Melissa - Page 99

Shutting the portal is your only chance for survival. Darren probably ran to find help or call the police. You wait for just a moment before making a break for the basement door.

Andre's screams reach your ears as you enter the basement. You can't tell if the skeleton caught him or if he is just screaming for motivation, but you don't have time to worry. The portal has to be closed. With less apprehension than you thought possible, you stride toward the yawning chasm  with a hint of confidence. Traces of echoing cries rise up from the fissure like the soundtrack from a haunted graveyard. You peer over the edge.

A man, if he can be called that, stares back at you. Well, he doesn't quite stare. He has no eyes. Instead of facial features, his sensory organs had been removed and the skin was stitched tightly over the gaps where his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose should have been. The sight of him nearly makes you vomit. To the side of the hellish slave, you see a gooey pile of what looks like human remains. You turn around and remember Heidi. Her corpse is nowhere to be found. Blood stains the wall where she had been decapitated.

You hear footsteps coming from outside. They're loud and aggressive. They must be from the skeleton. Or perhaps it is Darren finally coming to the rescue.

"Darren?" you call out hesitantly. No response.

"Shit." If it is the skeleton, you're out of options. The staircase is completely ruined and your only way out is down.

"Move!" you yell at the stitched man in Hell. Without ears, he somehow understands your command and readily obeys. With a deep breath, you jump.

Turn to page 266.