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When speaking to Carlos about what happened next, he had no trouble remembering it. He didn't have to think very hard to recall that night. It was apparent that what had taken place would always be easily retrievable from somewhere in the back of his mind.191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFUdoAcBdE
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The door squeaked a menacing hello, as Carlos pulled it open and stepped through. He placed his hands against his pockets, feeling the bottle in one and the vase in the other. They were both intact, and he intended to keep them that way. He took a long hard swallow, then disappeared up the hallway leading to the main ballroom.
He cautiously ambled up to the bar, stopping at the end closest to the door. Jesus! I've got to get out of here, he thought as he suddenly became aware of some giant, unseen force coming toward him. He turned and started to run down the hallway in an attempt to leave the building, but, before he reached the threshold, invisible hands slammed against his chest, blocking his escape from the bedeviled prison. Remembering the Gypsy woman's warning, Carlos forced a sheepish smile in an attempt to hide his fear from this unperceivable foe. He slowly backed toward the ballroom, trying to swallow the hard lump of fear stuck tightly in his throat until he finally found himself once more in the confines of the unlit ballroom.
He backed up against the end of the bar and felt a sense of aloneness overwhelming him for a brief moment, but, as he stood there staring straight ahead, the hall doors suddenly swung open, then slammed shut.
"Here we go again," he told himself as the glass-paneled doors began swinging violently to and fro. His instincts told him to run for all he was worth, but he knew the evil inside the building wasn't going to let him get away this time.
Carlos turned and headed into the Fiesta Court, but, just as soon as he stepped inside the area, some massive force wrapped its invisible arms around him, jerking him up and off the floor.
He began fighting, wildly swinging at the air as the entity squeezed him tighter, then lifted him higher into the air. He kicked, screamed, and flung his arms furiously, fighting back with all his might.
"The Holy Water!" he suddenly remembered as the demon violently swung his dangling body back and forth, as if he was nothing but a mere puppet suspended by a strong string. He quickly slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the bottle, unscrewing the lid as fast as he could. He raised the container out in front of his face and then splashed some of the liquid over his head, the Holy Water dousing the beast. The creature gave a blood-curdling howl, the high-pitched shriek echoing through the whole building as it released its grip.
Carlos fell to his feet and quickly spun around facing the menacing monster before him. There it was, right before his bulging eyes. Imagine a rabbit, but not as you know it. Gone is the fluffy white fur and twitching nose, replaced by scaly, hairless skin taut over a hulking frame. In place of floppy and cute ears are grotesque, oversized horns jutting out at unnatural angles. Its eyes, rather than being bright and innocent, were glowing embers burning with an otherworldly malice. The beast stood there, staring at Carlos, fangs like daggers protruding from its oversized, razor-sharp maw, dripping with an unknown, viscous liquid. Carlos raised the bottle of Holy Water high over his head, and, with one quick motion, he splashed more of the liquid onto the beast. As the Holy Water made contact with the monster's face, the behemoth let out another horrifying, breathtaking howl. Its flesh began falling from its head in wet, oozing chunks.
The monster continued growling and crying out in undeniable agony. Hunks of meat continued falling to the floor with a series of wet smacks as the creature raised a bony, skeletal finger, pointing it at Carlos and slowly backing away from the man.
"Woe unto thee, Christian!" it snarled in a terrifying, low, raspy whisper as it sucked itself into a large mirror that hung on the south wall of the Fiesta Court. At that instant, Carlos felt more frightened and alone than he had ever been his entire life.
Once the demon was gone, Carlos turned and searched the floor for the lid to seal the remaining Holy Water in the bottle. Spying the cap, he quickly bent down, grabbed it and screwed it back on.
He stood there totally silent, staring into the empty room, his heart pounding. His eyes were wide and bulging, his throat thick and dry. It was impossible to swallow the fear that was spreading in him like a raging fire in a dry pine tree forest. His heart still slamming back and forth like a pendulum against the inside wall of his chest, he timidly approached the front entrance, taking slow, careful steps.
As he neared the front door, another sound attacked his ears, a thunderous earthquake of crashing tables falling, left and right, like a giant plow digging furrows in an open field, followed by the metallic slam-bang of bar stools smashing against the hard, black linoleum floor.
Carlos whirled around, his eyes methodically searching the darkness, and he realized something huge, deadly, and imperceptible, without form or feature, was surging its way toward him.
Sweat beaded up on Carlos's brow, his thoughts racing like a runaway train. His heart was beating wildly against his ribs, pounding the blood through the tips of his fingers and toes.
Regaining his senses, he bolted for the entrance, slamming hard against the front doors, but they didn't budge. It was as if they had been welded shut. Carlos's chest tightened like a vise, and he sucked in huge gulps of air trying desperately to retrieve the breath that the barricade had savagely knocked out of him.
Carlos turned and raced back up the hall in a state of frenzy, rushing in the direction of the Fiesta Court opposite the ballroom. He crossed into the room and disappeared through the hall door that led to the Arcade.
Once inside the hallway, he shut the door and locked the sliding deadbolt firmly into the slot. An incessant pounding, like that of a heartbeat, grew loud and forceful as he stood in the darkened alcove. It sounded like a giant slamming his feet against the ground in a fit of rage. The walls and floor shook as the unseen thing made its way into the Fiesta Court and stopped just outside the locked door.
The door itself seemed to come to life as the entity inhaled and exhaled its breath against it, causing the wooden partition to bend in and out. As Carlos stood motionless, locked in an explosion of fear, three panels on his left suddenly sprung open from the wall, revealing hidden passageways behind their plush, tan padding. Confusion mounted as he quickly surveyed the dark recesses before him. Where did they lead? Was it another way into the tunnels? Did they lead to safety or sudden death?
The hall door began shaking violently and the deadbolt slammed open with the hammering force of a bolt-action rifle. There was no time to lose! Carlos knew the demonic creature was about to come through the door after him, so he crawled into the middle compartment and hid himself inside it.
The very moment he entered the waiting office, all three panels slammed shut, concealing their secret existence behind them and leaving Carlos swallowed up in the darkness of the lonely chamber. He hurriedly reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his penlight, surveying the pitch black of the small area. He realized there was no way out except the way he'd come in.
Carlos put his ear to the door. He couldn't hear any sounds and hoped this meant whatever was chasing him had decided to give up and go away. He put the penlight back in his pocket and pushed his hands against the panel, trying to ease it open just a crack, so he could take a peek just to make sure.
He pressed gently against the door, but it didn't budge. He pushed harder, but it still wouldn't move. He retrieved his penlight and searched the door jam for a latch of some sort, but couldn't see one. Panic, once again, began to well up inside him as he rammed his right shoulder against the stubborn board. Failing to get any response, Carlos spun around and kicked both feet repeatedly against the door, but to no avail. He was trapped!
"They tricked me! They wanted me to come in here!" he stammered. "Don't lose your cool, Carlos. You can get out of this."
He pressed the palms of his hands against his mouth, digging his fingernails into the sweaty flesh under his eyes while staring at the wall helplessly. What's next, he wondered quietly.
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