The Mausoleum

Hell is a fiery place that holds a portal to the realm of the living. It is a place that holds the souls of the damned. Within the depths of Hell, at the Pit of Seeing, is a little girl named Claire, who watches the day–to–day occurrences in a small town called Welmington, Nevada. She is sent on a mission and ordered to take Hell's serpent to keep her in line and to assist her however she needs it. Brian Genderson is a famous horror novelist known throughout most of the English–speaking world. Having run out of ideas for his next novel, he returns to his hometown of Welmington, Nevada, in hopes of remembering the horrors of his childhood, which should give him a gold mine of book plots. Before even entering the town's city limits, he begins remembering his past. The night he arrives, he dreams of a little girl he saw once when he was seven. Arriving in the realm of the living beneath the Welmington cemetery, Claire sets off to claim her vessel as the serpent digs into the ground to build its lair. Coming out of the girls' restroom in the elementary school, Annie stops in fright at the sudden appearance of a ghostly little girl in front of her. Annie prays for strength as the ghost cries out for help. Refusing to help, Annie asks for the name of the ghost, and she is given one––Claire Elizabeth Beatty. Claire cries out for help a second time, reaching out a translucent hand, but Annie refuses to help again. She is about to speak again when she sees Claire fade away, and a picture appears on the floor in the same place that the ghost was in. What good is a picture going to be? How will it be of any help? Claire is frustrated when she returns to the tunnels beneath the cemetery. With the aid of the serpent, she seeks out a death knight to proceed with the next part of her plan, as per her master's commands. The death knight is not too pleased to be awoken from his rest and is not too eager to assist Claire. After all, he would rather help himself than anyone else. This becomes a matter that she decides she can deal with later. Will Claire succeed in capturing Annie's soul? Will she succeed in bringing down the one person for whom she was sent? Will she succeed in her mission?

-- Byron Roy Bierwag