8 - Into The Castle

It sounded like an echo, as if it was in a canal or something; somewhere hollow and damp.

Asher wondered at what part of the castle he was in. He hoped desperately he hadn’t found a way into the dungeon. It was a frightening thought.

He took a step forward and another step. The next step made him gasp as it sent him stumbling down farther into the dark and he fell on wet ground. He groaned, the pain shooting up the arm that he’d landed on. His legs were also twisted and his head started throbbing.

Asher fixed himself up, untangling his body. His clothes were now lightly soaked but at least it wasn’t as bad as the rain outside.

The fall had surprised him, but realized that it was only a few steps of stairs that he’d tripped himself on.

Asher felt dirt on his face. He’d already had a shower that morning and hated the feeling of dirt on his skin. This was getting frustrating, but Asher didn’t want to go back into his negative thoughts and just kept moving forward.

The walls were narrowing, he could feel as both of his arms were outstretched to his sides. The walls were also wet and he felt his fingers running over dirt and mold, as well as cobwebs and other sorts.

The ground turned a little uneven. More stairs? Must be a stairwell...

He didn’t know much about castles and actually had never been in one. He chuckled to himself. This was the first time he’d ever been in a castle before, he realized. It gave him a satisfying feeling.

He also turned out to be right about the stairwell. The walls spiraled, as well the ground turned into steps, bumpy and uneven, not at all like a normal stairway. It led him down and continued in that one direction. He could only guess what was inside the towers and rooms on the upper levels, but he was going down to the lower levels and had no idea what was in store for himself.

The smell grew stronger and it worsened. Asher made a sour face. He did not like this one bit and hoped that this was the worst it could get, though doubted it. Deeper inside, in the heart of the castle, there must be something that was creating the horrible stench.

He thought of the missing people again. There was a very good chance that they were the cause of the smell.

Dead bodies.

Goosebumps ran down his arm. It didn’t help that his clothes were dampened already either. He slid off his coat and sighed. It was his only one and one of his favorite articles of clothing. It would be a shame to just leave it, but it was already pretty much ruined.

“No time to be a spoiled brat,” he muttered to himself. But he just couldn’t help biting down on his lip and then came to the decision of keeping it with him. He held it in one arm. It would be useful if it got cold, not that a wet coat would help.

His foot landed finally on solid even ground and this being so, he guessed there would be no further steps.

He couldn’t help but to take a breath in. The smell came through his nose. It hadn’t worsened at all. In fact, the horrible smell was actually almost blocked out by a different kind of smell; more natural and earthy.