Wicked Remains: Part 2

The kids stood frozen in shock. They'd never seen a ghost before. And this one was mad! It growled and roared like a wild animal. They watched for a heartbeat; then a sense of survival kicked in. They ran!

But the only possible escape was the cellar. They couldn't go back upstairs, not with the Death Devils lurking.

Mariner: What are you waiting for, Paladin? Move it!

Paladin: If we get out of this alive, Mariner, I'm never listening to you again!

Faith: Everyone search for a way out. That thing is slow, but it can pass through walls and floors!

Paladin: This side room's boarded up. We can't get in.
Faith: No, that's a broken room divider across the doorway.

Faith: Think we can move it?
Paladin: I don't know. It looks heavy.
Mariner: Doesn't matter. We have to try!

Paladin: Faith, you grab one side and I'll get the other. Mariner, help Faith.
Mariner: I hear the ghoul! Hurry. We just need to move the divider far enough to slip through.

Mariner: You guys go in. Check the room while I distract the ghost. But if there's nothing in there, we're in big trouble 'cause we'll never make it back upstairs. Not all of us.

Faith: Mariner, come on! We might have a chance. Something's here.

Mariner: It looks like a trapdoor, but covered over with dirt. And what's that hole for?
Faith: Light is shining through it. Could be a tunnel down below.
Paladin: Hey, you see that symbol over there? The swirling fish? I think it's a clue.

But they didn't get a chance to investigate the hole in the floor or the symbol. Suddenly the ghoul appeared in the room behind them. Desperate, Faith tried to banish the spirit, but nothing happened.

Faith: My Genie powers are being blocked by another spell!
Mariner: Most likely a ward to lock or hide something. ... Look! The ghoul is staying clear of the trapdoor. Maybe it's a gateway he can't enter, or doesn't want to.

Paladin: Either way, I say we go through it ourselves!

As the children stepped onto the mound of dirt in the middle of the room, the ghoul roared in angry frustration. He knew if they made it through the portal, he wouldn't be able to reach them.

In an instant, a rushing whirlwind surrounded Mariner, and he soon vanished beneath shifting soil. The other two children quickly followed him into darkness. The ghoul merely watched, a cruel snarl on his face.

Antwon hovered over the gateway, laughing to himself. Sure, the brats were lost to him now. But they were also lost to Faraz. Nothing ever came out of that hole!

_____

Faith: What happened? I don't see any tunnel! Where are we?
Paladin: A dungeon! And the only way out is through the ceiling.
Mariner: Which is sealed with magic ... and too high to reach even if it weren't!

Mariner yelps: That spider is bigger than the centipede we found! Keep an eye on it!
Faith: Oh god! Skeletons! Do you think they're the family who died?
Paladin: Yah, and that weird skull probably came from their farm llama.

Mariner: The villagers must have tossed them all in this pit because of the plague.
Paladin: Well, we gotta get out of here--fast! I don't want spiders chewing on my bones!

Faith: Poppa will come for us! I know he will.
Mariner: This is an oubliette, Faith. They'll forget us ... even Father.

Faith: I feel like I'm disappearing already. What an awful place!
Paladin: You two stop the whining. We're not giving up!
Mariner: All right. Then find a way to break through that warding spell.