Zani rubbed his hands as he delved his thoughts deeper into what was happening at Moosham.
Both of them went back to pondering over those images of strange marks that lay in front of them.
They were both quite tensed and on edge as they sat in the room, waiting for any word that came from their friends or Professor Sean.
The night was at its twilight and dawn was slowly breaking over the alpine highlands, casting a soft yet faded glow over the skyline in the distance.
The sky was a mixed canvas of faded pink among the darkness with the peaks of mountains far away in the distance towards the south, silhouetted against it.
The air had no sign of the mist but was quite still, adding to the eerie atmosphere that seemed to hang over Moosham.
Zani fidgeted with his fingers, his mind perplexed as to what more awaited them at every step of this place. There has been no call of assurance from Either Farhan or Amelia nor has Professor Sean managed to make any further contact with them. What was even going on in that castle?
Rexi had been preparing coffee for both of them. Zani smiled but then again went back into his thoughts. Its dire need at the moment left little room for argument taking into account the events they have been through.
Finally, while sipping the coffee along with Rexi, Zani shook his head as if trying to come to a conclusive decision. He couldn't take it any longer. 'We need to go to the castle,' he said firmly.
Rexi nodded in agreement, knowing that, if they were to find anything of importance it would be in the castle itself.
Moreover, this isolation from others made her extremely worried. They had to make sure their friends were safe, no matter what.
They both got out, planning to visit the castle themselves now. Zani locked the door. However, as soon as they had reached the ground floor they both saw Miss Ruth, running towards them across the gate.
However none of them had seen her before, so they were somewhat confused to see a woman run towards them in such hurried fashion.
As soon as she came near, she blurted out "Are you the students of Professor Sean? I'm Ruth, the main caretaker at the castle"
"Well yes....but there are two more of us, they went to the castle, did you see them?"
Miss Ruth's face immediately went as pale as moonlight "OH MY GOD!"
'Miss Ruth, what's wrong?' Rexi asked, her voice filled with concern.
Miss Ruth's face became a little distorted with anxiety written all over it. She gasped for breath. 'It's Professor Sean,' she managed to say between her heavy panting. 'He's gone missing in the castle.'
Both of them exchanged fearful glances. They had a bad feeling about this. Miss Ruth continued, her words fumbling out her mouth in a panic-frenzy manner.
'We were done for the day and everything was fine. Professor was supposed to spend the rest of the night in one of the rooms attached to the prison chamber.
But as we were coming down the dungeon steps, I heard something slash and land a blow behind me. And then, suddenly there was a heavy mist that enveloped us. I fumbled helplessly among it but nothing was visible and when the fog cleared, Professor Sean was gone.'
Zani's jaw clenched as he listened to Miss Ruth's narration of what had taken place. By now he was quite sure, that there was something sinister at play here.
'And that's not all,' Miss Ruth continued her voice now very shaky, mirroring the fear inside her. 'There have been more disappearances in the village over the night. Mr. Reimer, the man you saved with the Vervain leaves, he just gone missing about an hour ago. I got this news on my way to your lodgings'
Zani's eyes widened "HIM?"
Rexi went down emotionally, her hand flying to her mouth in fear and sudden anxiety hitting the walls of her mind, she knew not how to react.
Zani's features tightened as he processed how this had all been through. This seemed to be much more dangerous and bigger than he had ever anticipated.
'What should we do?' Rexi asked, her voice barely audible.
Zani's mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He knew the professor was in danger, and their friends too perhaps.
☯︎
Without wasting any time, Farhan grabbed Amelia's hand and pulled her towards the spiral staircase. They raced up without daring to look back at the mist, which at their action had followed behind in pursuit, their hearts pounding with fear as whatever was inside it led out another shrill of anguish.
The staircase seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning at every floor, making it difficult for them to keep balance as the unnatural mist caught up to them.
As they ran for their lives, the mist and fog kept getting thicker, with that, now very familiar smell of rotting carcass, making it even more harder for them to navigate.
It was somewhat like the staircase to heaven, filled with clouds and unknown, only here the devil seemed to nest and lurk free inside it.
The demoness continued to chase them, adding to their horror by throwing off its talon-like limbs to ward them off their balance.
But Farhan kept steady, performing dodges holding Amelia as both of them made their pace of climbing faster.
Now, they could hear the clawed footsteps of the demoness near them, its icy hissing growing louder and more menacing.
Several times, both of them stumbled with Amelia somehow managing to wriggle out of grasp every time, as the demoness cried out in anguish of having failed to catch them.
Suddenly Farhan slipped his footstep and fell on one of the stairs. Amelia to her sheer horror saw a limb approaching him fast, right near his neck.
She was, however, quick to react, as she immediately took out her flashlight and threw it with all force at the approaching arm. The arm shifted away having collided hard with the torch as the shrill of the demoness was heard in its full power having got frustrated in the manoeuvre.
Farhan wasted no time in pulling himself up somehow and springing up a few steps at lightning speed. The adrenaline pumping through their veins was the only thing keeping them going.
As they reached another turn in the staircase, Amelia's hand slipped from Farhan's grasp and she disappeared into the mist.
Panic set in as Farhan called out her name, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Farhan kept going, constantly calling out her name to make sure she was safe.
The mist seemed to be playing tricks on him, making it difficult for him to see anything. He could hear Amelia's voice calling out to him, but it sounded distant and muffled. Suddenly, he saw her figure emerge from the mist, her hand somehow managing to reach out along with panic-stricken eyes.
He grabbed hold of it quickly and pulled her away closer to himself, as they continued their ascent, their hearts beating fast.
They finally managed to scrape over to the topmost floor, bursting through the doors and into the main exhibition hall of the museum.
They were greeted by a room filled with ancient relics and artefacts, their eyes widening in awe. But their moment of wonder was short-lived as they heard the demoness's hissing and the mist incoming fast behind their backs.
Farhan and Amelia quickly surveyed the room, looking for a place to hide. They spotted a large table in the corner, surrounded by various exhibited artefacts.
Without wasting any more time, both of them dashed it, hoping to find some sort of temporary protection.
But as they ducked under the table, they could feel the demoness searching for its prey, having entered the room already.
Its hissing and shrill cries grew louder and more menacing as if she was in quite a hurry and her patience and time were running out.
Farhan and Amelia held their breath, trying not to make any sound to not give away their hiding spot.
Suddenly, the hissing stopped. They cautiously peeked out from under the table to check the status of the demoness's search for them. They exchanged confused glances, wondering where it could have gone.
But before they could dwell on it for too long, they heard a loud crash from the other end of the room as the demoness broke a table of exhibited artefacts in her search. They knew they were not safe for long
Their hearts raced as they realized this game of hide and seek would not last long if they did not find a way out here.
They started to move across the corners of the tables using them as hiding places as they navigated around while dropping artefacts along their trail confusing the demoness about which direction to approach With Amelia's quick eyes they searched for a way out.
They could hear the creature's heavy footsteps and its hissing, getting closer and closer.
Amelia knew they had to find a way to escape before it was too late. Suddenly, she spotted a door at the far end of the room, leading out onto a balcony.
"It must be the castle balcony at the very top" Amelia immediately blurted out in excitement to Farhan.
Without hesitation, they made a run for it, dodging and weaving through the artefacts. The demoness having got a scent, of what they were up to dashed the door as well, trying to reach it before them by hook or crook.
Farhan and Amelia had one job, their fear palpable. But they knew they had to try. With one last burst of energy, they pushed past the table at the corner, and out onto the balcony.
They were greeted by the first rays of morning sunlight, as the sun of early dawn could well be spotted among the alpine horizon. Both panting from the chase they have just been through
As they caught their breath, they looked back at the museum exhaustively, expecting the demoness to lead the charge out. Farhan, seeing there was no more way of escape, was ready to meet their fate.
But to their surprise, it was nowhere to be seen. They couldn't believe it, the demoness had completely vanished.
"Well, whatever it was, it does not adore daylight, and perhaps that is why it was in such a hurry to catch us" murmured Farhan, staring blankly at the open door of the balcony that led to the museum.
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