Victoria Vanished The ancient, dusty floorboards of the old mansion groaned underfoot as the four-members of the Spring Valley Mystery Society quietly crept through the deserted house. Outside, the rain still poured down in sheets, lashing against the dirty window panes. The shutters clattered, blowing in the wind. A bolt of lightning briefly flashed across the sky, lighting up the long, narrow hallways. Just as quickly, it vanished, leaving only the thin, quivering beam of the girls' flashlight. A second later, a clap of thunder rolled through the mansion, shaking the house. "Ah! What was that?" Hilary said, jumping. The 18-year old blonde girl glanced around nervously. "Why don't we just go home?" "It's just a little thunder, Hil." The second girl, a tall brunette named Bethany replied. She stood at the front of the group, holding their single flashlight. "Don't be such a scaredy-cat! We're this close to discovering what's behind all these ghost sightings here lately." "Besides," The third, and oldest member of the Mystery Society, Amy, added. "The van is out of gas anyway, and none of us can seem to get a signal." She shrugged sheepishly. "My bad." At 20, the Asian girl was the only one of the four with her own car. She glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, Victoria, hurry up! You don't want to get lost! This place is spooky enough with you three and the flashlight, I'd hate to be all alone here in the dark." "Coming." Victoria said, jogging after the other three. She shook her head. It was probably just her imagination, but she could have sworn that painting had been watching them ... At the end of the hallway, the four came to a large, wooden door, which proved to be stuck shut. Beth was tugging on the door, but it wouldn't open. "Don't tell me it's locked!" Hilary complained. "I don't think so ... " Beth grunted. "It's just stuck!" Victoria and Amy grabbed the large handle along with their friend. With their combined efforts, they managed to get the door open. It creaked, swinging along rusty hinges. "Looks like a library!" Beth said, waving her flashlight around. "Could be a good place to find some clues ... " She grinned. "Let's look around a bit ... " The four of them shuffled through the portal, into the large room. Tall shelves, brimming with old, leather bound books loomed over them in the gloom. The sounds of the storm outside were muffled by the walls, leaving an oppressive silence. The girls whispered to each other in hushed tones as they crept through the darkness, huddled close together. "What the ... " Victoria muttered to herself, glancing over. She turned and walked over to one of the shelves. Something looked out. It was hard to make out in the darkness, but the dust on the floor around the shelf wasn't like the dust coating everything else in the library. It had been disturbed. Looking up at the shelves, some of the books seemed odd as well ... Victoria turned to call to her friends, who had moved on to another row, to tell them to bring the flashlight over, so she could examine the shelves in the light. With her back turned, she didn't notice as she shelf slid aside, on well-oiled rails, to reveal a dark opening. She didn't notice until a hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed her. A gloved hand clamped tight over Victoria's mouth, silencing the girl's startled cry. The other arm wrapped around her chest, dragging her into the opening. As the struggling girl disappeared through the black portal, the shelf slid back, leaving no evidence of her sudden abduction ... "Well, this looks interesting, girls ... " Beth said, trying to hold the flashlight and read the large book in her hands at the same time. "According to this, the man who built this house, back in 1873 ... " "Hey! Where's Victoria?" Amy said, glancing around. "I could have sworn she was right behind us. Now she's gone." "You're right." Beth said. She waved the flashlight around, looking in vain for her missing friend. "Victoria! Where are you?" The three spread out and searched through the library. A minute later, the met up again, unsuccessful. "There's no sign of her. It's like she just vanished!" Beth said, shaking her head is dismay. "Where could she have gotten to?" "Maybe the ghosts got her!" Hillary said, nervously. "There's no such thing as ghosts, Hil." Amy chided her friend. "I'm sure she just wandered off somewhere." "Well, we'd better find her." Beth said, shrugging. "Come on. Victoria!" She called out. The other two called out as well as they started towards the door. In the cramped, secret space behind the bookshelf, Victoria cried out, as loudly as she could, trying to get her friends attention. The band of cloth bound between her teeth did its job, muffling her terrified cries to barely more than a frightened whimper. The thick wood walls around her did the rest. Her calls for help didn't escape her cramped prison. Victoria grunted as her captor pulled the last loop of rope tight. Coils of rope circled Victoria's chest, lashing her to a heavy wooden chair. Her hands had been bound behind the back of the chair, her feet to the chair legs. The phantom grinned as he tied the last knot tight. Outside, the calling faded as the three girls got further and further away. "Don't worry, my dear." He teased, patting his squirming captive on the head. "Soon, your three friends will be joining you, and then no one will stop me!" With a spectral laugh, the phantom pulled the secret switch, sliding the bookshelf aside. Pulling his black cape up, he slunk through the opening, into the dark library. Victoria moaned through her gag, helplessly, as the shelf slid back into place, closing her in ... A peal of thunder roared through the night, shaking the ancient mansion to its foundation, rained poured down, harder now, lashing against the window shutters and roof. Inside, three young women slowly crept through the dark hallway, huddling close together for support. The girl in the middle, a tall brunette named Bethany held a flashlight in one hand. The thin, yellow beam of light flickered in the dusty air as she swept it across the hall. "No! No, please! Please don't go out!" A blond girl named Hilary, standing behind the other two girls, wailed as the flashlight flickered again, than went dead, plunging the girls into near total darkness. She huddled closer to the third girl, a slender Asian girl named Amy. "Darn ... " Beth said ruefully. She smacked the back of the flashlight with the palm of one hand, in the hope that the batteries were simply out of alignment. No such luck; they were dead. She sighed, opening her messenger bag. Blindly, the teenage girl rummaged through the bag, feeling around in the dark. "I guess I didn't pack any spare batteries." She shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry." "What!" Hilary said, nervously. "What do you mean you forgot to bring more batteries!?!" "It'll be fine." Amy told her friend. "I think my eyes are starting to adjust." She pointed down the hallway. "I think I can make out the hallway, a bit." "Alright." Beth said, putting the dead flashlight away and zipping up her backpack. Slinging it over one arm, she said, "We still need to find Victoria, wherever she's gotten to." Beth raised a hand to her mouth. "Victoria! Where are you!?!" She called out. For a moment, the girls were silent, listening to the creaks and groans and the sound of the storm outside. A second later, someone answered. "Muahahaha!" a haunting laugh echoed through the house. The three turned this way, then that, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It was all around them! A sickly green mist, glowing in the darkness filled the hallway. "What's going on!?!" Hilary cried out in fright, stepping back to avoid the mist. "Muahahaha!" At the same instant, the three girls jumped in shock. The spun around, eyes wide with terror. Out of nowhere, standing among them was a ghostly figure! The terrifying specter wore an ancient, worn cloak, the hood pulled over his head. From within, two tiny orbs of lights burned green. The whole figure gave off a ghastly green light. "Run!!!" At once, the three girls broke into a run. Amy and Beth turned and ran back up the hallway, the way they'd come. Hilary, caught on the other side of the ghost, turned and fled the other way, shrieking in terror. Blindly, she stumbled through the dark hallway, ignoring her friend's cries. Close behind her, the phantom turned and chased after her, arms outstretched, his cackling laugh echoing through the house. Hilary's flight carried her across the house, taking turns almost at random. Gradually, she seemed to pull ahead of her phantom pursuer. The eerie green glow dimmed, his laughter faded. All of a sudden, the teenage girl came to a head end. She skidded to a halt, panting slightly after the exertion of running. Hilary was about to turn around, when a brief flash of lightning lit up the room, and she saw the front door of the house, right in front of her! The young woman cried out in relief. She'd found the way out! She was safe! Hilary knew she'd take her chances out in the storm, trying to catch a ride back to down, then in here with a phantom any day! Behind her, the phantom's laugh grew louder, warning her she didn't have long. The teen ran to the door and grabbed the handle. "What the hell!?!" Hilary exclaimed, as she pulled on the handle. The door wouldn't budge. "Oh God, No! No! Please don't be locked!" Hurriedly she checked. The door was unlocked! Why wouldn't it open!?! Growing more and more scared, Hilary pulled harder on the door but it remained firmly shut. A soft glow filled the hallway behind her. The phantom was getting closer ... Shaking with fright, Hilary ran over to one of the windows. Hurriedly, she unlatched it and tried to raise it. Like the door, it refused to budge. "no, no, no, No!" babbling in terror, Hilary struggled with all her might, but she had no luck. "Muahahaha!!!" Hilary turned, back pressed against the window. She shut her eyes, trembling with terror, frantically pleading for anyone to help her, as the phantom advanced on the helpless girl ... After a few minutes of running, Amy and Beth slowly came to a halt as they realized the phantom wasn't chasing them. The two young women paused, gasping for air. Glancing around, they saw that in their blind panic, they'd run all the way back to the Library. "What was that, Beth!?!" Amy asked, a note of fear entering her normally stoic voice. "I don't know ... " Beth replied. "What happened to Hilary?" Amy shrugged. "I saw her run off in the other direction. Hope the phantom didn't get her. Beth, we should get out of here. We can hitch a ride back to town, get the police and they can ... " Amy stopped when Beth raised a hand. "Quiet! Did you hear that?" She said. "Listen ... " By sheer luck, the rain died down at that moment. From somewhere in the library came a curious sound. It sounded almost like someone crying. "I hear it!" Amy whispered. After a moment, the sound came again. "I think it's coming from that shelf there." She said, pointing. The two ran over to investigate ... "MMMPPPHHH!!!" Victoria grunted into her gag in frustration. The teenage girl strained against the tight ropes that held her lashed to the heavy wooden chair. Her clothes were soaked with sweat from her exertions, yet the ropes remained as tight as before, with no give in them. The young woman gasped for breath. The air in the secret compartment behind the bookshelf was stale and stuffy, only adding to her misery. Victoria slumped down in her bonds, defeated. There was no way she was getting free anytime soon. And while she was trapped in here, with no way to warn her friends, the phantom was hunting them down. And when they were all in his clutches ... Victoria shivered in terror at the thought. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hung her head low and wept. Victoria's attention was briefly taken from her predicament as she heard a loud, mechanical 'click'. She turned her head and watched as the bookshelf started to move. A gust of fresh air flooded into the room. A cry of joy escaped Victoria's gagged lips as the secret door swung all the way open. She had been expecting to see the phantom, returned, no doubt with one of her friends to join the teenage girl in captivity. Instead, she saw Amy and Beth. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw their friend bound to a chair and gagged. "Oh my God! Victoria! Are you alright?" Beth exclaimed, rushing forward. Amy was right on her heels. Victoria groaned in relief as they hurriedly untied the ropes lashing her to the chair. After a moment, the coils of rope circling her chest began to loosen. As soon as her hands were free, Victoria reached up and untied the knot of her gag. With more than a little relief, she spat out the damp cloth band. "What happened?" Amy asked. "I was looking at this shelf, and it just opened up." Victoria explained. "A hand reached out and grabbed me." She shivered, remembering her fear as the gloved hand had clamped over her mouth, as she was dragged in, the door closing, sealing her in. "Before I could cry out, he pulled me in here and tied me up. I tried to call out, but you didn't hear me at first." "Who grabbed you?" Beth asked. 'Did you see him?" "I didn't get a good look at him." Victoria answered, shaking her head. "But he was dressed like a ghost?" "You don't think it's a real ghost?" Amy said, a little nervously. Victoria shrugged. "Don't know. I don't think so; he certainly felt solid enough while he was tying me up. He was wearing some sort of a cloak, with a hood, and he was glowing green." Beth and Amy nodded, glumly. "I think we ran into the same guy, just a moment ago. We ran away and wound up back here, which is when we heard you crying and found you." Victoria's eyed widened, as she realized the obvious. "Where's Hilary?" She asked, dreading the answer ... Hilary sobbed into her blindfold as she was carried down the hallway by the phantom. She squirmed, helpless in his grasp. The teen's hands and feet had been lashed together, tightly, with rope. A band of cloth had been pulled between her teeth to keep her quiet, another over her eyes, leaving her even more in the dark than before. "Struggle all you like, my dead ... " The phantom taunted, chuckling. "It won't make any difference. Before long, all of you will fall into my clutches." Hilary felt him carry her down a long flight of stairs. The path twisted and turned, until she'd lost all sense of direction. She shook with fright, wondering what he planned to do with her. Finally, she was set down, lying on what felt like cold, hard stone. "My apologies for the rough accommodations, my dear." The phantom said in a mocking tone. "I assure you it's only temporary, until I can round up the rest of your friends ... " Hilary whimpered into her gag in fright. "Now, let's see what we can do to make you less comfortable ... Muahahaha!" Laughing sinisterly, the phantom rolled Hilary into a kneeling position. >>From somewhere, he produced several long lengths of rope. The first of these went around Hilary's chest, looping coil after coil of rope around her arms and torso, running above and below her large, round breasts. The teenage girl moaned into her gag as each loop was pulled tight, constricting her chest. Before long, her arms and back were trapped together, unable to move even a fraction of an inch. Next, Hilary's captor rolled the sobbing girl onto her belly. She could only squirm helpless, as he tied her knees together, just as tight as her other bonds. The last length of rope was used to lash her hands and feet together. He left only a few scant inches of rope between them, forcing Hilary into a strict hogtie. She grunted, uncomfortably, as the phantom stood. "I'm going to go and see to the rest of your friends now, but don't worry ... I'll be back for you soon enough!" With a sweep of his cloak, the phantom spun around and strode off, boots stamping against the stone floor. Hilary moaned into her gag as his evil laughter faded away into the distance ... The three girls carefully retraced their footsteps back to the spot where they had seen the phantom. Hilary got out her cellphone and turned it on. There was still no signal, but the small screen did shed some light in the gloomy hallway. "There!" She said, pointing. Faintly, the three girls could make out two sets of footprints, where the fine layer of dust on the carpet had been disturbed. One pair of small, lady's shoes, the steps placed far apart as she fled headlong in terror, followed by another set of footprints, smeared slightly, like the hem of a cloak, dragging along the ground. They followed Haley's headlong flight, all the way to the front door. "Damn!" Victoria swore as her cellphone went dead. "I knew I should have recharged the batteries before we left." "It's ok." Amy said, pulling out her cellphone. "Mine's fully charged." She turned the brightness all the way up and swept it around the front hall while the three of them studied the scuffle of footsteps. "I think I know what happened ... " Beth said, gesturing. "The phantom chased Hilary here ... " she pointed to the front door. " ... and then grabbed her right over there." She stepped over to a window near the front door. Both Hilary's footsteps and the phantoms led over to their; only the phantoms walked away, no doubt carrying the poor girl off. Lying on the ground nearby was a small, pink handbag. The three girls immediately recognized it as one of Hilary's. "Oh no ... " Victoria said, quietly. "We've got to find her!" she told the other two. "We should get help first." Amy replied. "One of us can run to the road, try and flag down a passing car and call the police. They can search this place from top to bottom and lot quicker than we could." Beth nodded. "That's probably the best course of action." She said. Victoria sighed. "Alright ... I just hope Hilary will be alright, until we can find her." The thought of her friend trapped in the clutches of that creep chilled the young woman to the bone. "We all do, Victoria." Beth told her, as she walked over to the front door. "But getting captured ourselves isn't going to help ... what they!?!" The teenage girl tugged on the door handle. "It won't open!" She exclaimed. "Is it locked?" Amy asked. "It wasn't when we got here." Beth replied. She leaned forward, peering through the darkness. "No. No, it's still unlocked, see." She tugged on the door handle, harder this time. Amy walked over and helped. Grunting, the two girls strained with all their might, but it remained stuck. "It's no use." Amy said, frustrated. "We're not getting out that way." She stepped over to the closest window and tried to open it. "It's stuck!" Somewhat nervously, she crossed the room to the other window and tried it as well. "We're trapped!" She cried out. "I'll bet the phantom is behind this! He's trapped us in here, so none of us can escape or go get help." Beth said. She glanced around. "Come on, we shouldn't stay in any place for long. The phantom's probably coming this way as we speak. We need to keep moving!" The other two hurried after Beth as she turned down one of the hallways heading deeper into the house. As she walked quickly up the passageway she kept talking. "Alright, here's the plan. We stick together, don't let the phantom split us up and pick us off, one by one. If we see him, we'll see just how tough a ghost really is ... " She grinned, smacking a fist into her palm. "Meanwhile, we'll search the place from top to bottom, try and find Hilary, and then find a way out of here. Hopefully that bastard hasn't managed to seal off every possible exit." The girls suddenly came to a dead end. Two doors, on opposite dies, led off in either direction. Beth picked one of the doors at random. Setting her hands on her hips, the young woman eyes the door. "How much you wanna bet this door is locked as well?" Amy stepped back, beside the opposite door. She shrugged. "Only one way to find out." She said. "Well ... here goes nothing ... " Beth said. Taking a breath to steady herself, the teenage girl reached forward and set a hand on the door knob. To her surprise, it turned easily. "Alright! It's unlocked!" 'Click' Amy's eyes widened in shock as she suddenly felt the floor drop out from under her. She opened her mouth to scream as she fell through the trapdoor. The other two girls spun around in time to see their friend's head disappear into the dark portal in the floor. The panel slammed back into place with a wooden thud cutting off her frightened scream. "Amy! AMY!" Beth cried out, rushing over. Victoria was right behind her. Crouching down, they examined the floor. Even knowing it was there, it was almost impossible to make out the outline of the trapdoor, among the floorboards. "Amy! Can you hear me, Amy!?!" Beth shouted. Overhead, the mocking laughter of the phantom echoed through the hallway. "Damn it!" Beth swore, pounding on the trapdoor with her bare fist. After moment, she regained some of her composure. "We need to get Amy out of there. Victoria, can you go turn that knob again?" Beth said, pointing. Victoria did so. Nothing happened. After a moment, Beth realized, "It must have some sort of pressure sensor! That way, it only drops if somebody is standing on it!" She pressed down on the trapdoor with both hands. This time, when Victoria turned the knob, the wood panel dropped away. Peering down, Beth could just make out the outline of a metal chute, descending down below. "Amy! Are you there!?!" Beth called down. There was no reply. After a moment, the trapdoor swung shut once more. "We'll have to find another way down." Beth said, standing up. She was careful to make sure Victoria wasn't standing on the trapdoor before turning the knob and opening the door. "If I remember correctly, on our way in, we passed by the stairs down to the basement not far from here. That seems like a good place to start looking ... " Victoria shivered. This place was scary enough. The last thing she wanted to do was go creeping around in some haunted cellar, but the thought of leaving Hilary and now Amy in the clutches of the phantom left her no choice. "Alright." She said, nodding, hoping she looked more confident than she felt. "Let's go." The basement was just as bad as the two had feared. Underneath a grand staircase, rising to the upper stories, a small, discreetly placed door was set in the paneling. Beth had some trouble getting it open at first, but to her relief, it wasn't locked, just stuck. After a moment, it opened with a loud creak. A musty, sour smell wafted up, causing both girls' noses to wrinkle. Behind the door, a narrow staircase descended into pitch black darkness. For a moment, the two stood, wondering how they were going to find their way around in the darkness. "Hey look!" Beth said, reaching behind the door. From a small alcove tucked in one corner of the stairwell, the young woman pulled out a small, metal candle holder. A half melted wax candle was stuck in it. Nearby was a small, half empty box of matches. "Lucky break, huh?" Beth said, opening the box and pulling out a match. "yeah ... lucky." Victoria said with a soft sigh. Beth struck the match head against the side of the box. The matches were old and didn't seem to want to start. After a few failed attempts, she dropped the broken match and pulled out another. There were still four more matches in the box. This one caught on the second try. The tiny flame seemed impossibly bright in the dark room. The smell of burning wax competed with the foul smell of the basement as the candle caught flame. "There. That's better ... " Beth said, blowing out the match. She raised the candle up, letting it's weak, flickering light shine down the stairwell. It got about halfway down, leaving the rest of the stairs in darkness. Shadows danced along the walls around the edges of the small circle of illumination. Victoria edged closer to Beth and the precious source of light as the two women descended the narrow, steep stairs. Every other step creaked loudly under the girls' weight. At the bottom, Beth peered around, trying to make out what lay in the shadows, just beyond the candle's shine. She held up the candle as high as she could, to throw its weak, flickering light out as far as possible. The two found themselves in a cramped hallway, made of roughly cut stonework. Peering into the gloom, Beth could make out a number of doors on either side of the passageway. Slowly, the girls crept down the corridor, peering into the rooms. As far as they could tell, these were the servants' quarters. Here was the kitchen, there: a laundry room, over here: a series of small bedrooms ... Beth paused a moment, trying to orient herself. They had started at the front door and walked up the hallway, that way ... Luckily, the teenage girl had a superb sense of direction. If the trapdoor had been there, up above, Amy would have fallen down right about ... There! "This way." Beth whispered to her friend. Belatedly, it occurred to Beth is Amy had been dropped here; the phantom was also likely here, to capture her. She frowned, her free hand clenching in a fist. In that case, they'd just have to stop him ... 'There', proved to be a large storeroom. Peering through the doorway, Beth couldn't tell how large it was. A number of shelves and stacks of crates filled the room, blocking the candle's light, keeping the majority of the room in shadows. "Keep close, Victoria." Beth whispered. She didn't need to say that. Victoria huddled close to her friend as they crept inside. "We don't want to get separated. This place is like a maze!" On all sides, the high shelves loomed over the girls. Along one wall were racks, where wine bottles might have once been kept. Between them were several, massive barrels, on their sides, most likely empty. A few pieces of furniture were stacked haphazardly, covered in dust sheets. Nearby, a large wardrobe was filled with old, moth eaten coats. Carefully, Beth picked her way through the clutter, towards the far corner where she thought the trapdoor must have dropped Amy ... "Muahahahaha!!!" The two girls jumped in fright as the familiar, haunting laugh echoed through the cellar. Beth spun around, trying to tell where it was coming from, but once again, the sinister laugh seemed to be all around them. All of a sudden, there was a "whoosh!" and a gust of wind, blowing clouds of dust, washed over the frightened teens. The candle, shaking in Beth's trembling hand went out, suddenly, plunging them into pitch black darkness. "Shit!" Beth swore. Behind her, Victoria whimpered in fright. "Hand on, Victoria! I'll get this relit in a second. There was a loud crash, followed by a sharp yelp of pain behind her as Victoria stumbled nearby. Frantically, Beth pulled the box of matches out and opened the box. Unfortunately, in the dark, she had the box upside down. The young woman swore again as the matches tumbled out of the box onto the ground. Beth got down on all fours, sweeping her hands over the dusty stone floor, feeling around, until she found a match. Grabbing the box, she hurriedly struck the match against the side, too hard. The match broke in two, eliciting another sharp curse from Beth. As quickly as she could, she grabbed another match. Beth's hands were trembling now, making it hard to light the match. The phantom was close, she just knew it. The tell-tale green glow flickered, past the clutter and shelves. This match proved to be a dud too. Another managed to catch, but before Beth could relight the candle, it burned out. On the fourth match, she finally succeeded in getting the wick to take flame. Beth sprang to her feet, holding the light up, expecting to see the Phantom coming towards her. She didn't see anyone. The young woman was all alone in the cramped room. "Victoria?" She said, nervously. There was no sign of her friend. Once more, Victoria had vanished without a trace ... "No!" Victoria moaned as she saw the candle go out. The young woman turned this way, then that, trying to see anything, in the oppressive darkness. Fear getting the better of her, Victoria turned, trying to remember the way they'd come. Almost immediately, she tripped over a box. The young woman swore, as she barked her shin against the wood crate. Feeling around, Victoria stumbled through the darkness, trying to find her way back to the stairs. She needed to get out of her before ... A faint green glow was all the warning Victoria got before the phantom stepped in front of the girl, seeming out of nowhere. She opened her mouth to cry out a warning to Beth. Before she could, the ghost lunged forward, grabbing the frightened girl. "Be-mmmppphhh!" Victoria's scream was cut off as her attacker slapped a gloved hand over her mouth. "Oh god, not again!" Victoria thought to herself in horror. She turned to run, but the phantom grabbed one hand, dragging her back. Victoria struggled for all she was worth, trying to shake off her captor's grasp, but the Phantom easily held onto her. She whimpered in fear as he pulled her close to him. Letting go of her wrist, he wrapped his strong arm around Victoria's chest, pinning her arms down and pressing her tight against his cloaked form. His other hand, of course, remained clamped tight across Victoria's mouth, silencing her frantic pleas for help ... Ignoring Victoria's struggles and her muted protests, the phantom easily dragged her away, stepping deftly between the piles of junk in the darkness. Nearby, Victoria saw a brief flash of light as Beth struggled to light her candle. The frightened captive whimpered into her gag, trying to get her friend's attention, but Beth didn't hear her. Victoria felt tears form as Beth vanished behind a shelf. The phantom carried his sobbing captive to the far well, to one of the large barrels. Kicking it with his boot, the lid of the barrel spun, revealing a passageway through the wall. In spite of Victoria's efforts, she was pulled through the hidden door. As she was dragged down the secret passageway, the door closed behind her. Now that there was no danger of Victoria's friend interfering, the phantom relaxed and set about securing his captive again. "Welcome back, my dear." The phantom whispered tauntingly as he stuffed a balled up cloth in Victoria's mouth. "I can see I'll have to take further steps to keep you from running off again ... " From inside his cloak, he pulled out another long band of cloth, which he knotted in the center. This was forced between Victoria's teeth, to keep her from spitting the packing out. Victoria shook her head, grunting into her gag as he tied it off behind her head. She struggled to shake him off as he pulled her arms behind her back and began tying them together again with rope. "Don't worry, girl ... " the phantom said with a laugh. "I'm not going to hurt you or your friends ... much!" The phantom's laugh echoed in the secret tunnel, mingling with his prisoner's cries of terror ... "Whoa! OOF!" Amy grunted as she tumbled out of the shaft onto something soft, cushioning her landing. When the trapdoor had opened up beneath the young woman's feet, the 20-year old girl had slid, feet first, down a narrow, metal shaft, in total darkness. She must have fallen at least thirty feet or more. Fortunately, the chute wasn't straight down. After a few yards, it had curved to one side, slowing her descent somewhat. Slowly, Amy sat up, heart still racing from the shock of her plummet. Feeling around, she grabbed her cellphone from where it had fallen nearby. Turning it on again, she held the glowing screen up and looked around the room she found herself in. As best she could tell with the weak like of her phone, the room was maybe fifteen feet, square. The walls, floor and ceiling were of bare stone. About half of the room was taken up by a large pad, on which she'd landed. It was placed underneath the opening of the chute she'd fallen through. Peering up into the portal, Amy could see the smooth metal walls, curving up into darkness. No way was she going to be able to climb back up it, then ... "Victoria!" Amy called up into the chute. "Beth! Can you hear me!?!" Her words echoed up through the metal tube for a moment before fading away to silence again. She listened a minute, but she couldn't make out any reply. She turned to examine the rest of the room ... On the wall, opposite the end of the chute, there was a door, made of wood, reinforced with rusted iron bands. Set in the center of the door, about two thirds of the way up was a small window, with iron bars. There was no latch or knob Amy could see. Nervously, the young woman stood and crossed the room. Standing on her tip-toes, she peered through the window. On the other side, Amy could make out a long, narrow corridor, stretching off into the gloom in either direction. Spaced every five yards or so, along the wall, in either direction were at least a half dozen doors, identical to the one she stood behind. Each had a pair of thick, iron latches, one above the window, the other below, bolted to the stone beside the door. Glumly, Amy stepped back, switching off her phone to save what was left of the batteries. The young woman recognized what kind of room she was in: a prison cell. And at the moment, it didn't look like there was any way for her to get out of here, at least not by herself. Glumly, Amy walked back over and sat down on the pad. She could only hope Victoria and Beth found her soon, and that they didn't run into any more trouble ... "MMMPPPHHH!!!" Victoria groaned into her gag as she squirmed, helpless in the phantom's grasp. The young woman was thrown over the larger man's shoulder. Her hands were bound together, tightly, behind her back. Her legs had been lashed together with equal tightness. A thick band of cloth was pulled between her teeth, muffling her frightened cries to little more when soft whimpers. A second band was bound over Victoria's eyes, leaving her even more in the dark then before ... "Not much further now, my dear ... " The phantom teased. He'd been carrying Victoria for what felt like hours to the captive girl. She'd quickly lost track of the constant twists and turns as he dragged his terrified prisoner down the secret passageways through the mansion. All the while, they'd descended deeper and deeper underground ... "And this time, your friends won't be able to find you ... " her captor continued. He laughed evilly enjoying the helpless girl's whimper of fear. "Don't worry, you'll see them again soon enough ... once you are all my prisoners! Muahahaha!!!" Abruptly, the phantom came to a halt. Lifting Victoria off his shoulder, he set her down, gently, on a hard stone surface. She groaned, miserably through her gag. To her surprise, her groan was answered, by a similarly miserable-sounded, gag muffled cry. "Hhhllllrrryy?" Victoria groaned, the thick cloth between her lips distorting her words. "sss aaaattt ooohhh?" She grunted in discomfort as the phantom grabbed her and began adding to her bondage. Rope was looped around her chest, to pin her arms down. The phantom's hands, invisible in the darkness of Victoria's blindfold rolled the helpless girl onto her belly so he could hogtie her. "Iiccoorraah?" Hilary grunted back. She squirmed, until she was lying on the floor beside her friend. The two girls huddled, close together, trembling with fear. "I'll leave you two to catch up." The phantom taunted, standing up. "And I believe one of your other friends is currently in one of my dungeon cells right now ... which means there's still one girl I have left to bag! Muahahaha!!!" The two captive girls sobbed in fright as the phantom turned, his footsteps echoing away down the corridor ... Alone, lost, trembling with fear, Beth stumbled through the near pitch black hallway. The teenage girl had spent the better part of the last hour searching the basement in vain for some clue was to what had happened to Victoria ... as if she didn't know. There was no sign of her friend. Beth had finally been forced to leave, just before her candle burned out. She'd barely made it back up the stairs before the melted stub had gone out, plunging her back into gloom. As much as she hated it, Beth knew she couldn't spend any more time looking for her friends. The longer she stayed here, the better chance she had of fallen prey to another trap, like Amy and Victoria had. Beth's plan now was to head back to the front hall and get out of this damn place, even if she had to smash her way through one of the windows. There was just one problem ... "What the hell is going on?" Beth thought to herself in frustration as she rounded a corner and came to another dead end. The teen shook her head as she stepped forward. This couldn't be right ... Beth was sure she'd been retracting her path back to the front door. She couldn't have gotten lost, could she? "The hallways couldn't have just changed, could they?" Beth said, quietly, to herself. She shook her head, remembering the sliding bookcase they had found Victoria tied up behind, the way the doors and windows locked shut by themselves, the hidden trapdoor that had gotten Amy ... "Of course they can ... " Beth muttered bitterly. "Muahahaha!!!" came the mocking phantom laugh. "You might as well give up now ... sooner or later you'll fall into my clutches, just like your friends! Ahahahahaha!!!" "Let them go, you bastard!" Beth called back, as defiantly as she could manage. Inside, Beth was terrified. Her best friends were in the hands of this madman, and she was stumbling deeper and deeper into his traps with each passing minute. She had to escape, if they were to have any hope at all of rescue. The phantom continued to taunt Beth over the loudspeaker system. He was obviously watching her every move via cameras, hidden up in the ceiling, somewhere. She guessed he was cutting off the hallways leading to the outside, herding her deeper into the mansion, towards the traps, until sooner or later she fell prey to one ... only one thing to do. Suddenly, and without warning, Beth broke into a spring. Hopefully, if she could run fast enough, she could move quicker than the phantom could rearrange the walls, get ahead of them and make it to a window and get out. In spite of her fear, her confusion over the dead ends, Beth hadn't lost her sense of direction. She knew she was heading towards the outside of the building. Now if only she could reach it before she was cut off ... Beth stumbled over a rug on the floor. In the darkness, it was difficult to make out any obstructions. The teenage girl narrowly dodged around a table, set against one wall. Beth ran on, relying more on blind luck than anything else to make sure she didn't smash into anything ... All around, Beth heard wood creak as the walls shifted. To her relief, most of the noise seemed to be coming from behind her. The phantom was having a hard time keeping up with Beth. Over the corner of her shoulder, Beth saw a wall panel slid into place behind her with a low creak, cutting off the hallway. She just needed to keep moving ... Miraculously, Beth reached the end of the hallway, unscathed. As she rounded the corner, the teen saw, up ahead, a window; moonlight streaming through. The storm had broken and the sky had cleared. Beth laughed with glee. Escape was close at hand. She could get outside, call for help; rescue her friends ... "I just need to make it a little further ... " Beth thought, running faster. Already the corridors were changing again. A wall panel began to slowly rotate with a rumble of turning gears, to cut her off from the window, thirty feet ahead of her now. Gasping for breath, the young woman sprinted ahead, watching the space ahead of her shrink bit by bit. She wasn't going to make it! "Yes!" Beth squeezed through the gap in the walls with bare inches to spare. There was nothing to stop her now ... Too late, Beth saw the glint of moonlight off the metal wire, strung across the hallway. The teenage girl tried to come to a stop, but she was moving too fast. Her momentum carried her forward and she tripped over the wire, a few feet short of the window. She landed on a Persian carpet, spread across the hallway. "OOF!" Beth gasped as the air was knocked out of her. She struggled to get back up. As the teen clambered onto her hands and knees, she suddenly noticed metal wires attached to the corners of the carpet. Glancing back, she saw two more at the other two corners, four in total. "oh my god ... " Beth said fearfully. 'TWANG!" With lightning speed, the wires were pulled up, dragging their corners up with them. Before Beth could roll off the carpet, the four pulled together above her head, closing the bag tight around the teen girl. In the ceiling above, a motor whirred into life, pulling the sack into the air. It swayed back and forth as the frightened girl inside squirmed, trying desperately to escape. From inside came her soft, muffled cries. Above, a panel opened up to admit the carpet trap and its helpless occupant. As it disappeared through the opening, the panel closed shut again, cutting off Beth's final, terrified scream ... Amy groaned into her gag miserably as she stumbled down what she assumed was a long, straight hallway as best she could, given the short hobble rope binding her legs together, leaving just enough slack for her to take short steps. She could only assume the shape of the hallway, due to the thick band of cloth bound tightly over her eyes, leaving the helpless girl completely in the dark. "Not much further now, my dear, and then you can join your friends ... " the phantom taunted, jerking sharply on the rope in his hand. The other end of the rope was tied around Amy's neck, yanking the captive girl forward. She whimpered fearfully into her gag, shuffling quickly to keep from falling over. With her hands tightly lashed behind her back, she had no way of breaking her fall, should she lose her precarious balance. About fifteen minutes ago, the door to Amy's cell had opened and the phantom rushed in. Any hope the girl might have had that she could overpower him and escape was quickly crushed. Ignoring her frantic struggles, the larger man had scooped his frightened prisoner up and threw her down, roughly, on the thick mattress. Rolling her over onto her chest, Amy's captor quickly pulled her arms behind her back and efficiently lashed them together with rope. Grabbing her kicking feet, he loosely bound them as well. A wad of cloth was jammed in her mouth, a second cloth, rolled into a band was pulled between her teeth to keep her from spitting the gag out. Another was bound over her eyes. A final rope was tied around her neck as a makeshift leash and he was done. "Here we are, and I see my other two guests haven't gone anywhere ... " The phantom said with an evil chuckle as he dragged his struggling prisoner through a doorway. Amy heard the gag-muffled sounds of two other captives coming from inside the room. "Lllrrreee? Iiccoorrriiaa?" She grunted into her gag. They moaned miserably in reply as she was led over beside them and forced to her knees on the concrete floor. She felt her captor loosen the bonds of her feet for a brief moment, before binding them together, tightly. The remainder of the rope was pulled forward and used to quickly tie her hands to her feet, leaving her hogtied on the cold floor. "Now, I'll go see how our final guest is doing, while you settle in ... " the phantom said, standing up. Amy heard his footsteps echo in the large room as he walked over. "She's still wandering around in the basement ... " he said with a chuckle. "I suppose I might as well fill you three in on what's going on here. Let you prepare yourselves for what's next ... " Amy trembled with fear, realizing she was about to find out what lay in store for her and the others as the phantom walked back across the room to her and the other helpless captives. She felt him crouch down over her and reach behind her head. A moment later, the cloth fell away from her eyes. Amy blinked, momentarily blinded by the sudden light. As her vision returned, the young woman raised her head, looking around the room, eyes wide in amazement. The floor of the room was not concrete, as she'd thought, but rough cut stone, as were the ceiling and walls. It looked as if the whole room had been carved out of the rock with hand tools. It was, roughly, twenty feet by ten feet, the ceiling six feet high. A number of ancient looking wood beams spread along the room helped to hold up the stone roof. Hanging from nails stuck in these were several electric floodlights that lit the space. Between two of the posts, taking up most of the long wall, was an enormous metal console of some sort. It looked like something out of a Steampunk novel, made of brass and covered in a huge assortment of switches, levers and buttons. Behind it, Amy could see a number of brass tubes ascending up the side of the rock face, disappearing into a shaft cut from the stone. The phantom had also been making modifications to the control panels. On a small, simple wooden desk, beside it, was a computer, with three large screens side by side. The young woman could see, on the monitors feed from what she assumed were hidden surveillance cameras around the mansion. Scattered on the floor around the desk was a mess of discarded food wrappers and empty beer cans. The phantom, meanwhile, moved over and quickly removed Victoria and Hilary's blindfolds as well. The two gazed in amazement, grunting into their gag as they took in the strange sight. The phantom meanwhile stepped back and sat down on the chair at the desk, turning it around to face them. In the light, Amy could see the phantoms robes were nothing more than ordinary cloth, daubed with some sort of glow-in-the-dark paint. Underneath the hood, he had on a pair of night vision goggles. "Extraordinary, isn't it?" He said, waving a hand to take in the machinery. "It's not just the house, too. These tunnels are quite extensive; even I haven't explored all of them. Some of the tunnels go all the way to the coast." The phantom leaned back in the chair. "The man who built all of this was a smuggler, by the name of Ezekiel Horace, back in 1873, both as a home and a base of operations for his smuggling ring. What were they smuggling?" he asked, tauntingly. "Well, to be perfectly blunt: women. There was quite a market back then, for pretty young women from good families in the slave markets of the east. The three girls listened in frightened amazement as he continued his story. "Ezekiel and his men lured the girls here, as visitors and took them captive. There's quite an extensive dungeon underneath the mansion, as I'm sure you noticed ... " he nodded to Amy. "When the tide was right, the unlucky girls were carried down the tunnels to a waiting boat and then to a Middle Eastern slave market or wherever they finally wound up. The phantom paused a moment. "Of course, it couldn't last. I'm not really sure what happened, all we know is, one day Ezekiel and his men were found dead in one of the rooms. Apparently, they'd had a disagreement and killed each other in a shootout. The house already had a bad reputation, with all of the mysterious disappearances, it was believed to be haunted, and so the building was left alone for years ... " " ... until I found it." He continued, in an excited voice. "Quite by accident, I had to leave in a hurry and needed a place to lay low for a few days and thought this would work well enough. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across these tunnels. Down there, I found this:" he held up a small, leather bound book." It's Ezekiel's journal, which explained all of that. I also found the designs he made for the mansion and all of the traps. Most of them were disabled, of course, but as you've seen, I've got most of them up and running now. I was looking for a new place to set up operations and this is perfect for my needs ... " A low, evil chuckle escaped his hood. "You see, I'm in the same business as Ezekiel and his gang was, all those years ago. There are still places around the world where young women can fetch a high price from the right buyer. Young ladies like you four, in fact ... " Along with her two friends, Amy whimpered into her gag in fear. The phantom was a white slaver! Which could only mean ... "Unfortunately, I don't have any orders for four teen snoops right at the moment." The phantom taunted, evilly, enjoying his captive's fear. "Like I said, I had to leave my old base of operations in a hurry, but not to worry. I'm sure I'll find buyers for the four of you soon enough. This place is perfect for my needs. I'm thinking of turning it into a Bed and Breakfast. Women check in, but they don't check out ... " He laughed evilly. "But, before I can do that, I need to buy this place and, unfortunately, I'm not the only one interested. There are other people who have their eyes on this mansion and I can't outbid them. So I hit upon the idea of dressing up as a phantom. It gives me some cover while I make repairs to the place and I can scare off any other potential buyers ... " Just then, there was a beeping sound from the computer. The phantom turned around and glanced over the screen. "Well, well ... " he said. "It seems your friend has finally made her way out of the basement. What can we do to mess with her ... " he leaned over one of the diagrams, tracing a line with his finger. Turning to the control panel, he reached up and pulled a large lever. There was a rattle of gears as machinery turned. The three girls watched, helpless, as the phantom worked the levers and switches, seemingly at random, keeping an eye on Beth's progress via the security cameras. "Muahahaha!!! You might as well give up now ... sooner or later you'll fall into my clutches, just like your friends! Ahahahahaha!!!" the phantom called out, tauntingly, into a microphone. He continued to mock Beth as he worked the controls with increasing tempo. Amy hung her head and silently prayed. If Beth got away, she could go get the police. They could be rescued. Amy shuddered to think what would happen to them if she failed. If she were captured too ... "Aha! Finally!" The phantom crowed, hunched over the video screen. "You know, I almost thought she was going to get away for a minute there ... " his three captives wailed miserably as he turned back towards them. "I need to go get her now." He crouched down over Amy, grabbing her discarded blindfold. Quickly, he tied it back over her eyes, plunging her into darkness. "You three sit tight now and don't go anywhere!" The three sobbed miserably as they listened to his footsteps echo down the tunnel, slowly fading to nothing ... "mmmppphhh!!!" Victoria moaned through her gag as she struggled against the ropes holding her tightly hogtied on the floor. The teenage girl was soaked with sweat from her exertions and she'd rubbed the bare skin of her wrists raw straining against the coils of rough rope that bound her hands. Despite all that, her bonds remained as tight as ever. The poor girl's shoulders burned from the strain of the hogtie, her jaw ached from being forced to accommodate the massive wad of cloth stuffed in her mouth to keep her quiet and the thick band that kept her effectively muzzled. Close by, hidden in the darkness of Victoria's blindfold, Hilary and Amy sobbed miserably into their own gags. The two girls' bonds were just as cruelly restrictive as Victoria's. Amy was still struggling, grunting loudly as she squirmed, but for all her efforts, she remained stringently tied up. Hilary had already given up trying to get free herself, as futile. She lay on the ground, whimpering softly. Victoria was tempted to do the same, give up, lie down and cry. Everything seemed hopeless. But she knew she couldn't give up. At the moment, the phantom had left the room to go and collect Bethany from the trap she'd fallen afoul to. Victoria felt this might be her only chance. If she could free herself, while their captor was out, she and Hilary might be able to get away. If not ... Victoria shuddered to think what might happen to the four of them, in the clutches of the cruel white slaver ... Squirming furiously, Victoria continued struggling ... "uuhghh! Uunghh!" Victoria grunted into her gag. The teenage girl strained to raise her feet up further and further. Sweat beaded her brow, soaking into the cloth of her blindfold. Her shoulders and back burned from the strain but she managed to lift her legs back a few inches further. The rope of her hogtie slacked and her bound hands brushed against the heels of her shoes. Hurriedly, Victoria felt around, blindly. After a moment, she felt the coils of rope that circled her ankles with crushing tightness. The tips of her fingers felt the knot. As quickly as she could, she began tugging at it, trying to loosen the cords. "unn ... ugghh!!" With a groan, Victoria was unable to keep bent back like that any longer. She slumped down onto the cold stone floor again. The rope running between her hands and feet went taut again, forcing her to keep her legs raised. For a moment, Victoria slumped over, gasping for air around the thick cloth muzzle of her gag. The teenage girl knew she couldn't lie still for much longer. The phantom could come back at any moment. Groaning, Victoria again strained to bring the knots binding her feet back into reach of her fingers. This time, she found the knot straight away and went to work, trying to loosen it. She kept at it for a minute longer before the strain of holding the unnatural position got the better of her and she slumped over again. Occasionally, as she wriggled on the floor, Victoria brushed up against Hilary. A couple times, Victoria had grunted to her friend, trying to get her attention, help her with the ropes, but the young woman hadn't heard her or understood Victoria's meaning, lost in her own misery. Finally, after what felt like hours of struggle, Victoria undid the last loop of the knot. She sighed in relief as the young woman felt the ropes around her ankles loosen, the pressure of the hogtie ropes, around her wrists slacked off. Hurriedly, Victoria kicked off the ropes around her legs and rolled over into a sitting position. She knew she didn't have much time before the phantom returned. Grunting loudly through her gag, Victoria strained against the rope cinched tight around her wrists. Now, without the weight of her feet pulling on her arms, the teenage girl was able to twist her arms more, leveraging them against her bonds. After a moment, Victoria began to feel the pressure against her wrists loosen. Finally, with a groan, the young woman slipped her hands out of their bonds. Victoria sighed in relief as she reached up and quickly pulled the horrid gag out of her mouth and spat out the wad of soggy cloth the phantom had stuffed in to keep her quiet. "Hilary! Amy! I'm free!" She gasped, as she reached up to remove her blindfold. Beside Victoria, her two friends groaned joyfully through their gags. Victoria struggled to her feet. She wobbled slightly on unsteady legs. They were weak after spending so long tightly bound. Taking a step forward, the young woman peered down the near pitch black tunnel entrance; the one the phantom had exited through. She listened for a moment, but to her relief, it didn't sound like the phantom was close by. "Mmmpphhh!!!" Down by Victoria's feet, Hilary grunted into her gag, trying to get her friend's attention. She squirmed in her bondage, anxious to be free. Beside her, Amy squirmed around, wiggling her tightly bound hands and feet and grunting loudly, ready to be untied. "Oh, right!" Victoria said, remembering they had little time. Kneeling down beside the teenage girls, Victoria untied her friends as quickly as she could. They groaned in relief as the ropes circling their bodies loosened. "Let's get out of here!" Hilary said, voice quavering, as she pulled her gag off. "Quick, before the phantom gets back!" "Hang on ... " Victoria said, walking across the chamber. "I just want to see something ... " "Victoria!" Hilary wailed. "We need to go right now!" Victoria ignored her friend. Amy shrugged and hurried after her, Hilary not wanting to try and find her way around the tunnels alone, shuffled after the two. Leaning over the machine, Victoria quickly examined the set up. The brass switches and levers were labeled with small tags. A group of buttons were labeled: First Floor Trapdoors: 1-16. A long series of switches were marked as: Wall Panels 1a all the way to 3z. It all looked very complex to Victoria. Taped here and there, beside the different controls were dozens of yellow Post-It notes with a cramped, but neat writing on them. Everything from "Broken" to "Needs oiling" and "allow three second delay for activation." Lying, half folded up; on the control panel was a set of old, very complex schematics of some sort. After a moment, Victoria realized these were the blueprints the phantom had talked about, showing the entire mansion, including all of the traps and the secret passageways! They to, were covered in extensive notes, in the same neat, cramped handwriting, detailing repairs and modifications made around the house. "Victoria! Look at this!" Amy said, suddenly, tugging on her arm. The teenage girl tore her attention away from the blueprints to the computer desk beside it. Amy pointed to one of the screens. Victoria's eyes widened in shock. As she'd expected, the screens were showing feed from a number of hidden cameras. On the screen Amy was pointing to, she saw the phantom walking down the corridor. Trailing after him, cruelly leashed at the neck by a rope, was Beth! The young woman struggled helplessly against the ropes binding her arms and chest. "We need to do something!" Hilary said, nervously, peering over the shoulders of the other two girls. "Right ... " Victoria replied, glancing at the number of the camera feed. Hurriedly, she turned back to the blueprints. After a moment, she smiled. Luckily, the phantom had marked the locations of his cameras on the blueprints. After a moment, she figured out, they were heading down a long hallway, towards camera '015'. A short ways away, there was an entrance down into the tunnel complex, which according to a note, was accessed via a stuffed moose head. She looked over the traps in that area of the mansion. It looked as if he was getting close to an icon marked as "net trap no.12." She pointed this out to Amy and Hilary. After a moment, Amy found a series of levers, on the far side of the panel, which was labeled as "Net Traps". Victoria glanced back and forth quickly, between the security footage and the blueprints, trying to gauge the distance as the phantom slowly walked down the hallway, dragging the struggling Beth behind him, while Amy stood by the lever, ready to pull it. Gritting her teeth, Victoria muttered to herself. "Right ... about ... Now!" she shouted to Amy. The teenage girl pulled the lever. Immediately, Victoria realized she'd waited too long. On the screen, she saw a hidden panel on the ceiling drop open, while the phantom passed underneath it. A second later, a heavy net, weighted down, fell over Beth, wrapping up the startled captive girl, pinning her to the floor. The phantom spun around, just as surprised as his prisoner. Immediately, though, he realized what had happened. Dropping the leash, he sprinted down the hallway, towards the secret passageway. Fearfully, Victoria looked over the plans, desperately trying to find another trap, before the phantom reached the secret door. The three teenagers scanned the rows of labels, searching for anything they could use. "There!" Victoria cried out. Near the top, right corner of the control panel was a series of switches. The small sign below them read, "Locking Mechanisms: Entrances ... Windows ... Interior Doors 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... " The first two switches were flipped up. She reached up and flipped the rest of them. She turned back to the security monitors just in time to see the phantom reach the end of the hallway. The man grabbed the doorknob. To Victoria's relief, the door didn't open. On the screen, the phantom swore, kicking at the door. The old-fashioned thick oak door held firm under his blows, but sooner or later, it would give in ... The young woman looked back to the chart, to see if there were any more traps between the phantom and them. Victoria's eyes lit up, a grin crossed her face. Leaning over the console Victoria found the right panel of switches and flipped one of them ... She turned back to the surveillance screen just in time to see the trapdoor open up underneath the phantom's feet. With a startled cry, the robed figure threw up his hands as he tumbled down the shaft. A few seconds later, tangled up and cursing, the phantom reappeared on another screen, in one of the cells in the dungeon ... *** "I have to say, you ladies are very lucky ... " the police officer said. "The FBI's been trying to catch this guy for months. He's a suspect in over two dozen missing person cases, all of them involving young women. They'd almost had him back in LA, a few weeks ago, but he slipped away before they could nab him. And now he turns up on the other side of the country, playing ghost in some kind of crazy fun house! That's incredible ... " It was morning. The storm that had raged most of the night had died out, leaving only a few scattered clouds to mar the early morning sun rise. After freeing Bethany, and making sure the 'phantom' wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon, Victoria and Amy had hiked back down the main road to try and flag a passing car. After a short walk, Amy's cellphone had picked up a signal, letting them call the police, who'd arrived at the mansion minutes later. The officers had been dumbfounded when the teens had shown them the secret passageways and even more so upon seeing the dungeon underneath and the phantom, trying without much luck to climb back up the trapdoor chute. Underneath his cloak, the "phantom" had proven to be a man in his late thirties with tangled black hair and a narrow grim face, marred by a knife scar across one side. According to the officers, he usually went by the alias Bart Roberts. "I'll get you meddlesome girls for this! Just you wait!" he's shouted while the police cuffed the man and threw him in a squad car. Now the four girls were standing in front of the house, having finished giving their statements to the officers. "Thanks to you girls, we'll finally be able to put Mr. Roberts away for a long, long time ... " the officer said, putting his notebook away. "We put a couple gallons of gas in your van, so you should be able to get back to town alright." He added. "Thank you." Beth said, smiling. "We're happy we could help bringing that crook to justice." "There isn't, by any chance, a reward for his capture, is there?" Amy added, helpfully. The policeman chuckled. "Not that I'm aware of, but I'll be sure to let you know." He opened the door of his squad car and got in. "Have a nice day, girls." With a last wave, he started the car and drove off. "Well, that was certainly an adventure ... " Beth said as the four got into their van. "hmm ... I think I could do with a break from any more adventures like this, for a while." Victoria replied. "Really?" Amy said. "I've heard there's been a sighting of a sea monster, down near Briny Bay, which has been linked with disappearances of ships in the area." "A beach trip sounds like a great idea ... " Victoria said with a smile. "though I'm not so wild about sea monsters ... "