The Path of Fear

The inside of Simian’s Lair was like a festering welt upon the land. Its walls were coated in a slime that seemed to slither by itself. The halls were littered with bones, some of which the children could not identify. Sari shivered as she passed a painting of an old man in a gray suit. She could swear he was looking at her.

 They jumped at the high-pitched scream of a Razorbill – a black bird with a serrated beak that was meant to cut flesh. It swept past them and then down the long, dark corridor.

Maddock pushed against the massive doors with all his strength. It creaked, but refused to budge.

“Now what do we do?” Roe asked.

Maddock shook his fist at Mimick. “This is all your fault!”

“Mimick!” called out Mimick. The creature bounded through the hall. All four chased after it.

They paused at an arched entrance, pondering if they should enter. Maddock was more hesitant than the rest. The place was silent and still, like the entire stronghold held its breath. Maddock knew it was waiting for them. He stepped back.

“Mimick!” called Mimick from within the darkened entrance and they heard the grating of stone against stone. Mimick waited in the dark, but the outer surface of the creature undulated with a green glow.

“I don’t like this,” Maddock said.

“Neither do I,” said Roe, shaking her head.

“Mimick,” Mimick said, and disappeared.

Widget and Sari chased after it. “Mimick!”

The other two rolled their eyes and followed as Mimick bounded down a spiraled staircase. They yelled for Mimick to come back. Along the way, Widget nearly tripped on an old torch on the ground. Sari lit it, summoning the fire with her rod.

The torch lit up with a bright orange flame. It offered them a sliver of comfort.

“Mimick!” called Mimick again. The four friends clambered down the stairway after it, practically stumbling on top of each other. A heavy grinding sounded behind them. A click followed. Their escape had been sealed. 

Maddock called them to a halt. “Quiet. Listen.”

There was a shuffling from the stairs above.

“Something is following us,” he whispered.

Faint laughter descended from a few flights up, an evil-sounding cackle that tingled their spines. They continued on the downward spiral, sweating palms gripping sword, dagger, bow and rod.

Without warning they hit the end of the staircase, each of them grunting as they bumped into the other before them. Two dismal tunnels waited.

“Which way do we go?” Roe asked.

“And where is Mimick?” Maddock said.

“Mimick!” it said.

They all turned to find it perched, now behind them, upon the staircase.

Sari floated forward, holding her glowing rod up. “Mimick, which way do we go?”

“Mimick,” it said, pointing at Widget.

“Me?” he asked.

“Mimick,” it repeated.

“What does it want?” he asked.

Mimick continued to point.

“Widget, you decide,” Sari said. “That’s what it’s saying.”

The screaming laughter echoed above.

Widget closed his eyes and waited. Sometimes his gut told him things, like which way to run. It was how he had survived without parents for so many years.

He exhaled. “That way.”

He pointed left.

Mimick bounded ahead of them down the leftwards corridor, glowing once more. The orphans raced after it.

They weaved their way through the tunnels, the laughter following closely behind.

Maddock brought up the rear and yelled out to the others. “Don’t look back! Keep running!”

Mimick remained ahead and would pause only to wait for Widget to shout out directions such as: “Left!”, “Right!”, “Down!”, “Forward!”.

They finally paused in a small cavern, each struggling to catch their breath.

“Chew the strall,” gasped Roe. The laughter was getting closer and they could barely lift their legs.

“But it smells like feet,” Sari said, scrunching up her face.

“I don’t care if it smells like Master Rickett’s feet. Chew it!”

So all four chewed on the strall, but did not have time to think about its wretched taste. The menacing laughter was now around the corner and they were forced to charge forward. But as they stumbled, a sudden burst of warmth coursed through their limbs.

The four orphans now sped through the corridors, trying to pay little heed to the claw marks scored into the stone walls. Though each wondered what would have the strength to leave such marks and, worse, what such a creature might do if it found them.

They descended countless stone stairwells and raced through darkened entranceways. The air was colder here and the stench of something sinister and wet fouled the air. Sari pinched her nose as they ran.

Tunnel after tunnel, staircase after staircase, they fled, ever the dark laughter chasing them. They had no knowledge of how far they had come and how they would ever get back. They knew only to run, for whatever chased them had wicked intent.

The four orphans and Mimick spilled into an enormous cavern with old ruins. The walls rose above them, ending in a ceiling of stalactites that stretched down like stone fingers. They each felt a foaming in their mouths and spat out the strall.

They heard a shout and peered further into the darkness. At the far end of the cavern they could barely make out Master Rickett, sword swinging. He was wounded, and surrounded by four stick-like creatures with crooked limbs and backward joints. They moved with a calculated swiftness — short jabs and fast swipes. Their eyes were small and cunning, recessed into faces that were long and narrow, appearing as if they were crying.

“Weepers,” muttered Maddock. His stomach churned.

“But they live in the Ruins of Seeto,” Sari said.

One of the Weepers picked up a rock and crushed it with its gnarled fingers.

Master Rickett struggled to fend them off. Three more appeared from the shadows, as if they were peeling from the darkness that surrounded them.

“We have to help Master Rickett!” Sari yelled, and swept forth with her gleaming rod.

“Mimick!” cried Mimick and bounded after her, its body now surging with a brighter green.

Widget joined them, his two daggers in hand.

Roe looked at Maddock and then ran also, wings extended. Her crossbow was nocked and firing.

Maddock stood with sword in hand. He knew this enemy. They would die trying to fight these things. The Weepers were too powerful. He’d lost his family to them in the Ruins of Seeto. Only he had lived, having run while his family fought the monsters. He had run until his legs had finally collapsed beneath him. And now fear stayed him. He thought of his parents and elder siblings. That was three years ago. Now his friends were running towards their deaths.

Master Rickett yelled to the others to run away, but they did not listen. He swung at the Weepers, cutting one of their legs into splinters. It fell with a piercing cry. Three more of the monsters peeled from the shadows and lunged forward, screaming as they crawled upon their crooked limbs. Master Rickett pulled a pouch from his belt and cast a powder into the air. He yelled out some words and the powder flashed orange, burning the Weepers as it fell upon them. They howled and pressed in closer, furious that this man was causing them pain.

The other three orphans and Mimick joined Master Rickett, each taking up positions around him. The stone of Sari’s rod lit up bright and red and she cast forth bursts of flame, burning the Weepers where they stood. Roe fired off arrows. Her aim was true and she pierced two of the monsters through their blackened hearts, dropping them where they stood. Mimick strangled the Weepers with its tail until they collapsed in a pile of twisted limbs. Widget flung his dagger at the beasts and it struck one of them in the eye. Then, as was his talent, he would disappear with the shadows. He would reappear briefly to retrieve his dagger and then vanish once more.

Four more Weepers peeled from the darkness.

Maddock’s head spun. This was a losing battle.

He looked back at the entrance.

The way was clear. It called to him and he knew he should run; run until his legs collapsed beneath him.