Page 43 of Daemonium

Ciaran and Maverick pushed the dumpster aside, revealing a vent cover underneath. Ky stepped forward and flipped the cover-up, retrieving a key from inside. He then moved towards the wall, running his hands along it in search of something.

An uneasy silence fell over us as we waited. I could feel my nerves getting the best of me, and the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. Glancing around, I saw Mel doing the same. When our eyes met, she gave me a knowing look.

"Guys," I said, noticing someone wearing an LED mask peering down at us from the rooftop.

"He's been there the whole time," Brody casually commented.

"And you didn't think to mention that?" Carol snapped.

"I was waiting for him to..." Brody trailed off as the man disappeared and started whistling a tune. “Do that.”

"Where did he go?" Earl asked with concern in his voice.

"That's a good question," Charon responded. "He usually has company."

"How can you tell them apart?" Mel asked, narrowing her eyes.

"He's been playing for a while now, so he's considered mid-level. He used to run errands for us," Charon explained.

"So you're not exactly friends then?" she quipped.

"He definitely doesn't like us," Maverick chimed in cheerfully.

"What are you guys looking for?" Dion asked, joining Ciaran and Ky who were still examining the brick wall on the side of the building.

"The way in," Ky replied.

"We need to find a keyhole," Ciaran elaborated.

"Oh, right," Dion nodded, stepping forward to help.

I eyed the wall but saw nothing but endless, dark red brick.

“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or anything, but a pair of Jeepers Creepers just showed up at the end of the alley,” Lana announced calmly.

All eyes turned towards the sound of shuffling and heavy breathing. At the entrance of the alley stood two masked figures, looking like something out of a horror movie. Their grotesque masks resembled distorted human faces, with exaggerated features and empty eye sockets. They were dressed in all-black clothing that only added to their menacing appearance.

"They let those damn cannibals loose,” Maverick groaned.

"The what?" Dion exclaimed in shock.

"Find the door," Ky ordered, scanning the walls for a way out.

The cannibals, as Maverick had named them, spoke quietly amongst themselves. One of them pointed directly at Mel and me, then licked its gloved hand while inhaling deeply.

"Gross. What the hell?" I muttered, feeling a chill run down my spine.

One cannibal turned away and grabbed a metal lasso with spikes from its hip - a weapon I remembered all too well from Judicium.

Suddenly, a bottle came flying towards us from above. It wasn't until it shattered on the ground that I realized it was a Molotov cocktail. Earl pushed me out of harm's way while Carol shielded Lana. Hayven and Mel managed to dodge the explosion just in time.

Another Molotov cocktail landed in the dumpster, setting it ablaze. One of the cannibals sauntered closer, spinning the spiked chain in his hand. We were stuck, with our only escape route being the hole in the fence behind us. But there was no way we could all make it through.

"Are you okay?" Earl's voice was strained as he asked me.

"Yes, thank you," I replied, my heart racing.

"Don't thank me just yet," he responded grimly.

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