Cadaver Island (28 page)

Persephone sprinted toward
Dr. Stine, tripped him, and shoved him to the ground. He exhaled a
cry of surprise when he landed on his tailbone and grimaced in
pain. Persephone glanced over her shoulder and said: “I’m so sorry,
Laurent. This is something I must do. I’ve decided to do this
because I love you.”

“
Don’t do it, Persephone!
I’m begging you to reconsider!” Dr. Stine yelled.

Persephone ignored him. She
blew him a kiss, strolled toward the platform, and plucked the
golden mask from its pedestal. When her fingers touched the gold
surface of the mask, she lapsed into a trance. Images of abused
children, neglected animals, hungry vagrants, and homicide victims
formed a slideshow in her mind. Persephone wanted to cry, but she
smiled instead. Tendrils of darkness crept into her mind. When she
held the mask of Beelzebub, she
enjoyed
thinking about the
misery and suffering of others.

Persephone listened to
footfalls approach rapidly from behind her. She knew Dr. Stine
would try to snatch the mask out of her hands. She glanced over her
shoulder and smiled at him. She whispered: “I love you, my
darling.” Then she placed the mask over her face. Dr. Stine exhaled
a deep wail of sorrow and dropped to his knees.

Angelique and Alexander
watched the rest of the bridge emerge from the wall on the other
side of the chasm. After a few minutes, the edge of the bridge
connected to the circular platform. They inched toward the pedestal
and watched Dr. Stine rise to his feet. He stumbled toward
Persephone and embraced her. Her rigid, tense body didn’t react to
him. Instead, she pushed him away with revulsion, putting him in a
state of temporary shock.

“
She is mine! I’ve claimed
her soul! Now you’re free to go!” the statue said.

“
What’ve you done,
Persephone? You should’ve listened to me!” Dr. Stine
said.

Persephone didn’t respond.
She turned away from him, walked around the pedestal, and crossed
the remainder of the bridge. Dr. Stine wiped snot from his nostrils
and spat a chunk of phlegm onto the ground. Alexander and Angelique
gave chase when he followed Persephone to the end of the bridge.
Then they entered a long, hot corridor.

Walls of fire rose from
pits of lava on both sides of the wide hallway. Huge flames
spiraled toward Persephone and Dr. Stine as they guided Alexander
and Angelique toward an oak door at the end of the corridor. Thick,
gray smoke filled the air. A swarm of enormous bats fluttered in
the air and screeched when Alexander’s cough caused them to stir.
Dr. Stine and Angelique covered their faces with their hands when
the bats dive bombed them. The bats clung to the ceiling and fell
asleep after Alexander opened his Bible and read a verse from
Leviticus. Dr. Stine thanked him for a job well done.

“
Do you think Persephone
knows who she is? She acts like a zombie. I hope she remembers who
we are,” Angelique whispered in Dr. Stine’s ear.

“
I don’t know what to
think. She’s under some sort of spell,” he replied.

Persephone stopped walking.
She slowly turned around to face them. Her arms crossed her upper
torso and she giggled. “I can hear every word you say. Say it to my
face instead of talking behind my back.” Brown, fuzzy spiders
emerged from beneath the mask and scurried across her shoulders and
arms. Persephone caressed her new pets.

“
I’m sorry if I offended
you. It won’t happen again,” Dr. Stine said.

“
That’s more like it! Next
time, I’ll be forced to punish you!” Persephone said.

No one talked while they
walked toward the end of the hallway. Bursts of flame surged from
the lava and singed Angelique’s hair. A wave of lava oozed onto the
path in front of Alexander, who hopped over it quickly. When they
reached the end of the hallway, Persephone pointed at a throne in
the center of a metallic, grate-like floor.

“
It’s Polinus’ lair. We
need to be careful,” Angelique said. She kissed Razor’s
head.

Beneath the floor, four
feminine angels wailed in agony. Long, rusty chains connected
manacles on their wrists to the hard, stone wall. Their feet rested
on narrow ledges above a pool of lava. Flames rose from the lava
and seared the naked bodies of the angels, who noticed Dr. Stine
and begged him for help. When Polinus heard the angels’ voices, he
rose from his throne and flapped his wings. His red eyes flashed
while he seized a long, leather whip with his right hand. Then he
approached a rack of weapons and snared a double-edged sword with
his left hand. He opened his mouth wide to reveal a pair of long,
sharp incisors. When Polinus screeched, a swarm of bats flowed from
the ceiling and danced in the air around him. A pair of huge, oak
doors loomed behind his throne.

“
Give me the warden’s keys!
Do it and I might let you live!” Polinus said.

“
We’ll need the keys to
open the doors behind you,” Dr. Stine said.

“
You’ll never make it to
Cadaver Island! Xavier knew you’d try to seize the battery packs
from him, but he never imagined you’d make it this far!” Polinus
said.

“
Obviously, he
underestimated us. Please let us open the doors and go to The Dark
Sea. I don’t want to harm you,” Dr. Stine said. His body tingled
and his scepter glowed.

“
This farce ends now!
Prepare to die!” Polinus said. He flapped his wings, lifted into
the air, and soared toward Dr. Stine. He thrust his sword at him,
but he dodged the blow.

“
Take these keys,
Angelique. Go free the angels. They’ll help us,” Dr. Stine said. He
shoved the warden’s key ring into the palm of her left hand.
Angelique sprinted toward the edge of the grate-like floor and
climbed onto the hot surface of the rocky abyss.

Alexander opened his Bible,
located a verse, and read it in a loud tone of voice. At the same
time, Dr. Stine jogged toward Persephone. When he asked her for the
flasks of holy water, she refused to open the satchel. He seized
the leather strap and tried to yank it off of her shoulder. She
hissed, kicked him, and clawed his face with her
fingernails.

“
I need the holy water
right NOW! You’re going to get us killed!” Dr. Stine
yelled.

“
I’ll spit on your
headstone and dance on your grave!” Persephone said.

Dr. Stine glanced over her
shoulder and watched Razor open his mouth extremely wide. A huge
net emerged from his throat and whirled through the air. Dr. Stine
tugged the satchel away from Persephone a few seconds before the
net landed on her and pinned her to the floor. She writhed beneath
the net and hissed like a snake.

“
Good job, Razor! Thanks!”
Dr. Stine said. The dog barked and chased his tail.

Dr. Stine placed two of the
flasks in the pocket of his robe. Then he plucked the cork from the
opening of the third flask. A loud CRACK echoed throughout the room
when Polinus hurled his whip through the air. The whip wrapped
around Dr. Stine’s feet and tripped him. He collapsed to the ground
and smiled when the holy water didn’t spill.

“
It’s time for you to die,
Dr. Stine! Perhaps you should pray to your Lord for salvation. Will
He forgive you for committing so many sins?” Polinus
said.

He raised the double-edged
sword above his head and aimed the blade at Dr. Stine’s neck. Dr.
Stine felt a burst of wind in his long, white hair when he strafed
to the left to avoid the blow. Sparks flew when the sword’s blade
impacted the metallic grate of the floor. Polinus hissed, flew
toward Dr. Stine, and lifted the sword into the air
again.

A high-pitched, feminine
voice said: “I’m FREE! Thank you so much!”

Dr. Stine glanced over his
left shoulder and watched one of the angels fly away from her empty
manacles and dangling chains. Angelique smiled at him while she
scooted across an unstable ledge toward the next angel. Lava boiled
and flames rose into the air around her. He gasped when her foot
slipped. He sighed when she landed on solid ground.

“
What’re you doing,
Princess Bosc? Stop it right NOW!” Polinus screamed.

“
Do you really think she’ll
do what you want? She’ll free them all!” Dr. Stine said.

Polinus hurled his whip
through the air. A loud CRACK echoed in the room and hurt Dr.
Stine’s eardrums. He bent his knees and lapsed into a crouching
position. The whip grazed the top of his head, created a deep
groove in his hair, and opened a small laceration on his scalp. Dr.
Stine retaliated when he hurled the open flask of holy water at
Polinus’ face. The water splashed against his forehead and left
cheek. Polinus’ skin sizzled and white smoke rose from his ruined
flesh. Polinus staggered backward and leaned against his throne. He
exhaled a roar that caused the floor and walls to shake.

Dr. Stine reached into his
pocket and snared another flask of holy water. He removed the cork,
strolled toward the throne, and poured the fluid across Polinus’
chest. A blinding, white glow spread across Polinus’ upper torso.
The stench of cooked meat filled the air while his skin blistered
and peeled. Polinus screamed, thrust himself away from the throne,
and knocked Dr. Stine to the floor. Dr. Stine’s head impacted the
metal grate and a dizzy spell seized him. A fuzzy haze overwhelmed
him while Polinus bared his teeth and guided them toward Dr.
Stine’s jugular vein. Before his teeth dived into his neck,
Alexander sprinted across the floor and slammed his Bible into the
middle of Polinus’ back. The beast roared when a burst of holy
light discharged from the Bible and penetrated Polinus’ body.
Polinus straightened his legs, whirled on his feet, and flung the
end of his whip toward Alexander. Another CRACK echoed in the room
as the whip wrapped around Alexander’s waist. The boy dropped his
Bible while Polinus yanked him across the room. He leaned toward
the boy and said: “I’ll drain your blood! I’ll turn you into one of
the living dead! You’ll never see daylight again!”

“
All of us are FREE! Thank
you for saving us!” a chorus of voices sang.

Polinus glanced at the
ceiling and watched the four angels hover in the air. A petite,
red-headed angel flew toward the net that imprisoned Persephone.
She heaved the net off of her and tossed it to the side. A gold
chain and a glowing crucifix materialized in the angel’s left hand.
She placed the chain around Persephone’s neck and smiled when the
crucifix dangled above her heart. She leaned toward Persephone and
said: “Have faith in Jesus and the mask’s influence will fade.
Succumb to evil and the mask will grow stronger. The crucifix is
yours to keep forever. Please take care of it and don’t lose
it.”

Persephone touched the
crucifix and smiled. She rose to her feet and strolled toward Dr.
Stine. She leaned toward him and whispered: “I’m sorry, darling.
Please forgive me.”

Alexander wiggled free of
Polinus’ whip and sprinted toward the edge of the grate. He helped
Angelique crawl out of the deep pit. Razor trotted at their heels
as they walked toward Dr. Stine and Persephone. Together, they
watched the four angels attack Polinus. Their claws and teeth dived
into the beast’s skin, muscles, and flesh. He twitched and bucked
while he yelled and screamed. Polinus regenerated and healed
himself quickly.

“
Follow me. Now is our
chance. They can’t keep him busy forever,” Dr. Stine
said.

Dr. Stine strolled toward
the double doors. Angelique dropped the warden’s key ring into the
palm of his left hand. Polinus hissed and screeched while Dr. Stine
inserted the master key into the lock of the left door. He twisted
his wrist and heard a loud CLICK. Then he twisted the gold
doorknob, pulled the door inward, and felt sunlight on his face for
the first time in several hours. A few feet away, the white-capped
waves of The Dark Sea crashed against the foothills of Mount Zahn.
Sea gulls cooed and hovered in the air.

“
You can’t escape, Dr.
Stine! You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” Polinus roared.

“
Good-bye, Polinus!” Dr.
Stine said. He laughed and shook the warden’s keys in the
air.

The screams and roars of
Polinus faded when Dr. Stine closed the door. After he locked it,
he dropped the warden’s key ring into his pocket. He leaned toward
Persephone and stared at the crucifix. Sunlight reflected off of it
and temporarily blinded him.

“
We need to hurry. Look
over there,” Angelique said. She pointed toward the
horizon.

Dr. Stine followed the path
of her left index finger. The ghost ship of Reverend Stark bobbed
in the churning waters of The Dark Sea. Torn, white sails and
Reverend Stark’s red robe glowed in the shadows. Dr. Stine strolled
away from the labyrinth of Polinus and followed a stone path toward
the white sands of a nearby beach. He smiled when Persephone held
his hand after she touched her crucifix and felt Beelzebub’s curse
fade.

Sea gulls hovered in the
air while Dr. Stine guided the group down a narrow path, which
zigzagged through the jagged stone of Mount Zahn’s foothills. Huge,
foam-capped waves pummeled the cliffs. A surge of salt water rushed
through crevices and gaps, soaking them. Angelique retrieved the
bottle of oil supplement tablets and removed the lid. She shook two
pills into the palm of her left hand. She dropped one of the
tablets into Razor’s mouth. A cool, ocean breeze caused her to
tremble after she swallowed the other pill. Angelique moaned and
Razor whimpered when they noticed the dark clouds of an approaching
thunderstorm. Forks of lightning glowed in the sky. A crack of
thunder interrupted the tranquil sound of huge waves crashing
against stone boulders.