“Sloth, take care of this for me, will you?”
Sloan’s entire body goes rigid. His muscles begin to shake, and I can tell he’s trying to fight off the demon’s influence. I sigh with irritation, disappointed that no one else saw the benefit of leaning into what they had to offer.
I turn back to the mirror. “It’s been a pleasure as always, Pierce.” I tap the mirror three times and watch him disappear as he bellows out my name. I roll my shoulders and crack my neck, taking time to look at myself in the mirror before I leave.
“You have him locked down, Sloth?”
“Yes, Envy.” Sloan’s voice says, sounding deeper and more menacing. I nod my head at him as I leave him to it.
I check the time on my watch. Almost time to head to the cellar. I wonder if they’ll want someone to stay up here, and knowing how little they trust me, I’m sure it won’t be me.
We gather in the living room as Garrison hands us metal bats and flashlights.
“Skye and Sloan, you two stay here and call for help if anything happens.”
He gives Skye a walkie, making sure they’re both tuned in to the same channel.
“The rest of us will go in together. We’ll stay quiet just in case there are more… whatever they are. Demon dogs? If we encounter one, Salem, do you think you can neutralize it?”
She nods. “It took a lot of power though, so if there’s more than one… you might need more than those bats to help kill it.”
“What about this?” Graham says, holding up a can of gasoline and a lighter.
“Nah, bring the bat instead. It was huge, that thing would eat you before you had time to douse it in gasoline.” Walker says.
“What’s in the backpack?” Garrison asks Graham, setting down the gasoline.
“Uh, snacks.” He answers like it’s the stupidest question he’s ever heard. “What? We don’t know how long we are going to be down there.”
Garrison just shakes his head, and Lukas chuckles smacking Graham on the shoulder.
We head to the basement, cramming into the cellar. I stand near the back, between Graham and Lukas. Walker and Salem lead the front, opening the door while we seem to hold a collective breath like this monster is going to jump out at us. When nothing but a door opening happens, we peer into the dark tunnel, noting the pungent smell that wafts into the room.
“Fuck, that’s nasty.” Lukas says, covering his nose and mouth. Several of the guys do the same. Graham makes a gagging noise like he’s about to throw up.
“Alright, Skye, close this after us. We’ll radio you when we need you to open it back up.” Garrison says.
Skye nods, and Sloan stands stoically beside her.
We walk together two at a time, flashlights and bats in hand readying for whatever awaits us in the tunnel. I don’t know how everyone looks so calm. I feel anything but calm, my stomach a riot of nerves.
Once we’re all in the door closes behind us, and my anxiety spikes. What the fuck am I doing down here? They won’t trust me after what I’ve done to them. I know Garrison wants to keep me close, keeping an eye on me, while the others barely tolerate the breath in my lungs. If anything were to happen down here, I’d be the first one they threw in the path of whatever creature may be lurking down here.
A pile of ash sits mere feet in front of the door. I don’t miss the look exchanged between Salem and Walker as they step over it.
Fuck, my whole body feels wired with nerves. My legs tremble as we get further in.
I feel a sense of unease settle deep in my bones as we walk into the darkness. Our flashlights dance over the dirt floor and the rounded ceiling that drips with condensation. The ground slopes down like we’re headed down the hill that the house sits on. There’s a plethora of bones in various states of decay lining the ground. My shoe accidentally hits one that resembles a femur. I grimace, wondering who or what that used to belong to.
“Where do you think this tunnel leads?” I hear Graham whisper to Lukas. Garrison turns around to glare, and Lukas and Graham give each other an amused look.
Walker stays close to Salem as we head even further down the tunnel. The floor becomes even steeper, and my shoes slip along the dirt. I hold onto the wall for support as the incline increases. The metal bat clangs against the wall, echoing all around us.
The group stops to stare at me, as we wait to see if anything heard us. It feels as if we’re all holding our breath.
We glance around at each other, and I can see a hint of fear in each of their eyes. I’m sure mine are showing that hint of fear as well. After hearing Salem and Walker describe the creature, I don’t feel like getting mauled alive.
Walker and Salem start walking again, we reach a clearing as the floor levels off. There are several tunnels in multiple directions. I shine my flashlight around and note the large heptagram that’s carved into the floor’s center. The room we’re standing in is circular in shape, drafty, and has piles of bones scattered around the edges.
