3. The Divine Parody: Act III Hell hath no Fury like a Woman Gluttonous

No one was saying a word for a while, even as we took the elevator down another floor. Cody’s outburst of anger came as quite a surprise not only to me, but apparently to everyone. His usual happy-go-lucky attitude had completely vanished. It was almost frightening. How could a person get that offended by only a few words, I wondered as I stared at the oddly placed vending machine in the elevator. Of course it was Cassandra who broke the silence in that very moment.

“So I guess we all learned something today,” she said sighing.

“Yes, that machine parts don’t make you a better person, but having none doesn’t save you from being a worse person either” I said and almost felt proud for saying something seemingly meaningful.

“That’s not exactly what I was talking about,” Cassandra said as she walked over to the vending machine while sifting through her pockets for change.

“A penny saved is a penny earned Cassandra. Do you really want to waste your money on this Hellevator vending machine?” Ichabod then successfully stopped her from purchasing a sugar flavored soda. Then everyone was quiet again.

And as the elevator gates opened, the pack of foxes was once again greeted by another strange person in a room identical to the one before. This time however, it was an actual vampire. A woman dressed in a long black coat and a face as pale as snow. In her right hand she was carrying a whip made of fine leather.

“This is getting boring. I feel like on every floor the same thing is going to happen,” Cassandra remarked.

“Be careful. It is a vampire we are dealing with now,” Vihaan then responded.

“I am called the Whipper and you fancy people shall face my punishment,” the vampire said in a way that could only be described as overacting. I assumed she wasn’t acting however.

“I am not fancy. Just well-mannered,” I said.

“Given your name, are you going to make us a nice dessert?” Yuki then asked. I was about to laugh but judging from Yuki’s facial expression, she seemed serious, so I kept myself from laughing out loud.

“No, and that is exactly your sin. Your bottomless gluttony. I am going to whip it out of you,” the Whipper said, while slowly walking towards us.

“Can’t you see the future? I suggest you use those powers now,” I pointed out.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Yuki answered.

“I believe the visions occur sporadically,” Shadowfox observed.

“Your visions are not going to help you, sporadic or not,” the Whipper said, raising her hand to make use of that whip. She couldn’t however get to the flogging, as Shadowfox was there to stop her. He forcefully grabbed her hand, preventing her from unleashing the whip’s fury. As surprising as this scene was, something else caught my attention right at that moment. Suddenly other vampires began to appear from behind those counters. There was no one waiting in line, so I assumed they must have been bored. But their intentions became clear quickly, and boredom didn’t seem to be the catalyst for their actions. They were preparing to attack us.

Alas the young master and his friends found themselves surrounded by fierce vampires, led by the fiercest of them all: The Whipper. Specialized not only in sucking people’s blood but also the torturous and diabolical art of scourging. By good fortune however, Vihaan Singh rose to the task and made all effort to apprehend the other vampires, being a seasoned vampire hunter and all that. His attacks were so effective that he managed to kill several of the beasts. Others scattered and prepared to flee, but Vihaan was quick to chase after them. Seemingly determined to not let any of them escape alive. As the young master was somehow more interested in this unfolding than the attempted scourging taking place right next to him, he was quick in his decision to follow Vihaan. The young master, being well known for making bad decisions, was in turn followed by Cassandra, who was worried about the severity of said bad decisions. Or perhaps just worried about the young master’s well-being. A notion she of course wouldn’t have admitted. They were following Vihaan through several doors, sinister passages, spooky hallways, endless corridors and down several rusty stairs. Through surreal galleries that seemed to defy the laws of nature themselves, wondering what eldritch horrors might be lurking behind the next corner. Only to finally find themselves in a place akin to an executive board room complete with a window front. Probably the most frightening place of them all.