Free Cadaver Island by Pro Se Press Page A

reaches you and all is well. I wish I
could be with you during your trial. Tell your lawyer that he’ll be
amply rewarded if he can somehow save you from the guillotine! And
yes, my love, I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life
with you when we’re reunited. Stay safe and please send a response
with Stanley! I love you, my darling.
    Faithfully
yours,
    Princess Angelique
Bosc
     
    Angelique pushed the chair
away from the desk, straightened her legs, and turned to leave the
room. She used her free hand to wipe moisture from the corners of
her eyes and cheeks. Dr. Stine and Razor followed her as she
strolled through the foyer, stepped onto the front porch, and
opened the screened door. They gathered on the front lawn. Stanley
flapped his wings and hovered in the air. Angelique folded the
piece of paper into thirds and handed it to Stanley. He hooted and
seized the message with his left talon.
    “ Please take the note to
Zachary. And be safe during your journey!” she said.
    “ And search for some oil
supplement tablets while you’re away, Stanley. Razor is beginning
to develop a mild case of rust,” Dr. Stine said. Razor moved his
front legs back and forth, which allowed everyone to hear a harsh,
grinding sound.
    Stanley’s wide, yellow eyes
blinked. He ruffled his white feathers and hooted at them, which
they knew was his attempt to say goodbye. Then he soared beyond the
overlapping limbs of two dogwood trees and vanished from
view.
    “ It’s time for us to visit
the town of Blanton and obtain holy water from a cathedral. It’s a
huge church. It stands on top of a tall hill and overlooks the
town. After we stock up on holy water, we’ll take a few shortcuts
to Xavier’s castle,” Dr. Stine said.
    “ Why do we need holy
water?” Angelique asked. She patted Razor on his head.
    “ We’ll need it to survive
Polinus’ labyrinth. Polinus is a creature of the undead, a huge
vampire bat, who is strong enough to survive in direct sunlight.
Once we reach the peaks of Mount Zahn, we’ll be forced to travel
through the labyrinth to get to The Cursed Sea. Xavier’s castle is
on Cadaver Island, near the coastline,” Dr. Stine said.
    Their conversation ended
abruptly when they heard people scream. Dr. Stine stepped toward
the road and peered around the bulk of an oak tree. He watched a
middle-aged man and a young woman hold hands and run together
across the dirt road. The man’s sweaty, black hair, boasting
streaks of gray in his sideburns, clung to his forehead and face. A
long ponytail of blonde hair dangled from the woman’s scalp and
swung back and forth. The man wore a blue-and-green, flannel shirt,
blue overalls, and brown work boots. The woman’s long, green dress,
which draped to the middle of her shins, exhibited a long gash down
the right side. A layer of dust covered her bare feet.
    “ Find shelter, Sarah! I’ll
keep them busy!” the man yelled.
    “ No! I won’t let you
sacrifice yourself for me!” Sarah said.
    The man and Sarah listened
to chains rattle and rats squeak. Two large oafs lumbered from
behind a steep hill. They wore metal collars and tugged on long,
massive chains with their green, bloated hands. The oaf on the left
wore a black, pinstriped suit, a bloodstained, white shirt, and
black dress shoes. The oaf on the left was naked. A Y-shaped
incision, which he’d received during an autopsy, spanned his upper
torso. Both of the oafs scanned their surroundings constantly. They
watched Sarah bolt into the woods while the man lunged into a
sprint.
    A Roman-style chariot
rolled around the corner as the oafs grunted and pulled the chains.
Rats and mice flowed over the edge of the chariot and swarmed
across the dirt road. A tall skeleton, who wore a red, silk robe,
stood in the center of the chariot and held the oafs’ chains in his
bony hands. Dr. Stine estimated that the priest stood at least
twenty feet high. The red robe draped across the back of the
chariot and stretched behind the