The Secret Door (#Wattys2016)

Chapter XIV Azazel

Van can't see how they will escape this time. They are cornered in a cramped room with the only exit blocked by the very person they are running away from. He doesn't want to think that this is it and they are doomed. There must be a way out of here; he just has to think hard.

"Oh, would you look at where we ended," Kirsten said innocently.

"You are really kind to us but we should go now," Alice chuckled, a muscle shaking on her cheek.

Van clenches his fist and steps forward.

"Well, it's really not polite to go running around in your house, after all the kind things you did to us. But we really need to go now," he pleaded hopefully, though he knew all along that this won't work at all.

The woman's expression brightens, but their surroundings seem to get foggy. Numb sensations began to spread from their extremities and their vision blurs.

"Naughty are we," the woman said, her voice sounding distant, "Let's leave it here everyone, back to beds now."

"I can't, I got things to do in my house," said Don blankly as he struggles to stay upright.

"But this is your house, you belong here," the woman replied.

"My parents will be worried," Kirsten muttered.

"What are you saying, you have no family but me," the woman said, and they feel a weird tingling sensation.

And every memories they have, from the people they knew to places they are familiar with begins to fade. Van smiles blankly; the woman is right, we have nowhere else to go. We belong here in this tiny palace, Van thought.

"You are having a bad dream," the woman added, "now back to bed everyone."

"Here we go again Van," a voice in Van's thought murmured, "this happened before in the Maze of Mirrors, don't be a fool Van! Wake up you stupid..."

The woman waves and everyone approaches her, all except Van who stayed rooted to his spot. His face is screwed in a pained grimace as the voice in his head keeps muttering to him.

"Poor thing, you don't look so good," the woman said to Van.

"Don't let her fool you Van, remember the heads on the wall," the voice in Van's head growled.

Van kneels, hands clutching his head. Strange images are now flooding his mind, such as people he calls as parents, school, friends and much more

"NO," Van shouted before stumbling backwards. Instinctively he draws the mirror shard from his pocket and flashes it at the woman. The mirror gives off a blinding light and the woman staggers away, her hands on her face.

And the curse controlling their minds break.

"Everyone wake up! We got to get out of here," Van shouted

All of them seem okay now, but Cara nearly passed-out and Kirsten has to support her. It seems that her resistive and sharp mind is more vulnerable to the curse. And with the woman bent down and shrieking in pain, they take their chance and bolted towards the exit. Among them Kirsten is not a fast runner, even slower than the weakened Cara. So slow in fact that the woman managed to get hold of her ankle.

"Let go!" Kirsten screamed.

"I'll have your hearts," the woman growled, and flame starts to emanate from her.