Page 36 of Hell's Fear

“Yup, and since we can’t alter these, I’m assuming we have to modify those,” Bunny agreed, pointing.

The board was just slightly out of reach, so Rosie climbed onto Calamity’s shoulder, and as Bunny called out the prices, Rosie moved the numbers. Once done, it flashed twice, and Calamity lowered Rosie to the floor.

“The exit didn’t open. There has to be something else we need to complete,” Darkness commented, frowning.

“What?” Chance asked, and I sensed the slight frustration in his voice.

“I’ve got some weights here. Maybe we have to balance the scales?” Jase called from behind the counter.

“Yeah, I’m not touching that meat,” Bunny announced, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s fake.” Jase chuckled. He picked up a piece and began working his way through the cuts until the scales balanced.

With a click, the door opened.

We all dashed through, and I winced. This was major ick. The floor was covered in a thick covering of sawdust, and hangingall around us were heavy carcasses. Up against two walls were metal shelves.

“Tell me they’re not real!” I squealed, hiding behind Chance.

“Babe,” Chance rumbled and laughed.

“Nope. They better be fake!” I repeated.

“They are,” Rosie confirmed after poking one.

“That smell is fuckin’ awful,” Ramirez commented.

“Yeah, have to admit, that is realistic,” Pyro complained.

“Can we get out of here? Please?” I demanded.

Chance chuckled again. My husband was no help.

“I’ve found a metal detector,” Darkness called from a corner.

“One here, too,” Calamity announced.

“Guess we’re seeking something metal,” Pyro stated the obvious.

Examining the door, Jase noted the absence of a handle and the presence of a keyhole.

“So, we’re hunting both. Let’s get moving,” Chance ordered.

Calamity and Darkness began sweeping the floor in slow circles. When they got a hit, one of us dug up the item. We soon discovered there were red herrings planted as we unearthed items that had nothing to do with a handle or key.

“Um, I think the key is in bits,” Bunny announced as she held something up.

“Wonderful,” Pyro grunted as we peered at what was clearly the prongs of a key. It took us another twenty minutes to sweep the floor, shelves, and finally, the carcasses to discover what we needed.

Ramirez fit the pieces together, and we entered the next room.

After eating, we looked around and winced. I was glad I’d eaten first and refused to examine the room.

“This is just nasty!” I exclaimed.

“It’s a serial killer’s dream,” Bunny agreed.

Hanging from hooks and tied at their wrists were bodies. Tubes were inserted into their arms, draining blood. The fluid dripped down into a bucket where two water guns waited. A bowl with clear tubing was pinned around the doorframe. At the bottom was a key.

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