Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S2 Ep87: Episode 87: Human Sacrifice Horror Stories

Episode Date: July 7, 2022

We start proceedings this evening with ‘Our Leaders are Sacrificing Us to an Evil God’, an original story by cesly1987; shared directly with me via my sub-reddit and read here with the author’s express permission: https://www.r-ddit.com/user/cesly1987/ We round off with Tonight’s tales of terrifying tales of horror with ‘Every year for the last 3 centuries our town has been sacrificing its women to protect the world’, a wonderful story By Mandahrk, kindly shared with me via NoSleep and narrated here for you all with the author’s express permission: https://www.r-ddit.com/user/Mandahrk/

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We believe OCT scans are so important they're included with every standard eye exam. Book an eye exam at Spexsavers.cavers.ca.ca. Eye exams are provided by independent optometrists. Visit Spexsavers.com to learn more. Welcome to Dr. Creepin's dungeon. Well, the gods do not need sacrifices. So, what might one do to please them? Acquire wisdom, it seems to me,

and do all the good in one's power to those humans who deserve it. But not all agree. Do tales of human sacrifice to terrify and delight you this evening, my dear friends. Now, as ever before we begin, a word of caution. Tonight's stories may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. That sounds like your kind of thing. And let's begin. Our leaders are sacrificing us to an evil goal.

Our leaders are serving a malevolent entity in a desperate attempt to guarantee the survival of our species. They've been secretly paying tithe to it with the blood of our youth, the blood of our warriors. This sadistic ritual has been occurring. since the 1940s the first major world war caught the dark god's attention the second world war left him wanting more through the veil of reality the thing could somehow feast on our suffering there was so much suffering during those times that he could taste it from his forsaken corner of reality he grew gluttonous and spoiled man's inhumanity to man excited him to a level he had never felt before but when the bombs fell and the war ended, he was cut off from the outpouring of pain coming from our dimension. At first he started

taking people from our world into his, but even this wasn't enough. It wasn't the same, butchering terrified animals. He wanted the excitement and heartbreak of war. He wanted to see our fighting spirit strong before we were crushed. He let us know all of this. He spoke to our world leaders at the time. He proclaimed the existence of a portal in France. This portal would be his gateway into our world. He would bring with him the war he wanted. It would scorch the land and boil our blood. We could stop him, well, more like slow him down.

postpone the inevitable by entering the portal ourselves to do battle with him in his own reality, his own hellscape. For over seventy years the armies of the world dedicated troops to entering the portal and fighting back the demons hell bent on killing the all of us. We kept the Dark Lord out and he got his bloodshed. A couple of hundred lives a year was a small price to pay next to annihilation. I'll tell you about the day the rules changed and how your life will change with it. Teleportation was called jaunting or a jaunt. Some smartest lab tech was a fan of Stephen King apparently. On the other side we'd establish three defendable

basis. The biggest was Vox, surrounding the portal exit on the hell end. Also the only way the walking nightmares could get back to Earth. Further out was Thermopollier, thermo for short, about five miles out from Vox with impenetrable defences. No enemy had breached its position in 30 years. Last and furthest out was Alamo. This outpost was lightly manned, operating as an early warning for the other two bases. If overrun, the occupants could teleport to retreat. Well, the teleport wouldn't go directly to Earth. You had to slingshot back to the Volk Space

and use its power to jaunt back to Earth. The layout of the surface was simple, mockingly so. Great clouds of acidic gas surrounded Vork Space, marking the perimeters we were supposed to stay inside of. you could only go forward for 20 miles before the ground turned to sludge the gas was clear enough to create a strip of land to easily defend the gas never shifted or moved it only hung thick and ghostly in the air ready to melt anything that ventured into its domain we've all been issued gas masks regardless of the behavior of the fog and in 69 years the enemy has never flanked us from the sides by using the gas as cover now the the enemy has always performed frontal assaults, running down the 20-mile alleyway of gunfire and artillery towards our portal home. So, now you're caught up with the situation. Any of the questions I'm sure I'll answer further down.

My men and I had already jaunted to Vox Base, and were now waiting for the technicians to start the portal back up again, slingshot us to Alamo on the front lines. Captain, our jaunt is minus 30, until advises danger close from our... Until advises danger close from friendly artillery as soon as we enter back into real space. My second lieutenant yelled to me, over the whine of the portal starting up. Why is artillery dropping so close to the LZ? I yelled in reply. Because the position has been overrun. The closest German units have fallen back to a secondary defensive position,

refusing to go in unless we secure the site first. He yelled, from behind the 25 of us, packed together in the small circular tunnel. If we can retake the trenches, German command will call off the bombardment. Best they can do is a five-minute ceasefire where we'll retake in the bunker from the hostiles. Damn Germans. They got all of us into this mess with their two World War stirring up the old one. Now they retreat and make us do the dine in the trenches. Well, it wasn't anything me and Sharon team couldn't handle.

We were experts of clearing tunnels. A staleck electricity feeling rippled all over my body, making my air stand on end. It was the portal activating. It was a feeling I'd experienced countless times before. Attention. Immediately close your eyes and hold your breath. The jaunt will commence in five seconds. A pre-recorded voice said over the intercom.

I did as commanded, and within five seconds a flash occurred so bright. still brilliant through closed eyes and it was accompanied by heat like a microwave radiating all over my body I knew the protective gel we were all sprayed with did its job and took the blunt of most of the heat but my exposed skin would always be sunburned bright red no matter how many times I did the chaunt I opened my eyes protected by UV goggles and turned to check on my team they all seem good to go with the gel steaming off their bodies and gear You know the drill, gentlemen. Weapons hot.

Clear your sectors and call them out. With that, I pulled the lever to open the hatch at the end of the metal tub we were all packed in. It opened upwards and I racked my shotgun. A pivoted right, like trained, down the multiple tunnels that appeared before us. Six men followed me. Seven went up the middle, seven went down the left. Four staying behind to defend the portal. I hurried through the underground tunnel.

boards beneath my feet creaking and dirt falling from the ceiling above me. I'd only see every couple of yards ahead due to the weak halogen lamps hung intermittently down the corridors. No dead is yet, Captain. What the fuck? He said private Boeing to me. He was echoing my thoughts, exactly, but I couldn't show my team I was just as concerned as that. All bunkers were to be constructed the same by all deployed military units on this side of the gap. It made them easier to clear and provide support.

to foreign units. Right now all teams should be making it towards the main underground hub or command post. None of the men of the other teams had made contact with the enemy either. The last reports from KSK guys said that they were being overrun. What was going on? My fire team was the first into the spacious command bunker. A signal for my men to fan out and take cover where applicable. The two other fire teams, Bravo and Charlie, are arrived shortly from separate passageways. No sign of the freaks, Lieutenant Durch said as Bravo team filed in.

I can't even smell them. I looked around the command post. Nothing seemed to miss. Tables with maps and radios, coffee cups and ashtrays, crates and cots. The smell of cigarette smoke was still fresh in the air. The big room was getting packed with all of us crammed inside,

feeling just like the teleportation port. We were in a killbox if any dead he came knocking. God forbid if one with a flamethrower found us. Lieutenant Durge slung his M-1 and pushed past his men to the tables to begin reading the scattered paperwork, putting his German class his uncle Sam had paid for to good use. I don't like any of this, and I said, loud enough for all my men to hear. Bravo, stay behind and get what you can from those documents.

Keep an eye out for our crowd friends, if any survived. I'll take Charlie with Alpha to check it out, topside. I keyed up the mic on my lapel to speak with the four guarding the portal. Something's wrong up here. I don't know what kind of game the deadies are playing, but keep sharp. We may need to make a rapid retreat. I'd left the newest members of my squad defending the portal. They were too inexperienced to be on the front yet.

They were too acceptable to the pull of madness. here in Nomans' lands. I had to wade them into the deep end slowly. I've seen too many of my men succumb to suicide or psychotic breaks, killing their own squad mates. The four men at the portal were also the only ones with modern weaponry. Protecting the portal was paramount. If the deadies broke through, the four had to defend the portal until the explosives were set. We'd destroy it before those ungodly horrors breached into our world. As for the deadies, we'd destroy the weapons, the deadies could somehow mimic and manufacture anything we left behind. They already upgraded their weapons from World War I area to World War II, and we didn't need them

upgrading any further. The four men at the portal had the modern M-Force, grenade launcher attachments, and even a 50-call turret to defend the three passageways. It was cumbersome, so it was also rigged with a thermite explosive to melt it before the enemy could capture it. Ah, the last line of defence. You didn't want to be in the tunnel when that bad boy went off, unless you hated your sense of hearing. I was leading Alpha up the tunnel to the surface. Leading from the front was not common for captains, but it emboldened my men, and I had my own secret reason for doing it. I could see the dark sky from the opening to the surface at the end of the tunnel.

I could feel the bitter cold. As we made it to the surface, my men did as trained. and spread out. Make-shift bunkers, sandbags, machine guns and mortar-in placements decorated the area, but no eyes on any German soldiers. The surface was as dour and awful as it always was. Flat plains scarred with deep craters from constant artillery bombardment stretched on past the razor-wire perimeter before turning into a sludge-like mud. The mud ocean going on forever. The sky was always dark in the air was always cold, thick with the kind of chill that sunk into my bow and sapped your strength. It was always night here, with no stars or celestial bodies to light

up the sky, only the constant flashes of heat lightning strobing in the distance. But we all knew not to look towards the sky for too long, because sometimes the lightning illuminated a dark form stretching upwards from the horizon line, something massive spiraling endlessly into the sky. It sighs unfathomable, gently swaying like the tentacle of a gargantuan horror trying to strangle the world. Looking at it gave intense staves of pain behind the eyes and left them itching with the urge to desperately scratch them. We all knew the thing as the dark gods, the old one, the asshole, and the reason we had to

come here. We all knew this was his realm, and he'd invited us in, all the while despising him. our presence. So it was best to keep your eyes low and your mind focused on the task at hand. But you could only ignore the strangeness of this place for so long. The dread had a way of creeping in regardless, just like the lonely cold. No wind blew across this bizarre landscape. It was like a walk-in freezer with the unnatural chill just hanging about you, weighing you down, sapping your strength. When the wind did pick up, it usually herald. It was a realtor. It was a little did an attack, bringing with it waves of malformed creatures charging the wire.

You could hear voices in the wind if you listen close enough, which was not recommended. The voices whispered dark and taboo things in the voices of the men that died on this battlefield. If soldiers listened too long to these ghostly voices, they would eventually crack. There were three main outcomes to listening too intently to the whispers on the winds. suicide mental breakdown or turning their weapons on fellow soldiers

were the most common sometimes all three at the same time you had to have a strong mind mental fortitude but that didn't mean we weren't issued a little extra help all my men had taken calming anti-psychotic meds

before we jaunted through the dimensions also my guys were mostly mentally hardened veterans having made it through multiple combat cycles with me We weren't staying here anyways. We were only babysitting outpost, Alamo, for the regular German army to come in and secure. All 20 of my men were topside, and I told them to spread out and fire off flares to illuminate the dark battlefield.

Not if I command, I barred to my radio operator. We've taken back the outpost with no resistance. Still no sign of the previous occupants, most likely KIA. The corporal with the radio swallowed deeply. He was scared, but just the right amount of scared, the kind that keeps you alive and doesn't freeze you up. But I would have to keep an eye on him if he started talking to himself or swaying slightly,

and have to detain him or kill him before he could turn on us. The corporal himself would have been a strange sight to any regular soldier, not privy to the situation. He wore the standard Kevlar helmet, and digital print BDUs. He had cold weather gear, entrenching tool and night vision goggles. But his weapon and ammo was decidedly non-common

being an M1 Garand with bayonet attachments. Atop the rifle, he'd affixed an ACog scope. Well, I don't know if this broke the brass's rules about not bringing modern weaponry to the battlefield. But I'd never noticed the deadies worrying about precision aiming. I'd be sure to inquire about the corporal's break in uniformity. when we were back across the gap. They stared out over the trenches and embattlements.

The Germans had constructed multiple hard points, killboxes and overlapping fields of fire. There should have been around 50 of them embedded here. But now they were AWOL, not even any spent brass around the turrets. Get the drone in the air and dig into defensive positions. I commanded on an open channel to all units. I watched my man do what they've been trained to,

to do. They fortified the outpost and prepared to repel any signs of attack. Our job was now to hold the outpost until H.Q sent our relief. We were just a quick response team, not meant for sitting out long engagements. We were just babysitting until the parents got home. Captain, the drone spotted something about half a click out in no man's land. The soldier told me into my airpiece. No man's land. It was a moniker used for the flatland a hundred meters past the wire and stretching out into the endless dark we could dig and defend trenches in the dirt but the stubborn rock turned to a mushy quick sound about half a click out it was marred that was impossible to move in and it's where the deadies came up from the frontal assaults where

the attacks always came from that was one of the only certainties in this god-forsaken place pull the drone in close and begin zeroing in the artillery on its position i said as i tapped to activate the touchpad screen on my wrist. I didn't know what we had yet, but it was certainly dangerous. Everything out here was. The screen on my wrist showed the visual feed from the drone buzzing around in Normand's land. The bright shades of grays and white of flora vision glared back at me from the screen. I immediately saw what the anomaly was.

It appeared to be bowling ball-sized rocks stacked on top of one another to form a crude pyramid about four feet high the circular rocks glow brightly with an inner heat they weren't rocks they were something else oh god oh lord jesus i heard my lieutenant speak across the open channel i was about to chastised him on his lack of bearing when he interrupted me saying enable audio i want to hear what's going on out there whatever soldier was operating the drone complied and the static pop of audible feedback emitted from the screen on my wrist. I went to turn down the audio manually, but it was too late. The noise blared, echoing off around the outposts from every soldier's wrist-mount.

The undeniable cries of moaning and pleading came from the stack of rocks. Many voices all pleaded at once in a cacophony of suffering, like something on the brink of death, wanting the finishing blow to end their suffering. A worst of it, I realised the voices pleaded in German. The pyramid was the stacked heads of the missing soldiers. The men around the camp that had been working had frozen in fear. Some crowded around the nearest soldiers with a wrist mount. Others stared nervously out into the dark abyss.

As if they could spot the pile of heads with their own eyes. Turn that noise off, I shouted into my mic. Eyes up, gentlemen. Prepare to repel hostiles. The cold wind began sharply whipping through the trenches, as if activated when we'd stumbled across the pile of horrors. The whispers came also, sharp, hissing whispers, speaking blasphemy and cruelty in a constant unending litany. I watched the feed from the drone while everyone else followed my orders, disregarding the horrors unfolding in the dark. Now that I knew they

were severed heads. I could make out their details better. I could make out their details better. I could make out uniform, short length hair, the ghoulish dark around their eyes, marking cooler spots, and their mouths opened in screams. How were they still warm? How were they still screaming? Where were the bodies? What the hell had done this to them? I got the answer to my last question quickly. Too long, spinny arms shot out of the muddy sludge in front of the severed heads. The arms were longer than any humans I'd ever seen. Flat, black, like they'd been burned, long fingers writhing in the air like hypnotic vipers. The arms continued reaching skywards out of the

mark, at least four feet high. The fingers suddenly became rigid as if struck by a rigormortis. The fingers thrust back into the ground, clawing deep to pull the rest of its body out. Bone, his shoulders and torso emerged. From what I could see, the thing had to be. Afts no head, just a neck and lower jaw. On the jaw protruded two wicked fangs stabbing upwards, like the teeth of long-dead saber-toothed tigers. The thing pulled itself out of the mud to stand tall, about eight feet, blackened and skeletal, skinny and bipedal.

Long, narrow swords and daggers criss-crossed through the thing's body like some strange voodoo dog. He reached its long hand out to pick up a screaming head from the top of the pile. cupping it with both hands to place it on top of its neck similar to how one would put on a motorcycle helmet the head continued its awful screaming as it was jostled on top of the neck holding the bestial lower jaw the headless abomination must have realized it wouldn't fit so it held the head out in front of itself it put the finger of one hand in the head's mouth gagging it with a sickly and sudden jerk the thing ripped the lower jaw of the head. Once again the now jawless head was placed on top of the neck,

and this time it stayed. The thing craned its neck to look up at the drone with its new head. I felt like the thing was staring into my soul through the monitor. The camera feet cut out, and I knew the creature was coming for me. Contact left, nine o'clock, came the warning from one of my men over the radio. It was immediately followed by the thunderous repeating boom of an MG-42 mounted machine gun going full auto. Multiple contacts across the wire, announced another soldier's voice as the cacophony of small arms fire ripple down the line. I grabbed my binoculars and stood up to look over my sandbag in placement to survey the situation. Turns out I didn't need the binos because the enemy was already almost on top of us. Goulds.

Zombies, deadies, whatever you choose to call them, hundreds of them were sprinting right for us. Twisted versions of humans with red, glowing eyes and abnormally extended mouths, filled with rows of sharp teeth. Some wore digital camo, some wore German helmets from both world wars. Some were naked, genitals swaying back and forth as they threw themselves into the barrage of bullets. They were all misshapen and wrong in so. many ways. Some had too many limbs, or too few, or both limbs on the same side, but all had gaping mouths full of fangs. They were false humans. They were homunculi. They were a mockery of the human form, like a dead alien had tried to create a human from memory. They must have been

coming out of the mud as we were distracted by the stacked heads and the headless creature. they'd mustered just out of range for a sudden charge, an onslaught of flesh. It was a degree of planning I'd never seen from them before. Lieutenant Durge, get your man in your ass up here. I yelled to my lieutenant, still trying to make sense out of the documents down in the bunker. Lieutenant Durge and his man barreled out of the underground tunnel to see what horror awaited all this. To their credit, they showed only a moment's hesitation. before they took defensive position.

Most of the deadies were mowed down about 50 metres from the wire. As the slain fell, others trampled over their bodies to be cut down only inches closer. Little by little, the endless wave of attackers got closer to the defensive perimeter. The mortar teams worked quickly, dropping one shell after another into the overheating tubes. The explosions rocked the landscape with brilliant flashes of red mist and body parts. A sense of panic was rising in my battle-hardened soldiers As the wall of flesh and teeth inched closer, slow and steady The deadies were getting close enough to lob grenades into our midst before being shot down

I saw one of my machine gunners get flung sideways from a grenade that landed in front of the trench he was firing from The shrapnel was at eye-level and obliterated his heads His body had to pry his dead friend's death grip from the weapon so he could take over The incoming enemy rounds began pelting the area around us. Some deadies had warped versions of MP4s and Thompson submachine guns. They fired with reckless abandon, hoping to suppress us long enough to get just a little closer. My shotgun wasn't going to be very effective until the deadies crossed the razor wire, and they would cross it eventually.

This was terrifyingly obvious as the wave of undead died just 15 metres out. "'Rere security. We may need a quick ex-fell. "'Be on standby,' I yelled into my mic, trying to be heard over the gunfire. "'No response came, even when I tried to hail them multiple times. "'Oh, this was bad. "'If this outpost fell, we needed to destroy the portal that leads back to Vaux's and back to work. "'How had the deadies gotten around us to get my guns guarding our exits? now the dead were piling up just four meters from the defensive line the deadies numbered in the hundreds creating a wall of bodies they were so close that i could smell their putrid stink carried by the whispering wind a flurry of new explosions went off down the line the claymore mines were tripped and blasted the stinking mob back giving us some much-needed breathing room but they still came clamouring over the mutilated

bodies that stood between them and the soft flesh of my men. I noticed something different now. They were walking instead of sprinting, more dawn of the dead instead of 28 days later. They pushed all the way up to the wire, many being shot and dropping the whole time. The fear was palpable now, and my men abandoned the front-line trench and backed up to station themselves around me. The deadies still didn't cross the razorware. They stopped short, just to be added to the growing wall of downed enemies. The wall of dead was almost waist-high when I gave the order to seize fire. My men were reluctant to listen,

so I had to smack the helmet of a nearby soldier with the butt of my shotgun. Finally, my men stopped firing into the mass of red-eyed monsters. The deadies stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at us over the barrier of their own slain. Quiet was shocking to my senses. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. chest and heard ringing in both my ears. I heard a soldier mumbling some sort of prayer while kissing the crucifix from around his neck. A cold sweat on most of us as we stared at the

enemy just meters away. Ears, I spoke quietly, but sternly, into my mic, trying to get my men to listen. I could have just talked aloud to the twenty soldiers clustered around me, but I didn't want the deadies to hear me. I never had to worry about being overheard before, but they were showing a freakish level of intelligence. Leaprob back down to the portal, five men at a time, primed the sea-four to blow. I don't know why they stopped, but we'll take advantage of their hospitality. I turned to look at Lieutenant Durch. Lieutenant, take four with you to start, double time. I expect a yes, sir, or just a flurry of movement as they followed my orders. But nobody.

moved. All I got was more silence as both sides just quietly stared at each other. I felt anger growing my chest as I commanded again. You better remove your head from your ass and get to it, lieutenant. Still no movement from the lieutenant as I scanned the faces of the terror-stricken men around me. I ordered all of you to unfuck yourself and have some bearing like your goddamn soldiers. They still didn't move. Were they literally frozen with fear? What the hell was happening? The soldier I'd pummeled earlier, was still in front of me with his back turns. I would whack him again for good measure. I went to step forward and my legs didn't respond. My brain sent the signals and nothing happened. I just stood there like my feet was stuck in invisible clamps. That's when I noticed the muffled

noises coming from the soldiers. I turned my head back to Lieutenant Dirk, his eyes scanning frantically, muffled screams coming from his clinched jaw. They were all frozen. I looked back and forth to see the same expression of terror and muffled screams. The majority of us were frozen in the open, with only a few taking cover at the time. Soldier, all of you snap out of it, I screamed to the statue like men around me. I could still move from the waist up, while the rest of them were completely immobilized. I even tried to pull up my own legs to move myself, but some sort of unnatural force helped me fix to a point. The deadies all lined up by the wire started moving again, and this time they all worked in unison to clear a path between their stinking crowd of monsters. They pulled

their dead aside with quiet and quick proficiency. The hundreds of them parted like the Red Sea, showing me a clear pathway leading far out into No Man's Land. That's when I saw it, the tall blackened creature that wore the head of its victim. It strolled down the path made for him towards me. It towered above the mob of Deddies. As he got closer, the muffled screams of my man grew more frantic.

Four deadies threw themselves on the razor wire for the thing to gracefully walk on their backs and step over the line. I could see the head he wore belonged to a blonde Caucasian man, with the two fangs giving him a pronounced underbite. It stopped three metres in front of me. The eyes of the dead German were glowing red now. It grabbed hold of a large black spike that pierced through its thin body and wrestled it free, unsheathing the weapon buried in its chest. It held the long Onyx blade out to point at me. Wouldn't dog, Capitan, the creature said in a booming and clear voice.

I wondered how a voice that loud could come from a head with severed vocal cords. Continued speaking to me in a thick German dialect. I stared in horror of the thing, not knowing what to do. I had my shotgun, but would I just be sentencing my mental? to death if I opened fire. This is the first time the deadies had made any sort of effort

to communicate. I couldn't run if I needed to because I still couldn't move from the waist down. The creature paused in its speech, as if waiting for me to reply. I blinked and frantically combed my mind for a reply. I speak English, nine Deutsch, nine vestaeon. The creature cocked its ghoulish head nodded in understanding. It straightened and faced the soldier in front of me, the one I'd hit earlier. It raised its thin black sword in preparation for a strike. The soldier stared at his would-be killer and let out a futile gag scream, helpless to stop it. The black blade whipped across in the blink of an eye.

A swish of air and the gurgling sound of a scream being cut short. The soldier stood there still. eyes rolling back in his head and blood running down his chest from his neck some evil force was holding the dead man up frozen even though he was dead the spindly creature grafts the man's head with both hands and lifted the head up with a wet suction sound more blood cascaded down over the body the creature removed the helmet and put its long fingers in the dead soldier's mouth i knew what was coming next i closed my eyes but still heard the snapping sound of the jawbone being ripped off. It held my eyes shut tight. Maybe I should have shot the thing and tried to save the privates. Why didn't I? Am I going to die a coward?

Do you understand me now, brother, Captain? Came the booming voice from the creature. I opened my eyes to see it only inches from me, red eyes staring into mine. Where it once wore the head of a white man, and now his face was the brown of a Latino man. Private Castillo, I believe the poor kid's name was. The monster was speaking English now.

He must have required it from the remains of Private Castillo. For some reason, this skeletal figure wanted to have a little chat with me. Hey, Ontario, come on down to BetMGM Casino and check out our newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. Don't miss out. Play exciting casino games based on the iconic game show. Only at BetMGM. Access to the Price's Right Fortune Pick is only available at BedMGM Casino. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly.

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The thing said back without a moment's consideration. The traveller in searing pain. The rancid poison of hope. Feed her to the maggots. The raping of the hopeless. Pain and pleasure. Desecrator, I mumbled back. I felt the warm liquid of piss running down my way.

Yes, brother Captain, growled the creature in its booming voice. That name will do. It is enough for sentient meat like you to understand. May I help you pronounce my real name with your screams of torture. Only the most exquisite cries of pain can truly be labelled to me. I felt as if I was going to faint, and was only being held up by the unnatural magic around me. I'd faced death before, but this. was different. This thing sucked the very soul out of me. I felt sorrow and terror like never before.

What do you want? I whispered. The desecrator outstretched a palm to caress my face. I tried to pull back, but my upper half had completely frozen up because of the cruel thing's magic. His bone-like hand was freezing cold, blistering my skin as it made contact. I started to scream, but was gagged as it stuck its thumb into my mouth, my tongue freezing to it painfully. What do I want with you? Something so insignificant like you. You are no son of Adam. You are not made in the lightness of the divine, like you tell yourself as you worship your non-existent God. There's nothing special or of purpose in any of you. You are only meat, a quivering mass meant to tear and scream for my master-versed. his amusement. Your resistance only postpones the inevitable decay of your carnal vessel,

but the loss of hope makes the meat taste so much sweeter. He quickly removed his hand from my face, pulling off a layer of skin as he did. I coughed up blood and realized my neck and head could move again. Suddenly, the deadies sprung from stillness into action, barging over the razor wire to attack my men. I could hear their muffled screams of pain as the deadies tore into them. The evil magic held them steady as noses were bitten off chunks of skin peeled away and guts torn out onto the dirt. It was a feeding frenzy on the defenseless soldiers. This was hell. I was in hell. How long had I taken mine in my men's life for granted? How long had I been so comfortable with insulting the dark god. One by one the screams died down, leaving only the wet, chewing and guttural noises

from the deadies to remain. The deadies clustered around the bodies, eating them as they stood upright, stripping the dead soldiers to the bowl. I've been with these soldiers for years. They trusted me to lead them into hell and out again. But their faith was misplaced. They all died a terrible death without even the honour of fighting back. I wept tears of sorrow, well, forced to stand before the desecrator. I ran through everything in my mind. Nothing made sense. In the 50 years we've been fighting off the invasion, nothing like this monster had ever appeared before. Since the portals appeared in our world, they'd never made it through.

We'd sacrificed countless lives to keep the darkness at bay. We'd grown too confidence, too relaxed about fighting the enemy. Why do you call me brother? I asked weakly to the monster as he waited patiently for me to pull myself together. We both serve the Master. We both wage war for his amusement. The finite suffering of man is ecstasy to his infinite existence. The emotions displayed in the heat of battle are the most potent, delicious to his palate.

Master cannot feel these things for himself. His greatness surpasses these crude emotions, but he can feel its sharp bite. when your kind blade and die in his domain. But you grow stale. Your kind have become too cocky. You no longer fear the darkness of this realm. It has become...

The desecrator paused, considering its words. Routine, I tried to comprehend what the desecrator was saying to me. It is true that this war had become a business, just like every other war in human history. We had trained and conditioned our soldiers to suppress their emotions or risk going insane from the horrors they faced. We'd gain new insight into technology and arcane powers due to reverse engineering the portal. After 50 years under constant attack, always pushing the deadies back, we'd gotten used to how things were. Situation normal, all fucked up. You think by your own strength you hold the master obey. You are mistaken.

He allows you to survive. He allows your world. to remain untouched but you disrespect his awesome terror your meagre offerings do not appease him anymore you must be severely punished and be witness to his great power the desecrator lectured decimation i croaked harshly the word flooded my mind forcing me to speak it the creature wanted me to say the name of the punishment it would be handing down decimation I repeated again. A new decimation to be a form of punishment used by the Romans in ancient times. Ten men would have to draw straws, with the shortest straw losing.

Nine of the men were forced to beat the tenth man to death. Some accounts even say that they were forced to crucify their fellow unlucky soldier. It was a task performed to punish unruly or lazy soldiers, making them fear their commander's wrath and conditioning them to follow any order given to them. I tried to swallow, but I felt bile rising in my throat. I was afraid the vomit would choke me to death while I was frozen this way. But the master has shown favour on you, Captain, the desecrator said. He grabbed the collar of my fatigues and ripped them off me in a clean stroke.

I felt the cold air hit my bare skin, and I was disgusted by thinking of what this monster had planned for me. He has noticed your transgressions. You play with powers beyond your station, the monster said, while running its fingers down my chest, tracing the outline of the fresh tattoos I had all over my body. I try to use the powers of the old ones to fight back. It is a stolen power. The desecrator said to my face, his horrid breath almost making me vomit again. He stabbed his finger into my skin and my dark tattoos began to burn me as they started to

glow bright whites. I screamed as my skin smoked and sizzled. The tattoos were an intricate web, crafted by the scientists in charge of occult studies. The design spiraled all over my body, forming forbidding symbols in an ancient language. Now every inch of the ink burned with a white fury. I was one of seven officers volunteered to be test subjects for this new project. We would bonded with the dark powers of this hell world. Researchers had made breakthroughs by studying the symbols and writings found in this hell. They said they could twist the evil power to be used as a weapon. I was one of the three that survived the experiment in the end. The other four went mad. They either killed themselves or tried to kill others. My friend, Lieutenant Patrick,

had been found dead in his holding cell. He'd eaten his own fingers and part of his stomach before dying of bloodlots. The trick for me was to not look at the tattooed symbols inked all over my body. I requested to be blindfolded and restrained for days after the procedure. I made sure to always,

always have my skin colours. Only my face was free from the scarred, tainted flesh. But the experiment had worked. At the moment of my death, I would recite an unholy prayer in a language taught to me. My body would burn

And it would burn so bad, and I would teleport to appear half crazed and naked on the other end of the portal. I'd be back on earth. I would have been teleported across the gap through dimensions. It was like having my very own ejection seat, like fighter pilots had. I'd used it on two other occasions in the last five years, always when on the brink of death. I would only use it when the deadies were at my throat, when all was lost. Usually I was the last one alive, but sometimes I left behind fellow soldiers that couldn't be saved. But, well, it was for the greater good.

Humanity needed men that went out there without fear. Men who were uncorruptible by the realm's maddening effects. It needed leaders that could bravely leave men into battle with unimaginable horrors. I had to lead from the front to show bravery. None of my men knew about my little teleportation trick, I get out of hell free card, so to speak. I'd been with my current group of soldiers for the past two and a half years. I'd led them bravely and safely against countless nightmares.

I made sure to minimize casualties while still accomplishing the mission. I kept them all safe. Until now, that is. At first my master was angry with your trip. Angry that you stole part of his power to flee the battlefield, denying him his delicious agony of your dying said the spindly creature the unnatural base in the voice sent shivers down my spine i saw you for what you were not quite a wolf in sheep's clothing but a coward wearing a warrior's face it hissed at me and i felt the words cut deep that's how we are brothers you lead the

humans to the chopping block and i lead the executioners to their prey you do it again and again and I do the same. So keep bringing your kind to die for my master's pleasure. Your larger world will be spared, as long as you remain interesting. Keep my master from growing tired of your continued existence. The thing stepped back and raised its black sword over its head again. My tattoos began to sting and burn with a new raw energy. But you humans must be punished for trying to cheat.

my master, a grievance that only the payment of blood will suffice. Much, much, much blood. My master is a jealous God and is angered when his flesh is stolen from him. I knew what was coming now. I wouldn't be able to recite the cursed words of teleportation in time. My mouth was frozen anyways, making me unable to pronounce the proper syllables. I'd be killed for good this time, to die with my men at last. thought the finality would give me peace. I'd always imagined I'd be stoic and calm when the time came. But I was terrified.

My heart jumped in my chest, like a rat desperately trying to escape a sinking ship or a burning house. I didn't want to die. I would do anything to survive. Ah, yes, the fear. The creature boomed. I see this in you, too, brother, captain. I intervened on your behalf. because of this fact like I have faulty to my master you are of a single loyalty

above all else you worship your own survival making you the perfect toy to be played with a man only interested in one's own survival over any government or gods you will serve both masters regardless so I part with you a gift a completed spell your kind so feebly try to replicate a gift so you may continue bringing my master more bodies to rip open and squeeze out such vivid pleasures. For I could make sense of the desecrator's words, the ebony blade streaked across my sight. A cold corruption ignited from my neck down, feeling the rest of my body shut off like a switch. I could still see and think for the moment, being magically held in place.

Then the blood began to clog my throat. I tried to cough but failed as my lungs filled with a thick liquid and my vision faded. Before I was gone, before the loss of time, before I was reborn in pain, I noticed the expression on the face the creature had stolen, the corners on the mouth curled upwards. It was smiling as I die. I don't remember a lot of what happened next. I was briefed and debriefed constantly until I was looted enough to retain the information.

I could only go by what surveillance footage I was shown after I died. The three military strongholds on the hellside, Alamo, Thermo and Vox, all fell within hours. The dark tide of mutated claws and teeth broke through every defence. Deadies in the thousands overflowed trenches, soaked up bullets and suffocated any form of retreat or counter-attacks. With a New Zealand hatred, the enemy charged into gun-farmes. and smashed themselves up against hardened barricades. Eventually, one of them would detonate themselves with explosives in a burst of gall. The gaps in the defences created by the blast would very quickly be clogged up and burst through

with the tide of rancid bodies. Coordination in defence was broken and hectic. Different language is shutting different orders over each other on the radio. All military decorum lost in the grip of hectic fighting. We'd never seen anything like this on any scale. The deadies advanced with unprecedented ferocity. But between the scattered communication, one report remained collaborative and clear. They all reported the tall, dark figure with the face of a man, striding calmly amongst the battlefield.

When Elimo fell, the portal back to earth was compromised. The brass gave the order to shoot any soldier of any nation caught retreating back through the portal to Earth. The deadies had never made it through to our home turf before, and we were all terrified at the prospect. I remember being made to watch the camera feed mounted in the large hangar, filming the earth side of the portal. It was the portal I just walked through, with twenty-five of my men only hours before losing my head.

Now the loading bay was entwined with razor wire, a panicked and impromptu defence put in place as humanity quickly lost control of the battle. hundreds of soldiers and marines from different nations all uniting in one common goal to keep the hell contained keeping it from bursting forth into our world like rotting guts spilling from a swollen carcass trucks and forklifts were being moved to give firing squads better lines of sight on the portal heavy machine guns shotguns and grenade launchers being handed out the world war two era weapons discarded for more modern firepower Contingency plan John 1135 was enacted.

The hangar and base were sealed shut. Bayonets were affixed at the end of barrels, and automated turrets installed along the walls were brought online. At least 150 to 200 heavily armed fighting men cramped shoulder to shoulder, filling the large hangar, all with weapons trained on the portal. From a camera high in the corner, I observed the nervous suspense of all the men. The room was almost motionless except for some nervous twitching here and there, the stabbing a feet or the rising smoke of one last cigarette before the chaos.

Nothing but the sounds of gear and ammo being checked and re-checked and muttered prayers in the forever moments before the battle. I can almost feel the fear and desperation coming off the men. There was something else, something new. Some men stood tall with determination, and maybe even bravery. But I guess it's easy to stand in front of death when your escape routes were sealed off and surrender was a ridiculous notion. I bet if the exit doors were still open, half the soldiers would tactically withdraw, just like I would have. The portal was an ugly, unnatural-looking thing.

It looked like two burnt black trees rising out of the ground to arch towards each other at the top. They were made of a hard, shiny onyx material, with small twig-like spikes protruding out. from all over them. The two pillars were seven meters apart, rising 40 feet high, before curving inwards towards each other, barely touching at the tips to form an arch. Hindsight being 2020, I realised they looked like they were made out of the same material as the headless monster. There was an indescribable wrongness about the twin pillars. It always gave off a low hum you could feel in your teeth. It also slightly distorted your vision when you were stood too close to it. Many had reported developing a copper-like or sickly sweet taste in their mouths.

Technicians and soldiers that only worked on the earth side of the gap complained of depression and angry outbursts from being in close proximity for too long. These unholy pillars had sprouted out of the ground at the end of the First World War, near the city of Verdun. It seemed to lay dormant during World War II, with only one squad of French resistant fighters disappearing, followed by the Allied rescue team sent to find them. It wasn't until the 50s, during the Cold War, that we started to realize what it was. Let's just say whatever God was on the other side, it didn't appreciate all the spy games and political intrigue.

The evil bastard wanted wholesale slaughter, with bodies piled in the fields. So, more and more people started disappearing, abducted to be taken to the other side to suffer for its amusement. The alarm and flashing orange hazard lights mounted above the portal started going off, signaling an incoming teleportation pod was coming from across the gap. The obnoxious warping sound of the warning system's alarms echoed deafeningly across the chamber. The fluorescent lights flickered eerily as the power surge pulled heavily from the buildings generated. We'd found out through multiple trials that one solid sealed object could be transported safely across dimensions one at a time.

So the engineering boys whipped up airtight transport pods to be loaded with men and equipment to teleport back and forth. Anything organic was microwaved and melded together if not protected inside the pods. Now we were lucky to only receive sunburns on any uncovered skin. So, whoever or whatever was coming from the other side must be stuffed in the transport pods we'd left behind. We all knew the deadies could duplicate strategies and actions performed by humans. so a teleportation pod packed with Deddy's wasn't out of the question. The alarm gave a final cautionary warning before the white flash of the teleport manifested its cargo

between the two pillars. The security camera I was watching took a second to recalibrate and refocus. But when it did, there was an enormous blob of bloody flesh instead of the metal pod I'd expect it. Before the tank-sized blob of gore sprang off the loading bay, I saw what it really was. was. It was dozens of deadies mutated and melted together. Steam billowed off its burnt exterior as multiple legs and hands propelled it into a rolling motion.

Between the limbs I could see mutated screaming faces. They hadn't used the pot. They'd all gone through the teleport at the same time, melding all of their bodies together. Somehow I knew this wasn't random. I knew the desecrator had somehow orchestrated this hideous outcome. I won't go into every gory detail, but you must already know by now that the oozing, pus-filled blob of hands and feet killed all the soldiers in the room. Once it hit the first line of men, it easily engulfed their bodies, grabbing and tearing at them, adding their body parts to the flesh pile. At one point the blob had gotten itself cornered at the side of the

hangar. The well-disciplined soldiers had repositioned out of harm's way to continue pelting it with machine gunfire and grenades. The quivering mass shook and vibrated as it tried to press back against the hail of gunfire. Then the warning alarm went off again. The orange hazard lights began blinking. Some new hell was being sent over from the other side. The men closest to the portal had to turn and face the new threat, dividing the amount of suppressive fire on the block. Soon the flash, signifying an incoming teleport, blinded the area. The blighted the area. The blighted the blouse. The blighted The lob pinned against the wall separated into six smaller-sized parts, each taking off in different directions. Half of the soldiers immediately opened fire on the steaming teleport pod that suddenly appeared,

while the other half tried to shoot down the faster, more agile blogs. Two of the smaller gore pieces launched airborne to come down into the desperate defenders. They were tornadoes of spinning limbs and jagged broken bones, slicing and mutilating anyone near them. The biggest chunk of combined dreadies had stayed in the corner when the other piece broke off of it. When they all separated from the host, the larger chunk rose up on spider-like elongated bone legs, and the flesh at the top peeled away to expose gore-cake machine guns, surrounded by bulbous faces. Somehow the wicked weapons could still fire as it started mowing down defenders with a barrage of bullets. The transport pod's door fell open and a dozen heavily armed dead.

deadies came rushing out. The first deadies in the pack held crude metal slabs as shields. Somehow all were dressed with metal helmets and tattered uniforms. The front line holding the shields only had shovel-shaped entrenching tools to bludge in any humans they got close enough to. The rest of the mutated soldiers had large firearms with abnormally large barrels, ejecting giant shells as they butchered their human enemies. And it was nothing but slaughtered. then. The soldiers put up a valiant defence, but it's hard to fight off an enemy that has you surrounded and is already within melee range. After the last scream rang through the hangar, I was still forced to watch the recording. The camera showed the blood-drenched floor. The unrelenting deadies

hammered and tore at the dead soldiers. Just the sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing could be heard. Finally one last figure emerged from the dark opening of the teleport point. This stood tall and proud after it merged into the bigger chamber. Its bones were black, and the long sword was once again sticking through its chest. It angled its human head to look up at the camera high in the corner. It was my face staring back at me, like some sort of distorted mirror. It had taken my head, and now it would return it to my world. Before the desicator left our world, the few remaining deadies fell lifeless to the ground.

their purpose fulfilled The creature twisted my head off its lower jaw and tossed it Rolling down the loading ramp to bump against a dismembered arm of a slain soldier With its business done The headless creature flashed out of existence Without any warning from the lights or alarms This brought up a dreaded question Did it even need the portal to travel to our world?

I'm told hours later Response teams burst through the the sealed doors and stormed the chamber. That's when they found me, all of me. I was naked, alive and talking out of my head. My new body had changed. The tattoos that covered my body had been tweaked and redone. The spell had been optimized to work better. The spider web of designs ran up my neck, mouth and cheeks now, only to stop at the point where the desecrator had ripped off my previous jaw-bub. A lot of things happened during the following month. of my quarantine. I was in a fugue state, preaching non-stop about the glories of the

dark god and lacking the sense to go to the toilet before relieving myself. But a lot more things happened in the wider world because of the unholy incursion into our planet. Most of the world's leaders experienced vivid hallucinations or night terrors at the instant the desecrator had invaded. The dark god spoke to all of them through visions. He was not pleased with the entertainment and sacrifice we'd previously been providing him. So the decimation began. One out of ten. Precisely one out of ten people were beaten to death by their fellow co-workers. It affected everybody who knew of the existence of the portal and the endless battle. One poor tenth person was selected to be brutally killed by nine others privy to the secret.

All the murdering men and women confessed to falling into a trance-like race, that only passed hours after their chosen victim was mutilated and torn apart. The memory of the murder was left as a vivid warning in all the unwilling participants' minds. Hurricanes, freak tidal waves, and earthquakes all rock the globe. The desecrator showed us what could happen if the Dark God touched our reality for only a few minutes. Behind closed doors, the leaders of Earth declared that enemy forces could never again pass into our realm. recruitment and funding was quadrupled A new plan was concocted

It proposed we declassify the secret war And led it out to the public But only if it got much worse PR teams were already working on posters And recruitment commercials To appeal to the youth of their respected nations So that left only me I thought for sure I'd be killed

Or locked away forever But the visions our leader suffered expressly forbid this response. Seems the dark god had taken a liking to me. Well, long story a little shorter. The brass was okay with just giving me three meals a day and letting me rot away in a black sight holding some. But painful vision started plaguing my superiors until they allowed me to return to the battlefield. I was given a test run, allowed to go back through the portal with a new group of men. I had to be completely covered since the tattoo would spread to my face.

This was okay. I didn't want the men I led to know how far I'd fallen. I knew what the desecrator and its master wanted. I was to lead by example. Cause my men to have bravery and push forward, only to be eventually killed. False hope tastes better than no hope, you see. I kept the code name Sharon from my dead unit.

It seemed fitting as I led my kind into Hades to die. The deadies were far more vicious and more numerous than ever before. Over 3,000 lives were lost, taking back the Vork's outposts. But if the deadies were getting tougher, then so were the soldiers sent to fight them. No longer skimping on the modern weaponry. Our boys went over with the latest in killing machines. There was a new urgency in the hearts of men. Just what the dark God wanted.

It took another six months of constant fighting to push the deadies back past Alamo again. I died four times during this period, only to manifest back in my holding cell, shitty as new. I can't say the same for the men I left on the battlefield. Well, I refused to be a pawn for the desecrator in my government. Oh, I had to keep my men safe. I had to help humanity. Once we'd taken back all we'd lost, I jumped the wire and marched out into the muddy wasteland. I began to sink into the slop.

I knew this would be a particularly painful death. But I didn't have to wait long. The desicator emerged wearing the rotting head of some poor kids. I told him that the scraps it gave us weren't enough. It was pushing too hard without any reward for our efforts in sight. We needed a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was a fake light. I explained that humans might give up and try and surrender. We might try and reason with the entity.

Well, the desicator was not pleased. Its master did not want servants. It wanted war. It wanted bloodshed. So a deal was struck. Any mud my men stepped foot on now, slowly became solid. We could push the deadies back for miles and miles. We could breathe again.

We could hope. We could win. That little stunt took some suspicion off me on where my allegiances fell. But it also meant I was heading over to fight more and fight longer. But in the end, we'd force the deadies back and gained 30 miles of breathing room. It was a false triumph. We're gaining ground just to have it taken right back. This will cause the brass to panic and overreact.

They'll probably start the draft again, young boys and girls trained just enough to be put on the assembly line heading for the chopping block. They'll lie to you. They'll say you're a new breed of soldier. They'll say you're pioneers to other galaxies. When you don't come back, they'll tell your family you'll deploy to somewhere top secret. You'll go through the basic and be taught the bare minimum. You'll know how to fire a rifle and dig a trench.

Then he'll be sent to the front. You might even see me when you get them. You'll be told to do anything I say. You'll know me from my face obscured with a mask and a thousand yards stare. I'll be leading the charge, but I'm not a hero. I'm in hell. But I'll try to keep we alive as long as I can. We all die in the end,

the sacrifice to appease the master. You'll be told your death will keep annihilation at bay for the moment. But in reality, you're just a small cog in the wheels of war. More meat for the grinder, so. Just so the people back home can continue to kill each other for other pointless reasons. Try not to think about your soul. like does it stay in that hell when you die or does it come back to our world i don't know just be sure to get close to whoever you worship before taking the jaunt just to be safe my fear is the dark god will grow bored of the game with a snap of its fingers it could invade our space causing madness and death on a catastrophic scale so we must fight we must appease him we have no other choice

we have to try the twins look especially beautiful tonight don't they my little sister asked craning her neck to gaze at the odd stick figures twinkling in the night sky above I shuffle my feet nervously adity I you know the immortal Pollux begged his father

to let him share his immortality with his brother she added almost accusingly as she stood completely still transfixed as she seemed to be by the hypnotic shimmering of the Gemini constellation. He was willing to die for Castor. You know I'd do the same for you, I said defensively, in a heartbeat. Her hands bored up into fists beside him. But you can't, can you? I could feel the venom in her voice, the sheer unfairness of the situation ripping her usual composure to shreds. Her eyes finally broke away from the stars and came

searching for mine, only to find them running away from a confrontation. The odds of You being picked are low. I mumbled half-heartedly. No, they aren't. It's our blocks turn this time. There's only like 20 of us in it. I'm sure you won't get picked, I asserted with a confidence I didn't really feel, not even on a surface level. She caught the lie quite easily, and the pitying look that she gave me broke my heart. I want to run away, she stated after a pause. "'Come with me.' I reluctantly shook my head.

It won't work. They'll find us even before we get to the highway. And you know what'll happen then. They'll kill us all. Mom, Dad, everyone. Why would that be such a bad thing?' she spat. They had me even after knowing what was in store for me. "'You don't mean that,' I protested.

"'Yes, I do,' she retorted, before taking a deep breath. Regav! she whispered, her lips quivering. I'm scared. Her eyes watered. The facade of toughness she'd so carefully built up, finally cracked, letting the vulnerability pour out. I pulled her in for a hug and held on tightly,

afraid that it might be the last chance I had to do so. She buried her head in my chest and sobbed silently. I wanted to say something to comfort her. but the words just disintegrated in my brain, and the letters quickly slipped out of my grasp, leaving me a sad and confused mess. As if to announce its own displeasure, the earth then rumbled underneath our feet, tectonic plates shifting and smashing against each other so violently little pebbles vibrated and flew up off the ground. Leaves of the banyan tree we were under rustled frantically as its innumerable roots

that reached down to the floor creaked and swayed with the quaking. something primordial yawned and stretched its muscles beneath the bedrock, causing the two of us to tense up in fear. Half a minute later, the shaking tapered off, and Aditi relaxed, if only a little. You're right, she murmured. Who can never escape that, right? I opened my mouth to reply, but a loud and persistent boom cut me off. The town's mayor had rung the alarm, signaling that the annual festival, was upon us finally.

Festival. Such a jovial name for something so morbid. Let's go, big brother, my sister said derisively. Time to go save the world. Our little town sits in the middle of a valley, near the southern reaches of the lesser Himalayas. The towering snow-cap peaks that loom around us also serve as a jagged boundary with China.

Normally this would make it a very strategic position, but the sheer inaccessibility of this place on both, sides means that we have next to no military presence in the area, making it ideal for the sort of fucked-up rituals that have performed here on an annual basis. It's hard to say when exactly the sacrifices began, but the consensus in our town is that it was sometime in the early 18th century. Legend says that an adventuring and greedy Mughal officer started digging around for minerals and precious stones, but only ended up waking something ancient from its deep slumber. The festival began shortly afterwards to placate the potentially apocalyptic entity.

The burbling of the creaker head gently pulled me out of my reverie, reminding me that we'd reach the rickety wooden bridge that ran across the little river, which came melting down the slopes of the glaciers over to the north, and cut our town into two halves before turning and joining the ganges to our south. As we crossed the bridge and entered the town, I noticed people shuffling out of their homes, unwillingly making their way towards the town. Hall. Their whispers wafted down the cold air and reached our ears, picking up speed as they

caught sight of us. Oh, poor thing. So young too, only 14. I wonder if she'll be picked tonight. Aditi pulled her woolen hat down to her neck, stuffed her hands in her jacket, and continued to walk silently, ignoring the sympathetic looks being shot her way. Oh, she didn't need the pity, as it only made her resent our powerlessness. The smattering of people gradually turned to a thick crowd as we neared the town hall. It seemed like most of our nearly 3,000 populace were coming to the festival. Our town hall was an old and imposing structure, with a sloping wooden roof at the falling snow slid off of and melted into the drains beneath. It used to be the house of the resident British military commander, back when they still entertained

foolish notions of invading China through the mountain passes here, but was later turned into the office of the local municipal government, and now it hides our town's darkest secrets. The front door of the building was being guarded by some men, clad in bulletproof vests, wearing balaclavas and carrying tavor rifles. People silently walked past them and took their seats in the numerous rows of wooden benches beyond. On our side of the door was a table covered with white cloth, and a man sitting on a chair next to it, with an open notebook in front of it. Aditi, came a muffled voice from somewhere behind us. I turned around and saw our mother push past the lumbering crowd and hurry over towards us.

She pulled my sister into her arms the moment she came close enough to do so. Are you okay? She asked after she pulled away, getting an imperceptible nod in return. Mom frowned, sharp lines springing up on her forehead like Lord Shiva's trident. Have you registered yet? A flash of annoyance across Aditi's face. I was just going to, she replied tiredly. Mom held her hand and led her over to the table.

She was quite experienced with all this, having gampled with her own life for decades. I still remember how she sobbed with relief when the doctor told her that she'd hit menopause, effectively taking her out of the running. Next, the man at the table. shouts. Oh, it's you, Aditi. Glad to see you. Please sign here. He grinned obnoxiously at me while my sister bent over the table. Ragav, good to see you. I refused to respond. So, he continued when

Aditi got back up. What number will you be choosing tonight? She shrugged. Oh, come on, he whined. You have to. It's tradition. He pointed at a the paper in front of them. These are the numbers still available. Go on, pick one. How does it matter what fucking number gets me closer to my death? You asshole! She snapped.

Mom squeezed her shoulders and sighed. It's 91. I choose 91, okay. You happy? That a girl, he said with a painfully artificial smile. We turned and walked into the town hall, trying hard to ignore the sad and inquisitive expressions on people's faces. A couple of rows ahead, I saw my dad standing and

waving at us. I could feel a sinking feeling in my chest, as the wall seemed to close in around me and the echoing, whispering slammed into my eardrums. I hated this part, the weight before the picking, the anxiety and fear writhing around in my belly. Damn this tradition. Damn this town, Damn, this world. We took our seats next to Dad and began waiting in silence for the macarrable to begin. I grabbed my sister's hand and squeezed reassuring me to what felt like an eternity. The mare entered the room, flanked by armed guards like the ones we'd seen outside.

I went up to the podium on the stage. All around the room were other armed men, looming around us menacingly. I glanced back at the mare, sleek grey hair, sleek narrow hair, sleek narrowed. jacket and a disarming smile. He looked like the typical smarmy politician. He tapped the microphone in front of him and the next second his voice boomed through the loudspeakers and echoed around the tiled room. Good evening, everyone. It is time once again for our town to come together and work for a cause greater than ourselves. It's time for us to put aside our differences and offer a tribute for the sake of our precious earth. You know, it is written in the Gita

that. I tuned out, not wanting to listen to the useless spiel he repeats every year and instead chose to focus on the others around me. Everywhere my eyes went, I could see women of varying ages sitting with their families with fear in their eyes, wondering whether it would be their turn this year. Teenagers, working professionals, mothers, all reduced to mere sacrifices. after a while it's only natural for one to wonder is this world even worth saving and now for the picking the mayor declared before going to a table behind him on top of which had a large rectangular glass container the size of a small aquarium filled with dozens of numbered chips like the ones they use in poker besides the container was a cage with a crow inside it the mayor opened the cage and the crow

instantly flew out and perched itself atop the container. This is it. We watched with bated breath, as without any instructions, the crow dove in and grabbed a solitary chip in its beak, and flew over to the mare's outstretched arm, who plucked the chip out and gently pushed the crow back inside. Well, well, well, he laughed. Seems like we have a winner.

Please don't be 91. Please don't be 91. Please don't be 91. It is 91, the mayor thundered, and my heart instantly imploded. He checked the paper in front of him and read out my sister's name.

Ah, Aditi Jaswal. Over 3,000 heads turned in our direction. Some exhausted, some relieved, and some full of outrage at the injustice of it all. but not a single soul offered to help. I instinctively grabbed my sister's arm in a vice-like grip. No, no, no, Mom, she cried, looking at her mother who buried her head in her hands and wept inconsolably. Dad averted his eyes, a coward.

Now, now, Aditi, the mayor admonished from the stage. You know why we need to do this. You know what is at stake here. We all do, don't we? I saw the masked men approach us, ready to take my sister away. Raghav, help me! My sister spoke in a raspy voice. My heart thudded in my chest.

What do I do? What do I do? I should have listened to her. Should have just stolen Dad's car and made a break for it. At least there was a chance we might have made it. But now I was certain to lose my sister. No. I saw a hand reach out for Aditi. I instantly swatted it aside and wrapped my arms around her protectively.

You can't, I screamed savagely. You can't take her, please. Don't do this, Raghav. The mayor said. We all know this has to happen. What has to happen? I shouted. Fuck you.

You can't take her. I won't let you. We don't have time for this. The gunman to my left said as he tried to pull me aside. Well, something snapped inside me. It was like my mind had been possessed by white, hot, irrational rage. I punched the guy in the side of the head. Then, almost as if the beast buried in the ground sensed what was happening,

the earth shook with such intensity that dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling, making everyone in the hall scream in fear and begin scrambling for the exit in panic. Tube lights broke free from their fixtures, and hung precariously overhead as the earthquake. showed no sign of letting up. The staccato of gunfire interrupted the chaos, making everyone fall to their knees.

Stop, everyone. We don't want to anger the old one. The mayor yelled at his mic, the speaker somehow working still just fine. Something slammed into my side, sending me crashing down to the ground. I fought to free myself,

but was quickly overpower by the stronger gunman. He landed rapid blows on my sides, knocking the wind out of me, before pulling a pistol out and aiming it at my head. I should just kill you right here, right now, he snarled, the balaclava stretching around his mouth, exposing his fangs? God, I must be hallucinating. My little rebellion had proved be fruitless, as my sister was drag-kicking and screaming out of the hall, and the rumbling of the earth miraculously stopped almost as soon as she left.

Aditi's tear-stained face was the last I ever saw of her. It would be more than half a decade before I found out exactly what had happened to her. Don't kill him! My dad exclaimed as he jumped and stood beside me. His hands raised in the air. Please, spare him. Don't kill both our children on the same night. He has to pay a price.

The one aiming the gun at me shouted back. There have to be consequences for insubordination. Take me instead. I'll offer my life in exchange for his. I groaned. No, Dad, don't. The man looked at the mayor, who nodded. A couple of moments later, my father was taken to the stage and executed in front of the whole town. The booming gunshot faded with time,

but my mother's heart-wrenching screams never did, leaving a permanent scar on my soul. Six years later. They say that time heals all wounds. I beg to differ. Some injuries don't scab over. They fester. They throb with pus,

oozing out of them intermittently to remind you of their painful presence. Such was the impact of the events that had transpired more than half a decade ago, that it seemed like my life had gotten stuck that night. With my mind acting like a broken record and reliving the deaths of my father, and sister dozens of times a day, every day, for years. You see, death isn't really the end.

It's just the beginning of a lifetime of pain and suffering for those left behind. I'm reminded of that each morning when I wake up in bed with a start, covered in cold sweat and shivering as flashes of that damned festival haunt my memories and my nightmares. Right before my conscious mind peruses them all over again. Believe me, those are the good days, because as traumatising as those dreams are, it means that I'm at least getting some semblance of rest. Most nights are like this one, however, where my body absolutely refuses to get even a wink of sleep. But that suits me just fine, because on nights like these, sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. Just like it is for Mr. Rathi here, who, by all accounts, is a hard-working, productive member of our isolated society.

except for one little oddity. He doesn't sleep, at all. Never has in his seemingly 40-plus years on earth, a fact that it's not lost on the rest of our town. But not me, for I've spent the last six years investigating anomalies like him who've infected this town with a persistent virus. The one advantage of being so utterly fixated on that festival six years ago is it helped me to convince myself that I hadn't in fact been hallucinating

when I saw that masked man's razor shun. up canines. My conviction only grew stronger when I started observing the people around me. Average, ordinary townspeople going about their lives, trying their hardest to deal with the horror that comes around annually. You wouldn't notice anything weird about them if you weren't paying attention, but I was quite keenly at that. It took me a while but I caught on, noticing certainly irregularities about some of the people I'd grown up around. People who smiled, the people who smiled, wrong way, almost artificially, never seemed to eat, or as I later found out, even sleep. The centre of this swirling, all-encompassing storm was one man. Our mayor, focused the lens of my

SLR and quickly snap some clicks of Mr. Rati, who'd finally come back home after running, God-know-what errands the whole night. It was 4.30 in the morning, and the son's first rays were soon going to sneakily claw their way out at the black blanket of the night sky. A couple of hours from now, the man I was following would show up at work, looking fresh and well-rested, almost inhumanly so. I had a couple of theories about what this man was up to, mainly involving vampires and blood, but I wasn't sure of anything just yet. My progress had been slow.

I had to carry out my work while maintaining the facade of a grieving yet hard-working member of society, if only for the safety of my mother. However, slowly but surely I was beginning to unravel the mysteries of this place, like the manic-obsessive I actually was. As my quarry shut the front door of his house, I put my camera in my backpack, slipped out of the bushes and started jogging back home with my hoodie pulled up. I had to get back before the curious and roving eyes of those on their early morning walks caught sight of me. The cold mountain breeze from the Himalayas was slowly retreating from the valley,

and a subtle warmth was beginning to creep in by the time I descended onto the winding cobblestone street that curved its way to my home. I froze as I saw my mother ambling av out aimlessly on the pavement outside our house, streetlights harshly illuminating her distressed face. Oh, shit, what was she doing outside? I picked up pace and began running. Her eyes widened as she saw me, her long and disheveled grey hair trembling as she began sobbing and blubbering. What happened, Ma? I asked, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. Your dad, she cried. I can't see him anywhere. I woke up and he wasn't there. It's okay. No, it's not, she protested angrily. He's never done this. Where could he be?

We have to find him. It's okay, Ma, I replied. Let's go back inside. He'll be. He'll be. He'll be. be back soon. I helped to get back inside the house as she clung to me desperately, like she was drowning and I was a lifeless piece of wood floating in a turbulent sea. It had been like this ever since that night. Her mind would be completely broken and I'd been looking after her ever since. And this damn town wouldn't even let us leave to get us a much-needed help. All I could rely on were the sedatives prescribed by a doctor, I suspected, was also one of them. I fed at the medicine, after counting, and realizing that she indeed had skipped a dose and tucked her in, staying with her until she fell asleep.

I was cleaning the tables at our restaurant when he walked in. It was early enough in the day that sunlight had just begun streaming in through the glass windows, creating little golden cones for dust particles to dance in. None of our staff had showed up yet, and we had her first customer already. A tall and muscular man, probably my age. He was dressed in black and wearing a thick beanie that he pulled down to his forehead. I'm sorry, sir, but we're not open yet, I said apologetically. He waved his hand dismissively.

That's okay, I'll just wait. Without bothering to wait for a reply, he plopped himself down at a table I'd just cleaned and began tapping away at his smartphone. I'd been so taken aback by his sudden appearance, I hadn't even noticed that I'd never seen him before. The fact that a perfect stranger had walked into my restaurant slammed into me with the force of a small truck. Strangers are rarer of them four-leaf clovers in these hills.

Who was this guy? How did he make it all the way here? Was there a safe way in and out of this town? Was he working for the mayor? Fear began to pour its way up my spine as I considered the various possibilities. I cleared my throat. Are you new here, sir?

I've never seen you before. I am, he replied without looking up. Just passing through. Passing through? He looked up, his lips stretching into a warm smile. I just graduated college. Wanted to explore myself. So hopped into my car, well, here I am.

He stretched his arms wide. and you just rode in he nodded you drove up the road just like that why he asked his eyes twinkling don't see many strangers in this town it's not that i was cut off as the front door was once again flung open and in walked the mare his head brushing against the wind chimes well this day just keeps getting worse ah good morning rakoff he strode towards me as he strode towards me as vigorously shook my hand. How are you doing today? I'm fine, Mr. Mayor. How about you? I replied as I crammed my head slightly to look outside and saw the Mayor's security people keeping watch.

Good, good, he replied, before turning to look at the stranger. Good morning to you, sir. Welcome to our town. Thanks, the stranger said. I guess it really is true the strangers are rare in this town. If the Mayor himself is able to recognize one at first glance, The mayor laughed. Tuché. We are a very close-knit community, after all. He looked back at me, his brow furrowing with fake worry. "'How's your mother doing, Regal?' He spoke softly. This part of the

conversation was clearly meant just for the two of us. I clenched my teeth before relaxing. Some days are good, some not so much. He patted my arm. Terrible business. happened to her. I could see tears forming in his eyes, that bastard. Please note that we all still stand with you. If there's anything you need, you only have to ask. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. He hesitated, the movement seeming very rehearsed. It's just, I'm worried about you. I've been hearing things, troubling things. Like what? I asked warily. You've been seen at night, roaming around.

Some people are starting to get scared that you might snap. Goosepump shot up my arms. Oh, I'd been so careful. Scratch that. It was foolish of me to think that they wouldn't find out what I was doing all this time. Why was I being followed on my nocturn loudings? I shuddered at the thought. And now, this, he gestured.

at the stranger. You can see why I'm worried, right? Never seen that man once in my life, I whispered furiously. I swear it. His eyes hardened disbelievingly. You are not a child anymore, Agarthe. You have responsibilities now, a sick mother who needs you. Don't do anything so reckless that you might end up end up endangering it all. Rage began welling up inside me at that implied threat, but I forcefully pushed it down. He gave me the that smarmy smile of his and walked out, after giving a terse nod to the stranger. Just when I thought I was getting close to the truth, he comes out and destroys all the progress I'd made. Wait, had I made any progress, or was he just letting me do all this? Indulging my nighttime

activities like a doting father. I had never hated him quite as much as I hated him then, not even on that night. Hmm, interesting foe, isn't he? The stranger asked, jolting me back to reality. He sure is, I mumbled, and got back to my word. Hey, tell me something, Ragav, he continued. What exactly happened to Aditi? I jerked back, surprise, worming its way through the cracks and spreading on my face.

What? I stammered. How did she die? He asked patiently. That mayor was involved somehow, wasn't he? I am... I don't know what you're talking about. What's happening in this town?

Something is dangerously wrong with this place. You know what it is, don't you? Who the fuck are you? I shouted. How does he know so much? No one outside of the town should have access to this information. This was turning into a big problem. He sighed, before taking his beanie off, revealing a strange tattoo bang in the middle of his forehead, right between his eyes.

It was a sharp and menacing-looking trident, with a crescent where the hilt of a sword usually is. Name's rocky. I'm here to hell. I quickly reached for my phone to call the mare and ward off any suspicions against me, but he was quick. He jumped, faster than what I thought was possible, and punched me in the face. knocking me out cold. That was incredibly stupid, you know. Rocky said as he held the ice pack against my jaw. I just groaned in response. Listen, I know I must look very suspicious, but believe me, I'm here to help. Whatever is happening here, I intend to stop it, okay? He added. I guess I'll try and explain who I am and how I know all this. Just hear me out before you decide what to do.

and with that he launched into his story unbelievable as it seemed to me but then again with everything that i'd personally witnessed it very well could be within the realm of truth he claimed to be part of a group of people who hunted for the lack of a better word monsters our town had not even been a blip on their radar before a bore colleague of his noticed something strange information disappearing from government databases a strange annual deaths of healthy women in inexplicable accidents, and, most importantly, the strangely high seismic activity in the region. So I decided to come and personally investigate this town, he concluded, I know your sister and your father were victims of whatever is happening here. Help me put an end to this. How do I know you are who you say you are? I pointed out. Just how did you get here so easily?

Maybe you're working with them. I instantly regretted saying that. Establishing a line of separation between them and me was not something I should have done, not in front of this guy. My and my mother's survival depended on us ingratiating ourselves with the establishment of this town. Well, how about I show you something to earn your trust? he asked. Come with me. With utmost suspicion and hesitation, I followed him outside, closing the restaurant behind me. I hoped I wasn't making a mistake, and this guy wasn't some psychopath.

We walked past unopened shops and run down duplexes, finally turning left near Agarwal Suites, a store that had shut down a decade back when the owner lost his only daughter and his sanity to a picking. The stench of rubble and uncollected garbage hung heavy in the air as we went around to the back of the shop and came upon a Honda City. Rocky led me to the back of his car and popped the trunk open. I yelped at what I saw.

saw there. A man was stuffed in the cramped little space, his hands and legs tied together with sturdy, medieval-looking ironed chain and shackles. He looked rough, his body covered with numerous bleeding cuts and bruises. I would have run away in fear, terrified at the prospect of being taken to an isolated corner by a psycho-kidnapper if it hadn't been for what happened next. As soon as the man in chain saw us, he snarred with his voice low and guttural. then bared his fangs and lunged at us, only for Rocky to send him reeling back with a solid punch to the face. Believe me now, he asked after shutting the trunk. Fawker and his friends tried to jump me when I was coming here.

He's the only one I left alive for interrogation purposes. Holy shit, I whispered. It's real. It's all real. It's all been real this time. All those years I spent trying to prove this. and you did it in an instant. My cheeks felt wet

as tears of relief and vindication streamed down my face. I wasn't hallucinating. There really were monsters in my home. Well, that has to be the happiest I've ever seen someone get after coming face to face with a vampire, rocky remarked, rightly.

So, will you help me? I sniffed and shook my head. I don't know. You need to give me some time, man. "'This is all too sudden. "'I have a lot to think about. "'And there's my mom. "'I need to make sure she's safe.

"'Just let me process this, okay?' "'Yeah, understood. "'But I would urge you to hurry,' he replied. "'We don't have a lot of time to waste here, right?' "'I should go now. "'The cook and the other staff should be coming in any second.' "'I shook his hand and took my leave, "'pondering on the strange events of the day.

"'I was glad I had some... time to think it all over and didn't just dive into the deep end of this pool of insanity. The mayor was right to be suspicious of him, as he posed the single greatest threat to this grotesque system put in place in this town. I couldn't help but feel giddy at the sight of that vampire. Oh, someone needed to hold these mothers. I had a pleasant smile on my face, and was happily skipping back the way I'd come when I was thrown backwards by the explosion that tore through the restaurant. glass pain shattered, and a blazing hot ball of fire leapt out of the broken windows,

hungrily consuming the oxygen in its path, as the concussion of the bomb blast sent me flying back with a loud noise, temporarily robbing me of all hearing. The next thing I remember was hearing Beethoven's furelies blaring away on my cell phone as I gingerly got up, my knees and elbows throbbing with pain. I could see people running around in the area, as I almost subconsciously answered the call, with a heavily modulated voice speaking into my ear soon after. Take the advice you were given and back off, Raghav. Next time it will be your house we blow up, with your mother inside it.

It was a terrible accident indeed, but thankfully no one was hurt, the mayor remarked. His face a mask of concern that seems so genuine that it almost fooled me. We stand with the Jaswell family in their hour of difficulty, and we will make sure that adequate monetary compensation is provided to them to help them get back on their feet. What exactly caused the explosion, Mayor? The report of my local newspaper asked. Was it a gas explosion, as we've heard? It does look like it, but we'll only know after a thorough investigation

headed by our esteemed superintendent of police, including inputs from the fire department. He replied, It would be premature and pure conjecture on our part to comment on the nature of the accident at this point. Thank you for your time, Mayor. It's my pleasure. He flashed a smile and sachet towards his car, waving at curious onlookers along the way, even as firefighters skittered around,

trying to put out the blazing fire that still pushed out waves of intense heat in all directions. That is how a town buried an act of terrorism, by naming it an accident and pretending they were. was nothing odd about it at all. I shivered, pulled the blanket tight around me, as the paramedics peppered me with questions. No, it really doesn't hurt anywhere, I argued. Just some stupid cuts and scrapes.

I'm more shaken than anything. Regardless, you really should visit the emergency ward at the hospital. I shook my head. I need to go check on my mother first. You know I have to. The one talking to me sighed. Okay, but please swing by the... the hospital afterwards. I nodded before stumbling onto my feet and letting my eyes sweep over the

carnage once again. My grandfather had built this restaurant when he relocated from Pakistan after partitioned. Our family had, over successive governments, poured our sweat and blood into this place, and now it has all gone up in smoke in just a flash. The vampire's corrupting influences destroying everything that's good about my town, like an unrelenting play. I spoke to the employees of our restaurant, told them I'd get in touch with them when things had settled down a little. This was going to be a major pain in the ass, what were the insurance claims, unpaid salaries, and our already low savings. But that was a distant, almost comforting concern compared to the threat posed to my existence by the cabal of blood-sucking monsters controlling everything from the shadows. I instinctively knew that we were not going to be safe in this place, no matter how hard I tried to gain the mayor's trust.

We must leave this place, and as it stood, Rocky was our best chance of escaping this mess. I found Dr. Malhotra's wagonar parked in our driveway when I made it back home, sending my nerve endings haywire with alarm. I dashed into the house and almost ran into the balding doctor. What happened, doctor? I panted. "'Oh, calm down, Rakoff,' he replied, smiling. "'It's all good. Your neighbours gave me a call after they found your mother roaming the streets early in the morning. So I just came to check on her. She's doing fine. Just make sure she's getting plenty of rest, and she's taking her medicines on time, okay.'

"'I will. I made sure she was sleeping when I left this morning. Oh, didn't know the neighbours saw us outside. God, intrusive little fuckies. Ah, I heard about what happened. You have my sympathies. I would recommend against telling her about it, however. It's not to cause any needless stress. I won't.

Thanks, doctor. He stopped and sniffed the air. Hmm. Does something smell weird? I crinkled my nose. No, I can't smell anything out of the ordinary. Hmm, it must be in my head. I shook his hand and saw him off.

As his car pulled out, I couldn't help but wonder. we'd found out about the explosion. Was it because news travels fast in this town? Which it admittedly does. Or is it because he knew a bomb was going to go off at the restaurant because he was one of them? If that was the case, was he really here to check up on mum?

Or was this another veiled friend? A thick fog of confusion clogged my mind and I felt like a major headache was going to come knocking soon. That guy is definitely a vampire. came a loud voice from somewhere to my left as I stepped into the house, scaring the daylight's out of me. What the? I swive of my neck and saw Rocky sitting on the plush, easy chair in the living room.

When did you get here? As soon as the bomb went off. I swung by here to make sure your mother was fine. He replied. Oh, she's upstairs, by the way, asleep. I had so many questions that it felt like a bomb had gone off inside my brain. How did you know he was? a vampire. I finally asked the simplest question I could think of. He pointed at the tattoo on his

forehead. This thing acts like a beacon and alerts those monsters to my presence, which is what he was sensing at the doorstep. Oh. So, will you help me? He asked, you know, to take them down. I nodded, but only if you get my mother out of here first. He agreed. I can do that. It'll take some time to set it all up, so you'll have to be patient, all right. Okay, but her safety is a priority. Absolutely. Now, if you're ready, can you tell me what's happening here? Everything from start to finish.

Give me all the details. Well, how about I take a leaf out of your book and just show you instead? Without waiting for a response, I began walking towards the trap door near the guest bedroom that led down to the small basement. My grandfather had built that little hole to hide his liquor from the tax authorities during the emergency back in the 70s, and now it was my little conspiracy cave, as I like to call it. It was a small room, only a head bigger than I was, and Rocky had to bend to avoid bumping against the ceiling. I groped around for a thin string that hung from the roof and pulled it. The room was instantly blasted with sharp yellow light, illuminating the wall in front of us that had a broad wooden board attached to it.

notes, photos, and little ribbons connecting them were pinned to the board. All of my research in one place. Wow, Rocky whispered, as his eyes swept over my work. This is actually pretty damn impressive. I moved in front of him, and using the material on the board for support, began telling him about our town. The ritualistic sacrifices, the vampires, the earthquakes, the supposed primordial entity beneath our feet.

I told him all, watching his eyes grow bigger and bigger as he took it all in. Oh, fuck, he exclaimed after hearing my tale. This all sounds unbelievable. I was prepared to hear about a group of vampires feeding on the local populace, but this has me concerned, particularly the ritualistic aspect of it all. You know, he continued. I'd have dismissed it all as a distraction, to keep you all in line while they merrily fed on you,

but the scale of it all, and the fact that it was pretty much an accident that we found out about it at all. What about it? I asked. My voice barely audible. There's no way that something this big could have been kept under wraps without my people fighting out about it.

He replied, You have a traitor in your midst? Well, it's the only logical explanation. Good God. I don't even want to imagine what it would be that would make someone betray us. us and now I have to be extra careful with who I choose to bring in to help us at this. What do we need to do then?

We need more information. No offence to you because you've done really well, but we need to talk to someone on the inside. A light bulb lit inside my brain. The vampire you kidnapped. He nodded. I kept him locked up inside that store. We're going to go talk to him right now.

Do I Have to be there? Yes Harder for him to lie around someone from this town He dug around in his jacket And pulled out a small satellite phone Here, take this It's more secure than your average cell phone

Plus they don't know about it Oh, and I'll help you lose any tail you might have As you make your way back to the Garwell Suites I shivered as I stood outside on the cobblestone streets but it was more from nervousness than the cold. Are they really going to be vampires following me? Stupid question. A crackling voice came from the phone in my jacket.

It's almost guaranteed that they'll have someone following you. So, what do I do? I mumbled with my lips first as I began walking down the street, the wind whipping against my face. Keep your eyes open, walk slowly, and without noticeably turning your head, try and see all who are behind you. I can't very well look behind me. I don't have eyes in the back of my head. Do it anyway. I don't see anyone. That's because they're good at their job. Now take the first turn you see.

Right or left. Just toss a coin. God, asshole. Okay, okay. I just made a turn. see any familiar faces behind you i stopped to examine some t-shirts that a street hawker was selling and surreptitiously glanced back some good now take another turn we did this little dance for a good 15 minutes before i finally spotted them two guys one in his twenties and the other middle-aged holy shit i see them thankfully they hadn't seen me see them good now time to lose those fucklings how find a turn some cover or something make it seem like you'll be going past it but then turn suddenly and sharply start running when they lose sight of you keep finding twist and turns and make your way

towards a store I'll see you there I'm gonna put the phone down now I have other calls to me well I open my mouth to voice my protests but he'd already cut the call leaving me feeling extremely exposed, even though I'd been alone out here all this time. My hands trembled as I thought about how all those movies are actually so bad at capturing the fear and anxiety that's involved with this cat and mouse shit. Aditi would have enjoyed this. She was always the brave and adventurous one, not me. I turned right at the next turn and bolted down the narrow street before turning right again, doing a quick U-turn, my heart pounding my chest as I ignored the used expressions on people's faces. Yes, Rocky was right. They were good because they were back

on my ass within minutes, fully alert my attempts to escape. It took me almost 15 minutes to shake them off as I dove in and out of shops, ran circles around parking lots and was my way around on the roads that I knew like the back of my hand, utilising my experience to my advantage. But soon I was confident that I had indeed shaking them off. and started heading towards my destination, praying that my pursuers hadn't been replaced by their friends. I found Rocky digging around in the trunk of his car when I arrived at the abandoned shop. He took a glass bottle out, shut the trunk and waved me over. Ready to get this started, he asked, before walking into the store, with me sticking to his heels.

He kept the vampire chained up in a corner on the first floor of the crumbling building. The room was littered with empty beer bottles and old newspapers, signaling that some homeless, people had used this place in the near past. Paint peeling off the walls, a stale musky scent in the air. It was a far cry from the quaint and cozy little shot from my childhood memories. The vampire tensed as he saw us and growled. His voice muffled as it crashed against the cloth stuffed into his mouth. Rocky walked over to him, exposed the bottle and poured its contents onto his head. The vampire hissed and shrieked in pain as his skin. As his skin, heaped to his skin, seared and mottled with contact with the fluid that sent off steam rising into the air as it came

cascading down his face, stripping away hair and flesh on the way. Whoa, is that holy water? I asked. No, just some sulfuric acid. Rocky replied, nonchalantly. What? No fucking way. He shrugged. Well, better it be used on this fucker than some innocent woman being harassed by a psycho-stalker. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to say to that. At first it seemed incredibly uncomfortable watching this guy get tortured, but then I thought about all the women who died, all the families ripped apart by these savage monsters, and rage came flooding back. Fuck it. All right, asshole, Rocky said as the vampire fought through the pain, his wounds already knitting themselves back up. You have two choices now. You tell me

what I want to know right now, or I torture you, and then you tell me what I want to know, which is it going to be the easy way or the fun way he just glared in response making rocky smile well then regavv looks like you're going to get a quick lesson

in vampire physiology see these bastards are strong and durable like cockroaches he poured more acid on him making him groan in pain now a lot of fiction about them is wrong sunlight steak silver

it all does nothing to them. The only way to really kill them is by destroying their brain. He proceeded to kick him in the jaw, his steel-toed boot making a sickening crunch as it slammed into bone, which shattered and began healing again within seconds. Look how fast they heal, he added. I watched in stunned silence as Rocky proceeded to brutalize this monster, like a master of the art of torture,

slicing away his flesh and bones with his knife, like some sculptor. No matter how fast the guy healed, Rocky was always quick enough to inflict some more pain. The shocking thing was how he would himself play the good cop by coaxing him to cooperate,

try and tell him how futile his attempts to resist were. Slowly but surely he began to whittle his will down, and I could see the resistance fade from his eyes as his healing began to slow down until Rocky finally felt comfortable enough to pull his gag off, giving the wounded vampire the opportunity.

to speak. You, he mumbled. You're all going to die. Cute, Rocky interrupted. Cut the threats and tell us what's happening here. You're a fool, he spat, splattering the dust riddle floor with thick blood. This pain means nothing compared to what will happen to you when we succeed. What will happen when you succeed?

He chuckled. The voice garbled. as it pulled itself out of damaged vocal cause. Hell on earth. The ten-headed lord is going to show you what true suffering is, when he arrives back on earth. Rocky was struck silent by this, his jaw dropping, causing the vampire to laugh louder.

Oh, you do know what that means, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. The fear. Rocky, I whispered loudly. What the fuck? is he talking about? Who is the ten-headed lord? Take a while, guess, Rakhal. The vampire chortled.

I'm sure you can figure it out. No, it can't be. Rocky took his knife and stabbed the vampire in the head, forever silencing his obnoxious laughter. What? What's happening? I didn't get the answer to that question, because the next second, a powerful, earthquake shook the very foundation of the building, making it grown dangerously as dust and

plaster lashed down from the ceiling. I screamed at the intensity of the quaking. It was the most powerful one to have ever hit the area in my entire lifetime, almost as if the hulking beast below had been offended that someone had dared to refer to him out loud. "'Go!' Rocky shouted. "'This place is going to collapse.' He was right, because as we ran down the stairs and jumped out of the door, something gave in with a loud crash, and the building began to collapse in on itself. But thankfully only after we'd retreated to the safe distance of Rocky's car, which was quivering as the ground beneath it shook tumultuously. We grabbed onto the car and waited for the calamity to pass. The alarm ripped through the air almost as soon as the shaking

had stopped, sending dread sprinting down my back. Oh no, I mumbled. this can't be happening. What? Rocky asked. Fear and disbelief still writ clear upon his face. It's never happened in the daytime before. What hasn't? The festival.

It's time for another sacrifice. Even after all these years, even after knowing that no one in my family is in danger of being picked anymore, the blaring call of the alarm still doesn't fail to cause a suffocating tightening in my chance. nest, as if someone is tugging at an iron chain looped around my heart. Why? Why now? I muttered. But the festival would take place when the sun still towered over the Himalayas was unprecedented. Granted that it was being rapidly shrouded by a thick layer of fast gathering clouds,

but that doesn't change the fact that we'd never had a ritual when the sky wasn't dark and dotted with the sort of bright stars you'd never see in the cities. Rocky, who still seemed quite disturbed from our conversation with the vampire, snapped to alertness at the sound of my voice. This is it. We can find out where exactly the sacrifices are taken after the picking. Stop all this before they succeed. What? I exclaimed. Just the two of us. Against hundreds of monsters. You can't be serious. I am, he replied resolutely. We don't have a choice. If we don't act now, we'll be signing the death warrant of this world. We have to move. Now. I stammered. What do we do?

Try and find out what car they're using to transport the girl who gets picked tonight and what direction it's going in. He patted his jacket. You still have your sad phone, right? I nodded. He turned and walked towards his car, then opened the trunk and started digging around. I watched in silent fascination as he removed a full. false floor to reveal a sleek black box at the bottom, which he opened with a smooth click. My eyes popped out of my head as I saw the eclectic assortment of guns carefully arranged in the box. He pulled out a mean-looking revolver and handed it to me. This, he said, pointing at the gun in my hand, is a Smith and Weston 500.

It's not a gun, but a hand cannon. Any of those fuckers get close to you, aim centre-mats and squeeze the trigger. remember squeeze, not pull, because the recoil of this thing is a bitch. He also took out a shoulder holster from the box and gave it to me. Now, this gun won't kill them, but it'll stop them for a while and buy you some valuable time. Time that you should use to run away and come find me, okay? I've never fired a gun, I blubbered. Oh, there's a first time for everything.

Think about what they did to your sister, shoot them, understand? I gritted my teeth and strengthened my resolve, as he then gave me a quick rundown of how to safely handle the weapon and help me sling it around my shoulders underneath my jacket. Okay, keep you cool, try not to stand out. Get in touch with me as soon as possible after the picking. I'll be nearby. The first thing I noticed as I began walking towards the town hall was that the earthquake had proved to be much more disastrous than I'd previously assumed. A long gash had opened up on the road that ran from our local high school all the way to the town hall. I shuddered as I looked at the seemingly bottomless crevice, imagining some unfathomably large entity trying to claw its way out of it. No, no, now I had a name to put on the faceless monstrosity being used to terrorise all of our lives, don't I? No, don't think about it. Don't think about it.

There was a strange energy in the air that night. The townspeople looking way more animated than they usually do on a festival day. I stray my ears to catch their whispers, and what I heard pretty much froze my blood. Are you guys okay? Yeah, did you hear there some buildings east of the river collapsed? Really? Are they rescuing those people right now? Aren't they postponing the festival?

My heart began racing and sweat streamed down my brow. "'Mom! How did I just forget about her? "'Was she hurt in the quake, too?' "'My feet were moving towards my house, "'even before I had made a conscious decision to do so. "'It wasn't what I'd agreed to do, "'but Mom came first, "'even if it led to problems later on.

"'I ran in the opposite direction of the crowd. "'Some faces in the thronging masses "'looked warily at me, "'but no one had the heart to call me back. "'The festival just saps people of their usual intrusive. As I jumped onto my street, I saw my house standing proudly upright as ever, and I felt my shoulders relax. The front door was locked, so it seemed that my mother had joined the congregation at the town hall.

I doubled back, panting and wheezing as I sprinted down the desolate streets before finally arriving at the town hall, now surrounded by armed vampires in Balaclavas. I couldn't help but notice that they were noticeably fewer than what is the norm. Regardless of that, my hand instinctively went to touch the gun for comfort. But I caught myself and began walking up the marbled stairs. My stomach turned as I saw the empty desk and chair to my left, remembering how my sister had herself picked the number all those years ago that it led to her death. As I entered the hall, the loud and outraged echoing, buzzing of the townspeople slammed into me full force.

They were concerned about the intensity of the quake, rightfully satisfied. So, what was the point of sacrificing your family members if it doesn't actually sate the angry monster? I took a seat in a corner, and began looking around for my mum, getting a little flustered when I couldn't spot her. That's fine, I tried to tell myself. It's a big place. Maybe she's somewhere my eyes can't reach.

It wasn't long before the mayor arrived with his usual coterie, and hopped over on the stage, with the crowd instantly falling silent at his arrival. He tapped the microphone, frowning when it shrieked before settling down. He finally smiled and began speaking. Good afternoon, everyone. It is time once again for our town to come together and work for a cause greater than ourselves, to put aside our differences and offer a tribute for the sake of our precious earth. I know it is unusual for us to be doing this in the day, but these are unusual times,

made so by an external influence. As he continued to speak, rain started falling against the looming roof, they sound louder and more intimidating to us on the inside. Thankfully, the speakers were even louder. There is a malicious force, one that is seeking to disturb the natural balance of our beautiful world, and I'm afraid it is what is responsible for the unusual situation we find ourselves in. What? Couldn't possibly be talking about rocky, could he?

The rainfall increased in intensity, angrily lashing against the frame of the town hall. I sat up straight as I heard what faintly sounded like a gunshot coming from outside. But don't worry, it is being handled. The intruders will pay for their egregious actions, and so will anyone court assisting them. He took a pause at that moment to let his statement sink in. My shoulders deflated as I tried to hide from what I imagined to be accusing him. eyes. The mayor continued. However, their corrupting influence has come with a cost, a cost that unfortunately we will have to pay. Murmuring around me rose up once again. The mayor's face fell,

a phony act that I saw through instantly. It pains me to say that this year, a single sacrifice won't be enough. There need to be ten this time. The third. The third Thundrous uproar that followed his statement easily dwarfed the storm raging outside. People stood up angrily shouting and waving their hands to register their protests. The woman next to me began crying at the mayor's declaration. My mind was numb to the pain and shock of those around me, as I was too busy trying to understand the ramifications of this turn of events. Ten, or ten heads for the ten-headed lord.

Allow gunshot startled me out of my reverend. as one of the mayor's lackeys fired in the air to quell the agitated mob, some of whom were attempting to charge the stage. Thankfully, the mayor continued, unfazed by the display of aggression. We already have a volunteer, so we would only need nine more now. This was strange. Volunteers had never been allowed in the festival. Such drastic changes can't signal anything good.

One last thing before we begin the picking. For this one time, age-related restrictions are off. All women of any age are eligible for selection. It was as if the town hall itself gasped at this, and the vampires had to resort to firing in the air once again to prevent a full-blown mutiny. The gunfire muted their anger, but only on the surface, because even a precursory glance around the room

would tell you about the seething rage coiling behind the hardened eyes of those in attendance. That is, if you ignore those women who were snapping under the weight of their unresolved trauma, that had come flooding back with a vengeance as the prospect of being picked once again loomed ahead of them. I recoiled with disgust, as I thought about how children, prepubescent girls, would now be considered for the festival. But why? Why change it up now? What was so different about this one? And now, the mayor continued, it is time for the picking to begin. He stepped away from the podium and walked towards the table with a painfully familiar glass container and the bird cage.

The crow called and fluttered its wings as it saw that it was time to do its job. This is it. It's go time. I tensed up and began plotting my actions for when the girls are being transported. If there are so many girls being taken this time, will they all be put in one large vehicle, or will they be transported separately? I didn't recall seeing any truck or something outside, but then again I was in a hurry to get inside and might not have noticed. I heard shouts of horror from a couple of rows ahead of me, as a mother of two young kids was picked by the crow, and then dragged outside by the vampires through the front door right beside me. How do I get outside? They never let anyone leave for a good while after the picking is done.

Where's Rocky? Is he close by to observe the eventual truels? transportation, or is he maintaining a safe distance? If it's the latter, like I imagined it once, and I'd need a very good excuse to get out of here and track the car. More girls were picked as I chewed my lips and considered my options. My heart began racing as time ran out. Only a couple of girls to go. What do I do? I could pretend to be sick. Would that work? No. They'll shut me down straight away. What then? Should I just shoot the two guards at the front door and make a break for it? No, that's fucking stupid.

And that concludes our picking for this year. The mayor's voice boomed from the speakers once again. Until next time then. I'm sorry, but we can't have the traditional dinner this year. What with the weather and all? He laughed obnoxiously. Now, if you'll please excuse me. And with that, he descended the steps and began walking out,

smiling and ignoring the angry screams around him. I was glad that no one had been as stupid as I was to try and attack them. Dealing with a lifetime of guilt of causing your father's death can destroy someone. I shot out of my seat as soon as the mayor had left and approached the main door. Others had the same idea, and the front door was quickly turning into a mosh pit, but the unnaturally strong vampires easily held us off. Let us through. Come on.

glass through the earthquake. I have to check my son. Step aside. I crammed my neck to try and see what was happening outside, but to no avail. The women had been taken outside my field of vision, which is already obscured by the rain which continued to patter the ground. Someone shorter and smarter than me broke the standoff by ducking and slipping past the fleshy barricade. One of the vampires turned to look at the runner, and this was the opportunity we needed. The floodgates opened, and we swarmed out like little ants scurrying out for food. Even the vampires found it difficult to control us all. I quickly ran to higher ground, my clothes getting soaked almost instantly,

as I began looking around wildly for any signs of the sacrifices. There! A big green military truck, and I could see the women inside it. Most of them, including my mom. My heart almost exploded out of my chest with shock and fear. No, no, she was the volunteer. I found cover behind a house and took out my phone, quickly punching in Rocky's number, and waited, and waited.

Why was he not picking out the phone? Did the vampires get him? Was that what the gunshot was about? I almost cried with relief when his voice finally cracked, or through the phone. "'Bav,' he panted. "'Talk to me.' Green military tuck, headed northwest,

towards the hills. There are ten women this time, not one.' "'Fegars,' he breathed. "'Okay, you stay hidden. Let me deal with this. I'll call you where—' I cut him off. "'No, that's not happening, Rocky. They've got my mom. I'm coming.

I have to.' "'All right. Do what you feel you must. But your life will be in your hands. "'Fine with me,' I snapped. "'Why the fuck do you sound so tired?' "'Ah, preparing a little surprise for our friends.' "'What surprise?' "'A large bang ripped through the air,

"'the intensity of the blast causing its own little tremors. "'My jaw dropped as I noticed flames coming, "'leaping out at the police station to the east, "'brushing aside the rain with disdain "'and splashing the dull sky with their dazzling orange brilliance. "'That,' Rocky replied, smuggled. There was complete chaos outside the town hall, immediately after the explosion at the police station.

The vampires, never having faced such boiling rage from the townspeople before, made a grave mistake. They opened fire on them. I snapped my head at the echo and gunshots and watched with horror as bodies began to drop one by one, splashing as they hit little puddles in the asphalt. And then, people mutiny. You see, there's only so much you can push people before they lose all fear,

and even a cornered rat would strike back at much larger predators. Devastated at the loss of their family members, outraged at the sheer unfairness of this year's ritual, and seething at the killings right in front of their eyes, they snapped, and instead of cowering at the gunshots, lunged at their tormentors. Dozens of them began just hammering away at each vampire in the vicinity, who, caught by surprise, were actually starting to lose the fight. I doubt that would last forever, and I didn't want to be around for the carnage that would take place when the tide inevitably begins to turn. Besides, I had a big green military truck to follow. I looked around wildly for a car or something, and my eyes quickly settled on a Royal Enfield bullet, with its keys

still in the ignition. Thank fuck for careless owners. I dashed to the bike and hopped on it, turning the key and kick-starting the hulking beast of a motor-cycle which roared to life and off I went, twisting and turning through the winding and undulating streets, going in the opposite direction of the truck, letting staccato gunfire and screams fade away into the background like white noise. Rather than blindly following the vehicle, I chose to go for the higher ground to figure out exactly where the truck was headed, and then get started with my pursuit. Falling droplets of water rode the wind and lashed against my skin, obscuring my vision and chilling me to the boat.

For a second I feared contracting pneumonia, but then realized that if I lived long enough to catch a damn cold, it would be the biggest blessing imaginable. I stopped my bike when I was satisfied with my position and began scouting for the truck after wiping my face. After spotting my target, I pulled out my phone and called Rocky. Where are you? I asked. Head in northwest, he replied, huffing.

damn these fuckers are persistent I know where they're going I said The superintendent of police Owns a vacation home up in the hills That's where they're headed Yep, I know See you there

They cut the phone I drive over the bridge that span The now raging river And cut my way through the commercial area of the town Riding past my own burnt-down restaurant And moving on to the outskirts Before entering the woods on the steep incline of the jagged peaks of the lesser Himalayans.

The thick canopy of coniferous trees somehow intensified the rain, which resembled water gushing out of a faucet as it accumulated on leaves and branches and noisily pulled down, flooding the mountainous road. I squinted to see through the black, hazy veil of water, and I pressed on. I wasn't exactly a frequent visitor to these parts of the woods, but was still faintly familiar with them, so I chose to stop at a reasonable enough distance from where I could, calculated the vacation home supposedly was. No sense in charging in and immediately being killed by

snipers. I poured the S&W revolver out, took a deep breath and began jogging up the road, sticking close to the woods. I spotted the truck about ten minutes later, sitting on the side of the road next to a slushy dirt track that curved to the left and ran up to the as-of-yet unseen house. I ducked into the woods for cover and slowed my approach. I stretched. shoes plopping in and out of the slippery and muddy ground. Soon I reached the clearing where the house was situated behind a diodah cedar tree and scanned the house in its surroundings. I suspected I couldn't see anyone.

Whoever was guarding this place was well hidden. I tried calling Rocky, but I couldn't get through to him. The house was basically a bigger than average log cabin with a slanted roof, painted a bright shade of green. I was contemplating my name. next move when a sharp crack echoed through the clearing, making me stumble to my knees as my legs trembled and gave out in fear. What the?

Did someone just shoot at me? Another gunshot followed a couple of seconds later, but then my chest vibrated. Nope, I didn't get shot. It was just my phone, but the shock was pretty much comparable. It's me, Rocky spoke through the phone. Where are you? "'Near the house. You?' "'The area is clear. Lawyer gone and come on out.'

I complied and warily walked out into the clearing, feeling extremely exposed in the open area with only the rain around me. Thankfully, Rocky came around from the other side, waving one hand to grab my attention, and carrying what looked like a long sniper rifle in the other, with a backpack slung over his shoulders. "'You got them all?' I asked loudly. yep, nine of three in the woods, took out two in the house, he replied, jerking his thumb at the cabin. I craned my neck and could vaguely make out a figure slumped against a couch inside. Where are the sacrifices? I questioned. Not here. Footprints run out the back door before disappearing a couple of metres out.

Rain washed away all tracks further out, but they're definitely in that direction. Fuck, I exclaimed. don't worry he replied i got one of them to talk there's a cave out there in the woods digs deep into the mountains that's where the treasure is shall we took us a good fifteen minutes to wade our way through the treacherous ground in the increasingly thickening woods thorny branches swung and slashed at our faces as the unrelenting rain continued to bear down on us with thunder ripping through the menacing cloud color. God, I can't even remember the last time it rained this badly, but then again it's hard to gauge the intensity of a storm when you're inside your cozy little homes. After a long and grueling journey

and an equally tiresome search, you found the cave, carved into one side of a looming wall of rock, yawning like it was the mouth of some petrified demon of yore, waiting to devour anyone foolish enough to step in. Rocky tugged up my arm as we stood in front of the gaping wound at the side of the mountain and asked me to stop. I fidgeted on my legs and wondered what he was waiting for when he pulled out a large syringe from his backpack, containing an oddly luminescent and gelatinous blue-colored substance, and injected himself with it. What the fuck is that? I asked in shock. Oh, a gift from my organization, he groaned and replied, this is what helps us take on monsters with supernatural strength.

I just filed that away for later on. No time to be worrying about such trivialities now. He once again dug around in his bag and took out a flashlight. The conical light that came out of its seem to get swallowed instantly by the oppressive darkness beyond. I gulped as I looked at Rocky and followed him into the cavern. My body would have welcomed finally getting the opportunity to dry off if it wasn't for the immense feeling of dread that crashed into it as soon as I stepped into the cave. Something was telling me to tuck tail and run away, that every step I take deeper

into this place was a step closer to a fate worse than death. Every sound that reverberated in the long and narrow passage, every putrid stench that wafted up the stale air, every shadow that flickered on the wall screamed at me to escape, but I pressed on. The loud pattering of the rain faded away to be replaced by an unsettling silence as we walked deeper and deeper into the cave. The path twisted and turned, before plunging down at such a steep angle I had to grab onto the side walls to stop myself from sliding down, and then it bent and rotated, such that we were walking in the opposite direction we'd come in, going under the mouth of the cave. Surprisingly, not once did the passage become any narrower than what it had been at the entrance.

It was almost as if some gigantic worm had dug its way around into the mountain. Every hundred meters or so along the way, Rocky would dig around in his bag and pull out some brown cuboidal packets with old Nokia phones attached to their sides and place them next to the walls here and there. Well, I didn't comment on the latter. If what the vampire had told us was right, we would need the explosives. There was a particularly cold draft rushing up at us at an astonishingly high speed that alerted us to a change in the passage. which opened up to an impossibly large clearing. Rocky put his hand up and made me stop right as we got to the edge of the clearing.

Cautiously, the two of us poked her heads out and looked at where we had ended up. It was a big open space, the size of a cricket stadium, with a wide arched roof a couple of hundred meters up, dotted the tiny holes that let rays of light and water droplets pass through. All around I could see stalactites and stalagmites, some of which had joined together to form long, spindly pillars. It was a wondrous sight, sure, but it was the wall to our front that instantly drew our attention. Hetched on the rough and towering wall opposite us were various symbols and images associated with the worship of Lord Shiva.

I shuddered as I remembered that Ravana. The ten-headed demon king was one of the greatest devotees of the Lord in his time. "'Be careful,' Rocky whispered, and continued to stay still. Something moved near the wall, before disappearing behind one of the natural pillars. My heart thudded in my chest. I recognised that figure, or the dress it was draped in, because I had personally bought it for Mom. I say it here, because that figure was too broad to have been my Mom. "'Ragav!' Rocky screeched. His voice barely above a whisper.

"'Come back!' I didn't even remember walking out into the clearing, but by the time I was alert again, I'd already reached the halfway point. From here I could see the wall clearly, and the seemingly hundreds of human bones, old and new, littering the ground close to it. My mind hadn't even registered this strange sight,

and the figure I'd seen earlier stepped out, from where it was hiding, making me scream in utmost terror. It was my mum, well, mostly. She had a long bamboo pole fixed horizontally to the back of her neck, and a nylon rope that looped around her throat and stretched to the two ends of the stick, firmly tying both of her hands to them. But that wasn't the strangest thing, however, because on each side, heads of the women who'd been picked were somehow resting on the bamboo. pole. Five on one side, four on the other. Heds that were alive, heads that were snarling angrily, with saliva coming out of their mouths in thick rivulets as blood cascaded down from where their

neck should have been. My mother, her face contorted into an expression of disbelieving horror and anguish, also had about twenty arms coming out of her sides, ripping and tearing their way out of her flesh and clashing against each other as they flailed around. Beautiful, isn't it? Came a loud and oddly happy voice, echoing off the various reflective surfaces in the space. Hundreds of years of work finally paying off. Regov! My mom cried, her voice hoarse, as if the very act of speaking was the most painful thing in

existence. Mom! I almost thought I would fail. That disembodied voice. voice again. I recognized it, especially when it was booming like this. Your hunter friend made me lose quite a bit of confidence. At the last stage, I was even forced to use women who couldn't menstruate anymore to get this done, with the Lord being very picky about only having fertile women, considering what killed him the last time. I thought it would all fall apart, but here we are,

and this time there's no wronged husband from heaven to slay him. "'Fuck you,' I swore at the mayor. "'Let my mother go. "'Let her go.' He laughed. "'I'm afraid it's far too late for that boy.' I started to get closer to mum, but her eyes widened. "'No,' she cried as multiple arms reached out towards me hungrily.

I jumped back instinctively, feeling guilty for doing so. "'Ah, she's changing,' the mayor said. "'Her body is transforming into the bird. perfect vessel for our lord. Why? Why are you doing this? I shouted, my hand clenching my gun tightly. Power, money.

You know, the usual vices, he replied. We gov, Rocky screamed from somewhere behind it. Step aside. I glanced back, and saw Rocky aiming in my direction with his rifle. No, you can't kill her.

I shouted back. We have to, he counted. while we still can step aside or i'll kill you too oh you think you can kill him that easily the mayor continued mockingly it took me three hundred years to get to this point i was a slave in zulfika khan's army when i started this drinking horse blood to survive you know how hard i've worked for this you think i would have let you come all this way if i wasn't sure of the outcome just then one of mum's heads the one furthest to the right exploded, spraying blood and chunks of flesh in all directions. I was about to accuse Rocky of shooting at her, when, with a sickening crunch of bones and tendon snapping, that head began to reform.

First the skeletal structure materialized, then the flesh and blood began flowing over it, till a new, decidedly masculine head appeared, the visage much more vicious, emanating pure evil from its bloodshot eyes. Mom screamed in fear as another head, this time to the left popped, and heard footsteps behind me,

as Rocky began moving into a position where he could get a shot off. I stood frozen, not knowing how to react to this strange sight in front of me. What should I do? How do I help Mom? Ah, there he is, the mare screamed. Get him! Chunks from pillars behind me exploded out,

the vampires opened fire on Rocky, and I heard him scream in pain as some of the bullets got through. But I wasn't paying attention to that. I was far too fixated on the fleshy blob that was my mum. Look off, she groaned. Please. What, mum? I cried. What can I do?

How can I help? Run, she whispered, as another head re-forged itself on her right, making it six demonic heads now. The bamboo snapped into two, falling off her body, but the head stayed attached somehow. Mum's body had begun to morph, too, her chest flattening and becoming more muscular as her legs thickened to the size of tree trunks. She stepped towards me, her heavy feet pounding the ground, sending shivers down my side as the thought of a crazed and murderous elephant flashed through my mind. She took another step, and I backed up, purely out of animalistic instinct of some sort of a crazed. survival. Suddenly the gun in my hand felt far too real as the prospect of using it loomed large in front of me. Rocky's gun cracked, sending a bullet through three of Mum's heads, making her real.

She shook it off, but it gave me the chance to run towards the man who had shot her as bullets whizzed past me. Rocky fired more bullets at her, the little projectiles from the 50-cow rifle, punching through the hellish body, even as the vampires tried to kill her. I turned my head away, not wanting to witness this brutal battle. No, the mayor screamed. Not both. Leave the boy alive for Ravana, unless one of you idiots wants to be food for the Lord when he wakes up. Kill the hunter instead.

The echoing gunshot stopped, and I heard skittering on the walls. They were coming to kill Rocky with their bare hands. You okay? I asked. Mom screamed, and I tried to blot out that sound. Yeah, he groaned. Just a scratch. Well, he'd taken multiple bullets, but strangely enough,

those wounds weren't bleeding quite as much as they should have. My mind went back to that injection he'd taken. What the fuck was that? Listen, he continued. We have to kill him before he takes his form, all right? Destroy the heads and shoot him in the naval. It's my mom. "'Not anymore.'

"'I can't. "'You have to,' he snapped. "'The whole world could fucking end if we don't stop that thing right here. "'Do you understand?' "'I opened my mouth to say something "'that was caught off by the vampires who yelled and charged in. "'However, Rocky met them head on, "'punching and slicing away with his knife.

"'Their movements were a refined blur, "'unnatural strength complementing the experience "'that comes with an enhanced lifespan. But Rocky more than held his own, his blades slicing away at their flesh, whittling them down, a tendon at a time. The sound of his knife as it whirred through the air and slashed at flesh and bones was oddly repulsive and yet musical at the same time. I couldn't help but think of Mozart's lacrimosa as he sliced the blood-sucking parasites to pieces.

One of them lunged at me, but I was quick on the drawer, aiming at its midsection and pulling the trigger. Rocky was right about the kickback of the S&W 500 as it made my hand jerk upwards, causing the bullet to smash into Mr. Rati's face, obliterating his skull instantly. Damn, that gun was loud. A loud scream ripped through the cacophony of the melee, and the next second mom appeared in front of us. Her body completely deformed, except for her head. Ravana was an inch away from fully reincarnated. He wasn't fully there yet. and the lack of control he had showed in his actions.

Mom's face scowled in rage as the demon began ripping apart anything they got close to him, including the hapless vampires who were ripped apart and tossed aside like ragdolls. Rocky jumped at him, but he caught him and shot him across the clearing, smashing him into the rock wall on the other end, leaving only the two of her standing. "'Mom!' I whispered, aiming the gun at her. yes her oh fuck she was still my mom

she growled and started coming towards me please don't tears streamed down my face as my finger rested on the trigger I knew I had to pull it but I just couldn't I gave up letting my hand fall to my side I had lost everything all my family was dead

if this is how it ends then let it there are worse ways to die than at your mother's hands I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable I felt a warm and rancid breath on my face but then it was gone and I heard subsequent roar sounding distant I opened my eyes and saw her climbing the rock wall pulling herself up with 20 arms

did she spare me was my mother still in their somewhere. What in the world was she doing? I got my answer the next second in the form of the anguish-filled screams of the mare, who was then slammed into the ground a short distance in front of me. His body covered in blood, and missing half its limbs. He lumbered on to his one good foot, and coughed as he saw me. I didn't hesitate at all when I fired at him. My steady hands now used to the recoil. The bullet hit him right above the nose. Punk, punched. his skull and blowing out the back half of it with the exit wound. I sighed in relief.

At least one thread had been taken care of. Killing the mare had given me some semblance of confidence, a fleeting feeling that was shattered to pieces as the demon jumped down and appeared in front of me once again. Mum was gone. Not even a trace of her was left, with all ten heads now completely demonic. Ravana was here.

I shot at him, but he caught the bullet with his teeth, and I immediately wet my pants. "'There's been so long,' he growled, his oddly smooth voice rattling my bones. "'Mom!' I cried softly. "'Mom?' he asked. Then the realization dawned on him. "'Ah, you mean this vessel?' Half a dozen hands patted his torso, before stretching. Oh, this feels good. He was cut off by a bullet which slammed into his navel, sending him reeling back.

Then more bullets came searching for his heads. Shoot him. Shoot for the heads. A weak voice from behind me called out. Holy hell. How the fuck was Rocky still alive? Rather than wasting my time contemplating the oddities of his continued survival, I focused on the task at hand and fired my remaining bullets of the halking beast. Ravana roared in pain, flailing around to dodge the bullets which kept finding their marks

until he finally killed over and fell backwards, moaning softly in pain as he continued to ride, kicking up dust in the process. A dashed to where Rocky was kneeling and fired at the king of demons. Will this be enough? Will this kill him? I asked. He shook his head. No, not even close Nothing less than a divine weapon We'll put this fucker down once again But we can trap him here

Quick, let's get the fuck out I slung his arm around my shoulder And together we hobbled out As quickly as we could Before Ravano could get back up again We walked past the carnage Back up the path we'd taken Trying to put the horror we'd just witnessed behind us

Rocky was terribly wounded But that stubborn bastard was still alive You know, I groaned, if we get out of this alive, you'll have to answer a shit ton of questions. He must have made it about halfway back when we heard Ravana again. But luckily, we'd already walked past the first C4 packet. He is hoping the roof doesn't completely come down on us. Rocky whispered as he detonated the bomb. The blast sent out a dust-riddled gust of wind, bringing the roof down with it, but miraculously

not burying us a line. God must have been watching us, or Rocky must have been one hell of a civil engineer, because we kept detonating the bombs and still somehow made it out to the surface, relatively unscathed. Physically, that is. You think that'll hold him?

I asked, as I felt the soft orange rays of the evening sun prick my skin. The thick rain clouds had finally dissipated. For a while, he admitted. Isn't that bad? "'No, because the cavalry is here.' "'I looked behind me and saw about a dozen armed men "'with trident and crescent tattoos on their foreheads come out of the bushes.

"'Oh, Rocky, you look fucked up,' said a guy who seemed to be their leader. "'Oh, Lucky, it's damn good to see you, brother,' "'Rocky said as he pulled the man into a heart. "'So, it's true, then. He's back,' luck asked. "'Rocky nodded. "'Yeah, but he's trapped down. down there. Let's make sure it stays that way, unless until we can find a way to kill him for good. Oh, we've got every freaking operative we have involved with this. We'll make sure to stay on top here.

All cave entrances in the freaking state will be sealed up. He's not getting out. Excuse me, I interrupted. What happened to the town? Ah, the vampires caused a lot of damage, but fled as soon as we showed up. Lucky answered. thank Rocky for contacting us, well, everyone would have been killed. Don't worry, we'll hunt him down. He smiled. No, more like bared his teeth like a sharp.

I didn't broach the topic of them having a traitor in their midst. Didn't seem the right time to do it. My shoulders deflated. We might have stopped the apocalypse, but my life was pretty much over. I watched as the hunter spread out, setting up camp outside the cave entrance. Hey, you handled yourself well out there.

Rocky said as he grabbed a water bottle that one of the men had tossed at him. Most people would have collapsed in fear, but you didn't. And I'm not just talking about today, but all of it, especially the intelligence gathering. Hey, he continued. Want to come work with us? Something tells me I could use the help. I looked at him with interest, before nodding slowly. And so once again, we reach the end.

of tonight's podcast. My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories and to you for taking the time to listen. Now, I'd ask one small favor of you. Wherever you get your podcast wrong, please write a few nice words and leave a five-star review as it really helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.