Chained in the Demon's Lair (Hellfire Circus) Read Free Page B

group.
     
    ***
     
    “ But why?” Baptiste asked, “Why the hell
would he do that? Doesn’t he think he’s strong enough to take
Samuel alone? I don’t understand why he’d have to blow up this
whole silo and half the desert along with it.”
    Cassandra snorted with humorless laughter and
looked up at him. Her face was streaked with mascara from her
tears. She looked like she’d been through hell and back.
    “Why?” she said, “why not? Because he can,
that’s why, because he was here at all. That’s who you’re dealing
with, a being for whom nothing is too much and no feat of
destruction is ever enough. Why? Why no more than to amuse himself,
that’s why.”
    Over in the corner, Francois got done with
unlocking Julie’s chains.
    “Thanks,” she whispered to him and he
squeezed her arm briefly before walking back to the others.
    “Can you stop it?” he asked.
    “What?” Cassandra said.
    “You’ve been here with that demon from the
beginning, did you see how he activated the missiles? Do you think
you could override the system?”
    “I… I don’t know.”
    “Well you better try,” Baptiste said,
“because time’s running out and I’ve got a feeling Samuel could
really use my help up there.”
    “Samuel!” Cassandra exclaimed, “Is he
alright?”
    “What do you care?”
    Cassandra lowered her head again. “I
care,” she said. “Just tell him that I’m sorry.”
    “If I get a chance I will,” Baptiste said,
“now stop feeling sorry for yourself and stand up. Go down to that
mainframe room and try to undo what Mephistopheles started before
this whole place blows sky-high.” He beckoned to the others. “Come
on, we’ve got to get up there before that creep turns Samuel into
dog-food.”
    Julie stood up and ran to his side and, as
she passed her, Cassandra reached up and snatched her wrist. “Here
she said, “take my jacket and boots. I won’t need them
anymore.”
    “Thank you,” Julie replied, taking the
garments and putting them on.
    “Come on!” Baptiste commanded, “we don’t have
much time.”
    As he and Julie ran to the steel staircase
that led back to the mainframe room and on to the elevators out of
the silo, Francois paused. He placed his hand on Cassandra’s
shoulder.
    “I’m staying here,” he said, “maybe I can
help. Maybe we’ll see you on the other side.”
    Julie glanced back with vital emotion but
Baptiste snatched her wrist and led her away. They were nearly out
of time.
     
    ***
     
    “Why did you do it?” Francois asked as he
fondled Cassandra’s cheek, “my sweet Cassandra, why?”
    He waited for his friend to collect
herself as he stood by her side. He had known Cassandra for many,
many years and though she had always been volatile, even given to
spite when she felt she’d been bested, she had never been an evil
woman. Whatever it was that had made her betray the circus that she
loved and the people who occupied it, it must have been something
big.
    “Francois,” she whispered finally, “I did
something terrible. In Chicago, the night of the storm, when the
circus was down…”
    “I remember.”
    “There was a boy. An accident. Things got out
of control and a young man died. I killed him Francois and by the
time I realized what I’d done it was too late to take back.”
    Francois held his tongue. Grim-faced, he
continued to caress the cheek of his old friend. She was beyond his
judgment now, she knew that herself. All he could do was comfort
her.
    “He told me he could undo it,” Cassandra
said, “Mephistopheles, he told me he could bring the boy back to
life. I felt so guilty Francois, I would have done anything to
reverse what I’d done.”
    As he stroked her temple, Cassandra collapsed
into tears again. She had done wrong but now maybe she had a chance
in some small way to redeem herself.
    “Come,” Francois said, “take me to the
mainframe room. Let’s try to stop this mess from getting any
worse.”
     
    ***
     
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