The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Best Left Hidden
by K.R. Morrison

“You sure about this?”

Gunther squinted up through the dense forest at what little he could see of the morning sky. “This doesn’t seem like a place where such a big thing could be found.”

Wes sighed. “Well, of course it wouldn’t just be sitting out here like some sort of tourist attraction. It’s BURIED somewhere around here.”

The two men walked along in silence for some time. Their guides from nearby Deutschneudorf flanked them on either side, eyes and ears alert for wolves or any other predators. Humans were not on the top of the food chain in this part of Germany.

Wes stopped and pulled something from his jacket pocket; it was a piece of note paper with something wrapped inside.

Gunther peered at the item. “That’s the…?”

“Yes.”

The guides stopped as well, but didn’t come any closer. It was as if they’d left their curiosity at home that day. Wes did not need to worry about the possibility of them prying into his business.

He unwrapped the object and dropped it into Gunther’s outstretched hand.

It was a shard of amber, an object that had been sent to Wes by his Uncle Otto, along with the paper that Wes was currently reading.

“These are the GPS coordinates that Uncle Otto sent me.”

Wes checked his phone app. “We’re on it now. Where’s the shovel?”

They quickly unpacked the tools and dug. Within minutes, they found a hole in the ground, which was covered by a heavy iron lid.

“Hot damn!” Wes crowed, and together he and Wes pulled the cover up and off. In their enthusiasm, they did not see the guides back off slowly from the site and melt into the surrounding forest.

Soon they had lowered themselves into a vast cavern, which would have been a delight to explore if the bottom had not been covered with stagnant water. The stench itself was enough to make them almost rethink their plans.

“What the? Must have flooded since Otto was here.”

Gunther shined his flashlight around the ceiling. “I hope we don’t have to deal with bats.”

Wes suddenly clutched Gunther’s arm. “Wait! Go back!”

The light was now on a side tunnel, above the water and easily accessible. The men took off into it right away.

Two minutes later, they fell through a hole in the floor and slid into the place of their dreams.

The Amber Room! They had found it!

As they looked around in wonder, they became aware of the presence of someone else in the room—and it was not a pleasant feeling. Ice grew up their spines as they turned slowly around to face whatever it was.

But—it was only a man. Or, at least, he looked like a man in the light of the torch. The two explorers could not be sure—especially since it seemed he was hovering a good three inches or so above the golden floor.

After a moment, he spoke.

“Welcome, wanderers. I am Viktor. And how did you find my home?”

Gunther was petrified. Wes was less so, but he still couldn’t get his voice to work.

The man quirked an eyebrow. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Ummm…Ott…my uncle told us of where we could find the Amber Room.” Wes smiled weakly. “We had no idea someone was…er…living in it.”

He moved backwards a few steps. “Sorry to have bothered you. We’ll…just let ourselves out.”

Gunther nodded vehemently—the only motion he was able to do. Wes pulled him by the shoulder, and the frightened man was put to flight. He stumbled backwards, and the flashlight’s beacon flew off and around the room. In a matter of moments, its light was rendered unnecessary.

Torches suddenly flared from all over, lighting up the walls and ceiling with golden luminescence. However, this was no longer an attraction to the young men; their frightened gaze was on Viktor’s face.

Viktor quirked an eyebrow. “Just how far do you think you’d get?”

The predatory look in Viktor’s eyes was enough to stop their hearts.

The man then smiled—a small gesture, but enough for Wes and Gunther to see that not all was as it should be with his teeth. “I mean—it is getting on in the day, and surely you must know that your guides did not stay.”

The hair on Wes’s neck stood on end. “But…but…we paid them…”

“A superstitious lot.” Viktor paced back and forth, looking pensive. “I’m afraid they always leave. A pity. I should like to invite them to dinner in my palace.”

He stopped, then stared directly into Wes’s eyes. “Never mind. I seem to have dinner guests enough right now.”

Gunther turned and ran. He scrambled up and out of the room, crying as he heard Wes’s screams.

(Three weeks later)

Wes sat in his room at the asylum, writing in his diary. He still lived the nightmare every day, but it seemed that, with therapy, he was improving with time.

He had just finished when he heard voices in the hallway. He froze as he heard a very familiar voice speaking.

“Thank you, Nurse, for allowing us to see my cousin. Uncle Viktor and I are very eager to see him.”

Shaking with fear, Gunther peeked through the grill of his door’s window.

And collapsed.

And Wes and Viktor shared a secret smile. Soon they would be a threesome.

Fiction © Copyright K.R. Morrison
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Author K.R. Morrison:

Be Not Afraid (Pride’s Downfall Vol 1)

Lydia’s faith in God is strong – at least on paper. But what happens when that faith is tested? Turned into a vampire by the worst – Vlad Drakul – she feels that God has abandoned her. But the opposite is true. God rescues her from a fate worse than death, and brings her into the plan He has for global redemption. With the help He sends, she feels like nothing can stop her. But when Vlad torments her again, and then her family, the temptation to run and hide is almost too strong to resist. Her answer to God’s call is the deciding factor in the battle that pits the angelic powers of God against the demonic powers of Hell.

Available on Amazon!