I am a park ranger for a very obscure park in the northwestern edge of the Midwest. The park isn’t very busy and has the usual local traffic, but on rare occasions we may get some new faces. Those who do visit and stay the night tend to talk about some animal(s) pestering them. I tell them that I will do what I can, yet in reality there is very little I can do. Not even the conservation officers are willing to do anything. Unless there is some major incident that occurs, yet nothing has happened to warrant a call to them in 8 months.
That incident involved a missing 27 year old Caucasian male; Ryan Henry. I wasn’t on call that day, but my co-worker Helen was on call. She shared her report with me along with the police report.
According to the reports:
From what Helen had told me, I was lucky to be off that day. The thing is though, I saw Ryan the day before and even helped him pick his campsite. He was a nice guy; friendly and respectful yet a little reserved. He seemed to know what he was doing, as he had a lot of high quality equipment. He even lent me a new headlamp after I lost mine. I still have to this day.
Now that some background stuff is out of the way…
I began my patrol at 5:00 pm; my schedule runs from 5 pm to 2 am. To my surprise, Helen was in tonight as well. Though she began her patrol shortly after I started; had already made my driving rounds. Helen radioed to meet at the Elm Shelter (the shelter outside of trail 5). As I drove I stopped by a couple who I figured to be new to the park.
He appeared to be less familiar to the park than his girlfriend/wife, as she shook her head in disbelief.
Me: “Beach camp is west of the park community center. The community center is down this road and you will take the road to the right. I have a map if you want to use that for other trails you want to explore.”
Woman: “What did I say, Paul?”
Paul: “I just wanted to be sure we knew…”
Woman: “I have been here six times in the past three months… I have an idea of where shit is.”
Paul: sigh “Thanks for your help, sir.”
Me: “No problem. Have a good day.”
As I drove off I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy; he didn’t know the park and his significant other has, in my opinion, novice experience with the park.
I arrived at the Elm Shelter to see Helen sitting on one of the tables. She looked up a brushed her hair out of her face before smiling. Her brunette hair was loose, but it seemed like she was putting it in a messy bun before I interrupted her.
Me: “I haven’t seen your hair that messy since that time you fell in a puddle of mud chasing a dog.”
Helen: smiles and shakes her head “Yeah… I need a haircut, but the place I go to lost it’s best stylist. Not to mention I did run late today.”
Me: sits on the table next to her “So… what did you call me over for?”
Helen: sighs deeply before handing me a photo “It’s bad….”
Me: Looks at Helen then at the photo before taking it
Helen: Looks down at her shoes “The case has been reopened. Park is getting shut down again and this time… it may be permanent….”
The photograph was of a woman missing one of her breasts and an arm. Her eyes were popped out of their sockets and her jaw was dislocated. To say that the photograph was bloody would be an understatement. I shivered at the process that this woman had to of gone through.
Me: Still looking at the photo “This is a totally different person though, Helen.”
Helen: “Her name is Kimberly Stanton. 30 years old. From the great state of Montana. She came by last night and died that night. Police are blocking the roads and other ways into and out of the park… tonight.”
Me: “She died similarly to Ryan it seems, after looking at it more. So why wasn’t I told about the lockdown before I came to work today?”
Helen: turned to look at me “I wasn’t told about it either. Nick told me before I called you… I think he may also want to keep some kind of normalcy till the lockdown is over.”
Me: “Well thank you for telling me. So if we are under lockdown… what do we do after our shift?”
Helen: stands up and gestures to her company truck
I follow Helen to the truck and hop in with her. The ride was filled with small talk… which reinforced my crush on her.
After about five minutes of driving we arrived at a tower of some kind. It was made of wood and had a metal staircase and was a small nest on top to look around in. Helen began her assent on the stairs, which creaked under her. I followed closely behind. Each step creaked and clanked under our feet till we reached the top.
The nest was small and covered in glass. The inside had a large desk, a supply box, a HAM radio, lamps, box of food, and a sleeping bag. It had the appearance of something from Fallout, which made me chuckle. The air smelled of moth balls and old wood. In the center of the nest is a hatch which leads to a ladder that takes you back down. As I took in the environment, Helen broke the silence.
Helen: “You and I will be staying up here after our shift… if you need to get anything from your personal vehicle I would do so before coming back here.”
Me: “I’ll take that offer.” looks at radio to see time… time is 6:10 pm “We have quite a bit of time before…”
Helen: “Shift will end an hour early… Nicks call.”
At that moment I get a strange feeling. A feeling that I’m not being told the full story. I look at Helen who is going through the boxes and making a list. I can tell just from her demeanor that she is hiding something. Just as I was about to ask her, she turned around and handed me a list.
Me: grabs the list “What’s all this?”
Helen: “A list of things we will need for the night… I’ll drive you back to your company truck.”
After dropping me off, Helen rolled her window down and looked around.
Before I could say a word she took off. I was stumped… I have a list of things to get, the park is on lockdown, and something isn’t adding up. It’s almost as though I got myself into a big mistake… yet it could be worse I guess.
(8:00 pm rolls around)
I have collected a majority of the items on the list; water, butane for lamps, batteries, and extra food. All that was left was sleeping bag, blankets, and an extra first aid kit. I set off to gather the remaining items, which I figured would be found at the staff building near the main office. It’s a small log cabin style building that was built in the late 70s.
As I approached the staff building, my phone dinged with a notification. It was a text from Helen.
As I put the key into the slot, I heard the sound of someone running behind me. Thinking it was a hiker or some kind of emergency I turned around. When I turned around there was nobody there. I could have sworn that I heard someone running towards me, but I can’t worry about that right now. I have to get everything on the list and head out, before 9 pm.
The door was partially warped, so the door scraped the floor and was hard to open. When I tried to flip the light switch the bulb popped. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the supply closet by using my phone screen. The dim light illuminated the door knob to the supply closet. I opened the door and began looking for the supplies.
The light from the setting sun was falling fast, as I searched for each item. The sleeping bags were easy to find, yet the blankets weren’t so easy. The box for blankets was not in their original spot (usually next to luxury items). The box was no where to be seen, so I grabbed a first aid kit and began making my way out when … thump!!! I dropped the first aid kit and spun around. I fumbled for my phone when I heard something above me. I went back into the supply closet to see a box on the ground. The box just so happened to be the box for blankets.
I grabbed two blankets and grabbed the first aid kit I dropped. As I closed the door I heard the noise from above again. It sounded like something walking around, but that would mean it is on the roof as the building has one floor. I began loading the truck when I heard the noise begin to speed up. I jumped in the truck and sped off when I hit something that ran in front of me. I hit the brakes and jumped out, as I feared I hit someone. What I saw was… a puddle of some viscous sludge.
The sludge was a sort of red color like blood, yet it smelled nothing like blood. The smell reminded me of burnt hair and vinegar. The smell seemed to linger on my clothing too as once I got in my truck I still smelt it. I had to write down what happened, as it’s policy for us to do if we get in an accident. The issue is I couldn’t find what I had hit, so I marked down that I ran over a skunk.
As I was writing I saw something out the corner of my eye; a dog sized thing ran by my truck. I rolled down my window just a bit to call out to the possible dog. As I wait to see the dog, I saw the brush on the driver side door shake. I watched that spot, hoping that it was a dog or just the wind. What I saw put the fear of God in me. It charged at my truck, so I put the truck in drive and punched it to my personal vehicle.
I drove fast, but that thing was on my ass. I could get a good look at it… it was so fast, but it almost seemed human. The shape of its body made me think it was human like, yet it was running on all fours. It was not something I have ever seen, but if it was a prank… then damn they got my ass good. Yet, part of me doesn’t think that this is a prank of any sort because of how devoted the thing seemed to get me.
Just when I was about to reach my vehicle, it ran left of the road. I stopped next to my vehicle and unlocked it. Now… we are not allowed to have firearms on our person, yet I couldn’t help but feel the need to have one at this time. I grabbed my holster and extra magazines, but I heard something running towards me and I spun around to see the creature and I aimed my handgun at it.
Before I could open fire something got it’s attention and made it dart towards what ever it was. I quickly stowed my handgun in my holster and put my coat on before driving to the nest. I drove fast, yet stopped when I saw Paul and his girlfriends campsite. Paul waved to me and smiled at me, so I got out and walked over to them. They were cooking something over the fire, as I could smell the scent of cooking meat.
I didn’t want to make them panic from what I said, yet they may not believe me either. To prevent fear and my own embarrassment I told them the situation of the park.
Me: “Actually, I needed to inform everyone in the park of the lockdown.”
Woman: “Wait… lockdown? For what?”
Paul: “We didn’t hear about one. Are we going to be okay?”
Me: “I understand your worry, but there is nothing to worry over. We only ask that you remain at your campsite tonight.”
Paul: “Okay… yeah, we can do that.” Turns to his girlfriend “Ashe, we should probably get stuff locked up.”
Ashe: “What exactly is the lockdown for, Ranger?”
Me: “There is a possibility that a dangerous person may be around the park, so a man hunt is currently being done to find this person.”
Ashe: “Is he an escaped convict or something? I don’t want anybody hurting me or Paul.” turns to Paul who is locking up their SUV
I had to come up with something… anything….
Me: “Yeah, it’s an escaped convict. He had attacked someone and fled to the park. He should be found by now, but I haven’t heard anything yet. Incase you see anything, give our office a call and we will notify the police for you.” hand them a business card with numbers to call
Paul: takes the card
Ashe: “Thank you, sir… we will let you if we see anything.”
Me: “Take care now.”
I got back in my truck and made it to the nest just in the nick of time. Six minutes before 9 pm. I could see Helen making her way down the stairs to help me carry everything up. She smiled and thanked me for getting everything before turning on the HAM radio. The radio roared to life, tuned to the frequency of the police radios.
The police seemed to be talking about some people trying to get into the park and one person who snuck out of the park. This stuff was, according to Helen, “out of our control” yet I still felt that we should be the ones down there helping them. Just when I was about to say something, Helen got up and walked over to the window.
Should I tell her about what I experienced before arriving here? I’m not sure, as what if she interprets what I say differently. I also don’t really understand why she wouldn’t “want me to get hurt”.
Me: sits up “Get hurt? By who?”
Helen: glances towards me and back to the window “… No… no… it’s not WHO will hurt you, but rather a WHAT.”
At that moment I believed she knew what I had experienced.
Me: “Then what is going to hurt us?”
Helen: “I was told that there were monsters in the park when I was a little girl, but I never believed it till I began working here….”
Me: “I saw… or think I saw something….”
Helen whirled around and slowly walked over to me. Her eyes wide in intrigue.
Helen: “You saw one.”
Me: “I think so… it was hard to tell.”
Helen: “Almost dog like, but yet human like?”
Me: “What is it exactly?”
Helen: “I honestly don’t know…. The guy who trained me said they came from the cave system, but there were different types of monsters in the cave system other than what you saw.”
Me: “It chased me to my personal vehicle… I was worried that I would be attacked that I grabbed my handgun.” lifts coat to show holster
Helen: “Smart… yet I don’t know if they are bulletproof or not.”
Me: chuckles “Not going to lie… I thought you were going to get mad at me for having it on me.”
Helen: “ppffftt… fuck no! I carry even though we aren’t allowed to. Actually I thought you might not like guns, but then again I do recall seeing a 9mm shell fall out your car.”
Me: “I take it you carry because of the monsters?”
Helen: “Not exactly…. Let’s just say… I don’t trust Brandon.”
Brandon is our boss; he isn’t the nicest person on the block yet he gets shot done. I don’t really have any issue with they man, yet he doesn’t like Helen and Helen hates him. It think it had something to do with Helen snitching to his now ex-wife about his affair with the park accountant.
Helen: “Actually… Brandon wanted only me to be the one up here.”
Me: “Why only you?”
Helen: “I’m not sure… I don’t trust him, but I also don’t think he would do something to me.”
Me: “But why was I excluded?”
Helen looked at me and sat next to me. She put her hand on my hand. It was soft, yet I could somehow tell there was more to the story with the tension around her. I looked into her sapphire blue eyes and then she looked away from me.
Me: “Well, I’m sure he had a good reason…. Anyway, thank you for bringing me here.”
Helen: “I do care bout….”
The sound of something slowly climbing the stairs was heard; the creaks and metallic taps of movement were barely audible yet still heard even during our conversation. As I heard the foot steps a feeling of dread washed over me. I could feel my heart racing, so in a panic I began to turn off all the lights. Helen, catching on, turned off the HAM radio.
Metallic foot steps increasing in volume
The nest was devoid of artificial light, as the moons cold glow illuminated the nest. As we watched the door, it dawned on us that we didn’t lock the door. I crouched down and quietly made my way to the door, but just before I reached the door Helen held her hand up. A gesture of pause. I obeyed the gesture and watched as a shadow slowly lumbered it’s way across the deck of the nest.
The pace of the shadow was stretched out by the moon light, yet the shadow had no resemblance of a man or woman. The shadow had horns, long wispy hair, either a protruding beak or muzzle, and long gangly arms. I dared not look out the window out of fear of seeing the horror that laid on the other side. Just when it couldn’t get any worse it screamed. It screamed like a dying horse mixed with a pig squeal. My skin crawled and ears rang from the sound, yet after it screamed… it spoke.
The voice spoke in a manner of how a parrot might speak; broken and almost incomprehensible. It sounded like a man.
I could feel a tear well in my eye, as I feared that we could be the next victims for police to find. I drew my handgun both out of fear and anger, yet Helen shook her head and mouthed “No”. I holstered my firearm and kept listening to the creature.
Helen pointed to the lock. I quietly turned the lock and moved away from the door. I could hear the thing breathing heavily and see it’s feet from under the door. I pull out the handgun again and wait for Helen to tell me to put it away, yet she only put her finger to her mouth. She slowly crouched over to me, but just when she neared me…
The creature crashed through the window and before I knew it. I fired several rounds into the thing, causing it to roar in pain. It spun around to reveal its grotesque face, so I fired into its face. The final shot seemed to put an end to its attack. Helen walk around the corpse and to me. I looked at Helen who’s shirt was torn on the left shoulder; she had been scratched by the creature.
The beast laid on the floor, it’s blood draining from the bullet holes. A similar smell perfumed the nest, yet I was unbothered by it. I can’t say the same for Helen; she began to gag and cough from the stench. I rubbed her back and she nodded at me.
Me: “Well… it’s dead… I think.” gently kicks it with foot
Helen: “Fuck…. I think we need to go somewhere else. Hhhmmmmmmm…” snaps finger “The beach house; that is our best bet.”
Me: “Beach house… yeah it should be somewhat safe, but that’s close to the caves. If we are close to the caves then that means we are more likely to see those… things.”
Helen: begins packing everything “Get my truck started and I’ll bring everything down.” tosses the key to me
Me: catches the keys “Got it.” Grabs a few items and begins to leave for the truck.
Helen: “Alex….” smiles “Thanks for saving me.”
Me: blushes “I’d do it again.” sprints down the stairs
I reached the bottom of the nest. I could hardly see anything, but the outlines of trees and the truck. As I unlocked the truck, I heard the field phone ring. I whipped out the phone and answered it. The other end was static for a few seconds before I could hear a distressed whisper.
Paul: “Hello? Hello? Please respond.”
Me: “This is Alex with park security…”
Paul: “Oh thank God. Alex you have got the help us. Ashe… she….”
Me: “Paul, stay calm we are on our way to your camp.”
Paul: “No! You need to find Ashe. It took her… it took….” Growling Moaning “No… no no no no no!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!” *ripping flesh and snapping bones * “Oh God”
???: “God… there is not….”
call disconnected
I shut the phone off and watched Helen load the rest of the equipment into the truck. I hoped in the drivers seat and waited for her to get in. She quickly, yet quietly hopped into the truck and we were off. I made way to the campsite Paul and Ashe were staying, as I had to know for sure what happened. Helen seemed confused as to why we were at a campsite.
Helen: looks over to me Why are we at a campsite?”
Me: “I got a call from a camper. One sounded like they got… hurt. The other is missing.”
Helen: “Well… I think we should leave it to the police.”
Me: “We are responsible for their safety as much as our own.” opens truck door “If you see anything… anything, then honk the horn or shout at me.” steps out of truck and walks over to the tent
The tent had been ripped apart into ribbons. There was no sign of either Paul or Ashe, so I kept looking. I saw their vehicle and approached. In the back of my mind I believe that I would either be attacked or find Paul’s corpse. I walked with baited breath when I heard a crunch from under my boot; shards of glass cracked under my boot. When I got close enough to the vehicle I turned away out of disgust.
In the car door was Paul’s mangled corpse; hanging out of the window. His hands had been either bitten or ripped off, his scalp partially removed, and his spine was exposed. I turned around and fast walked away when. HONK! 2x I ran to the truck and Helen was screaming for me to get in. I could hear something chasing me… perhaps the same thing that killed Paul.
I flung the door open and gunned it out of the campsite. Helen was watching behind us and hyperventilating.
Me: “Is it still chasing us?”
Helen: turns around “No… no it’s gone… it’s gone. “
Me: “… thank you for warning me. I owe you one.”
Helen: “Don’t worry bout it. We should probably make our way to the beach house.”
Me: “Agreed.”
We drive for several minutes till we reached the beach house. It was a large cabin with two floors and a garage. It was originally the rangers quarters, but was turned into a rental because of requests to rent it during the busy season. Helen hopped out of the truck and began punching in the combination to the garage door. Once it was opened I parked inside and Helen closed the door. Helen and I began the unpacking process.
After a few minutes of unpacking we decided to eat dinner; ramen and soda. We laughed about it since we had gone to the same university and have eaten a meal too similar to the one we had in front of us. It felt nice to have a moment of normalcy, but just as I was about to let my guard down… there was a loud knocking on the door.
Helen froze up and looked at me out of fear.
Me: “Helen, let’s get upstairs and hide out….”
Helen: “It’s Brandon….”
Me: “How do you know it’s him?”
Helen: grabs my hand and leads me to the stair case “You need to hide now.”
Me: “No way. It’s probably a thing or something mimicking his voice…”
Brandon: knocks on door louder “Helen open the fucking door NOW!”
Helen: turns to me and kisses my cheek “I’ll be fine just go.”
I slowly climbed the stairs as Helen made her way to the door. Once I reached the top, I heard the door open and Brandon began speaking.
Brandon: “Bout fucking time. Why did you leave the nest?”
Helen: “I left because I was attacked by a fucking creature, Brandon.”
Brandon: laughs “Well… now you are going to pay the price. After all you did snitch to my wife about our….”
Helen: “Don’t you dare remind me…. I know what I did and I did it out of desperation to get more money.”
Brandon: “To help you dying mother, because that will help a dying bitch. Didn’t she die anyway? You betrayed me…”
Helen: “No you used me and my desperation for money. Now you expect me to just follow along with your rules.”
Brandon: “Because I know I can’t rely on Alex. That bastard would have left the moment I told him about the things in the park.”
Helen: scoffs “Because you forced him to sign a contract to stay another six months with an incentive of giving him a raise. By the way you promised both of us a raise but haven’t bothered to give it to us.”
Brandon: “If he doesn’t like it here he should have left. Same for you.”
Thump
Everyone went silent as the thump came from the roof. Fearing that I may be caught by Brandon I began to sneak around.
Brandon: “Stupid bitch… you didn’t check the house.” begins to go upstairs
Helen: “We did…”
Brandon: “We?” stops and turns around to face Helen
Just when I though it couldn’t get worse… Howling They’re here…. Something began screeching and clawing at the roof of the house. The clawing was deafening as it sounded like it was right above me. So I made decision I ran down the stairs and knocked Brandon over. Helen grabbed the boiling pot of water and cracked Brandon over the head with it.
Brandon screamed in agony as the boiling water was drenched on him. For good measure I locked the door to the garage. Helen ran to the truck and began trying to start it up, but it wouldn’t turn over. Helen kept trying as I drew my handgun and aimed it at the door.
Me: “Helen?!”
Helen: “It won’t turn! Fuckin’ hell!!”
Me: Runs to her “We don’t have time. We have to either hide or fight.”
Helen: looks at me “Hide… hide where?”
Me: “Is there a basement or something?”
Helen: “… wait… we can make a break for the cave. It’s the only place that’s close.”
The memory of seeing a lifeless Paul came into my head. I didn’t want Helen or I to end up like Paul. I can see and feel them tearing me apart.
I nodded in agreement and smiled a little smile before Helen opened the garage door. As it slowly rose up we could hear the howls even louder as they broke down the front door and made their way to the garage. In that moment the only thing that ran through my mind was RUN.
Helen and I made a mad dash for the cave entrance and I could hear a man, possibly Brandon, screaming about something. I could also hear the sound of something following us. I sped up out of fear and once we entered the cave I spun around and fired my handgun.
What I hit was not a monster, but Ashe. Her chest was drenched in blood as she clung to her chest and began to cry out in pain. I felt guilt wash over me, but before I could help her something dragged her away from us and to the house. She screamed the whole way. I felt responsible for her death.
Helen grabbed my hand and dragged me further into the cave. I knew that I couldn’t mull over the life I took, but surely it can be an understandable circumstance. I mean I didn’t know it was her and yet I knew something was following us. What if it was a monster? I could have been mauled, eaten, or Helen could suffer the same fate as me.
We turned a corner to find our selves near a ledge and just below us was a light. A dim one at that but we could see none the less. I turned to face Helen who was looking down into the light.
Helen: “So… it’s real… Brandon was right all along.”
Me: walks over to her “What is this? Glow worms or something.”
Helen: shakes her head “If only it was so innocent…. Do you remember that urban legend called ‘The Hersey Pit’?
Me: “It’s a pit that is said to be the place where all heretics are punished. It is said that there are still heretics that dwell below.”
Helen: “The Heresy Pit has been hidden for years, until someone unblocked the cave.”
Me: “Brandon.”
Helen: “I believe so… he is the one who built the beach house. Not as a retreat or for us rangers… more as an alter to the creatures. To keep them away from the rest of the park, yet since the last death on Trail 4. About a quarter mile from the beach house.”
Me: “Why did they kill outside of the beach?”
Helen: looks at me “I’m not sure, but that’s what I suspect is the cause.”
Me: looks down “What do we do now?”
A noise came from behind us; the sound of shuffling feet. I aim my handgun at the threshold. Helen follows suit. As the shuffling got louder the thought of Ashe rushed through my mind, but I was mistaken. Brandon stood before us: his eyes bloodshot, face mangled, a broken left arm, a twisted ankle, and scars oozing blood. He stood in the threshold with a wide gate. The silence was deafening and just before I spoke… he spoke in a raspy voice.
Brandon: “You will die… as each camper and ranger has before you. The pit shall have its corpse… maybe two. Looks to Helen
Helen: aims at Brandon “As if….”
Brandon: “Only Alex is to die tonight. He is marked…. Why else would they be chasing you two?”
Me: “Marked? How?”
Brandon: “I only had to take a strand of hair and perform the ritual. You have to die.”
Helen: “Brandon… this is far enough. You can’t kill him….”
Brandon: “So you can do it yourself?” turns to me “I know you have feelings for this bitch, but she doesn’t feel the same way about you. She didn’t tell you the full story of the pit.”
Helen: “Shut up Brandon!”
Brandon: “Kill a righteous man in the pit and be granted a boon. Anything you desire… for the price of that soul. That is why there are monsters… the corpses of the righteous who lose faith as they die.”
Me: looks at Helen “Is this true?”
Helen: looks at me and down “… Yes, but I…”
Me: “You used me. Why? I thought we had something special! Was that a lie too?!”
Helen: “It wasn’t a lie! I… I really do like you Alex… I have feelings for you. I just wanted to see my mom one last time… before she died. Just one more time….”
I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. Just before I could saw anything I felt a pain in my chest… a knife. Everything went fuzzy, but I heard a female scream and the ground give way. I felt the earth envelope me as I drifted away into nothingness. Just as I was about to accept fate… Splash. The water was cold as ice, but I could only see darkness.
Is this hell? Purgatory? The pit? The pit… I was in the pit, but why? Brandon… he… he did this. Just as I was about the stand up I felt my eyes and head begin to burn. The pain was so intense that I could not hold in my screams. As the pain corded through my eyes… I began to see again. I began to make my way to something I believed to be a shore.
The water was heavy or rather I was weak. The pain subsided once I touched the shore; cold rocks that sparkled with light. I rolled onto my back and look up to see stalactites; dripping with water and glowing with light. I smiled in amazement at the beauty of it all, but something was with me. Just as I felt this sensation, something surfaced from the water. It was tall and armed with ten rivals that stretched to unreasonable lengths.
The thing slowly grabs my torso and brings me to it. It’s face was non existent, yet had a head and a large mouth. It’s skin a grey and brown color with splotches of blood red.
The voice was filled with other voices and spoke slowly, yet deeply.
Me: “What are you? Who are you?”
???: “I… I am a being of flesh and faith. Put on this earth to beset the fury of God on those who are… in a mindset of blasphemy.”
Me: “But I…”
???: “I know who you are, Alexander *****. A man of faith and duty, yet fearful of the wrath of God… for you have committed a terrible sin. The slaying of Ashe Cromewell.”
Me: “I admit it… I killed her, but it was on accident.”
???: “I know this… and God will forgive, for a price….”
Me: “Price?”
???: “Slay the murderer Brandon Shawn. Do this act and you will be given a seat in heaven. Refuse… and suffer the same fate as those who fell before you.”
Me: “He put me in here… I will do it.”
???: lifts me to the ledge “I bestowed unto you the third eye… may it guide you to your goal, but be warned… the corrupted will see you as prey.” tentacle disappears “May God be with you, child of man.”
The threshold was shut, but something was placed in the center. I approached the object to see a large lock with a sphere indent in the center. Something in my made me want to put my head on the lock. So I did as I felt, thus the door swung open to reveal the path out.
As I walked through the threshold, I looked up to see a winged creature hanging from its feet and looking at me. It didn’t seem to notice me, so I made my way out of the cave… slowly. Just when I was about to exit the cave I accidentally tripped over a rock and fell with a thud. I didn’t even wait for a reaction from the winged creature, I just fucking ran. I had no idea where I was going other than a feeling.
A feeling like I’m going the right way, but still lost. Mind you, I had no light and may have hallucinated a tentacle monster after being stabbed. Yet it all seemed to real; the feeling and the witnessing of the tentacle monster. Either out of fear or instinct I ran with the feeling, till I reached a house. I recognized the truck outside; it was Helen’s. She had to be inside, but I had to be certain so I made my way to the house and stalked the outside.
Inside was nicely furnished, yet the place seemed too clean. The house was spotless, yet the outside appears that someone doesn’t do much yard work. The floors were clean, the kitchen had no dishes out or food laying out, and the dinning room table had nothing on it. Then just when I was about to go in, I see the basement door open. Brandon exited the basement with a bucket and something else in his hand. Once I saw him, my feeling intensified to the point it was near blinding.
I barely noticed that something go the attention of Brandon. That something was my ticket inside; another creature trying to break in. As Brandon dealt with his new guest, I snuck in and made my way to the basement. The steps creaked with each step, yet it didn’t seem to garner any attention from Brandon. Once I reached the floor, my jaw dropped; Helen was tied up to a post and was covered in blood and wounds.
One of her eyes was blackened, lip fattened, nose leaking snot and blood, and ligature marks were around her neck. I had no words to speak, but I don’t think she could of heard me with her glazed look in her eyes. I hugged her and comforted her, yet I feared that she was near death. I couldn’t see anything to help her; only rags with blood on the floor and a light fixture hung from the ceiling. I felt a new emotion well up within me; rage. I was enraged by what had happened to Helen, so I made a dash for the upstairs yet there stood Brandon.
He was soaked on blood and shredded clothing. A look of malice on his face, yet I could sense that he was afraid. Before I could react I was thrown to the ground; I had been struck.
Brandon: standing over me “How did someone like you… escape the pit?”
Me: “Well… I have my ways.”
Brandon then kicked me in the side. A sharp pain rang through my body, as I laid there. I clenched my teeth and was ready for another hit when I heard a familiar phrase.
???: “Freeze! Put your hands up Brandon!”
Brandon whipped around and charged at the person, so I too the chance and grabbed my hand gun. A shot rang out, but it didn’t hit Brandon. Brandon had began beating the hell out of the man, but then I pulled the trigger. The bang rang out and down fell Brandon. The shot seemingly hit his spine; crippling the bastard. I staggered up and put a second shot in his temple.
He went limp and I made my way to Helen to get her out. The man got up and helped Helen and I out of the house. As soon as I exited the house… everything went black. My body went limp and I was plunged back into the water. The tentacle monster stood in the water with me. Then it spoke to me…
-Tentacle Monster: “You have done well, Alexander. Your sins have been forgiven… as promised.”
-Me: “What about the monsters?”
-Tentacle Monster: “The beings will remain… sadly there is no cure for heresy, for man will always doubt the Lord.”
-Me: “And the pit?”
-Tentacle Monster: “Worry not, Alexander. Your duty is done, but not your life. I wish you all the best, but let me warn you…. Never return or you might not be forgiven by God, for he has cursed this land and those who dwell in it.”
I jolted awake to find myself in a hospital and connected to machines with tubes in my skin. To say that I was confused would be an understatement, yet I would find luck when a doctor/nurse entered my room.
-Doctor: “Alex, glad to see you are finally awake.” begins checking something on a clipboard
-Me: “Thanks… why am I here? Where is Helen? What…”
-Doctor: “You are at St. Cameron Hospital, urgent care facility. Helen ** is doing well, but that is all I can inform you on. As for what happened to you…” sets the clipboard down and focuses his attention on me “You developed a turmor-like growth in your brain… which we removed and lucky for you it’s benign.”
-Me: “A tumor? From the p…”
-Doctor: “We aren’t sure how you got such a tumor; the size of it was dang near a kiwi. It’s a mystery how you couldn’t feel any pain; from how it was positioned you could have grown a third eye.” chuckles
-Me: “So what happens now, doctor?”
-Doctor: “You are free to go home, Alex. You will take some meds and come back in three weeks for a check-up to ensure you don’t have any more growths.” doctor walks out
As I began getting dressed, Helen walks in and looks around to see if anyone is in the room with me. She walks over to me and leans in to whisper something into my ear.
-Helen: “The FBI is here and wants to talk to you, but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. I mean more of them could have ended up like…”
footsteps in the hall
-Me: “Someone has to know. It can’t remain a secret forever, because nothing is holding them back… it will just repeat the cycle, possibly with the whole town. Thus I’m willing to take a chance if it means preventing it from spreading.”
-Helen: hugs me and squeezes gently “I’m with you.” smiles
Two FBI agents enter my room and before I could greet them, it was time for business. After hearing both stories, they seemed to be perplexed and still not grasping at the full picture. Then Helen made a suggestion;
-Helen: “Perhaps we could show you the evidence…”
The words of the tentacle monster rang in my head, but I knew that the only way to stop its spread would be to go back to that cave and confront it. Only this time, I may not return.