CEO of the Dead

Chapter 9: The Occult Vault

"We’re in the basement of the manor, Cyprian! If the Auditors catch us here, we’re done!" Thomas hissed.

"They won't catch us. Cedric has the security loop on a five-second delay," I said.

"Five seconds isn't a lot of time!" Thomas whispered back.

"It's enough for a ghost. Oswin, is the wall clear?" I asked.

Oswin placed his large, red-tinted hand against the cold stone. "There’s a hidden mechanism behind the masonry. It’s not mechanical. It’s spectral."

"Cedric, can you bypass the occult lock?" I asked into the air.

"Working on it, Boss! It’s a complex encryption. They’ve used old blood as a password," Cedric’s voice crackled in my ear.

"Blood?" I asked. "Specifically Beaumont blood. It’s a genetic lock," Cedric said.

"I’m a Beaumont. Or I was," I muttered. 

I stepped up to the wall and pressed my translucent palm against the stone. I felt a sharp, stinging sensation, like a needle prick. The wall groaned, the heavy stones shifting and sliding apart to reveal a dark, sloping passage.

"It worked," Oswin noted. "Of course it worked. My family is obsessed with themselves," I said.

We walked down into the vault. I expected gold bars. I expected piles of cash or stolen art. Instead, the room was filled with thousands of glass jars. They were stacked on floor-to-ceiling shelves, each one glowing with a faint, pulsing light.

"What is this place?" Thomas asked, his voice trembling.

"It’s not a vault. It’s a library," I said, walking toward the nearest shelf. "Boss, look at the labels," Oswin said.

I leaned in. Each jar had a name etched into the glass. 

"’Director of Finance, 1994.’ ’Head of Operations, 2002.’ These aren't just names. These are people who worked for the company," I said.

"They didn't just fire them, Cyprian. They harvested them," Thomas whispered.

"This is how the Beaumont Empire stays on top. They don't just take your ideas. They take your soul to run their servers," Cedric added over the comms.

"It’s sick," I said. "It’s efficient," a voice echoed from the back of the room.

I spun around. There was a smaller, inner vault made of pure silver. On a pedestal sat a jar that glowed brighter than all the others. It was a deep, warm amber color.

"Who’s that?" I asked. I walked closer, my heart, or what was left of it—sinking. I read the name on the gold plaque.

"Eleanor Fenwick," I whispered. "Your mother?" Thomas asked, floating closer.

"Alaric told me she died in her sleep. He said she went peacefully," I said. My eyes were burning with a dark, blue light.

"She’s been sitting on a shelf for ten years," Oswin said.

"He didn't just kill me. He’s been using her for power this entire time," I growled.

"Cyprian, we have to get her out of here!" Thomas said. "I’m taking all of them. I’m going to burn this whole place down," I said.

"Boss, wait! The energy signature in the room is changing!" Cedric screamed.

Suddenly, the jars on the shelves began to rattle. The faint glowing lights inside them started to flicker and fade, as if something was sucking the life out of them.

"What's happening?" I shouted. "It’s a Soul-Vacuum! It’s a trap for intruders!" Cedric yelled.

"Oswin, grab the jar!" I commanded. Oswin lunged for my mother’s soul, but a field of white energy blasted him back. He hit the stone wall with a heavy thud.

"I can't get near it! The silver is charged!" Oswin yelled.

"Thomas, help him!" I barked. "I’m being pulled, Cyprian! The vacuum is starting!" Thomas screamed.

I felt it too. A massive, invisible force was tugging at my essence. It felt like being pulled toward a giant, swirling drain. My electric blue skin began to stretch and flicker.

"Close the door! We have to leave!" Thomas cried out. "I’m not leaving her!" I roared.

I stepped toward the silver pedestal, my feet dragging against the floor. Every step felt like I was moving through thick mud. The air was screaming, a high-pitched whine that threatened to tear my ears apart.

"Cyprian, the door is closing!" Cedric yelled. I looked back. The heavy stone blocks were sliding shut. 

"Oswin, get out! Now!" I ordered. "Not without you, CEO!" Oswin shouted. "That's an order! Go!" I screamed.

Oswin grabbed Thomas and threw him through the narrowing gap. He hesitated for a second, looking at me with his red eyes.

"Go!" I yelled again. Oswin dove through the opening just as the last stone clicked into place. The vault was sealed. The silence that followed was even more terrifying than the screaming.

"Cedric? Are you there?" I asked. There was nothing but static in my ear. 

"Cedric!" I shouted. Still nothing. The Soul-Vacuum was killing the signal. I was trapped in a room made of silver and dead souls.

"So, you finally found the family secret," a voice said. It didn't come from the comms. It came from the speakers in the ceiling. It was Alaric.

"Alaric, let me out of here!" I yelled at the ceiling.

"Why would I do that, Cyprian? You’re exactly where you belong. You’re finally part of the collection," Alaric said. "I’m going to kill you," I promised. 

"You can't even touch me. And soon, you won't even be able to think. The vacuum will strip you down to pure energy. You'll be the best battery the company has ever had," Alaric laughed.

"I’ll break the walls down!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the silver door.

"Go ahead. The more you fight, the faster you burn. It’s basic physics, brother," Alaric said.

I looked at my mother’s jar. The amber light was dimming. She was being drained to power the very trap that was killing me.

"I’m sorry, Mom," I whispered. "Don't be sorry. Be useful," Alaric said. "The market opens in five minutes. I need the extra boost."

The vacuum intensified. I fell to my knees, my form starting to unravel into thin blue threads. I looked at my hands. They were disappearing.

"I am the CEO," I whispered to myself. "I don't get liquidated."

"System," I gasped. "Is there... any way... out?"

[Warning: Soul Integrity at 40%. Critical Failure Imminent.]

"Answer me!" I screamed.

[Emergency Protocol: Corporate Merger available. Consuming nearby assets to maintain core integrity?]

I looked at the thousands of jars around me. The souls of the people who had built this company.

"I have to eat them?" I asked. "It's a hostile takeover, Cyprian," Alaric’s voice came again. "Do it. Show me you’re a real Beaumont."

I reached out a trembling hand toward the nearest shelf. If I didn't do it, I would vanish. If I did, I would become a monster.

"Cyprian, don't!" Thomas’s voice echoed faintly through the stone.

"I have to," I whispered.

I grabbed the first jar. The glass was cold. Inside, the soul screamed.