Page 9 of Hell's Fear

“Why do I sense that’s bad?” Willow demanded.

“Anyone see a clue?” I asked.

“The door’s missing a handle. Maybe we have to find that?” Grey announced.

“Start searching,” Inglorious said.

Willow had us begin searching while Marsha hunted for another clue. We began with the trunks when the lights flashed off for a few moments and back on, but they kept flickering.

“I’ve got a flashlight,” Smokey called and flicked it on. A green light emerged.

“Turn it to the ceiling,” Davies said, and we all frowned at the symbol that formed.

“What is that?”

“A handle?” Inglorious said.

“I found another!” Marsha crowed from the second trunk and switched on her flashlight. The lights flashed off, and Marsha’s red torch showed a screwdriver.

“There’re no tools here,” Willow said, frustrated.

“Are there symbols on or inside the tins?” I suggested.

Two minutes later, Fish replied with a no.

“Got another torch, and it’s showing screws,” Davies stated, holding up a blue flashlight.

“We’ve got thirteen minutes,” Inglorious announced.

“Start opening the cans,” Smokey advised.

That wasted three minutes, and we discovered nothing.

“Screws, screwdriver, and a handle,” Willow muttered, her gaze roaming the room. “They’re tools, and those are tool manuals.”

She raced towards the bookshelves, and as she reached them, the lights flashed off, and a sign flashed up above the books.

“Do not mess up the order of books,” Inglorious read.

“Guess that means we have to look and replace on the shelf,” Willow said as Grey and Marsha joined her. They started pulling books off, and Willow gave a triumphant cry.

“The books are hollow inside!” Grey announced and placed his back. They worked their way down the shelf and onto the one below.

“Seven minutes!” Inglorious informed them.

“Handle!” Marsha yelled, waving it in the air.

The lights flashed off, and we waited for them to return. They didn’t.

“Shit, we’ve got to do this in the dark, where’s those flashlights?” Willow cried, and they carried on.

Smokey, Fish, and Davies held the torches on the shelves to give the searchers some light, and Grey found a packet of screws. It was another minute before Willow discovered the screwdriver. As she stood up from the second from bottom shelf, Willow stumbled and pulled the books off.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got two minutes. Give me those items,” Inglorious called.

Smokey rushed them over to him as we moved our torches to illuminate the area on the door. There was a rumbling sound, and I jumped as two panels slid aside, and two people appeared dimly lit in them.

“I don’t like the look of that!” Willow muttered, backing away.

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