Pyp was screaming. The monster had an iron grip around his waist has it leap from rooftop to rooftop. It's going to kill me thought Pyp, its taking me to its evil den to kill me. Tears wet Pyps eyes as he sailed through the air, where was Arthur he was suppose to protect Pyp. He should be running after this devil and take Pyp to the Barons keep where he will be safe. Father told him that when he sent Pyp off to Finepoint.

"Pyp, I'm going to a dangerous place and you won't be safe there; people there will want to hurt you" Pyp remembered his father saying months ago.

Father was wrong, thought Pyp, he was going to die and it was all his fault. Pyp tried to struggle out of the creatures grip but he was not strong enough to pull of its gnarled bony fingers. Pyp was tall but he was not as strong as he should have been, he remembered training lesson with master at arms Jezerin. The old man was a harsh teacher, Pyp was always covered in bruises at the end of the lesson and Jezerin was untouched.

"One day I'll make you a swordsman little lord" he'd say after every lesson, Pyp hated swords with a passion because of those lessons. He never learned anything and Jezerin never tried to teach him differently, always making him stand around swing his sword at nothing; then spend time bashing his arms and legs with a wooden sword. The monster stopped jumping for a moment and looked around the city with its dead eyes. After a moment of looking it hopped off the roof and landed in front of a large rectangular building with tall spires at each corner. The building was made of dark cut stone and black bricks, it had no windows giving it sinister look. Pyp noticed a sign carved into a large stone which lay next to the entrance, it read "Finepoint Central Bank"

Inside the bank there was a number crudely constructed cages which held small groups of people. The prisoners shied away from Pyp as he was pushed along the cages toward a central staircase. He was led down into a large basement where the banks main vault was open. Pyp was forced into a line of other prisoners that stood in front of the vaults door.

The other prisoners were whispering between themselves "what's going to happen to us", "they're going to kill us".

"Release me go at once I'm scion of the house Mervard and I wil-" the man who raised his voice to the nearest possessed guard was hit square in the stomach and was forced to his knees.

The other possessed around them started to push the prisoners into the vault, some resisted but many like Pyp just allowed themselves to be pushed into their new cell. All Pyp could think about then was how he was going to die.

They shut the vault door behind them and the prisoners were locked in near complete darkness, Pyp had noticed there was barred windows to the surface so in the morning some light would enter the vault. The people in there with him all huddled in little groups, some whispered to each other in small voices, others sat in total silence. Pyp sat hugging his knees, leaning against a wall. He looked around at the other prisoners hoping one would come over to him, but no one moved. Pyp could see they were all terrified like him, but they were adults! they should be calm thought Pyp, momentarily forgetting his fear, if Father were here he wouldn't panic and cry. Pyp realised if his father saw how he was acting in this cell he would be disappointed. That made him feel worse than the fear which gripped him moments ago. Pyp stood up purposefully and walk directly over to the closed vault door, he ran his hands over the opening mechanism. It was made up of a number of gears and levers which unhitched a large steel bolt that held the door in place.Pyp saw that none of the others had come over to the door, they stayed away as if the possessed were going to come in and kill them at any moment. Pulling the lever did nothing, the possessed must have locked it from the other side.

The voices of the other prisoners had begun to grow louder and more agitated. Pyp realised that the possessed had not taken his bag off him, inside there was only a small amount of dry meat and a large water skin. His flute was in the bag, he forgot that he'd brought it; if Arthur had known he had brought the flute he would have been furious. Arthur never liked the flute. It gave Pyp an idea, he sat down and assembled the flute; Pyp needed to get the attention of the other prisoners in the vault. There was no way he would be able to escape without their help. Pyp played the tune "A Lonely Road To Finepoint" it was a popular tune in the city. As the melody started to flow around the room people began to look over at Pyp and the raised voice's died off. People looked relieved and comforted as the tune continued, hard faces softened as the familiar song reminded them of a time before the horror.

When Pyp put his flute down at the end of the tune he stood up and said "People of Finepoint" desperately trying to remember the instruction he'd received in formal speech he continued. "we have to get out of here, and that won't happen if we all sit around in fear" there was a slight tremor in his voice as he gave his short speech.

Was it always this hard? his Father gave lots of speeches to his subjects and he never wavered thought Pyp.

"Well said lad" said the scion of house Mervard as he came to stand next to Pyp.

"He's right we, can't just roll over like dogs" he said in a powerful voice "They have to come in here at some point, and when they do we'll be ready" he marched forward into the crowd. "All men come forward we need to organise fighting men and see if we can make any weapons".

Pyp was ignored as the vault burst into motion, men formed lines based off their trades and the women gathered all the children. This isn't what Pyp wanted, he couldn't fight very well and they had no weapons, they would be slaughtered by the possessed. He wanted them to figure out a way to get through those bars or open the door at night when no possessed were around. A small women approached him and led him to a corner where the children and elderly were being held. The other children were all chattering away, excited with all the sudden movement. Pyp sat clutching his flute looking around in fear. He hoped they wouldn't ask the children to fight. Shame filled his body as he thought what his Father would say to that, Father was always kind to him but Pyp knew he always wanted him to be stronger like his brother.

"That was a lovely tune you played lad" said one of the old men sat in the corner.

"Thank you" said Pyp.

"Where you from then lad, you don't have the drawl of the locals" he asked, Pyp thought for a moment, should he reveal who he really was? he wasn't suprised no one knew who he was, his brother was the heir and so the most popular.

"I'm from Foxrun" Pyp said, it was near the private estate he lived most his life, he had visited it several time.

"Whats a lad from Foxrun doing this far south?" asked the Old man.

"My Father is a traveling merchant we were in town when the curse came to Finepoint".

"Bad luck lad, I'm Rigel and I used to work in this Bank" said Rigel not asking what happened to Pyps 'Father'.

"Is there no way out of this vault, no secret door?" asked Pyp.

Slowly Rigel shook his head and said "no lad there's no other way out, only that door".

"I'm Pyp" said Pyp remembering to introduce himself "do you think they can win" he asked Rigel.

"I don't know lad, but if there is a battle down here you children can sneak away in the confusion".

Rigel went on to explain the area around the bank and where to go when he got out of the vault.

"Go to the dungeons last I heard what remains of the city watch took refuge down there, it should be safe" said Rigel.

"What about you?" asked Pyp.

Rigel gave him a sad smile "I won't be getting out of this vault alive lad, I've a bad leg and can't run" Rigel patted Pyp on the shoulder. "But don't worry about that lad, get that flute out and play me a few more tunes to pass the time".