Danielle Cross: Medusa's Wrath- by Mary Thornsberry

Chapter 7

Chapter 7
Knowing that Medusa could be hiding anywhere in the pitch black hallways it made there way back to the Medusa exhibit painfully slow. The exhibit finally became illuminated by their flashlight.
"There's the box," Danielle said, shining her light on the gold box.
She got down on her knees in front of the box and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open. Whoever made the box didn't want anyone opening it.
She spotted a crowbar sitting on top of some boxes that hadn't yet been put away. She got up and grabbed it but before she could use it on the box, Richard grabbed the crowbar.
"No way, that box is priceless."
Danielle looked at him in disbelief.
"Really, the price of this box is more important than your life, our lives?"
Richard turned around and saw everyone staring at him. He realized that he was largely outnumbered and let go.
"Becca, come and hold the box for me please."
Becca got down on her knees and held the box in place as Danielle wedged the crowbar in the opening of the box and pulled down. The box opened with a gust of air and a groan like some kind of creature waking from a nap.
Inside, Danielle found a set of scrolls she looked through them and there was some information about Medusa in them. Unfortunately they were all in the old Greek language and Danielle was the only one out of the four of them who could read it. So the others had nothing else to do but wait until she found something of importance.
Twenty minutes at least had gone by before they heard any response from her.
"I found something!"
They all crowded around her.
"This says that when Medusa became too strong for even Zeus to control he had two ruby gems made that when placed in her eyes would not only bind her powers but would also cause an opposite effect."
"What does that mean?" Richard asked.
"It means that when the gems were placed in her eyes instead of turning others into stone she would turn into stone herself. This makes sense, that's why she didn't attack before now on the way back she still had one of the gems in her eyes it must have been removed during the gala."
Luke limped over. The stone spread to his neck and half way down his leg.
"What about reversing the process?"
Danielle went back to reading.
"It says the only way to reverse the process is to sever Medusa's head from her body."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Luke asked in frustration.
Danielle thought about it.
"If we can replace that second gem in her eye it may slow her down long enough."
"But we don't know where it is," Luke said.
Danielle thought back to before the lockdown and then looked at Richard.
Richard felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck when Danielle looked at him.
"What?" He said in confusion.
Danielle stood up from where she had been sitting on the floor and marched up to Richard.
"Where is it Richard?" She said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Just before the building went into lockdown you were conveniently nowhere to be found. Where is the gem?"
Richard crossed his arms over his chest.
"What reason would I have to steel from my own exhibit?"
Danielle crossed her arms over her chest as well.
"If you didn't take the gem then where were you before the lockdown?" she said still not believing a word he said.
Luke had had enough. He ran over and grabbed Richard by his lapel with his good hand which didn't give him a good grip.
"Where is the gem you son of a-"
Because he had such a lousy grip Richard was able to push him away easily.
"Fine!" Richard yelled, pushing Luke away. "I didn't steel the gem but I can tell you were I was."
They all gathered around him.
Richard straitened his lapel.
"I was with my secretary."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion until it struck them all at once and they looked back at him with wide eyes.
"Ew, gross," Becca exclaimed.
The moment was cut off by a high pitched screech, they looked over and found Medusa standing there, they also happened to notice that she was blocking their only exit.
"What do we do?" Becca screamed.
They looked around trying to think of a plan as fast as possible. Luke noticed a square air duct in the wall.
"What about that?" He said pointing to the duct.
Danielle ran over and pulled the vent from the wall and ushered everyone in. She looked over and found Richard frozen in fear.
"RICHARD COME ON!"
He managed to snap out of it and ran for the duct Danielle got in and Richard followed but because of his girth he couldn't fit. Danielle looked back and saw him struggling.
"Danielle, help me!" he begged.
She turned around and grabbed his hand and tried to pull him through. Suddenly Richard stopped struggling and Danielle watched as he turned to stone before her eyes the last thing to turn to stone was his eyes they became so cold and dead. Richard's body was swiftly pulled out of the duct and Danielle watched as Medusa crushed him. She turned around and headed back down the duct while Medusa was distracted. She felt sad, she may not have cared for Richard Drake but no one deserves to die like that.