On the side read ENTER HERE with a long red arrow pointing to the right...how many people actually knew about this?
This is it? thought Charlie. The entrance to the Underground is at the bottom of the well?
The Hunter finished up his final bit of words and then what appeared to be a watery red substance sprouted up like roots from the ground in every direction of the room. It spread across the walls, and all came to a stop in one place.
In that place in the wall was where some sort of portal now was, shining with a bright red glow.
Charlie sat backed up against a corner in shock as the Hunter then let out a mighty roar, grabbed him by his shirt again, and threw him in through the portal. At this point he had no idea whatsoever what sort of dark and dangerous adventure was ahead of him…
Sharon and Tara arrived back home.
“Charlie?” called Sharon. “We’re home.” She went to his room to find the outside door still wide open. She peeked out.
“Mommy, where’s Charlie?” responded Tara.
In the Underground, the Hunter arrived with Charlie over his right shoulder at the entrance to the Dark Master’s throne. The door guards grabbed Charlie by his arms and dragged him into the room on the other side.
This time a whole army of rock-like monsters, each a bit taller than the average human, were lined up in two long ranks, one on each side of the walkway leading up to the Dark Master’s throne. At the end of the two ranks of rock-like monsters lined up behind the throne was Muri, the short man with the red robe and a beard, and Bouldan, the leader of the Rock Army.
The door guard monsters escorted Charlie to the end of the walkway, then dropped him off at the back of the Dark Master’s throne, which still faced the other way. Only his horns were risen up high enough to be seen from the other side of the throne.
The door guards then went back the other way, and the Hunter and Muri stepped up behind Charlie.
“Master, the Hunter has arrived with the boy,” said Muri.
Charlie turned to glance at Muri. So I’m not the only human here, he thought. Well, that’s sort of a relief.
Bouldan called out an order to the Rock Army, and they all faced the throne. Bouldan then stepped aside.
“He’s here now?” asked the Dark Master in a dark, demonic voice.
“Yes,” Muri replied. “Would you like to speak to the boy?”
“Indeed. Bring him around to my side.”
Two of the Rock Army monsters grabbed Charlie by his arms and set him down in front of the Dark Master’s throne. They then returned to their ranks.
Charlie stared up in fear. There was still no lighting on the side where the Dark Master sat in his throne, his face still hidden in the darkness that surrounded his entire body. The only light was the light from a circle of dimly lit torches circling Charlie, who now sat in complete fear.
It was very hot in this particular room.
The Dark Master then began to speak to Charlie. “At last, we meet,” he spoke demonically.
Charlie kept his mouth shut, sweat pouring down his face.
“Do you know who I am?” asked the Dark Master.
“Not at all,” replied Charlie nervously.
The flames from the dimly lit torches next to Charlie then exploded, and a wave of lava off to the side rose up in a quick splash, shortly returning to the surface.
“I am Dultona, the Dark Master, ruler of the Underground.”
Another set of lights lit up in the distance, but Charlie was still unable to make out The Dark Master Dultona’s face. “What are you going to do to me?” he asked. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”
“I haven’t decided that yet. First, I’ll need some answers.”
“Answers?”
“Where is the book?!” demanded Dultona angrily.
“I-I-I don’t know,” cried Charlie. “You lost it?!”
“Not necessarily,” he lied. “Look. Just give me a chance to go get it back, I’ll look for it.”
“I cannot do that. I cannot let you go now that I have you here.”
“I-I don’t plan on staying here! I have a life to get back to!”
Charlie stood there helplessly, shaking and trembling, glaring up at the two thick pointed horns sprouted up from the top of the dark shadow the Dark Master was resting in in his throne.
“Why can’t I see your face?!” he questioned aloud.
“Oh, you soon will,” whispered Dultona evilly. “But you will stay here first.”
“How long?!”
“As long as I’m alive.”
“But you can’t do this to me!” Charlie begged. “Please, I promise you I will bring the book back to you! Just let me go please!”
“Enough!!” Charlie went silent.
Dultona then turned to the Rock Army. “Bouldan, take this boy to his room,” he ordered.
“Yes, Master,” obeyed Bouldan.
The Rock Army commander then turned to two of his monsters and ordered them to carry Charlie to his so-called room.
Where are they taking me now? Charlie thought.
The two rock-like monsters carried Charlie out through the big doors, down the long narrow tunnel hall on the other side, turned a corner, and entered a room full of cells.
Each cell carried a different type of horrifying creature. One was a black figure with white stripes across his body. Its eyeballs were missing. Every two seconds it’d quickly shift from one part of its cell to another mysteriously.
Another monster had wings and a long pointy tail, horns, and almost resembled a gargoyle. Every cell held an ugly demonic monster.
Charlie stared up at the monsters in terror as they stared back at him.
A cell in particular Charlie had noticed that stood out from the rest of them held a rather quiet, depressed rock monster. He looked like he should belong with the rest of the Rock Army. It looked down as its fellow rock monsters carried Charlie through the room. One of the monsters escorting Charlie grinned at the one in the cell.
Next to the sad-faced monster’s cell was an empty one. The two rock monsters carrying Charlie stopped at that one.
An ugly old hunch-backed creature in a gray cloak, almost human-like in appearance but with boils on its skin, stepped up to the empty cell and opened it. The two monsters carrying Charlie threw him into it. The cell-keeper then placed a lock on the door and locked it.
The rock monsters and the cell-keeper stepped away and Charlie was left there in his own big dark cell.
Some room, he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to block out everything that was going on. Maybe it was all a dream, but it wasn’t.
He looked over at the cell on his right. Empty. He looked at the one across from him. A creepy-looking thing with gray skin and hair all over its body with pale yellow eyes stared at him from the other side.
The gargoyle a few cells away then let out a ferocious cry for help, rattling the bars of its cell, and then backed away hopelessly.
The cell on Charlie’s left was the one with the depressed rock monster. The thing was slightly overweight compared to the rest of the Rock Army and it sat there with its face down. For a second it looked up at Charlie then looked back down at the ground again.
Charlie sat down against his cell wall and fell asleep as he tried to block out what was going on, hoping it was all just one big nightmare....
Chapter 6