"MINOTAUR, ONLY IN WHITE BONES!!!" Running as hard as they could the torch in Nigel's hand blew out. But before it did he caught a glimpse of an entrance to their right. They ran through it and stopped, noticing that that the loud thuds had stopped as well.
"Why does it stop chasing us after a while?" Angel asked, panting from the sprinting, her hand that was up to her breast feeling the beat of her panicking heart.
"I think it’s trying to scare us and keep us running," Nigel replied taking deep drags of air while wiping the sweat off of his forehead.
Suddenly Angel's mind lighted with thought, "So we won't have the proper time to concentrate on the maze? Nigel we have to kill it."
"But how?"
"Use your guns. It's bones. If we don't it will keep us on the run till the full day is out. Then we will be sorry."
Nigel added, "Do you know something. When we took our first turn, when we first collided with it, it stopped chasing us. The corridor it was in grew dense with darkness at that point."
"When it is able to pick up the torch light it charges on us…" Angel picked up the torch from Nigel's arms and gave it a look. She then placed it vertically on the floor. She rubbed it in between her hands, making it turn against the ground, attempting to incite enough friction to light it again. However it turned for a complete minute with no avail. Angel quickened the rubbing but gradually became frustrated by her failure. She picked up the torch and smashed it on the grounds. It smacked against something that vibrated on the grounds nearby. Angel picked it up and felt it in the darkness.
"What is it Angel?"
"Its some sort of big gun," as Angel felt it more she commented, "Of a very peculiar type. It has only one barrel."
"Angel it could be possibly a flare gun! Shoot it in the direction we came from!"
"Who on earth would leave a flare gun behind," she asked as she aimed it in the thick darkness ahead."
"Didn't you hear the wise guy in the temple? We aren't the only visitor's to this hell hole."
The gun went off between the walls right behind the entrance they were standing in sending its echoes ringing in the premises. The flare rocketed through the corridor and sent spectrums of brilliance, lighting Minotaur that was a distance away and the entire area around. Within seconds the bright shell smashed into a wall but remained luminous for a while.
"He's coming towards us Nigel."
Nigel pumped his shotgun and aimed straight at the charging creature, its powerful white sprinting legs filling the atmosphere about with awesome thudding. His aim picked up the quick beastly paces of his enemy for a moments time then he fired a round succeeding in striking the spinal cord of his assailant. The flare lost its glow simultaneously surrendering the premises to darkness once again. The firing and commotion stirred boisterous motions a small distance off towards the core of the maze. Nigel looked towards the core then looked towards the entrance, guessing from the noise, that the creature was bucking about wounded between the walls. Lava like tongues shot out from the core of the maze and began falling around them. Angel and Nigel jumped back a distance as the flames struck the place they were just standing in. The tongues lit the torch on the ground again to their content. Nigel ran back up, picked it up and watched what was left of Minotaur still bucking madly between the walls. The round had succeeded in breaking the creature in two halves. He ran back to where Angel was standing, both their eyes bouncing between the hell that broke loose to their right and the bucking beast, lest it run towards them. Nigel fired one more round at its bull part crippling it to the ground. It disappeared into dust, leaving its upper body's arms thrashing helplessly. A third round on its skull silenced its action for good. The core thrashed about madly again sending more enraged flames into the air targeting where they were standing. Angel and Nigel ran back through the entrance and stood helpless between choosing to go right and left. They chose to go right and ran down the hallway to find a right turn and another entrance. They ran through the entrance and took a nearby left turn which led them to a dead end.
Angel stopped, torn apart by panic and fear. To their luck the fire stopped its attack on them. However she collapsed in her place crying her frustration away and banging the grounds underneath with her fists. "Nigel I can't take this anymore…"She choked with pressure and cried helplessly like a child.
Although helpless himself, he walked up to her and hugged her warmly. "Don't worry dear. It’s going to be all right."
Angel replied sobbing, "How do you want me to calm down when this thing is chasing us away from corner to corner."
"It is enraged because we just destroyed its scare crow."
Suddenly she leaned back from his embrace and looked at him, her silhouette dancing within the torches light. "Do you really think so?"
"It's frustrated because we won a round in the battle. Now all what we have to do is concentrate enough to follow our trail back again."
Angel felt a bit relaxed and comforted. Nigel was saying the truth. She had to trust him and maintain the proper self confidence. They were smart enough for the feat. They were still alive despite that vicious creature's attacks.
Nigel smiled back as he saw her face light with self confidence again. "Come on sweetheart. We have some work to do. I think we ought to go back and start the maze from where the creature scared us away. It could have been diverting us away from the proper way."
As they walked back down the hallway Nigel added, "Do you know what I think as well. We were so close to finding our way out only moments ago. That beast's sounds were so near to us."
Nigel led Angel through the turn they took moments ago and walked past the entrance they ignored. Deep inside he was praying that he was taking the proper paths they had taken earlier for both of their sake. They went through so many entrances and hallways that tracing and remember their exact steps was a challenging job. But somehow an inner instinct told him that he was on the correct path so far. Within moments a left entrance appeared, which he guessed was where they fired the flare. He explained accordingly to Angel, "See this is where you fired the flare, remember?"
Angel nodded with confidence, "Yes, I remember."
"Hopefully I've got it right," He thought or she is going to collapse. "Please Lord enlighten my mind," he prayed.
As their footsteps took them further down the hallways, another entrance came up. He gulped hard as his memory ceased at that point. He knew that in reality their wild running short moments ago made it impossible to guarantee anything for them at all. But as they approached the entrance and as he lit it the other entrance came into focus. The double entrance instantly refreshed his mind and he remembered. "Follow me Angel," He commanded with certainty as he led the way past the entrances.
A dead end to their right made them take the left and they walked slowly down the hallway. The boney liter on the grounds made him smile with comfort.
"Nigel I think we've got it at last." She caressed him warmly with her left hand as they both cautiously marched down the hallway, taking a left turn. Eventually they reached the T junction again that was marked with the skeletal remains. They stopped for a while attempting to relax after their plight.
"Nigel I have a feeling that those scriptures are here somewhere." She looked at him assuring, "I just can feel it." Before he could reply, suddenly her back chilled. Her body released a couple of shudders as she saw the apparition standing a small distance off staring straight at her. She gasped as she studied its face and silhouette; a person that she felt was very familiar to her. The walls around her all transformed into a neat hallway filled with glyphs and paintings. The apparition walked a distance gesturing Angel to follow her.
"Angel what is it…why where you shivering and where are you going?"
Angel said nothing but walked straight up ahead. Nigel walked after her, filling his shotgun with rounds, "Angel wait for a second…talk to me!"
The boney liter on the grounds were double that in the other corridor telling Nigel that they were walking into big trouble. "Angel…Angel…" He kept calling her and waving his hand in front of her eyes, but she was out of his world. The apparition kept guiding her till she reached a closed entrance.
"This is your path your majesty." The apparition said in ancient Egyptian. "Don't go any other way."
"How do I open it?"
Nigel interrupted, his eyes bouncing between up ahead and Angel, whom was besides him, "Are you talking to me? Who are you talking to?"
"Be brave and do as the glyphs say," the apparition knelt in worship to angel then vanished.
The beautiful corridors disappeared instantly and the rough rocky walls and grounds came back to her. Both stood silent for a while then screamed with terror as they saw the path behind them they had just crossed. Both their eyes opened wide as they saw the deep void space in the grounds with lethal arrows pointing upwards towards its bottom.
Nigel yelled out loud, "HOW THE HELL DID WE CROSS THAT!!!"
Angel's heart was pumping wildly from the shock as she barely made out, "It was one of my servants from my other life."
"What do you mean? For a long while you were out of this world. What did you see?"
"I was in one of the hallways in a palace and…Oh my goodness, I just feel I know her closely; she just guided me to this entrance and told me to follow the directions of the glyphs to open it. She guided us to safety."
After a brief pause Nigel replied, "Believe me I'm thankful for that." Nigel made out the glyphs on the entrance door. They read, "Feed the gate with the blood of Ramses's kin and it will open its hellish doors."
To its side was a small rocky bowl protruding outwards. Nigel looked at Angel whom softly said but with fear, "I believe that would be me." She stretched out her hand and asked, "You still have that knife?"
Nigel boiled with anger at the thought of him cutting Angel's hand. He aimed his shotgun at the gate and fired two rounds. The atmosphere rocked with fire power but the gate that was made out of iron stood as strongly as it was before. He screamed, "DAM YOU AND YOUR WICKEDNESS…I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES, DO HEAR ME!!!" He beat the door with his fists and kicked it repeatedly till Angel ran up to him and hugged him saying. "Nigel just do it sweetheart. I will be fine. I promise you." She looked him in the face and wiped his tears away with her hand, "I promise you. Let's do what the apparition asked us to do. She was good enough to help us cross the deadly trap down there."
Nigel took in a deep breath and settled down to reality. There was no way around this obstacle. He took the knife out of his pocket. He grabbed Angel's hand and brought the knife to it. The supreme pain ravaged Angel as the knife cut her flesh; she released a load screech and bit the shirt's sleeve of her other arm. Nigel tried not to make the wound deep so he would avoid the need for stitches. As soon as the blood gushed out she moved her hand above the bowl, crying and gasping from the cutting. The blood trickled from her hand on the rocky container for a moment's time while Nigel tore a piece of material from his shirt's sleeve and wrapped Angel's hand with it. He pressed the wound for a moment's time succeeding in making the bleeding cease. A minute passed before the gate began sliding to the right. As they entered the corridor a series of torches that hung on its walls became alight suddenly. The same angry beastly voice that threatened them at the beginning of their quest shook the premises once more and announced, "YOU'RE BRAVERY IS NOTABLE BUT YOU WILL NEVER STAND ANY FURTHER!!!"
Both treaded down the corridor in each other's embrace, till they reached another entrance. They passed through it and noted another one at the far end of the new corridor. The heat began to intensify as they walked down the twisting lengthy corridors and entrances; the second level leading to the third. Finally as they crossed the fourth corridor and headed towards the fourth entrance something made them halt their advance. A series of splashes sounded from the core of the maze and flying big tongues of lava headed straight towards them. They both took a mad dash towards the entrance in front of them as the tongues of lava splashed on the rocky grounds behind them. Lost for a moment's time from the attack they didn't realize it at first. They were finally in front of it. A huge rectangular room with wild splashing echoing inside of it. As they stood awed from the boisterous noise the splashing gradually died down. Tranquility spread all over the premises. They studied it cautiously, their instincts telling them that something was coming their way.
Angel's eyes radiated with warmth and passion as she saw him step outside of the entrance. He smiled at her and opened his arms. Nigel looked in surprise as Angel walked towards him. He grabbed her back and ordered, "Nigel who is he?"
"That is my father Nigel."
"No your father is dead. Angel wake up!"
Angel pushed Nigel away and began walking briskly towards the smiling figure. "Angel come back!!!" he screamed but she was nowhere to heed his orders. The thirty three feet that separated her from the figure came to an end as she hugged her father warmly and cried, "I missed you!"
Nigel ran after her terrified from what was happening. He screamed, "Angel back away! You buried your father a year ago! Back away!"
Within seconds the warm embrace of her father began turning into coldness. A foul smell began filling the atmosphere around her. She tried to back away but she felt her arms stuck to what instantly came to her senses as a bulky but sticky disgusting presence. She felt it lifting her above the grounds, her feet kicking with no safety underneath. She looked up at the skeletal face that was covered with scores of human eyes that were moving with life. She bitterly screamed as she discovered there were no eyes in the boney sockets that were starring at her. Her screaming quickly turned to high screeching as she saw through the sockets to his brainy flesh. His back side felt sticky and fleshy but contrasting to this gruesome reality and as he pressed her against his front side it felt all boney hard; a truly macabre fleshy remnant of a beast that made her blood curdle with terror she had never witnessed before. Some muscle that was still tied to his jaws retracted as he spoke to her with his beastly voice, "You are mine to keep. I will grow more complete and strong with your fleshy parts and eyes."
Her heart began pounding with the terror that tore her soul apart. She wailed, "HELP ME!!! NIGEL HELP ME!!!" Her wailing filled the maze as she pleaded and begged for mercy.
Nigel stood awed a few feet away by the seven foot monster. Its cross of bones and flesh made him want to throw up. It was the shape of a yeti and covered entirely with human eyes from head to toe. As it was dragging Angel inside the core of the maze he ran up to it and dipped his knife into its back. The beast yelled with pain as he dragged the knife downwards making a big tear. Nigel yelled with fear as flesh tearing filled the atmosphere. It managed to grab him with its powerful hands and throw him a distance back. It released Angel as it thrashed about trying to reach out for the knife that was dipped in its back but to no avail. Nigel took a dash towards it as Angel backed away terrified from her encounter. The monster clubbed both its hands together and hurled them downwards towards Nigel’s head but he grabbed his arms and stopped him. Nigel yelled repeatedly with hysteria as he fought against the monsters clubbed hands, his hands firming around sheer muscle and bone. He finally gave him a powerful kick and made him wobble back inside the rectangular room. Scores of eyes fell down from his body and filled the grounds as it knelt down on its knees weak from the stab. Nigel aimed his shotgun and released a long series of rounds tearing him to shreds. The scorching lethal rounds severed his head, an arm and a leg off of his body.
The monster's blood drained silently towards the room. Angel and Nigel carefully and slowly approached him and watched his carcass lay lifeless on the floor. He was truly one ugly creature.
Nigel's eyes radiated with disgust and fear as he asked, "What is this thing?"
"He needed me to grow more complete and to strengthen his sight. Great heavens look at his incomplete body."
"Now I know where the body parts of all those people were going."
"Do you mean he was gluing their body parts to his…"
"So he can live once more. You would have met the same fate." Nigel shivered at the thoughts, "Saving you was one big miracle darling."
"Nigel what does this all mean. Why is this all happening?"
"Remember the old man's words in that timeless Egyptian desert." Nigel hugged Angel and said, "It shall soon end. Let's go into that room and see if it truly contains the scriptures."
They entered the beast's den. It was a void empty room. Nigel guessed it was about five hundred square feet in size, totally void aside from a stream of streaming hot lava running in a narrow channel to their left. The room boiled from the intense heat that ran through it. To their right was a small podium with a big role of papyrus on it. They slowly walked towards it, looking around cautiously for any unexpected surprises. Finally Angel grabbed the scrolls with her hands and began crying. She broke down like a child and cried unbelieving that they were finally between her hands. Nigel hugged her and left her to cry her frustrations away.
"Finally Nigel. We have successfully completed it. Finally our adventure is over."
"NOT YET PATHETIC WOMAN!!!"
Angel looked up, "What do you mean?...NIGEL LOOK OUT!!!"
A vicious roar filled the void room and sent echoes within its spacious walls. Nigel pumped his shot gun and turned around but was paralyzed with fear at what he saw. The monster was dragging himself on the floor heading towards them. It said mockingly, "Let us see you stop the war in Sinai!!! If Ramses thinks his pathetic army of mummies can stand in our way he is wrong. How can you stop an army that counts as much as there is sand in the deserts of the world."
Nigel said challenging, "With this scriptures we can!"
"If you can leave here alive?"
The monster stood up on his other leg and raised his hands in the air. The Lava in the channel rose with the action of his hand and began quickly spreading on all the walls and floor of the room. The scorching material twitched and danced in the coolness of the air.
"You will melt in seconds. I promise you."
"QUICKLY READ THE SCROLLS ANGEL!!!"
Angel panicked and opened the scrolls. She read out loud as the molten material gushed towards them, "Sands of time from every path and trend, voyaging through time with no end, take us to Sinai…"
Angel and Nigel screamed as they saw the lava cave in on them…
*****
SATURDAY, 20TH AUGUST 1960, 5:30 AFTERNOON
Twenty clergy from the Baptist, Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths with three priests from the Catholic, Melkite Catholic, and Orthodox faiths were gathered in the Greek Orthodox Church on the summit of Mount Sinai. Before beginning the mass that was due to be in progress at exactly six in the evening, Father George, Father Paul and Father John stood silently in the midst of the Royal Doors of the iconostasis, with their service robes on, and read the statement that was drafted by the quickly adjourned synod two days earlier between all the Christian faiths in the globe. Father John was to begin by reading a third of the letter while Father George and Father Paul would complete the latter two thirds.
Father John began:
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost Amen.
From the Universal Christian Synod that was held with the full participation of all the spiritual leaderships of Christianity on Thursday 18th of August 1960, to all our clergy and faithful parishes; may the blessing of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior be with you always.
It has regretfully come to the attention of all the spiritual leaderships of our Christian faith, and the spiritual leaderships of our brethren from the Jewish and Moslem Faiths as well, strange occurrences that are too serious of a nature to keep a secret from our parishes. Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories have reported what seems as the signs of a cult in progress and what looks as if aspiring to spread and capture a domain in our world. A number of brave hearted soldiers in all four nations have perished or were wounded in their attempt to fight its evil away from humanity. As we speak and prepare our unsurpassed universal mass which will take place with the prayers of our brethren from the other monotheistic faiths, a very sinister fight will be in progress soon in the Sinai Peninsula if our Lord doesn't deal with us through his kind heart again and maintain the well being of our globe once again.
Father George read: Perhaps you are asking as to why our God has allowed this to happen. Faithful brethren it is written in the Epistle of James in the New Testament (chapter 1, verses twelve to fifteen), "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted 'I am tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death."
We can only assume that the distances people and nations keep from prayers; also the crimes, the world wars of this century and devastations that were spurred by man's greed for money, power and influence have resulted in nothing more than compelling God to withdraw his pure blessings and Holy Ghost from our lives. Inferring accordingly we only hope and aspire that this is an admonishing from Him, willing by it to make his people combine in holy prayer, to bring back faith, good heartedness and love to our war struck world.
Father Paul read: Through the miraculous events given to us in the Old Testaments, and as what could be understood from the holy teachings of our Jewish and Moslem brethren, similar events have taken place, when God chose to discipline his people when acting against his will, and surrender them to their enemies or inflict punishment. Let us remember what is mentioned also in the Book of Proverbs, (chapter three, verses eleven and twelve) words which are also referred to in the Epistles of the disciples in the New Testament, "My son, do not despise the Chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."
Therefore our leaderships have chosen to draft this message, a similar message being also drafted and read by all the monotheistic faiths to their believers, by which we beg and ask from all our Christians to fulfill the Lord's wishes for us to pray always and head to the nearest church regardless of their Christian sect, on Saturday 20th August, 1960 at Six in the evening promptly, and take part in communion and prayers that will be held. Jesus Christ promised that when there are two or more people gathered together in prayer, that He shall be amongst them, blessing them and their households. Come and join the world in its joint pleadings and prayer for the well being of our globe and lives, for God shall be amongst us if we come with faith and love in our hearts.
Father John announced, "Till six there will be a few minutes of meditation in the church."
All three priests afterwards headed into the alter to prepare the bread of the Holy Sacrament while the Byzantine choir began chanting hymns. Suddenly grey clouds dimmed the sunset above, leaving the church in a dark atmosphere, with only the light provided by the dancing candle flames to light the inside of the holy structure. As the prayers of the faithful filled the premises lightning and thunder started, leaving strong echoes behind, the sudden winds shaking the old glass of the church; but the storm only succeeding in compelling the gathered faithful to pray more fervently to their Lord. They all, within their hearts, knew that he was there and will never forsake them. But as the Bible said through the teachings of the disciples, in the New Testament Epistle to Galatians, "But when the fullness of the time had come , God sent forth His Son , born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."
Father John smiled as he prayed and cut the pieces of bread, and placed them in the holy plate while his other colleagues stood around the alter and prayed silently, "God for sure prepared times for his plans to his beloved. He will never forsake us." He was a father for three children himself. He knows that no matter how many times his children did the wrong things he always forgave them and directed them into the right path. How so accordingly is the great father of the heavens and universe? All they had to do was trust in him. The Lord promised in the Bible that even if a mother did the impossible and forgot to feed her children, that he will never forget us.
Suddenly loud metal clattering began sounding from the outside. Father John left the small table he was using for the sacrament and headed through the Royal Doors once again, "Faithful brethren. No matter what happens outside do not leave your seats and look. Stay as much as you can concentrated on prayer and meditation till mass starts. We are in a heavenly entity here and nothing can harm us while the Lord prevails."
The mass cried in unison, "Amen father!"
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