Splatterhouse

[Otis McNutt 395]

Rick Martin could feel his blood draining, flowing like a leaky faucet from a deep gash across his back. He looked at the severed head of his Professor Miles Hamilton as it stared back at him, a goulish look of pity in his still eyes. Rick turned away and saw A horde of fiends dragging Jennifer, his girlfriend away. Her limp body dragging across the rocky ground. As his heart pumped it's last, Rick heard a deep voice echoing in his mind. The words it spoke were foreign, but oddly Rick knew what they meant, "Live".

One Week Ago...

Rick sat near the roaring fire and slapped at his arm, killing a Mosquito. "Damn bugs." he said flicking the pest away. "Hey that was a Living creature." Jennifer said handing him a beer. "What's this?" he asked. "It's a celebratory cocktail for a job well done." she said. "I didn't do anything." Rick said twisting the top off his Budweiser. "Dr. Hamilton doesn't seem to agree with you, he's still there." she said pointing to a bright light a few meters deeper into the jungle.

Professor of Ancient Cultures Miles Hamilton, a rotund man of Scottish heritage lifted up his glasses and gingerly blew away a healthy layer of dust from an ornate gold box. "interesting" he said tracing over a raised inscription on the box. "La Máscara." he said outloud. "The Mask." Rick said entering.

"Ahh Excellent timing dear boy." Hamilton said. "Come to see the fruits of your work?" Hamilton asked. "What fruits, I bribed a young boy with a bottle of Coca-cola and a Wal-mart divers watch." Rick said. "It's all for a good reason Mr. Martain, we were getting nowhere with the tribal elders. No matter what we offered them they would never part with the location of El Casa Muerte." he said. "That name doesn't exactly fill me with conference Doc." Rick said looking around. "This place is a major find Rick, a remnant of a totally unknown civilation lost to the annals of history." He said. "Now if I could just find a name." he said.

"Professor, Kwan's found something." Jennifer said rushing in. Jennifer, Rick and Professor Miles rushed to Freddy Kwan's side, he was surrounded by a small group of students. "What did you find Frederic?" Hamilton asked shoving through a throng of students. "It's...I think it's a sacrificial altar Doc." Freddie said moving a large chunk of moss. "Briliant Frederic, how did you ever notice this?" Professor Hamilton asked. "I almost passed it by, thinking it was just an ordinary rock formation until I noticed a deep groove in the base." Freddie said. "Ahh yes, a blood draining channel." Hamilton said. "And seeing that this table is roughly Seven feet in length only affirms my hypothesis that our unknown tribe practiced human sacrifice." Hamilton said. "That would explain the artifacts I found in the tomb." Hamilton said.

Hamilton slowly opened the ornate golden decorated box and lifted out an object wrapped in thick animal hide. "They called it 'La Máscara Del Terror!" he said in a spooky voice. "The Terror Mask?" Rick said. "Very good Mr. Martain." Hamilton said. "This was also inside." he said unwrapping a long object. "It's a knife." Jessica said. "It's actually a ceremonial dagger that the high priest would use in conjunction with the Máscara to aid in the sacrifice." he said.

"Look at that thing, it's creepy." Jessica said wrapping her arm across Rick's sholder. "It looks kinda like a Hockey Mask...or a skull...sort of. You think the ancients were Flyers fans?" Rick asked.

[Otis McNutt 395]

Rick found himself in the middle of the jungle, a torrential storm pouring down from the heavens. As he hurried to the dig site he noticed that the trees surrounding the temple were much shorter. As he moved through the undergrowth he heard a muffled chanting, and saw a throng of masked natives on their knees surroundingthe sacrificial altar, a muscular priest at the head.

Lifting his hood he revealed the Mask wrapped around his face, and the garish blade in his blood stained hand. Removing the burial hood from the victim Rick saw that it was Jessica bound and gagged. As he ran to save her he was tackled and held down as the knife slammed down.

"Rick!" Jess said shaking him awake. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Yeah babe, just a bad dream." he said "You were crying Rick, it was more than bad." she said. "I love you Jess, you know that right?" he asked.

Jess was shocked by his blunt statement. "Stop that kind of talk Rick, or you'll make me start crying." she said. "We should try to get back to sleep, we have to be at the airfield by 6 A.M." she said laying her head on Rick's stomach.

Rick watched the vast rainforests of South America get smaller and smaller as the plane climbed to cruising altitude. "Feel good to be going home Rick?" Professor Hamilton asked. "Yeah Prof, I must say I'm suprised to see you joining us, I figured you'd stay and catalog the entire site yourself." he said. "I too have been feeling homesick, but as soon as I'm ready I'll be on the first flight back." Hamilton said. "Luckly I have the Máscara and blade to study, as well as this odd item hidden in a compartment beneath the gold box." he said opening his sachel. "It's a book...with a face." Jess said looking at the stomach turning tome. "Astute observation Ms. Park." Miles said. "This book does indeed have a face." he said. "Is it...real?" Rick asked. "Yes quite, it is bound in human flesh and inked in blood if I'm not mistaken." Hamilton said. "The Incription on the inside of the box names it Necronomicon Ex Mortis, Book of the Dead." He added. "Wait that's latin, but the mask was named in spanish?" Rick said confused. "I believe that whomever met at the temple was a well traveled race of people. Maybe even the first race, the book talks about a home land 'Beyond the Pilars of Heracules". he said.

"Heracules, that's the Roman name for Hercules." Rick said. "And Plato said that Atlantis was beyond the pilars of Hercules, you don't think...."

Rick, Jess and Professor Miles spent the remainer of the flight in silence.