“Right,” said Bill.
Going into town, they turned into HighStreet, which was filled with higgledy piggledy half-timbered buildings.
They stopped at an off license andbought a bottle of wine.
“’Cos it’s tradition to bring a bottleto a party,” said Arthur.
“I see,” said Bill.
They went into a chemist’s shop. Billcould see that Arthur was having a lot of trouble buying something. He keptskirting round the shop and giving the stern middle-aged woman who stood behindthe counter embarrassed looks. When they eventually left, Arthur handed Bill asmall white packet.
“’Cos you never know your luck,” saidArthur.
“What do you mean?”
“This thing could turn into a virtualorgy.”
Bill nodded his agreement and gave thesmall packet in his hand a curious look.
There was a big café on the streetcorner so the boys went in and had a fry up for lunch then spent the afternoonexploring Middenmere. It was an ancient and beautiful place filled with manygothic buildings, cobbled streets and narrow alleyways.
When evening came they went back toConnaught Hall for a bite to eat, a bath and a shave. Bill changed into a freshwhite shirt with cravat, black bell bottoms and velvet jacket. Arthur wore anorange and black paisley shirt with denim jacket and lashings of his dad’s pungentaftershave. Arthur brought the wine in a carrier bag and Bill carried thetorch.
By eleven thirty they’d left thecollege by the side gate and were making their way down a quiet road. It wasfairly chilly now and everything looked washed out from the glow of orangestreet lights. The road turned sharply to the left as it skirted round the backof the college. The boys saw a dense wooded area, long and low, to their right– shrouded in darkness and looking quite sinister. It was cut off from the roadby a brick wall but some way along the boys saw an iron gate.
“That must be the entrance,” saidBill.
“Can I have the torch?”
Bill handed Arthur the torch. Theywent through the gate and set off down a wide dirt path that led away into adark enveloping arch of trees, like the entrance to a mysterious cave. Thetorch gave out a fairly feeble light but there was a full moon so the boyscould see the vague outline of silvery tree trunks, brambles and leafybranches. They trod gingerly on, into the ever-deepening woods and it greweerily silent and even darker as the road and street lights receded into thedistance. The only sound was the crunch of their footfall. The trees were veryclose and seemed to be reaching out to prick them with sharp silhouetted branches.An owl suddenly hooted from out of some dark hole.
“Argh!” said Arthur jumping. “Thisplace gives me the creeps.”
“I hope we’re on the right path, it'sa bit overgrown. The girls said it goes up hill but it’s been dead flat sofar.”
“Let’s just keep going and hope forthe best.”
The boys walked on for a couple moreminutes until the path started to go up a gentle incline. When it levelled outthe tress thinned, the sky and moon became visible again, and they saw the darkand brooding silhouette of a large stone building with a spire at one end, setin a wide clearing.
“I guess that’s Saint Pius,” saidBill.
“I thought there’d be music and lotsof people. It is a party after all.”
“The girls definitely said midnight,”said Bill checking his watch, “and it’s almost that now.”
“You did get the day right?”
“Let’s just go in and see what’s goingon.”
The boys made their way over to thechurch, picking their way by torchlight through the tombstones of ancientcrumbling cemetery. The arched door was rotten and the lock was rusted so theboys pushed it open and looked tentatively inside. At the far end of the churchthey saw Lilith and Ophelia lighting red candles.
“Hello?” said Arthur tentatively.
The girls turned and saw the boys,then gave each other knowing looks.
“You came. That’s marvellous,” saidLilith.
“Funny old party this,” said Arthur.“Just the four of us is it?”
“Step forward Bill,” said Lilithdramatically, “and prepare yourself.”
The boys took a step forward butLilith held up her hand. “Halt!” she said in a stern voice. “Just Bill isrequired. Arthur, you wait there a moment.”
Bill gave Arthur a puzzled look.
“Just a girly game I guess,” saidArthur. “Go on!”
Bill walked forward, making his way upthe aisle. The church was mildewed, with quite a few weeds growing around thepews. Moonbeams shone in through a hole in the high roof.
A huge bald man with jutting jaw andbad posture crept up behind Arthur. A giant meaty hand clamped itself overArthur’s mouth and he found himself being dragged backwards and out of thechurch. He tried to struggle but the man held him in a vice-like grip. Arthur’seyes were wide with terror as he was dragged off behind a bush.
Bill approached the girls and lookedat Ophelia. “Is this what all student parties are like? I was expectingsomething a little more, you know... We brought a bottle.”
“This is a special sort of party,Bill. More a ceremony really,” said Ophelia.
Bill wondered why she looked sosheepish.
“Take off your jacket,” orderedLilith.
“Yes, of course,” said Bill taking offhis jacket. He couldn’t help admiring the girls. They looked very pretty. “Nicedresses by the way.”
Ophelia looked at Lilith and said,“It’s midnight.”
“Go to the altar,” said Lilith toBill, flashing her eyes and pointing.
Bill walked over to the altar,skirting past the candelabras full of flickering red candles. He saw a recordplayer on a pew.
“Let’s put some music on,” he saidbrightly. “Got any of that Crocodile stuff? Arthur loves that.”
Bill looked down the nave to thechurch entrance but couldn’t see Arthur. He watched the door open and saw ahuge bald man come running up the aisle. Bill didn’t like the look of him atall. He suddenly felt very scared. The man had a beetle brow, huge muscles andwas carrying a rope.
“Who the Hell's that?” he said.
“You are to be sacrificed!” saidLilith in a loud but slightly nervous voice.
Bill suddenly noticed a silver dagger,glinting in Lilith's red-nailed hand.
“Please,” said Bill in a desperatevoice, “you don’t want to kill me. I’m, I'm...” He found it difficult rattlingoff his best attributes, difficult even to find words in such
