Blood, blood everywhere. Too Bad We are Already Dead. "Charles, you are one of them." Burnwell exclaimed as he tried to pull the actor out from under his bed, "You talk to them." "What makes you think they are not here to drag me back to the grave?" Charles returned hysterically, "I am not coming out from under this bed until they are gone." Burnwell glanced out the window to see that the undead had the place surrounded. Then he noticed three small figures running across the lawn, "I think I see the twins and their friend out there." He remarked, letting go of Charles foot to get a closer look out the window, "My god she has Lord Holland's sword!!! What does that girl think she is doing?!?" "This is getting out of hand." Alexandria declared as she cut down yet another living dead person only to have it continue to crawl towards her. She flipped the blade over in her hand and plunged it through the creature's head then gave a sharp twist severing the top half of the man's head free and kicking it out of the way, "We can not win this way." She remarked as she slashed the arm off yet another wondering corpse with ease. When Alex was little Lord Holland noticed the girl's fascination with sharp objects. Seeing as he had no sons to call for he took it upon himself to have Alexandria trained by the best swordsmen in town. She became very adept in sword fighting and as such she thought that a mob of stumbling undead seemed like no challenge to the girl. That was until she discovered that these corpses were not willing to stop moving no matter how much she hacked them apart. "Head for the maze." She cried out and ran for the hedge maze at the edge of the lawn. "Sister, do you have any idea how to stop this insanity?" Alison cried out behind her sister, her tiny dagger in hand. She snuck a peek behind herself to see Cecil dart around the manor and give chase, "How does he keep finding us?" She whined and picked up her pace. "Maybe the maze will slow him down." Alexandria suggested heading directly for one of the many entrances, "Alice keep close and take my hand. You do not want to get lost in here." She explained while taking the girl by the hand and pulling her along, "It can take weeks to find the way out if you do not know the way." Alice clenched her friends hand tightly, "This is fun." She giggled, her heart pounding with excitement. "Ummm... Alex!!!" Alison pointed at the entrance to the hedge maze. "What is it?" Alexandria inquired only to have the answer step out in front of her. One of the topiaries uprooted itself and blocked the entrance. The girls found them face to face with a giant leafy Gryphon with eyes of blood red roses, "Well that is new." She stated coming to a halt a few feet away from the massive beast. "Now what fearless leader?" Alison sarcastically inquired, not taking her eyes off the beast before her. "You would not have a flame handy would you?" Alexandria calmly asked. The monster swiped at Alice with one its massive thorny paws. Alexandria quickly pulled her friend out of the creatures reach and tried to block the blow with her sword only to have to cleaved in two and it's claws rake the ground near their feet, tearing out a large clot of dirt with its destructive strength. "Uhhh..." Alice clung to Alexandria as she stared down at the torn up ground before her, "Th... thank you..." She stammered. "Now I have you!!!" Cecil called out from behind them, a small group of undead with him, "You girls will not escape this time." He stated with a cold grin. The gryphon suddenly turned its attention on the boy and causing Cecil to stumble backwards, "What are you looking at?" He inquired nervously, "We are on the same side, right?" The creature suddenly leapt over the girls and came down hard on Cecil, forcing him to the ground, knocking several undead sprawling to the ground. The sounds of their screams filled the air as the beastly plant tore several corpses asunder. "That was easy." Alison nodded with satisfaction. "Come on." Alexandra dropped the hilt of the sword then grabbed her sister by the collar of her dress and pulled her into the maze with Alice, who was still holding tight onto her friend's hand. ****** Jamie watched through the window at Clara in amazement, "I cannot believe she is confronting the mob on her own." She commented from her spot in Maria's arms. Maria pulled the curtain back further to get a look herself. Her mother stood at the top of the steps to the Castle entrance giving the speech of her life, "Yeah, she can be quiet something at times." She partly agreed watching as her mother took in every person's complains and slowly nodded, "She has grown accustom to mobs showing up in protest of her research." "This happens all the time?" Amanda exclaimed from her spot on the other side of the window. "Every other month or so." Maria remarked coolly then shifted her gaze away from her mother to the growing crowd, "However this is the first time they have shown up with torches and farm tools in hand." She let the curtain fall back over the window; "This probably has to do with the fact that she brought us back to life. I am always a burden to her." She stated and sat down heavily upon a long velvet bench under the window. "It is not your fault." Jamie declared turning in the girl's lap to look into Maria's eyes, "You did not ask for any of this. I'm glad you are alive, but you can not keep blaming yourself." Jamie's body sat down next to Maria and gave her a tight hug. "Jamie speaks the truth." Anita added from her spot near the main stairs. "For all you know it is myself that they are here for." Amanda worried, pulling the curtains closed, "They could have seen me walking here with that pick in my eye and the mud all over my dress and thought I was some kind of ghost or something like you did at first." She rubbed the back of her neck, "They could be here to finish what was started." "They will not be taking anyone." Anita commanded bravely, "You are all staying right here. Where we belong." At that moment Clara entered the hall and closed the doors behind her, "They are hopeless." She commented as she paced in the middle of the room, "How could they think I am responsible for all of that insanity?" She asked herself aloud. Maria jumped to her feet and approached her mother, "What do they want?" Maria asked cautiously. "Do they wish to kill us?" Amanda inquired then thought about what she had just said, "Again..." Clara smiled down at her daughter and Amanda, "It is nothing to concern you." She replied calmly. "Do not lie to me." Maria cried out, "I saw several of our servants in the crowd. They told everyone about my being a monster, did they not?" "You are not a monster!" Clara blurted in frustration then quickly regretted her out burst, "I am sorry about that. This is all just so frustrating. I will not allow then to harm any of you." She glance at Amanda then Jamie, "That means all of you." She rubbed her head and let out a sigh, "They seem to think I caused a strange dark cloud to appear in the sky and something about the dead arising from their graves." She muttered. Jamie looked up in shock, "A cloud?" Her headless body rushed to the window to take a look, forgetting that it did not have a head or eyes to see for that matter. Several screams came from outside and the body quickly closed the curtain. The teddy bear shook her head, "That bloody body of mine." She let out an exasperated sigh. "What is it, sweetie?" Maria inquired sensing Jamie's stress. "I think that I may be the one responsible." Jamie replied with a glance at her body. "How do you mean?" Clara asked also looking that the headless body, "I have a feeling that this has something to do with your body being able to walk around like it does, am I right?" Jamie slowly nodded, "It is because of that book. After learning about Maria and Lord Greystoke's death I felt an emptiness fill my heart. I was overcome by the loss of Maria. I could not live without her. That is when I felt the book call out to me." Jamie retold the story of how she came across the strange book and the spell she tried to cast. Not leaving out any detail and struggling with a bout of tears as she recalled the feelings of loss and loneliness she felt during that day. "I think it might also be where that creature in the library came from too." She finished with a sigh of deep regret. "That is such a sweet and tragic tale." Amanda commented with love in her eyes, "And to think you both came back to life to be with each other again. It is so romantic." "Oh, Jamie!!" Maria hugged the teddy tightly, "I am sorry I upset you so." She remarked with a tear in her eye, "I will never leave you again." She squeezed the bear even tighter. "You really feel that deeply for my daughter?" Clara inquired milling over what Jamie had just told her. Jamie nodded and let out a another sigh, "I would rather be dead then live without her." "Is that so?" Clara moved around the group of girls, lost in her thoughts, "I vaguely recall reading something about a book similar to the one you mentioned in the library." She stated as she headed up the stairs to the library, the girls following closely behind. Clare opened the heavy double doors and instantly came to a stop, startled by what she saw. At one of the many desks that littered the library was the tentacled creature. It sprung up like a plant from the floorboards; several smaller tentacles spiralled around a main stalk that had to be at least half a metre thick, small pair of spectacles were perched at the tip of what must have been the head of the creature, however there were no eyes anywhere to be seen. A stack of book surrounded the desk in front of the creature as it poured over one book after another while the minor tentacles reached out to gather more books from the shelves. Amanda approached the creature without fear, "Is it reading?" She inquired curiously. Maria stepped up behind her friend, she found it hard to take her eyes off the beast plant as it towered overhead, "How does it see?" She asked examining the creature. The large stalk turned to face the girls. A smaller tentacle fixed its glassed as it moved from one girl to another as if it were inspecting them. Anita gave a nervous smile, "Maybe it can really see after all, my lady." She gave the creature a small wave and it waved back with a shorter tentacle. "What are you reading... ummm... What do we call it?" Amanda inquired glancing over at Maria. The creature picked up a book and handed it over to Amanda who glanced at the title, "'A Woman of No Importance'?" She glanced up at the creature, "Why are you showing me this?" "It is a play by Irish Playwright Oscar Wilde." Jamie remarked, "An interesting story but not one of my favourites." The tactical tapped the Author's first name on the cover. "Oscar?" Amanda stated cautiously, unsure if this was what the creature was trying to call her attention too, "Your name is Oscar?" She confirmed. The tentacle nodded frantically and Amanda was almost certain she could see a smile of sorts break out across the length of the crack that had formed along the middle stalk. Amanda did a small curtsy, "I am Lady Amanda Dalant." She introduced herself to the creature, "This is Lady Maria Greystoke and the teddy is Jamie..." She paused, unsure of Jamie's title or surname. "Jamie Eadwolf." Jamie announced. "Jamie is a writer too." Maria stated proudly. The tentacle clapped at the notion of this news and looked as if it was going to say something when Clara called out to them from the bookshelves. Amanda then the gestured to the maid, "And this is our personal maid, Anita." "Sorry to interrupt this rather interesting little moment of yours," Clara remarked coldly, "But we do have a rather urgent matter to attend or have you girls forgotten." "Sorry mother." Maria ran over to her mother's side and started to search the shelves. "I am sorry." Amanda apologized and glanced around the large room. There were a number of shelves covering all the walls of the huge library. Wheeled ladders stretched high overhead running along steel rails and there was a spiralling staircase in the far corning leading to yet another floor of even more books, "I have no idea where to look. There are so many books that I do not know where to begin." She remarked scanning the room in awe. "It is a rather large black book with gold leaf lettering on it." Clara explained as she scanned the many books, "It was about magik and supernatural. Nothing that I am even interested in, however it was a gift from one of my colleges and I put it in the library thinking someone may find it interesting." Maria beamed at the prospect of such a book, "A book on supernatural? Like ghost stories and vampires and such?" She inquired curiously. Clara let out a sigh and shook her head, "I wish you had as much an interest in science as you do in then things otherworldly." She commented in dismay. "What is wrong with liking vampires?" Amanda inquired curiously, "I think the idea is romantic. I read Dracula three times." She imagined the feeling of teeth on her neck and let out a shivered giggle. Maria eyed her friend, "You are blushing Amanda." She stated with a grin, "What naughty things are you thinking of?" Amanda covered her face in embarrassment, "Nothing." She declared. "Will you girls please be serious for a moment!" Clara demanded, "There is a mob about to rip this house apart and you are giggling about Vampires and who knows what el-" A tentacle suddenly shot passed Clara's head, causing the woman to duck. It moved two shelves up and across before pulling out a large black book which it handed to Clara, "Uhhh... thank you..." She took the book from the creature as it went back to reading. "Thank you Oscar." Amanda smiled at the creature before rushing over to find out what was so interesting about this book. Clara set the book down on a desk and opened it; "I remember there was something in here on mystical books and their nature. Some have the power to control the reader and use them for their own gain." "It thought you said you did not read this book?" Jamie inquired as she sat on the desk next to the book, which was bigger then her teddy bear form. "I skimmed it on the way home from the University." Clara explained, "Ah! Here we go. The Cursed Grimoires." "The Grimoire?" Anita startled, "You found a Grimoire?" She asked Jamie. "I do not know." Jamie replied with a shrug. "How do you know of such a book?" Maria asked the maid with intense interest, "You never mentioned such a book before." "I think one of the servants mentioned it." Anita explained uneasily, "Mr. Hillson, he always loved to tell us tales at night, remember, my lady?" "Yeah," Maria nodded, "I always enjoyed his ghost stories." "Which is why I had him dismissed." Clara declared gratefully, "That man should not have been putting unwanted thoughts in my daughter's head." "So what does the book say about this Grimoire?" Jamie inquired anxious to learn more. Clara skimmed the text, "There seems to be several scattered through the world and yet only three have the power to control the mind of a user. One makes the reader believe they are being granted their greatest desires. This must be the one we are looking for. According to this we need to find the book and toss it into the void that it created." She stated satisfied with her findings. "That is simple." Jamie remarked sarcastically, "We just have to convince that angry mob to let us by and we are home free." ***** Alex burst out of the hedge maze directly in front of the main gate, "We made it!!" She exclaimed triumphantly, "To think Father always said that playing in the mazes was a waste of time." "I thought we were never going to get out of there." Alice panted trying to catch her breath. "Well, we now know what happened to Miss. Ansurez." Alison commented, thinking back to the dead body of their nanny that they stumbled across in the maze, "It looks like she was ripped apart by wolfs." Alison giggled remembering the stated of the woman's body. Both of her arms had been violently torn off and the skin was missing from half her face "We have no time for this, Sis." Alexandria yelled at her sister, "Hordes of dead people and animated topiaries are after us and you have to stop to poke at a dead body." "I cannot help myself." Alison shot back, "Anyway, you were the one who encouraged my interest in dismemberment when I was little. It is not my fault!" "Lady Alexandria, Lady Alison." Alice stepped between the twins, "We can't fight. We need to get out of here before those things find us." "To late!" Cecil came out of the maze at that moment, "I've already found you." His right arm had been ripped off at the elbow and part of his chest had been torn open, however that did not seem to stop the boy from rushing at the girls, "How dare you just leave me to die in that graveyard." He screamed as he reached out for Alice. "Do not interrupt!" Alison shrieked as she pulled out her knife from her dress belt and lunged at the boy. With one swift movement she jammed the blade deep into Cecil's eye and shoved him to the ground, "Leave - Us - Alone!!!" She slammed his head into the cobble stone driveway, the moment his head connected with the driveway Alison twisted the blade in the boy's socket and ripped it out. She got to her feet and grinned at her sister, "I did it!!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Not quiet..." Cecil grabbed Alison by the foot and glared up at her, "I remember you now. I remember the feeling of your knife slicing through my throat and the blood trickling down my neck." Alice found herself to stunned to move as Cecil pulled himself to his feet and grabbed her knife hand, "Let us see how you enjoy your blood spilling across the ground at your feet." Alice spotted a garden rack near the hedge maze. She grabbed it and swung at her cousin, "Let her go!!" The rack's iron teeth bite into Cecil's back causing the boy to wail out in pain and fall onto his back, impaling the tool deeper into his flesh, "Come on!" Alice grabbed Alison by the hand and started for the main gates, Alexandra right at her side her. "I do not think that stopped him." Alexandria remarked as they ran down the winding dirt road. "Maybe my Aunt knows what to do." Alice suggested, "She did create that stuff after all." "That is what I figured." Alex replied, "Let us hope she is willing to put an end to this madness." **** To be continued...
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