JC watched wide eyed as the dungeon door shred.
Dorothy�s rage vibrated through her wild appearance by the wreckage.
"I AM NOT A COWARD! YOU WILL PAY FOR CALLING ME A COWARD!"
JC didn�t have time to backpedal.
He didn�t have time to curl in self-defense.
He didn�t even have time to scream.
Dorothy�s bony fingers squeezed his throat. She grit her teeth and allowed each ounce of fury to course through her arm muscles.
JC wheezed painfully. His face grew numb.
Her intentions were obvious. She wanted to kill him.
What happened next may have been JC�s good fortune or a fatal turn of events.
The Master stormed in.
"WHAT�S GOING ON?"
Dorothy released her grip. JC crawled into a shadowy corner.
Dorothy started explaining. "He-he provoked me�and�"
The Master refused to listen.
"Dorothy, you�ve severely disobeyed my instructions. I ordered you not to speak to the prisoners, and now you tried to take his life for yourself. All souls belong to me!"
He lifted her by the shoulders.
"I dislike those who disobey me�"
"Don�t!" JC blurted.
Dorothy glanced at him strangely.
I almost killed him a few minutes ago, yet he is asking for my life to be spared. Has he gone mad?
The Master sneered. "Wouldn�t you want to see me crush�"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Um, because it�s wrong. She�s right. I did provoke her. And-and I forced her to answer my questions," JC babbled.
Dorothy felt the demon�s hands relax. She slinked out of the dungeon, whimpering like a wounded animal.
The spirit and JC were left alone.
He motioned his hand.
JC flew from the floor, straight to the demon. The Master grabbed his shirt collar.
"Hmm, since you�ve become such good buddies with my minions," he remarked snidely, "Let�s see how much you�ll enjoy where you�re going next."
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Lance stumbled blindly up a spiraling iron staircase.
Somehow he�d run through the short hallway, across the parlor, past the dining room, down the ballroom, and into the library.
Lance�s sweaty palms imprinted the railing as he reached the second floor.
The second floor was divided into two separate wings. Luckily, he found the wing opposite the Fear Chamber.
When he stepped off the stairs and walked down the corridor, sharp pains pierced his stomach.
Lance doubled over in agony, moaning until the cramps ceased.
Realization dawned upon him. Hunger cramps. 25 hours since he�d eaten.
Hungry, weak, and very tired, Lance trudged to the huge wall-sized draped window at the end of the corridor.
Man, how will I manage to save my soul when I can barely stand up?
He pulled the drapes open. Heavy rain pelted the thin fog. Lightening zipped across the night sky. Lance suddenly noticed how dark the hallway�s atmosphere was.
An eerie voice whispered menacingly:
"You�ll�never�escape�You�ll�never�escape�"
To the right, a pair of double doors opened.
Anxious but desperate, Lance ran inside. He saw a tall marble staircase.
"You�ll�never�escape�You�ll�never�escape�"
Those steps probably led to the third floor.
Lance quickly climbed them.
"You�ll�never�escape�you�ll�never�escape�"
"Yes I will!" Lance shouted as he ran through the third floor entranceway.
A loud roar erupted. Doors started slamming in all parts of the mansion.
Lance tugged at the knobs.
They�re locked!
Glass shattered, wood splintered, and cloth ripped in every direction.
"YOU�LL�NEVER�ESCAPE!"
Then��silence.
The only sound Lance remembered was his pulse throbbing in his ears.
Did I imagine all that?
A finger tapped him on the shoulder.
"No," the Master cackled.