CHAPTER FIVE

(THE TOWER OF DOOM)

.

.

.

.

Stokes was still smiling with his head dipped inside the basin, he didn't even struggle or gasp for breath, with anger and strength he raised his head from the basin, the creature middle eye popped in surprised, it was still holding Stokes at the back of his neck.

Stokes looked at it with one deadly eye. The creature tried to tighten its grip around Stokes neck but Stokes didn't flinch, Stokes stared at it again with one eye, anger burning profusely inside of him, in a twinkle of an eye, Stokes ran his hands into the creature's middle eye removing the big eye ball from its socket, dark green liquid gushed out and splashed on Stokes face, the creature fell down flat on the ground shaking like a lizards tail that was cut from the main body.

Stokes dropped the eye ball and washed his face with the water in the basin, he walked straight to the opening,

"Where could they be holding Ruby hostage"

He thought as he looked down the emptiness beneath the mountains, nothing has changed.

Suddenly he heard sounds coming from inside the cave, thousands of the creatures were approaching speedily. He wanted to jump off the opening but remembered he may end up going home again, he wondered how many minutes as gone in the real world.

The creatures were closing in, he would have to fight maybe they would show him were Ruby is if he killed almost all of them. He took a combat stance, something he had never done in his life, this was like a visual reality game.

As the creatures drew nearer, he concentrated more. One versus one thousand, he thought. They didn't come one after the other like he expected, they pounced on him in groups and covered him, in a blink of the eye they all flew from his body, hitting their heads on rocks and smashing the upper roof of the cave.

He fought tirelessly, each creature took a single attack to meet its demise, it was either a kick, a blow or an elbow and knee finishing. Soon, he discovered that they weren't trying to kill him, they were trying to hold him and drag him towards the opening, four of the creatures held his arms, two at each side. He didn't attack any longer he wanted to see what they were up to. They dragged him towards the opening, immediately they reached the opening, the winged creatures which took Ruby away were there waiting for him, they received him from the normal creatures who left him in agreement. Stokes now figured that they were trying to take him to where Ruby was so he played along.

They flew high towards the peak of the mountain for almost thirty minutes. The mist was clearing little by little and a tower was starting to appear at the apex of the mountain, he could see the sky but beneath was still covered in white mist, no trees, no land or seas were on sight, the mist covered half of the mountain and the entire area around it, just how tall was the mountain Stokes thought.

The tower came into view; it was so big, just like normal skyscrapers, but imagine a skyscraper built on a mountain. It was really beyond comprehension. This isn't real Stokes murmured to himself.

As they got closer he started feeling so cold and was shivering, he warmed up himself by rubbing his palms together.

The winged creatures dropped him at the front of the tower and flew away immediately, he was surprised, he looked upwards the tower was so tall its roof were in the clouds. He looked around nothing but rocks, skulls of previous humans, bones and decayed bodies.

Stokes jumped in fright of a recently decaying man, the head had been removed, his intestines poured out of his stomach with billions of insects feeding on it, his legs looked broken, his hands smashed to pieces.

Stokes remembered something about the man, the discolored singlet was familiar and the big baggy Jean...

“Don!!!!!”

Stokes yelled holding his mouth with his two hands, “how did he get here?” Did they carry him from that cave all the way here just to let him rot.

The sight made Stokes nauseous, he quickly headed for the tower, there was nothing he could do, Don was gone.

When he got to the large door in front of the tower it opened on its own, suddenly thousands of bats flew outside, Stokes squatted immediately covering his head with his hands they flew out at high speed, soon they were all gone. Stokes stood up, he looked back and side ways to see if there were any dangerous presence around.

He went further into the tower taking each step carefully and cautiously, inside the tower was a very big hall like a ballroom, several stair cases were in sight, which led to different places of the tower, the roof of the hall was far above. The hall was lit but there wasn't any bulb or artificial light in sight. This place is filled with mysteries, Stokes murmured as he approached a staircase. Stokes climbed the stairs holding the rails; it vibrated and sounded echoing all of over the tower.

The rails was old and rusty, Stokes climbed the stairs without holding the rails again. At alert and cautiously he took each step upwards, when he got to the ending of the stairs.

They were two doors opposite each other, on each of the doors something was scribbled with a dagger. The first door was scribbled "DO NOT ENTER" while the opposite was written "FEEL FREE TO COME IN" Stokes was confused, he didn't know the one to enter.

If he entered the one with DO NOT ENTER will Ruby be there being held hostage or are they just trying to fool him, No answers came, without thinking twice Stokes pushed the door that was scribbled DO NOT ENTER.

As the door opened slowly, Stokes heart sank when he saw Ruby, she had her two hands tied together, the rope hanging from high above, Stokes couldn't see where the rope was tied to, beneath her was a pit filled with boiling hot larva, burning immensely.

Ruby opened her eyes when she heard the cracking of the door, tears trickled down her eyes when she saw Stokes standing at the door

"He came back"..........

To be continued