Escape from Howard Castle!!

Escape from Howard’s underground castle, but avoid the

Vampires!Come and confront your fears….

First, who do you want to be?

Jess Sam

You are Jess. You are on a school trip to Howards Hall. It is deathly boring so you sneak outside while the others are in the coat of arms gallery. You stand in the formal gardens. You wander around for a bit until you reach the shed. High up on the roof there is a large hole with light pouring out of it. Your inquisitive nature means you feel you must find out what is making the light. You try clamber up onto the roof. You can’t. Your bag is holding you down. Do you:

Throw it up before you

Leave it

You throw it up before you. You climb up the shed wall and collect your bag. Tentatively you edge towards the hole. You reach out and touch the corrugated metal of the roof near the hole. It gives way. You fall into darkness. You hit the ground with a thump. Luckily your bag is there to break your fall. You look up. There is no sign of the hole. You sit up. In front of you is a large door. Do you:

Try to climb up the wall to find a way out

Go through THE door

You are Sam. You are on a school trip to Howards Hall. It is deathly boring so you sneak outside while the others are in the coat of arms gallery. You stand in the formal gardens. You wander around for a bit until you reach the shed. High up on the roof there is a large hole with light pouring out of it. Your inquisitive nature means you feel you must find out what is making the light. You try clamber up onto the roof. You can’t. Your bag is holding you down. Do you:

Throw it up before you

Leave it

You leave your bag in a flower bush. You climb up the shed wall .Tentatively you edge towards the hole. You reach out and touch the corrugated metal of the roof near the hole. It gives way. You fall into darkness. You hit the ground at an incredible speed. Thankfully, you are killed instantly, so you can feel no pain from the ghastly injuries you have sustained. So you cannot think about how everyone will search and search, but will never find him. So you cannot think about all the friends you have left behind. So you cannot think about how your parents may never get over your death. And so you cannot think about how you will never meet your little sister who was just born this morning…

Try again

You try to climb up the wall. You have been climbing for what seems like an age. You reach up and grab a rocky outcrop. It crumbles in your grasp. You fall back. You plummet towards the ground. You smack into the ground. You hear a terrible crack. You can no longer feel your legs . Bones stick out of your back, covered in a bloody pulp of flesh. Your head throbs and blood collects in a pool around it. Ironically, it looks like a halo. You look up. Your vision is fading. The last thing you see is a bat flying from the wall. There is an evil cackle. Then everything goes black and you feel no pain at all.

Try again

You go through the door. You are in a large hallway. To your left there is a door. Do you:

Go through the door

Walk on

You are in an armouries. In the middle of the room there is a magnificent sword. Suddenly one of the suits of armour moves. It walks to the centre of the room and picks up the sword. Two bright green lights shine from behind the helmet visor. “ I am the invisible man.” says a rasping voice. The invisible man brandishes the sword. “ Prepare to battle. ” he says. Do you:

Run

Fight the invisible man

You stay put. “Bring it on !” you cry. The invisible man does not move, but says “Master will decide when we fight.” Suddenly a black bat flies down from the ceiling. In a flurry of wings and a wave of chilling air a vampire stands before you. He gives an evil cackle. “ So your not a coward, just an idiot. Invisible man, kill him!!” While you have been transfixed by the vampire you did not notice the invisible man sneak up behind you. He reaches out and slits your throat. You fall to the ground, dead.

Try again

You walk on. You see a large bookcase. A book juts out slightly so it is just out of line with the others on its shelf. It looks like it is made of metal. In front of you is a door. The rusted metal sign that hangs on the front of the door reads: DINING ROOM. Do you:

Go into the dining room

Push metal book

DINING ROOM

You push the metal book. Suddenly the bookcase spins around and you find yourself in a small room, only just big enough to contain you. Suddenly the floor disappears from beneath your feet and you find yourself falling through a long metal tube. After a minute or so of falling down the tube you come out the bottom. You are a bit disappointed because you were actually starting to enjoy yourself. Only then do you notice that you are not alone. There are many pairs of eyes, HUNGRY eyes, staring at you. Then one of the creatures steps out of the shadows. It looked like a normal dog in all aspects apart from the fact they have three heads. “Hell hounds!” you cry. They leap towards you and are consumed in minuets….

Try again

You run out of the armouries. The door slams behind you and disappears in a flash or light. You go through the door. You are in a large hallway. Do you:

Walk on

You go through the door. You are in a large dinning hall. Running down the middle is a long table. A gorgeous smell reaches your nose. A plump roast chicken lay on the table, smothered in a garlic sauce. There is also a knife and fork. Your stomach rumbles loudly. You stare longingly at the chicken. You have eaten nothing since breakfast, and that was 5 hours ago! But it could be a trap. It could be poisoned or something. Do you:

Eat roast chicken

Investigate the hall

You decide to investigate. You investigate for about 20 minutes until you feel a wave of chilling air on your back. You spin round. A vampire stands before you. You try to run but he is too fast for you and grabs your jumper. You have nothing to defend yourself with. He buries his fangs into your neck and begins to suck your blood. You give one last mournful cry before your life drains away.

Try again

You run to the table. You slump into a chair and grab the knife and fork. You stab and tear at the tender meat. It tastes lovely. A bat swoops down towards you. In a flurry of wings and a wave of chilling air a vampire stands on the table in front of you. “Hello child, I’m glad to see you could drop by for tea.” He lunges towards you. You poke your fork at him. He jumps back. “AAARRGH!! GARLIC!!!!!!” Then you have an idea. You throw the fork at him. It hits him in the eye. He screams with pain. Then you tear of a chicken leg and shove it into his open mouth. He begins to choke. The rest of the chicken then sails through the air and hits him on the head and covers him in garlic sauce. He begins to disintegrate. You drop the plate that once bore the chicken and run.

Click to continue…

You run out the door. You look around and notice another door has appeared. You are sure it was not there before. It is small and painted white. The bookcase is just as you left it with the metal book looking just as curious. Do you:

Go through new door

Push metal book

You go through the small white door. You are in a huge hall. The ceiling seems impossibly high and the walls are beautifully painted. A small set of stairs sweeps away into a small turret room. There are also two doors leading away from the hall. The one to your right is small and painted black. It seems to glow. There is also a door in front of you. This is large and is not painted. Do you:

Go through the small black door

Go up the stairs

Go through the large plain door

You start climbing the stairs. You enter the turret-like structure. No sooner have you done so than a port-callas crashes down behind you. At the sound you spin round. “ Where did that come from?” you wonder. The hairs on the back of your neck prickle and you are suddenly aware that there is someone, or something, behind you. Slowly you turn your head. You scream. Behind you is a hideous vampire. You are ridged with fear. “ Do not fear, little one.” it says, grabbing your wrists in an iron grip. You try to break free but you just cant. You fight back tears but you cant stop them, so you begin to cry. He smiles and lunges for your neck. His fangs sink into your flesh. You take one last breath… and then go limp in his grasp. He withdraws his fangs from your neck. His mouth contorts into an evil grin and blood drips from his mouth. He throws his head back and breaks into an evil laugh for he has defeated you. For he knows he has won the bet.

Try again

You go through the large, plain door. You gasp. You are in a huge room. You guess that it must be a church, for you can see what looks like an altar with a crucifix on it. The walls are covered with finely carved flowers and pictures from both the old and new testaments. There were numerous rows of benches with a wide aisle running down the middle. 12 large windows ran along the side walls (6 on each side), each baring a picture of one of the disciples. At the front of the building, behind the altar, is a larger window showing a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. Strangely, no light comes through them. Opposite you is a door. A way out. There is a crash behind you. Standing in the doorway are about a dozen vampires. Some look like the one you just defeated. Others wear dresses. “Come on siblings, let us have our revenge. Quick, let us find him!!” says the one at the front. She wears a large dress. Do you:

Hide behind the altar

Run to door

You run for the door. The vampires spot you. You are only feet away from the door but the vampires are too quick for you. They leap in front of you and surround you. They hiss and spit at you like cats. Your blood runs cold as you

Try again

You go through the small black door. In the room is a huge blue portal. It is mainly blue but every other colour imaginable swirls through it. Suddenly a huge red hand reaches out and grabs your leg and pulls you into the portal. You struggle but cannot break free. You find yourself falling. You hit the ground with a thump. A whip cracks. A searing pain flashes up your leg. You look around. There are people everywhere. Some hold pick-axes and are chiselling away at a lump of rock. Some pull heavy sleds piled high with rocks. Others stand over boiling furnaces. The only thing that is the same with each person is that behind each is a small green man, whipping them continuously. There backs are raw and bloody. Another whip crack and more pain. You look up. Before you is a tall red man with horns sprouting from his head. The devil. He picks you up by the neck. “ Welcome to Hell.” he cackles, “Goblin!” One of the green men steps forward. He binds you hands and feet with chains. Then he steps behind you and starts to whip you. You try to pull away but he only whips you all the harder. “ Come.” says the devil. A nd you walk off and start an eternal life of pain and misery.

You run and hide behind the altar. Your foot touches something metal. Part of the floor slides back to reveal a hidden set of stairs. The vampires are now in the church and are searching for you. You can still see the door. Do you:

Go down the secret set of stairs

Make a dash for the door

You stagger down the stairs. Dark envelopes you. After what seems like a day of stumbling down the stairs you abruptly come across the floor. You are in a large, cave like space. Torches burn in holders along the walls, filling the cavern in an eerie, flickering light. Your eyes bulge in their sockets as you suddenly realise that what you thought was a pile of old sacks is actually a…. Dragon. There is a heavy metal collar round its neck. It is chained down to the floor with thick metal chains. Its red scales look dull and lifeless and its eyelids are closed. It looks dead. Slowly it open its eyes, groaning as though even that is a struggle. It lifts its great head, only for it to fall again moments later. However, in this new position you can see that the collar is way too small. Its cuts into the dragons flesh and has turned the whole area around it an unhealthy black. Purple blood oozes from behind the collar and the floor is covered in a layer of dried blood, obviously the evidence of years of bleeding. You take a step forward. Your foot brushes against something cold. You pick the thing up and hold it in the light it is a large key. Only now do you notice that all the chains around the dragon end in a large padlock on the dragons collar. You feel sorry for the poor beast. You now notice that there is a door set into the wall. Do you:

Free the dragon

Run out the door

Slowly, you edge towards the dragon. You tentatively fit the key into the lock and twist. The padlock opens and the chains fall to the floor. The large collar springs open and slides away. You try not to be sick. The skin under the collar is black and putrid. Dried pus covers the inside edge of the collar and there is a deep depression where the collar once was. You feel deeply sorry for the creature and without thinking you reach out and stroke the dragon’s muzzle. The eyes open. They are a dull brown, but as you watch they slowly change colour until they are a bright shining yellow. The dragon’s skin pulses where your hand touches its scales. You try to take your hand away but you can’t. The dragon shakes off the chains. Its scales slowly become brighter. Soon they begin to glitter and give off their own light. The depression in its neck levels out and the skin begins to heal. You tug your hand and it finally comes away. The dragon stands up. When standing at its full height it is at least three times as tall as you. Its head scrapes the ceiling. It lowers its head so it is level with your. “Time to bust the hell out of here!” says a deep voice. The dragon smiles. You smile back. You scurry up the dragons outstretched tail and sit on the dragons huge head. “YEEHA!!” you cry as the cavern fills with fire….

Click to continue

The door is blown off its hinges. Outside are all the vampires you saw in the church in a single plumes of fire the dragon turns them to ash. Outside it is dark. The dragon steps outside. With one beat of its massive wings it takes to the air. It slowly spirals up. The higher you go the lighter it becomes until you eventually emerge into the Howard hall gardens. The dragon lands on a flower patch. “ Thank you so much for saving me. I am forever in your debt. ” says the dragon, bowing its head, “ But take this.” It reaches behind one of its golden breastplates and produces a small horn. “ If you ever need my help, blow this, and then when I get to you show me this and you will have my full trust.” He pulls out one of his scales, “But I must go now and return to my family. Goodbye and remember if you ever need my help.” He hands you the horn and the scale. “Goodbye.” you call as the dragon takes of and disappears into the distance. Your teacher, Mr Murphy, runs out of the main building and begins to shout at you, telling you that it was very silly to run off on your own and that you have caused a lot of trouble. But you are only half listening. You are too busy thinking about the events of the last day, and of the dragon!

By Robin Smith and Emily Senior