Page 180 of Infernium

Passing the gargoyles whose eyes were a glowing red, I jogged up the staircase to the door where the devil door knockers stared back at me. Three knocks opened the door, and the two of us entered the asylum. A chill hung on the air, creating mists of breath as I made my way into the lobby. Old stone walls, stained with age and decay, gave an unkempt look to the inside.

A nurse, donned in a white uniform and nursing cap, watched us as we passed, her youthful face flickering to that of a skeleton with decayed flesh, and back to the youthful appearance again.

“I think she likes me,” Vaszhago said quietly beside me.

I’d have laughed, if my muscles weren’t so wound up over the thought of Farryn being in this place. How terrifying it must’ve been for her, particularly with as little fighting skills as she possessed. I was glad to know Vespyr had gone after her, so she wasn’t alone, at least. But given my father’s intent, Vespyr surely didn’t stand to survive.

Past the desk, the asylum opened to something of an old, decayed atrium, with its glass dome overhead and levels upon levels of what must’ve been over a couple thousand patient rooms, or more. We kept on ahead, toward the hallway where an exit sign flickered in the distance.

Rooms lined the hallway, where patients sat out in wheelchairs. An old man in nothing but what appeared to be a cloth diaper sat facing toward the exit. As we passed, I turned to see his eyes were glazed over white, his hands shaking incessantly. He whispered unintelligible words to himself.

We kept on, passing a woman who rocked back and forth in her chair. “There is no God.” She reached out for the two of us as we passed, just missing my arm. “Help me, angel. Help me. Please!”

We finally reached the end of the hallway and pushed through the old, medieval-looking door to a stairwell. I peered over the edge of the railing to find the staircase wound for levels below us and glanced back at Vaszhago. “Ready for this.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”

We jogged down the staircase, the sound of our heavy boots echoing off the walls, until we reached the bottom. Someone had paintedHELLon the door, and I knew we’d found it.

The entrance to the labyrinth.

With a deep breath, I pushed into a gray corridor, with gray walls, gray floors, gray ceilings. As I stepped over the threshold with Vaszhago following behind, the sound of grinding stone from behind had me twisting around to find the wall closing behind us.

“Well, I suppose we’re committed now,” Vaszhago said.

A door up ahead on the right caught my attention, and I strode toward it. I swung it open to find a quiet winter forest on the other side.

Vaszhago chuckled behind me. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Huffing, I stepped inside, the ice-cold air invading my lungs as I trudged through the snow.

“Want to tell me why we’re entertaining what is clearly bait?”

“I do not intend to leave any part of this labyrinth unchecked for Farryn. If I have to search every room, every corner, it’s what I will do.”

“Surely, she’s got to be farther along in this thing than this.”

The flicker of lights up ahead brought me to a stop. With slow and careful steps, I prowled toward the cabin, the sight of which sent a chill across my flesh. It looked uncannily like the one my father’s mistress had lived in.

“Do you recognize it?” Vaszhago asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Something compelled me closer, even with my head telling me to turn around and go back. Blade in hand, I approached the window, beyond which two figures appeared to be fucking. The familiar face of my father spurred a sick twisting of my stomach. His mistress was bent over a wooden table, her long brown hair draped over the side of it.

She turned to face me, and I zeroed in on stardust eyes and the familiarity of her young face.

Lustina.

Eyes panicked and ablaze with fear, she let out a distressed scream. “Help me! Please!”

On a roar of anger, I charged toward the window and hammered my fist against the glass. When it wouldn’t break, I strode toward the door, pushing against the handle to open it.

The door wouldn’t budge. I rammed it with my shoulder, slamming myself into the seemingly feeble wood. Still, it wouldn’t move. I could hear Lustina crying on the other side, begging, and the sound of it tore at me. Frantic, I pounded my fists against the barrier, and noticed the blackness crawling up my hands.

Vaszhago grabbed one of my arms, but I threw his hand off, hammering my palms into his chest and knocking him backward. He pushed to his feet and charged at me again, slamming me back into the walls of the cabin. “It’s not her! Remember you are here for Farryn!”

I stilled at that and noticed I no longer heard Lustina screaming.

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