscope

Four

Perry and Roxanne ran as fast as their feet could carry them down the shifting corridor with Pralekai and his Vorgothian hounds right behind them. The corridor became smaller and with determined smiles on their faces they knew that they were nearing the area where Perry had once been stripped of her freedom.

But it would not happen again. She would escape or die in the effort trying to. At this point anywhere else would be better than here. She could hear the pounding claws of the Vorgothian hounds and Pralekai tried to shoot her down with fireballs whilst contorting the corridor into quick, sharp edges to slow her progress.

Perry was determined not to give up! Her quick dodging and athletic prowess proved useful to avoid the jerks of the kaleidoscope. Unfortunately, with an agonizing scream, Roxanne was impaled by the sharp pillars Pralekai conjured and was reduced to nothingness with one fiery ball at her back. Perry screamed as she witnessed this but continued running desperately, fearing that her life would end in the same manner.

Perry saw the glimmering light of the exit in the distance as she lowered herself to a fast crawl. She knew this would be her last chance; if Pralekai caught her, she would be dead. The corridor became lower and smaller as she crawled the last few meters towards her freedom. Suddenly her nightmare was over!

Finally, Perry smelled fresh air and felt a soft, tantalizing summer breeze as she breached her head and shoulders out of the Kaleidoscope, feeling the sun's rays kissing her skin. Quickly the rest of her body joined her, and she fell out of the realm of Pralekai onto soft, green grass. She couldn't believe she was out and just laid for a minute to take it in the wonderful earthy smells, the heat of the sun and the scent of trees carried on the wind.

But the world quickly turned dark as a black claw grabbed her foot from inside the kaleidoscope. Perry kicked at the claw with her free foot, but nothing could break its grip on her.

The claw was quickly joined by a leathery black arm and a face filled with fury and hate.

Pralekai had made his way to the real world, in his real form.

He laughed at her cries for help as he pulled her back into his realm "No one will save you now." he sneered in a deep, unforgiving voice.

Perry gave up and let go of the grip she had on the earth. She knew he would kill her now and that it would be of no use to continue fighting. Pralekai pulled her back into the kaleidoscope and, with a loud and harsh crash, she fell on the stone floor of the corridor.

"Do you really think I would simply let you walk out of my front door? After what I told you and let you see? My dear sweet child, you have forgotten who I am!" he shouted at her. "I told you earlier that, should you ever try to escape, I would kill you!"

His Vorgothian hounds stood at the ready, waiting for his order. But Perry stood up, brave as ever. She refused to continue living in this disgusting, ever changing hellhole, waiting for the next rotation to break her body more. Perry knew what her fate was and without a second thought she shouted at him: "Kill me then!" He grabbed her chin. "With pleasure," he grinned, his breath filled with the smell of decay. He tossed her against the wall, she fell and with one last look at him as he gave the order. Vorgothian hounds descended on her and started to rip Perry apart. Her screams of pain were music to Pralekai's ears as he watched them tear at her flesh, devouring it in their grotesque, blood-drenched mouths.

Soon Perry's screams could no longer be heard and Pralekai ordered the Vorgothian hounds away. Her corpse was drenched in blood with small remnants of light green crystals where her bones would have been. Pralekai picked up the mangled, bleeding corpse and carried it back to his throne room. At the back where the lifeless shell of Alison was still shackled to the wall, was an altar. The room was filled with different body parts, all with different coloured stones where the muscle and bone would be, hanging from hooks and littered across tables filled with tools of the macabre. There was a single beauty hidden in the chaos, locked in a glass cabinet where only he could touch – an elegant silver necklace adorned with white diamonds. At its centre, was an Opal, reflecting the orange light from the braziers into a beautiful silver glimmer.