《Onslaught》 1 Prologue @@ It''ll be easy money they said. Hi have fun they said. Hell, if I knew this would happen I would have rabbit punched them right in their groin even before theyknocked on my door. But here I am, in a town far from civilization, stuck inside a darkened room so small I can''t even scratch my nose. And while I''m suffering in here, that "thing" is outside trying to find me. I can''t get out of here. "It" would catch my scent in a heartbeat. I can''t outrun it, not with my broken leg. Now you must be wondering, how did I get myself into this situation. Well let me start by introducing myself. My name is Edge. What, were you expecting Bob or something? Anyways Edge Clancy is my name. I''m 20 years old and I am a "professional" photographer. I dropped out of college just last year to pursue my dream job. And well it went as you would expect. I was living paycheck to paycheck doing weddings, graduations and whatnot until I was approached by weird guys in suits. They claimed that they were from some editorial office or something even though they looked like they came straight out of men in black movies. That should have been my first clue. Anyways they said they were looking for new recruits and wanted me to go to a remote town that is home to a "mysterious" creature and a cult devoted to it and investigate. That was red flag number 2. Now I was reluctant to accept it until they whipped out the checkbook. So, 5000 dollars in advance and a bunch of reassurances later I accepted. By the way this was red flag number 3. A few days later, I drove my car towards the town of Tophet. (A.N: Tophet means Hell so the protagonist actually missed a red flag.) I came armed with a camera, a torch and my mobile. I also brought along my camping and hiking gear as Tophet is surrounded by wilderness and I had a feeling I would have to go there. And boy was I right.@@ 2 Chapter 1: Road to Tophe After spending 3 days alone on the road, I finally saw signs directing me to Tophet. The town was located deep in the wilderness east of Maine. It was pretty isolated from the neighbouring towns. I did my research of the town before I left. From what I could gather the town was founded by an exiled priest and his fanatical followers soon after America was discovered. They had a peaceful relationship with the Native tribes and thus was able to live without much difficulty. However, there had always been rumours about the town. Particularly about the priest. The priest was exiled after he was suspected of necromancy and witchcraft by the Vatican but they were never able to prove it. Over the years after the town was founded, there have been several disappearances around the area. Some say it was the priest abducting more victims for his barbaric practices while others say he summoned a demon from hell which got loose and is now attacking those unfortunate enough to cross its path. At the time, I dismissed these rumours believing them to be rantings of ignorant people from primitive age. Yet I couldn''t help but feel a sense of foreboding as I got closer and closer to the town. Looking back, that was my last chance to turn around and leave. Yet I pressed on. Suddenly, my car stopped working and it stopped right at the sign saying 5 miles to Tophet. Exasperated, I came out of the car opened the hood to check the Engine. In preparation for the trip, I had checked the car multiple times before I left. Thus I shocked due to this malfunction. When Itouched the engine, I found that it was unbelievably hot and I quickly retracted my hand which is now scalded. I yelled a few obscenities as I paced back and forth before taking my water bottle and pouring it on my hand. By the time the pain subsided, my hand had already started blistering so I wrapped an old bandana around it hoping that Tophet had a pharmacy. I took out my phone and tried calling someone only to find that there was no signal which was wierd since I recalled that my phone had full bars not too long ago. I wandered around trying to get a signal when suddenly I got full bars. Curious, I took a step back and the bars disappeared. Yet when I took a step forward again, the bars returned. I scanned my surroundings. and found out that the signal only disappears when I go beyond the aforementioned sign. The same spot where my car broke down. The bars became available if I walked away from the sign towards the way I came. Almost as if the town was still stuck in the 1960s before the invention of the internet. Seeing no point in asking someone to come tow my car while I was so close to my destination, I started to take out my gear intent on walking the rest of the way. I planned on finding a mechanic in Tophet to tow my car. I don''t know why I continued towards Tophet even after all this. Was it my curiosity? Nope. Was it bacause I felt that it was my Destiny? Haha. Don''t Kid yourself. Was it the promise of a big wad of cash? Most likely. Anyways I threw my common sense out the metaphorical window much like how I took my hiking gear and a few essentials out the car. I contemplated whether or not to bring my grandfather''s hunting rifle with me as I didn''t know what prowled around in the wilderness. In the end however, I opted to only take my hunting knife storing my rifle inside the hidden compartment of the trunk. I would come regret that decision later. With my preparations now complete (more or less), I walked down the road leading to Tophet at a brisk pace. It was almost 2 o''clock in the afternoon by then so I wanted to find shelter before nightfall. My eyes wandered around the scenery until something caught my eye. It was a very old sign which was suspended from the branches of two trees on opposite sides of the road that said " Welcome to Tophet" . Reading the sign caused me to feel uneasy for some reason. I tried to dismiss these feeling as I took its picture and resumed walking. (A.N: I am open to suggestions regarding an alternate title for the story. I am not completely comfortable with "SCP Hunter". I am also open to suggestions regarding what monsters to appear in this volume. I already decided on zombies, witch/warlock and a demon. pleaseshare your opinions on how I could improve and continue this story) 3 Chapter 2: First Night. I spent the rest of the day on the road, hoping to find someone willing to give me a lift. It was now dusk yet I couldn''t find any form of shelter. As trekking at night is dangerous, I decided to set up camp near the road. I packed several cans of meat and vegetables for the trip in case of emergencies so I wasn''t worried about food.I gathered enough firewood to last the night and made a campfire to keep warm and cook my dinner. I was not worried about attracting wildlife as this area only had the occasional wolf encounter and I had experience dealing with them. After I had my dinner, I changed my clothes and sat near the campfire scrolling through the pictures I took today. Throughout the trip, I had taken several pictures of the wilderness when I got the chance. Several of them could sell for a decent sum of money. Eventually, I scrolled to the picture of the sign and a familiar uneasiness came over me. I sat staring at the sign or rather at the symbol on it. The said symbol unnerved me the most as if it meant something bad and the answer was at the back of my mind. I unconsciously took my knife and carved the symbol on the ground several times. It was as if I was in a trance. I carved the symbol several times until suddenly I heard someone call me. I looked towards the road to find 2 middle aged men waving at me from a pickup truck. I stood up before walking over to them. "You lost boy?" One of the men who was wearing a mechanic''s jumpsuit asked. "My car broke down. I was trying to reach the nearest town." I shrugged as I explained my circumstances. "So it was your car? I almost started thinking it belonged to another poacher." The man chuckled before continuing. " Well kid, we happen to be heading there ourselves. If you want we could give you a ride. I can also ask one of my boys to tow your car once we get there." See Earl''s the town mechanic. No one better than him around Tophet." The other man who was at the wheel talked added. I pondered whether or not to take their offer before nodding my head. "Excellent. Lets load your gear and get back on the road. Oh where are my manners. I''m Earl Simmons and this is my friend Roger Jones." Earl and Roger got out of the car before extending their hands. I shook their hands before replying "Nice to meet you. My name is Edge Clancy" The two men were bewildered due to my unique name before I shrugged and lead them to my camp. The two men helped me dismantle my camp before loading them onto the truck. As I was picking up my bag, I noticed the both of them staring at the carvings I made on the ground. They were whispering something but I paid them no mind. I assumed they were trying to guess what symbol it was. After everything was loaded I climbed on to the back seat of the truck while the Roger took the wheel and we drove off. "So kid, what brings you here?" Earl turned around and asked. " I''m a photographer. I got a request to take pictures of Tophet." I told a half-truth as I gazed out the window. Earl chuckled as he said "Well met. Make sure to give us a copy. But still, what were you thinking hiking around here alone. You know there are wolves around these parts right?" Earl got a little serious. "No worries. I have experience dealing with them." "I see. You know how to hunt?" "Yeah. I used to go on hunting trips with my grandfather." "You ever caught anything?" "Yep. 7 rabbits 3 deers and a bobcat. Just last year, I caught a 55 pound northern pike while fishing." "Good lad. You and Roger will get along perfect. You know he once killed 2 black with a knife." "That cannot be true." "I swear it is. Roger back me up." Roger simply shrugged before focusing on the road. "Not much of a talker is he?" "No he is not" We spent an hour making small talk until we started talking about Tophet''s urban legend. According to Earl, a demon called Inferus is said to roam around the path I arrived. Adding fact that you cannot receive a signal at that area, there were many who believed that this was true. Over the years many investigators came hoping to find Inferus. Most were unsuccessful while others simply disappeared in to the wilderness. As such the urban legend continues to this day. Eventually I started feeling drowsy so I excused myself and tried to get some rest. I slumped onto the seat while staring out the window only to find a silhouette of a man pass by. I shot up and looked behind hoping to confirm what I saw. When I didn''t see him, I asked Earl and Roger whether they saw someone. They glanced at one another before saying no and said that it might be because I was too tired. Although unnerved, I laid down. and tried to sleep. 4 Chapter 3: Welcome to Tophe I woke up to the rays of dawn the next day. Roger was asleep next to me while Earl was driving. It seems they took turn driving last night. Seeing that I was awake due to the rearview mirror, Earl passed me a thermos filled with coffee and a cup. I carefully poured myself a cup before passing the thermos back to him. We were still inside the forest and according to Earl, we will reach Tophet within an hour. The remainder of the trip mostly consisted of me and Roger talking about the hunting opportunities around Tophet until we reached the path going down the hill into the valley. Earl tapped my shoulder before pointing a finger towards something in the distance."Kid, welcome to Tophet." He said as I peered out the window. It was a quaint little town filled with brick houses none of which rise for more than 2 stories. There were no factories or high rising buildings as far as I could see. The buildings looked a little outdated but that was not strange considering that the town itself is so isolated. According to Earl around 100k residents live in Tophet. The town had the basic facilities such as a school, a hospital, a powerhouse to distribute electricity, a motel and a mechanic to repair vehicles. The rest consists of farms owned by different families as well as a few other buildings.Honestly, I thought it was a great place to stay after I retire. Earl drove to the Motel which was coincidentally 3 blocks away from the mechanic. After parking the car, Roger helped me take my stuff out the truck while Earl went inside the motel. He came out after a while with a middle-aged woman with ginger hair. The woman had a joyful smile as she received me. "Madison, this is here is Edge. He''s new I town and would like to stay a few days." Earl introduced me before he turned to me. "This here is Madison. She owns the Tophet''s best motel as well as Tophet''s best diner, Maddie''s." Earl dramatically pointed towards the woman like a hyperactive salesman. I saw Madison blush before playfully slapping Earl''s hand. "Oh stop it Earl, you are embarrassing me." Madison giggled before turning to me. I noticed a dangerous glint in her eyes as they fell on me. "Ah, such a handsome lad. We almost never have visitors these days. What brings you here?" Madison vigorously shook my hand while sporting a charming smile. Stunned, I stuttered out an answer with her shaking my hand the entire time. Eventually, Earl shook her shoulders and said "Maddie you are scaring him." Madison''s face flushed as she let go of my hand andsheepishly apologized to me. She then asked me to follow her inside the motel. The motel was what I had expected it to be. Small yet cheap but unlike other motels I stayed at, it was clean. Like 5 star hotel level clean. She led me to a room near the reception. "You can stay here for the time being. The rent is $50 per night but for you, the first night is on the house." Madison pointed to the room and gave me a bright smile. The aforementioned glint briefly appeared once again. I hid my discomfort and thanked her before stashing my stuff inside the room. The room like the rest of the hotel was very clean and only had a bed a full length mirror. It also had a bathroom complete with a shower and a sink. After having a shower I laid down on the bed and thought about the events that happened since yesterday. I still had no idea how my car broke down. I had it checked it before coming to Tophet and I was certain it was working fine. My mind also pondered about Earl and Roger. Why were they so kind to me? They gave me a ride to Tophet, and even covered my bill for this room even though we were strangers. And then there is Madison who is acting like she had been waiting for me for a long time yet I am certain I have never seen or even heard of her before. Well they said that I am the first person to visit Tophet in a long time so maybe they are being overly hospitable to me. After taking a short nap, I got out of the room wearing a grey hoodie, a pair of jeans and sneakers as well as my camera. I greeted Madison on the way out and she led me to her diner a short walk from the motel. It was now 8 in the morning and I started seeing several of the towns residents outside. It was mostly people either on their way to work or farmers who have come to the town for supplies. I spotted some children following their parents most likely on their way to school. The town square itself was dotted with various types of shops such as boutiques, salons, bars and even a gunshop. I made a mental note to visit the gunshop to stock up on hunting gears. I planned on staying in Tophet for a few days and what better way to productively spend my time than going to hunting. Eventually, we arrived at the diner. Like the rest of the town, it was best described as "quaint". There were several customers already inside including Earl and Roger. They were helping themselves with a mountain (emphasize on mountain) of pancakes (man these guys can eat) as me and Madison walked up to them. "Look who''s finally here." Earl said with his mouth full of pancakes. Madison chuckled before ushering me to the seat next to Roger. By this time, both their plates were nearly empty but lo and behold a waitress came carrying two more "mountains" of pancakes. Madison was unfazed by this as though they do this every day while my I stared wide-eyed at the duo eating like a hippo. Madison passed me the menu and I ordered a Belgian waffle since I lost my appetite for pancakes and Madison walked in to the kitchen. The next 5 minutes consisted of me staring at the two elephants in the room (Earl and Roger) finished the food enough to feed a family of five within this time. Suddenly, a slender arm placed my Belgian waffle next to me. I looked at the waitress and froze. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life. With silky, black hair, emerald green eyes, porcelain white skin, a cute button nose and a bust size of .....OW!! I was brought out of my stupor when Roger elbowed me with a silly grin. I glared at him a little before turning towards the waitress only to see that she was no longer in sight. Dejected, I turned towards Earl and Roger to see them grinning at me. " What?" I asked feigning ignorance. Earl placed his hands under his chin before saying. "Oh I don''t know, maybe it''s the fact that the girl left immediately after giving you your waffle yet you were staring at where she was standing for 2 whole minutes after she left" he finished after glancing at his watch.I blushed before proceeding to eat my waffle and Earl and Roger broke into a laugh. "What so funny?" Madison asked as she sat down next to Earl. Earl struggled to stop laughing and tried to say. "Well our mutual friend heretook one look at Kayla and froze." "Like a deer infront of headlights." Roger added as they broke into laughter again this time Madison joined in as well. Even though I was embarrassed at this point, I nonchalantly continued eating my meal. "Jokes aside, what are your plans now?"Earl asked. I shrugged. "I guess I''ll finish my business here and who knows maybe stay around for a week or 2." I replied. "Oh you never said what you were doing here exactly. Can I ask what it is?" Madison asked with a smile. I nodded as I finished the waffle. "Well you see, I was asked to collect pictures regarding an urban legend in these parts. You may have heard of lnferus correct?" The trio looked shocked as I mentioned Inferus but they regained their composure and nodded. It was Earl who spoke next. "Of course we know. Most of the sighting occur in this town. There are many areas that was said to be visited by Inferus. Actually you know what let''s go there tonight. I am sure you will pleased with the results." The tone he used made me a little suspicious but I didn''t think too much of it. "That would be awesome. I''d prefer to finish this as fast as I can." I excitedly said. "All right. meet me at the ranger station at the end of the town around 5 in the evening and I will take you there." Earl chuckled before he stood up. " Oh I sent one of my boys to fetch your car. He should be here with it by tomorrow." he added as he and Roger stepped outside the diner. I thanked Madison before leaving the diner myself. As there was still a long time before evening, I decided to explore the town to pass the time. 6 Chapter 5: Face to Faceless *Drip* "...." *Drip* "....." *Drip* My eyes twitched open to the sound of something next to me. I tried to feel my arms yet I could only feel my fingers twitching. I tried to raise my head only to feel a throbbing pain on the back of my head. Yet I slowly raised my head and blinked before closing my eyes to help clear my vision. When I opened my eyes, I was met with a horrifying scene. Mutilated body parts lay scattered around me and I was covered from head to toe with an unfamiliar words written in blood. I tried to move my hands once again only to find them chained to the wall. It was then I heard footsteps approaching. I held my breath and waited for the approaching person. A door opened in the back of the room and Madison stepped inside grinning from ear to ear followed by Kayla. She stopped a few feet away from me. "Morning sleepyhead. How was your nap?." She said in a sing song tone. I struggled to speak due to the pain but I managed ask this "Why?". Madison giggled before she started to circle around me. "Let me tell you a little story. The town that we stand on was founded by a cardinal who was exiled by the Vatican after he was suspected of witchcraft. Now they didn''t have enough proof yet so they only exiled him to quell the masses. The priest who was now vulnerable gathered his followers from all over Asia, Africa and Europe and set sail to the newly discovered America. His entourage consisted of witches and warlocks from different races and cultures. Each of whom who were brought together due to their common goals. When they had arrived the natives of this land and the colonial forces were more or less at war. So it was pretty easy for us to lay down our roots in this valley. Eventually they even allied with a native tribe who were practicing witchcraft themselves." At this point I was getting impatient as I wanted a clear answer not a history lesson. I glared at her before hissing " What does that have to do with my situation?" Madison looked at me with irritation before retorting "I''m getting to it. Calm down. Anyways the priest and his followers spent years experimenting with dark magic while the colonials and other tribes were none the wiser. The slaves brought by the Europeans provided ample amounts of lab rats for their cause. Their blood allowed us to summon a demon straight from hell to our world. It is called Inferus or the Faceless. A unique kind of demon who is an amalgamation of several species of demons. With "it" by our side they would have been nothing that could stop us from bringing the entire world to our knees. However, something went wrong with the ritual and Inferus came out with its soul splintered. This enraged Inferus and he slaughtered a lot of our my people. To atone for our mistake "it" gave us exactly 2 centuries to collect all fragments of its soul. Otherwise "it" would kill every living thing in this valley. So our people set out to recover the soul fragments and we succeeded in gathering all fragments except for one. No matter how much we searched, we could never find it and eventually we gave up and waited for our inevitable demise. Until fate led you to us. You arrived to this town like at moth to the flame with the last fragment embedded in you body a day before the deadline." Madison cupped my face as she said the last sentence. She then pulled back her hands before saying " I know it''s hard to believe but it doesn''t matter anyways. Once the clock strikes 3 at midnight, Inferus will arrive and none of it will matter anymore. Once Inferus becomes complete, our brotherhood will rise once more and the world will tremble before us." Madison started to laugh maniacally before turning to Kayla. "Clean and bandage his wound. We cannot have him die before the ritual." Madison giggled once more before leaving me with Kayla. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. I was still trying to register what had happened in my head. So I remained quiet the entire time Kayla spent bandaging my head. However, I was brought back to my senses by what happend next. Kayla brought her face close to me as she whispered. "Listen to me. The cultists will leave the cabin half an hour before the the clock strikes 12. I have hidden something for you on the shelf opposite to the fireplace." I tried to to talk before he put her hand over my mouth. "Don''t talk. Make sure you get out before "it" comes then come to the place marked on this map. I''ll be waiting there for 3 days." She then took out a piece of paper and put it inside one of my pockets. "Don''t be late or I''ll leave without you. I''ll leave one of the shackles unlocked." She then unlocked one of my shackles with a key before putting the key inside my pocket with the map before leaving the room. I wanted to escape immediately but I could still hear people outside the room. Moreover, I was still disoriented due to my wound so I stayed put. Unfortunately, it was the very same wound that caused me to doze off. I don''t know how much time passed before I woke up again. But the moment I woke up, I freed my arm before unlocking the shackle. I listened for any movement outside of the room but only got silence. I tiptoed out the room and went up the stairs. Much like how the room I was held captive was a generic horror movie sacrificial chamber room, the cabin I was in was also a generic horror movie cabin in the woods. Meaning bear rugs, creepy animal trophies, and I swear I saw I book bound in human skin, a bloody chainsaw, and a bloody machete. I attempted to turn on the chainsaw, but surprise surprise it had no juice. Instead, I took the bloody machete. I was not going to think about who or what the blood belonged to. I watched enough horror movies to know that I shouldn''t mess with the book. I then searched the shelf Kayla mentioned. She left me a double barreled shotgun. Not ideal for a stealthy escape. I searched the shelf once again for spare ammunition. There were none. So in short, she left me a large, loud double barreled shotgun with no extra ammunition to help me escape from a crazy cult. I thought for sure that I was doomed. I tried to search the rest of the house for more supplies, which in hindsight was probably not the best idea. I was so engrossed in my search that I didn''t realize that I forgot Kayla''s instruction. It was then, I heard the grandfather clock ring. I remembered what. Kayla had said and promptly ran out of the house. I didn''t make it ten feet when I heard rustling of branches and trees in the distance. Following that, I heard a soft thump. It almost sounded like a foot step only the thumps came at slightly long intervals than a regular person or even an animal should have. Then suddenly, the footsteps stopped. I stared into forest as I tried to find whatever was making the sound. But I was met with silence. Dead silence. It was then a pair of glowing crimson eyes appeared from the darkness. I wanted to run but stood frozen on the spot. It was then I saw a familiar sight. The irises of the creature was the same as the symbols I found on the board the other day. Then right Infront of me, the eyes began to divide like cells reproducing. This caused me to snap out of my trance as I began to back away towards the cabin. The eyes inturn began to multiply even more before a long appendage came out from the darkness followed but another. I realized that the creature was advancing towards me so I broke up into a sprint. An inhuman shriek from behind me as I reached the cabin. I shut the door, locked it then barricaded it with anything close by. Then I waited, shotgun aimed at the door. I held on to an unlikely scenario where the creature was simply a hallucination. I was wrong. It happened in a blink of an eye. I heard a window shatter from behind me. But before I could turn around, a scaly hand had stabbed my right leg with its claws. I shouted in pain when the hand yanked me. I fell on the floor and the arm started to drag me backwards. I tried to grab hold of whatever I could but it was of no use. Then I remembered the shotgun. I turned around and saw the creature clearly for the first time, and immediately stifled a shriek. The creatures was made of a huge mass of skinless flesh wrapped around an object in layers. And the worst part, each layer in constantly shifting like ripples on a pond when you throw a rock into it. Lastly I looked at its eyes which were also shifting their positions. So anyways, I did what anyone who had played Resident Evil would have done in my place. I aimed at its eyes pulled both triggers of the shotgun at once. Bang!! I closed my eyes on instinct just as the shotgun went off. Then, I heard loud thump in the distance and felt a wet substance on my face. The arms that had been pulling me stopped and I opened my eyes. The creature had a gaping hole where his eyes were and a black liquid was oozing from it. I rubbed my face to find that the same liquid had been splattered on to me when I shot it. A shot of pain reminded me of the creatures hold on my legs. The creature had a death grip on my wounded leg. I took the machete before promptly hacking away at the arms. It took several slashes before I managed to sever the arm. I then crawled away before inspecting my wound. Miraculously, the creature managed to avoid any major arteries so I was in no danger of bleeding to death at the moment. So I cut out piece of cloth from my shirt before wrapping it around the wound. I then limped towards the window and looked outside. I saw a chunk of flesh several meters away lying in the ground. It was the creatures eyes, or rather what remained of it. I stared at it for a while but it remained unchanged. Perhaps I had killed it.... Nope!! Several red eyes opened and they all locked on to me. Then they started to squirm and several appendages began to come out of it. At this point I limped farther into the house. I hoped that there was a back door from where I could exit. But just as I passed the kitchen, I found a better solution. The cabin had a dumbwaiter which was weird since it was a small cabin in the woods. But I didn''t think too much of it as I opened it. The bottom of the dumbwaiter was simply a wooden sheet which I removed to find the shaft. I crawled down it just as I heard a crash from outside and promptly closed it behind me. What followed was the sound of the creature shrieking and trashing the cabin while I prayed that it doesn''t find me. Which brings us here, where I''m narrating the events of the last few days to a carving I made since I had nothing better to do. Third-Person POV Edge looked at the stickman he carved on the shaft as he finished his narration. The sounds of wood breaking, glasses shattering and an inhuman shrieks can be heard in the background. 7 Chapter 6 Assaul A group of robed cultists looked towards the forest as a series of ungodly shrieks came from the direction of the cabin. They each had panic-stricken looks as they waited for Madison''s guidance. The person in question however was more distressed than the rest. Something had gone wrong. They all knew it. They had done this ritual several time but this never happened. She would have gone to the cabin if not for the Coven Mother''s explicit instructions. No one was to interfere in the Devourer''s task. Behind the woman, there was another person who was equally worried but for different reasons. Kayla couldn''t help but wonder if something went wrong with her plan. Clancy should have had enough time to escape before the Devourer arrived. She pondered whether or not to delay her departure but then decided against it. This was her last chance to escape. And she would take this chance with or without an Edge(Get it?) "Maddy, what''s going on?" Earl asked as he made his way to the front. Madison glanced at him before replying. "Something went wrong with the ritual. We''ll have to wait until morning to go there." Earl uneasily looked sideways before his eyes fell on Kayla. Then he asked. "What will we do if the worst come to pass?" Madison glanced at Kayla before whispering. "Well we still have our "contingency plan"." Unknown to them however, Kayla managed to hear their conversation. She struggled to keep a straight face as she knew what the "contingency plan" was. But she couldn''t afford be rash. There were too many cultists here. She would slip away at the first light of dawn just as planned. She would have no more chances. ... Meanwhile, Edge listened for the creature who was still in a rampage. It had now. moved into the ritual room he. was previously trapped in. He quietly climbed out of the. dumbwaiter before limping towards the exit. However, midway through it, he thought of something. He limped back into the kitchen and turned o. the gas the stove before hastily limping away. At one point however, He knocked down a glass grabbing the attention of the creature. The creature clambered up the stairs to see Edge exit the cabin. It tried to follow suit when it felt an impending sense of doom. It was at this moment the gas got ignited by the candles scattered around the cabin. It then caused a chain reaction causing a explosion that sent the monster flying out of the cabin. Edge did not look back as he limped away putting as much distance as he could from the cabin. .... Madison watched the cabin burn from the distance. It was now clear that something had gone terribly wrong. Her thoughts were now filled with what they should do now. Inferus wanted his soul tonight, so now she had no choice but to offer him Kayla as collateral, this would buy them time to hunt down Edge. Madison frantically looked around for the young girl. Seeing neither hair nor hide of her, she began to panic. "Kayla!" She called out which caught the attention of the other cultists. They themselves looked around for the girl when they felt a deathly chill. Madison as well as the other cultists were frozen in fear as they felt the presence come closer. Then she felt it. Someone''s breath fell on her neck. And she heard low growls. She slowly turned around to see the horrific monster behind her. The monster had a bony skull like head that looked human aside from the razor sharp teeth on its mouth. It had extremely long slender arms and legs with sharp claws at the end. It''s torso comprised of black tendrils that were crawling around his body like worms. This creature was one of Inferus''s acolytes. A wendigo which was given the blessing of Inferus. It is known amongst the cultists by the name of Nigrum Pallidi, the Black Ghoul. The ghoul''s lifeless pitch black eyes bore into Madison''s as the rest of the cultists scrambled to keep as much of a distance as they could. The creature let out a breath filled with black miasma which dissipated in mere moments. It then spoke in a dreadful voice. "It seems that the lord''s followers are becoming careless. The last vessel managed to escape his bonds and managed to injure the Devourer. ''He'' is very disappointed in you." Madison stammered as she respectfully lowered her gaze. "Apologies milord. This humble servant had prepared a suitable sacrifice as compensation." She then looked at the crowd, trying to find Kayla. Seeing this, the Black Ghoul let out a hoarse laugh. "You are blind child. Do you know not realise what that girl had done? Do you think that the boy could have escaped on his own?" Madison could only glare hatefully at the ground as she processed his words. She should have kept a better eye on Kayla. She really was being careless. She was about to speak when suddenly, the Black Ghoul suddenly turned his head towards the town. It then growled. "We have intruders." Madison opened her mouth to ask him to clarify when another cultist came up from the direction of the town. He was heaving as he came up to Madison. "The town is being attacked. We have already lost several blocks." He said mid heave. "Who dares attack us?" Madison howled in anger. "Soldiers. They came in full force. The 3 Apprentices are trying to push them back but they need help." "Soldiers? Is it the military?" "No they are some one else. They have mages amongst them." Madison rubbed her head in distress. Things have gone from bad to worse. If the enemy had mages, they were no normal group. She then turned to Earl. "Earl, you go ahead and assist our men in the town. Roger, I want you to find the boy or Kayla. Either one is fine with me. I''ll go to the hidden city to ask the elders for support. The rest of you, assist Earl." She then turned to walk away when suddenly, she heard the wendigo chuckle. She turned and looked at him only to see him looking intently at her. " The intruders are the least of your worries. "He" has decided that you must be punished. You have until the sun goes down tommorow . If you are unable to fend off these attackers, we are to invoke the Song of the Dead. Madison''s face paled upon his words. She had only heard rumour about this ritual. Nonetheless she knew enough that it will not end well for anyone if it is invoked. She opened her mouth to say something but the wendigo left leaving behind a group of fear stricken cultists. Madison''s hands clenched and her face was filled with rage as she looked at Earl and Roger. "I want you two to find Kayla and the boy. Bring them to me.... alive." Earl looked at her and asked. "What about you? I will take care of our guests. We cannot afford to make any mistakes. Now go!!" She yelled before walking away. The rest of the cultists except for Earl and Roger followed behind her. "Let''s go. I''ll take the girl. You take the boy." Roger said before walking into the forest. "I hope it was worth it Kayla." Earl said to himself as he started to walk into the forest himself. ....... *Back in the cabin* The corpse of the lay on the ground as the cabin caught fire. As it lay there a certain wendigo suddenly stopped next to it." Pathetic. All that power and you lost to a human." The wendigo said as he noticed a slight movement from the body. He suddenly shot forward and grabbed the devourer''s head. Several red eyes looked at the wendigo in fear as its mouth opened and bit into the devourer. The devourer tried to fight back but the fire had severely damaged him. It could only watch as the wendigo consumed it bit by bit.