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Chapter 6: Dark Demise
Zeke led the way through the dark mines of Thunder Mesa, using Madame Leota has a light source. He knew Melanie was wandering the mines somewhere. There were many different tunnels leading off and around the group.
"Which way do we go and how do we know if Melanie is going to believe us that her father is the Phantom?" asked Hilary.
"Hilary! What do I look like? A super computer?" snapped Zeke.
"This is no time for arguments!" screamed Madame Leota. "We must find Melanie and also escape those guys in the process!"
Zeke turned around and saw Hellhound, the knight and the two miners from the catacombs come running down the tunnel.
Zeke quickly grabbed Daisy and Hilary and loaded them into a mine cart, and dropped Madame Leota in beside them. Ezra and Zeke got behind the mine cart and started pushing it down a railroad. The two jumped in at the last moment. The mine cart went speeding down a track.
"Hang on!" cried Daisy.
"With what?" asked Madame Leota as the mine cart rocketed down a track.
Zeke looked behind them saw a pursuing mine cart that contained their chasers.
"We've got company!" he cried and everyone looked behind, except Daisy.
"Uh-oh!" she said.
"What?" asked Hilary and looked forward.
Ahead of them was a large cavern with a crazed railroad that contained loops and corkscrews. Madame Leota's green face turned a ghostly white.
"I think I wet myself!" she said.
The mine cart went on a rollercoaster of a ride, speeding around the cavern like a rocket. The pursuing mine cart was having a rough time. As Zeke's cart and the villains' cart dashed around a sharp turn, Zeke saw the two undead miners go flying out of the cart and disappeared into the darkness below, leaving their pickaxes behind. The two carts suddenly dropped down a sharp drop and the villains' cart collided with Zeke's cart, allowing Hellhound to leap across to attack. Zeke picked up a rock and lobbed it at Hellhound. It hit Hellhound on the snout, causing the dog to tumble back into his cart.
The two carts started travelling down a tunnel in a straight line, the two carts inches apart. Ezra suddenly appeared in front of Zeke, holding a lit stick of dynamite.
"Hey look what I found," Ezra said cheerfully.
"AHHHH! Get rid of it!" shouted Zeke and seizing the dynamite from Ezra, looked about for a safe place to throw it. He got his answer in Hellhound.
"Here boy, do you want this stick?" asked Zeke to Hellhound, who leapt up playfully, his green tongue hanging out. "Fetch!"
Zeke tossed the dynamite to the dog and he caught it. Hellhound chewed on it, then realised what it was, his ears drooping. The cart exploded and parts of the knight went flying in all directions, Hellhound exploded to pieces. The knight's helmet roll across the ground until it stopped.
"Oh, darn it!" he cried.
Now without a pursuer, Zeke slowed the mine cart to a slow pace until it halted completely. Ezra, Hilary and Daisy slowly stepped out of the mine cart, looking rather dizzy. Zeke unloaded Madame Leota into Ezra's arms, and saw that the gypsy's green eyes were spinning wildly.
"What a ride!" said Ezra. "Who's up for round two?"
The others stared at him overwhelmed with exhaustion. Then a faint and familiar melody sneaked into the ears of the five. It was low in tone and distance but it was lonely, sad and sounded like a melody that would be played at a burial march. Then it dawned on Zeke what the melody was coming from.
"Melanie!" he cried in alarm and completely becoming oblivious to his daughter and spiritual friends, he took off down the mine tunnel on foot.
"Dad, wait up!" cried Hilary and took off after her father, Daisy not far behind.
Madame Leota watched the man and two girls disappear into the shadows and looked up at Ezra who was staring dumbly at her.
"Move it, train boy!" commanded Madame Leota.
"Hi! Do you want a ticket?" asked Ezra.
"Were you born stupid?" asked Madame Leota, glaring unamused up at the zombie that held her.
"Er…" said Ezra, scratching his head with one hand.
"Dah! Ezra you're as dumb as a rock!" screamed Madame Leota, getting steamed.
"Oh, yeah! Metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary! Ha, those are the three types of rocks!" said Ezra.
"You don't start following them then I'll slap you silly!" hissed Madame Leota.
"Yes, ma'am!" whimpered Ezra and he took off after the others, not hearing Leota chuckle and say "Sucker!"
Melanie's beautiful but heartbreaking melody was much, much louder and Zeke entered a large catacomb full of shining crystals that were wedged in the floor, walls and ceiling of the cave. Hilary and Daisy caught up to Zeke and Ezra came about a minute later, with Madame Leota in his arms, panting heavily. Melanie's singing was quite clear and a harsh breeze of wind blew through the air.
Zeke then turned his head to the right and jumped out of his skin. Hilary looked around to see what her father had jumped at, and her mouth dropped. Pierced by some sharp crystals, radiating a bright supernatural glow, hovered the corpse of Melanie, a finger extended out to an exit. Zeke fell to his knees in despair.
"We're too late!" said Zeke.
"Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Yes, you are!" cackled an evil voice that boomed out of the cave walls, making the crystals imbedded in the rocks rattle.
Zeke with tearful eyes full of anger and hatred, stood up to face his foe: The Phantom. He watched as his undead ancestor emerged from the darkness, his eyes wild.
"You…" said Zeke coldly, causing the Phantom to look at him oddly. "You sick twisted little wretch! I'm gonna kill you!"
Zeke dashed at the Phantom like a fox attacking an unsuspecting chicken. The Phantom smirked and disappeared in a cloud of mist. Zeke didn't see this coming and failed to slow down and ended up the running into a wall. He heard the others cry "Oooh!" as he collided with the rock hard surface.
The Phantom reappeared, his eyes burning with the seven sins. Zeke finally managed to get a good look at the living nightmare that stood before him. The Phantom had a horrible disfigured, rotting face with leering burning eyes that was enough to make Superman turn coward. He was mostly bald, but had several small grey hairs visible on his greenish head. He wore a flowing purple cloak with a matching purple and red cape, both were shredded and torn. Visible underneath his cloak was a purple shirt with a pair of purple trousers to match, both shredded as well. He wore black gloves, a pair of dusty shoes, one of which had a hole in it, and a huge scar ran down the left cheek of the Phantom's face.
"You cannot kill what is already dead!" chortled the Phantom and produced a razor-sharp sword and stabbed Zeke in the chest.
Zeke did a double take, his eye watery. Blood flooded out of where the sword pierced his bloodstream.
"NO!" screamed Hilary.
All Hilary could do was watch her father tumble over, and not get back up, remaining motionless. Hilary fell to her knees and sobbed loudly. Daisy was in tears too and Ezra looked as horrified as his face. Madame Leota screamed something that sound like gibberish and suddenly levitated in midair and flew at the Phantom like a rocket-powered football. She cried something else that sounded like Latin and blasted a powerful green energy blast from her orb. The Phantom lifted his sword and somehow absorbed Leota's attack.
"You're next, gypsy," said the Phantom and with a swift slash off his sword, he ripped apart Madame Leota's crystal ball, shattering it to pieces, but Madame Leota had disappeared into thin air.
"Where'd she go?" cried Ezra.
"It does not matter! Melanie will soon be forever mine!" said the Phantom and he laughed maniacally, his dark shadow looming over Hilary, Daisy and Ezra.
To be continued…
Sorry for the very long delay. No character file in this chapter, as Henry Ravenswood's character will be revealed in an upcoming chapter.
Happy New Year!