by Mark Lingane
We searched the walls, the floor, any crevice, but the place was clean. Apart from all the blood.
"There's nothing here," Angelina said in frustration. "This isn't the lair, or not the main part anyway. But it must be close. They wouldn't dare do anything as horrific as this in anything but a lair. We must've missed something in the church."
We left the tower and made our way back down to the main chamber. Angelina started yanking the tapestries down. It sounded like she was softly crying.
"Wait," I shouted.
She paused mid-yank and looked at me. I pointed to the image in her hands. It was a picture of the church.
I went back to the entrance of the stairwell. The most graphic images were on the two tapestries on either side of the opening, the ones that had concealed the burnt guardians. I spread out the fabric. One was a painting of a ritual sacrifice, showing a pile of human torsos in the middle of consuming, and consummating.
Angelina spread out the other tapestry. We looked at each other. We spread out and examined the others. They all depicted acts of depravity. Then I found a tapestry in the form of a map.
"Look at this," I said, holding it up.
There was no response.
33
Angelina was staring at the center of the tapestry stretched out between her hands. She turned it away from me, hiding the imagery. "You don't need to see this," she said.
I reached out for it, but she pulled it away.
"No."
"We don't have time for games."
Reluctantly, she handed it over. It was serene compared to the others. There were two people in the center of the image, enjoying each other in a normal way in comparison to the others. They were surrounded by--okay, it was a bit freaky--the giant winged beasts Angelina wanted to call vampires. And the vampires were surrounded by lots of people who were running and turning into red. The sky was black, and there was a giant red eye looking down.
"It's just two people."
She stared at me. "One doesn't look familiar to you?"
I stared closely at the two figures in the center. A curvaceous blond and some guy underneath her, caught in an act that would earn good candy down on the Terrace. I shrugged and handed it back.
"Green," she muttered. "What did the green mean?" She stared down at her feet, lost in thought.
"Look," I said.
I gave her a prod with the tapestry, bringing her back into the moment, and pointed to the drawing of the church. It showed the main chamber, the spire, the pulpit, and another corridor leading out the back. It seemed to come from beneath the altar.
I grabbed her hand, and we walked over to the altar. The girl staked to it hadn't moved. I started to examine the various demonic faces carved into the stonework, running my hands over them, searching for something that clicked.
Angelina shook off whatever was distracting her and also ran her hands over the stone. She stopped, stood back, and moved around to the back. She spread her hands wide.
"I am a priest. What do I see?" She twisted her head one way then the other. "I am a priest," she repeated. She scrunched her face up in concentration and opened her eyes wide. "I am a priest who needs to escape quickly. Where do I go?"
She started searching, running her hands under the wooden floor of the pulpit. She stepped down, and dragged her feet over the stone floor of the main chamber. She paused, smiling, and pressed down with her bloodied boot.
There was a click next to me, coming from under the altar. I heard the sound of stone being dragged across stone. The altar swung aside slowly, revealing a staircase leading down into the pitch dark.
"It's dark," said Angelina. "And we have no lights."
"There's got to be something down there."
"Lights or monsters?"
We crept down the steps and the darkness folded in around us. We fumbled along the walls and found a couple of flashlights. I flicked one on. The batteries were low and the beam was dim, barely illuminating only a dozen feet in front of us. Angelina's wasn't much better.
I swung the beam around. It revealed three corridors, two leading off on each side and one straight ahead. There was a metal box halfway down the middle corridor.
There was a small door to the right. I opened it and looked in. Buckets, mops, cleaning equipment. I guessed they had to clean up the blood somehow, or they'd be knee deep in the stuff.
I indicated for Angelina to go down the left passage while I went down the right. A few steps in I found another door. I opened it silently and peered in. The yellow beam swept over gardening implements: shovel, hoe, chainsaw. There were two other doors leading from the small room. I shut the door and moved on.
The smell of blood wafted up from the end of the corridor. I glanced in a couple more doors, each revealing nothing sinister. A small library. A tiny bedroom, recently used, with the sheets pulled free of the mattress. There were photographs by the bed. Several clerical outfits hung on a peg on the far wall. A deck of cards lay neatly piled on a small writing desk. This room also had two more doors leaving off it.
I crawled along the corridor until it turned sharply to the left. All three corridors converged in the same place, and I could see Angelina's dim beam ahead. The corridor that continued was narrower, and lower.
"Find anything?" I whispered.
"No, just ordinary rooms full of normal stuff. Normal humans living a normal life. Somehow it makes the horror upstairs worse."
There was a pause as we both thought about the bizarre juxtaposition.
"There are lots of doors."
"Yeah, same on my side," she said.
There was a scraping sound from the end of the corridor. We switched the flashlights off and waited for our eyes to become accustomed to the dark. We heard the sound of eating. I signaled for Angelina to follow me.
We ducked our heads as we made our way along the narrow corridor, which opened out into a wide but low-ceilinged chamber. I couldn't sense how big it was. It felt like it went on forever. I took a couple of steps into the darkness, and flicked on the flashlight. It shone directly into the center of the room, on a great winged beast that was eating something fleshy. Abruptly, it stopped chewing. It turned its head slowly and looked over its shoulder at us, baring its fangs. It was a dead ringer for Phoenix, if he'd suddenly become a great winged beast.
The beast wheeled around and leaped forward. It misjudged its size and the height of the room, and crashed into the ceiling. When it rose, it was Phoenix in his normal form. He charged at us.
"Run!" we both shouted as one.
We turned and ran back down the central corridor, keeping our heads down and leaping over the metal box. We headed for the stairwell leading back under the altar. Something was wrong. The stairwell wasn't there. A brick wall blocked the way.
"We must've triggered it when we came down. Where do we go now?" Angelina looked around wildly, fear overtaking her. I guessed that the situation was triggering memories of her haunting past.
I pointed down the left-hand corridor. "Head back to the chamber, go," I said.
I swung the butt of the flashlight at Phoenix as he crashed into me. I managed a couple more swings, denting the battery canister and breaking the bulb, before I managed to shake him off. I turned and headed down the right-hand corridor with the familiar rooms. He got back to his feet and charged after me.
I ran past the gardening room and the library, and burst through the door of the small bedroom. I slammed the door shut and smashed the lock closed. I stood in the dark, breathing heavily. The flashlight was useless now, so I dropped it. I made my way over to where I remembered the candles were and fumbled for the matches. The sulfur glow filled the room.
Phoenix stood in front of me. He ripped the cord of a chainsaw and it roared to life.
I ducked under another swing. I dropped the candle on the bed and feinted to the side. He swung the chainsaw toward me. The dusty blankets on the bed smoldered and burst into flame. I ran out the door, dodgin
g another slash, and kicked the door closed behind me. Moments later, metal teeth ripped through the wood. I ran along the corridor and into the library. Smoke billowed out of the bedroom behind me. Phoenix followed me into the library and chased me through the stacks. Shelves and books toppled around us. I ran back into the corridor and sprinted toward the chamber, following a dim yellow light.
Something heavy and solid cracked over my back. I collapsed to the floor with a sword at my throat.
34
"Oh, it's you. Where's your flashlight?" Angelina pushed the heavy block of wood off me and I jumped up.
"Bent over Phoenix's head," I said.
"I spotted a way out down at the end there, past the big room where he was eating," Angelina said. "If we stay down here, we're dead. We have to get out--and get him to follow us. Maybe there's something we can trap him with upstairs. Let's get out of this hell."
We turned. Phoenix roared toward us, bringing down the chainsaw as it once more sparked into life. I grabbed his hands as he came forward. The two of us stood locked together. We staggered back and forth, wrestling each other, with the chainsaw howling overhead. I could feel my biceps trembling.
Phoenix gave me an evil smile, which turned to a scream of agony. The chainsaw tumbled to the ground and he clutched his side. Angelina brought her sword around and sliced another blow deep into his leg. He lunged after her, but I had him around the waist. I picked him up and slammed him onto the ground. With amazing speed, he whipped his legs around and kicked mine from underneath me. I landed heavily on my back, winded.
He picked up the chainsaw and started to bring it down. I forced my hands up, catching his and throwing the blade wide. He dragged the chainsaw along the stone floor. I struggled to keep the blade from cutting into my neck.
"Hey, big boy. You looking for something?" Angelina ripped open her top, exposing her pure skin underneath.
For a moment Phoenix was distracted. I kicked him heavily in the shin, forced him away from me, and dived for cover. The blast from her gun erupted into a ball of splinter and flame, engulfing Phoenix. He rolled back with the fireball, tumbling in the turbulence and destructive force
"Nice try," he spat through his fangs.
He rose up and crawled over the metal chest, crouching on all fours. He leaped forward.
Angelina fired her second weapon. The blast caught him in mid-air, throwing him onto the flagstones. Flames roared across him. His clothes caught fire and his skin bubbled. And then the fire was gone, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke.
I held my breath, staring into the dense smoke.
Slowly crawling along on hands and knees, Phoenix emerged from the cloud. His breathing was labored, and his wheezing audible. He lowered his head and stared at Angelina.
She checked her guns. They were both spent, and far from recharged. She dropped them, pulled out her pistol and fired at him. He leaped from the floor up onto the wall, then onto the ceiling. Her aim followed him as he dangled impossibly from the roof, jumping from side to side as she shot round after round at him.
The chamber jammed and she rocked the barrel back and forth furiously, trying to free it. She looked up, wide-eyed, as Phoenix ran along the roof toward her. She turned and fled, and I ran after her. We crashed into the library room, which was littered with broken shelves and tortured books, and locked the door securely behind us. Angelina checked her weapons. They were both spent. She holstered them and pulled out her pistol. She waited, breathing quietly, trying to get her racing heartbeat under control.
She closed her eyes and counted quietly, mouthing out the numbers. She spun around and kicked the door open. There was nothing there. The corridor in both directions was empty. I scrambled over the wreckage to reach her. An iron bar caught my trousers. I tried to pull the bar free but it slipped from my fingers and clanged onto the floor.
Something black and sticky fell on Angelina's hand. She looked up.
Phoenix fell from the roof and tackled her to the ground. She screamed and tried to dive away, but his arms were around her neck and his knees were thrusting into her. She pushed and twisted, but was locked within his clutches. He lifted her up and threw her against the far wall. She lay unmoving on the floor.
I seized Phoenix and wrenched him away. I grabbed him around the throat, locking down hard. He staggered over to the wall, placed one foot on it, and thrust himself upward, twisting out of my grasp. He brought a high, hefty kick into my shoulder, which had me spinning across the floor and crashing into the wall. In the blink on an eye, he was on top of me, gripping me around the throat.
I grabbed an iron bar and brought it down onto his skull with a resounding clang. He dropped me and staggered back, blood pouring from his head. I jumped up and planted my feet in his chest. He went down. I laid several hooks into his jaw and he screamed in pain. I felt the power of my punches driving into him as I pounded relentlessly, but the guy wouldn't give in. He howled and kicked at me without landing anything. Just when I thought I felt him weaken and was about to go under, he found new vigor.
He scratched and flailed with frenetic urgency until he landed a couple of swipes against my eyes. Then I was in the air and crashing into the far wall. His hands grabbed my clothes and hoisted me onto my feet. Again he swung me into the wall. I grabbed him and we both crashed into the wall. He swung at me. I tangled my foot within his own footwork and he lost balance. I ducked my shoulder, ramming it into his chest and pushing him into the opposing wall. He gasped for air as I pushed hard into his ribs. I spun around, bringing my elbow up and into the side of his head, jarring it back against the wall.
Blood trickled down and he spat at me. He kicked out at my knee, causing it to buckle. Pain speared through me. He brought his elbow down onto my shoulder, forcing me to my knees. He wrapped his arm around my throat and squeezed. I put a couple of hefty blows into his stomach, but he tensed his muscles every time I swung in.
I grabbed his hair and dragged him over my shoulder. I charged into the wall. He bounced off, and in the blink of an eye was back on his feet. He grabbed me and thrust me into the wall again. I twisted, spinning him into it next to me. We bounced down the corridor, crashing from side to side. I felt my energy draining away with the constant, unrelenting barrage.
We smashed through a door and into a tall set of shelves containing old books. Dust rained down as the shelving toppled, pages and bindings cascading over us. I feinted and twisted him into an arm lock. He pushed back, forcing me onto a pile of books. I slipped. He pushed his advantage and we crashed out into the corridor again.
He tripped me and pinned me down on the floor. He pushed down with his forearm on my throat. I struggled, but he had the upper hand. I could feel my muscles weakening. I'd given it my best shot, but the chambers were empty.
"Use the pistol," Angelina shouted.
I wriggled my hand into my pocket and inched out the small toy. Breathing was becoming harder. Effort to move ... hard. Madman grinning. Big teeth. Vision dimming. Raised pistol. Eyes closed. Squirt.
Air burst back into my lungs.
Phoenix shrieked and flung his hand against his face. He rolled away, frantically wiping his hands across his eye. He writhed, thrashing on the floor and smashing into the walls. The shrieking was eternal and painful, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears.
Angelina appeared next to me, keeping one of her weapons trained on the thrashing form. Smoke was rising from his head.
"Are you sure this is holy water?"
She shrugged. "That or toxic, radioactive acid. I didn't stop to check."
I struggled to my feet and we ran for the alcove at the back of the chamber.
"No exit," she said, "but there's a big lever here."
She pulled down on it, and there was a grinding sound from the other end of the crypt. Bricks slid back and revealed the stairway back up.
"Oh great, we've got to get past him to get out."
There was a whimper from down the corridor, mixed
in with a dash of anger. But I'd heard enough in life to know someone was hurt badly.
I glanced at Angelina. "Whatever happens, just run."
We charged forward into the smoking corridor before either of us had the chance to come up with an even more insane plan. There, in the smoke, I saw the evil, red eyes. They floated, disembodied in the fog. Then Phoenix was on me. I smashed him to the side, thrust Angelina toward the exit and shouted at her to run. Phoenix tried to leap past me, but I grabbed his leg and brought him down. He howled in rage, and turned toward me.
His fist came smashing down and I staggered back under the impact, collapsing to the floor. I rolled and came up on my hands and knees. My head was throbbing. Every part of me felt like it had been tenderized. I gave my head a shake, then staggered back up onto my feet, moving closer to the exit. I placed one foot back and beckoned him, and his duplicated images in my eyes, forward.
"Come and get it," I growled.
"Why won't you go down?" he shrieked.
There was a laugh to one side of him. "I was asking the same thing."
Phoenix's head snapped sideways. There was a lightning blur as something dark rushed at him. An iron manacle snapped down around his wrist. It locked with a resounding click.
"I've got you, boyo."
35
Watcher stood beside me, staring into the cell. Phoenix was lying on the small metal shelf that passed as a cot. His hands were behind his head and he was staring up at the ceiling. There had been cheers when Phoenix had been brought in. The men had applauded Watcher, and he had accepted all of the accolades without much, or any, referral to those of us who had actually fought the madman.
The medic had examined every part of me and said I was okay, just a big bag of bruises. Something of a miracle, he seemed to think. Luck was on my side. I wondered how far I could push it.
Angelina was probably releasing her own demons from her cage, and I'd see her when she finally acquiesced. She had been so wound up that she'd jumped on the first halfway decent-looking youngster and kicked him into the back of the ambulance. The rocking was disconcerting but she emerged fifteen minutes later. There was no sign of the young guy.