Into the Darkness

Shadow Bound

Two years ago, the Retribution opened to the town of Inferis and tormented thousands, in ways not one can even describe it in their nightmares.

Few weeks ago, Cassandra's friends were killed, doctors call it "mental breakdown", but she believes it to be demons. "i know it happened... It happened before... And now it happened again" said Cassandra as she browsed her wooden chest filled with her private things. Suddenly she stumbled across the book; "Exorcism, 1876", and the same Gangster's revolver. She then was shocked and she dropped both items in fear as she took a step back. The book fell and opened at the page containing an article about "Time Break", she then took the book and read it.

Time Break, one of the demon's ability, the world returns to its state in said time, but demons remain, opened seal will remain open. She then closed the book immediately, "so the Retribution really opened?" she asked to herself.

Later that day, she decided to read the newspaper. On her living room, she reads article 6, page 10. "Demon Sightings, Increased counts of claimed 'possesions' and other paranormal stuffs, after the death of three teens, namely Marvin, Katie and John two weeks ago, claimed paranormal activities started", she then went up her room to make herself comfortable.

On the corner, she was sitting quietly. She was looking at the gun she took. Few moments, she decided to read the old book, she then searched for a way to close any seal. After an hour she find the way, "Spell Breaker"; it was stated to nullify any seal, but the rest of the page is torn. 

She then called Sam, "hey Sam... You got a minute?... Can you get here?"--"oh no... Im sorry but... Alright, i'll be there"--"thank you..." , she then placed down her cellular phone.

"why...what is it?" asked Sam, they were sitting at the porch together, Cassandra then shown him the book and the gun. "what is that?" asked Sam, "these are the items we came in contact with"--"what?"--"the vison... It actually came true, your deaths... But the demon possessing me somehow turned back time... At least ours... The Retribution is still... Open" said Cassandra.

"i heard stories... About paranormal things, they said that it started with the deaths of our friends..." said Sam as he hugged Cassandra, "i wish i could do something... But i don't want to go back to that place again. When i was adopted, the nuns said that i was said to be a resident of the Inferis... The only survivor of the great fire... The government said that the fire was too much to be handled so they did nothing but let it burn till the flame dies" said Cassandra. 

Suddenly, there was an earthquake, but they realized only the house's things that were moving, not the house itself. Suddenly the place flickered from it's normal reality to a horrid one, from a clean house to a bloody one, the floor was replaced by metal gratings, the beds were teplaced by bloody operation tables, the sofa was replaced with a bloody metal bench welded to their floor, and under their floor was a gigantic swirling fire, and then after a split second, it returned. 

Sam was hugging Cassandra, with the book and the gun at her chest. "what was that?!" asked Cassandra, "i... I've seen that before... In my dreams... That...." she continued, but then it flickered again. She then got up and changed clothes from her night gown to her tank top, mini skirt, and knee-long black boots. She then opened her mother's closet and dug out her mother's 4.6x50mm submachine gun with few clips. "why?... What's happening?!" asked Sam as he stole the 10 gauge pump-shotgun Cassandra was holding. "in my dreams for the past years, I’m in that same town... After a few flickers, we change to that scary dimension, and then only after a few minutes it'll come back, but even if it's a short time, there are a lot of creatures that lurk... I think it's safe to stay at the church..." said Cassandra as she filled her bag with shells. "Alright..."--"it's not simple Sam!... Not even one bit... you won’t know fear at this realm until thousands of these … THING, were tumbling down on you. I just wished it’s just a dream too" said Cassandra as she snatch the shotgun and loads it with shells, then finally pumping it. She then placed the safety at her revolver and hung it at the back of her belt. Sam looked at her eyes and saw her fear of what she knew. Finally, the dimension broke and the place changed. She then grabbed the rusty pipe and broke it from the railing.

Screams started, sound of roars and strong ripping of flesh echoed the black sky. Upon hearing the horrid slaughters and laughter of madmen, she rushed down to her living room to grab a map and she head off. 

Outside, she saw the same flaming zombies, but with additional groups of hounds wrapped in bandages but with a burned body and decaying face. All of them were slaughtering the folks of her town, some tried to run but all ended dead, mostly torn badly, they’re barely recognizable as humans. 

She and Sam decided to climb up the building and on to the roof. At the top, some followed, but then she shot them at the head to suppress force with her Custom made pistol; a black hammer-less desert eagle like with a tubular rather than a triangular barrel 7.62mm Para with its flip-up suppressor on. And an extended magazine. "we can't be seen... it happened to me before in a dream, one alerts more" whispered Cassandra as she muffles Sam harshly with her hand as she forcefully hid their selves at the unorganized open crates dumped. 

"is it gone?" she asked herself, referring at the small flying bats, zombie with red hot blood dripping out. After they flown by, they got out and sought the whole town.

As if they were in a slaughter house, the railing, grates and almost everything was covered in both new and old dried blood. Few metals were rusted; windows of every rusted metal bloody buildings were barred and spiked, mostly shattered, they also wrapped in razor and barbed wires with rotting and fresh chunks of meat still impaled. The sky itself was pitch black, and clouds were made of condensed blood not water, the only light that sought them was from the fire of the earth's core and all the bodies of dead fed at the fire, wooden houses and dead trees were burned and the entire land was blighted. Their ears were deafened by the screams of thousand residents being murdered, torn piece by piece. 

"I don’t think a church would even have then chance to save us!" said Sam, "I’ll try to stop it!... We'll go back to Inferis!" shouted Cassandra fighting against the noisy screams. "Are you Mad!?" asked Sam, "I... Just want to end this... Whatever it may be I bet we can get clues of how to stop it..."--"how do you prefer to do that? The streets were riddled with monsters?!"--"sewers... I’m worried... Would the pipes be filled with; my guess would be human and other body parts with blood, and maybe fire..."--"should we get pipe maps first?"--"I have GPS, plus Sewer maps...".

Later they went on an alley, it has a dumpster filled with human remains, decaying, full of worms and maggots, and one could vomit with just a glimpse. They pushed the dumpster and opened the hatch to the sewers. After getting in, they plugged in the rusty plate. On the ground, they saw a river of boiling blood, with floating skeletons, organs, and meat, some skeletons has meat still attached and meat likewise, some of the organs seem to be still connected. "God... It's just disgusting..." said Sam as he follows her. Silently she walks towards her destination, with only a flashlight as the source of light.

Whispers of Doom

Later they found a dead end, but it again led them straight at the gate of Inferis. When they went upside, it was still raining blood, chunks of meat and flame at some randomized combination. She then walked inside the infernal town but Not as expected it to be.  It was riddled with non-hostile zombies; workers. Even that they saw her, they just continued moving carts filled with human remains to be delivered in some factory. They attacked but still none of them reacted, but then they kept moving. Avoiding the burned zombies as they traverse, they found a church, with lights of red coming out from the near shut windows and doors.

They heard voices of a man, as they went in. They saw towering books, on the altar was a crying man, he was yea tall, brown shaggy long hair and blue eyes, round spectacles, he was crying over a photo album, filled with pictures of him and a little girl on her pre-teen, absolutely adorable.

"Hey?" asked Cassandra as she approached the crying man. "huh?!... You startled me... Girl... What brings you to my meaty sanctuary?" asked the man with an insane way of saying it. "Wait you did this?" asked Sam as he pointed the gun at the man, and so does Cassandra. "You released all these monsters?!" asked Cassandra with anger. "what?... They look like monsters to you?!"--"oh my god!... Are you telling we..."--"oh n-n-n-n-n-n-no, im just kidding... But it's our light jokes!"--"what?..."--" I see you as a believer too I believe..." said The man, pointing at her arm. On her arm was a circle with a pentagram inside, it was colored in luminous red. She then tried to hide it with her sleeve, "who?" she asked, "well... Our cult!, our little club…" he answered, and a maniac laugh at the end.

"No!... No!... I am not one of you!" said Cassandra, The man then became serious and angry, "oh yes, yes, yes!, ye!, you are!... Otherwise this wouldn't have happened!"--"what?!..."--"yes... Few years ago the cult tried to release the demons to walk this earth, but then this! Happened, trapped on the Nightmare Realm!.. yes!... trapped I tell you!"--"Retribution..."--"yes!... When they tried to use you, they had to possess you with a demon; reverse-Exorcism, i always wished that you died that day!"--"what!..."--"yes it was you who activated the Retribution... the very first one".

"yes... I never wished for all of this... To be one of them. What made you think that i enjoyed watching innocent people get killed... Torn... Chopped... Skinned and maybe salted and deep fried by the damned Butcher!" Shouted the man. 

"what butcher?!" asked Cassandra, but then the closed metal door was chopped open. Later a six-footer sturdy built man in a butcher outfit and a metal helmet with bloody and rusted edges surgically implanted on to him. 

"Him... Y'all better run I’m not a target, so that put the both of you on his sights..." said The man with a calm voice. The abomination then pulled the two giant bloody metal axes with barb and razor wire wrapped at the blade. He then twirled the two weapons.

Cassandra then shot the unstable ceiling making it collapse at the man pinning him down, and then they rushed out. From the window.

After a few meters they looked back, and they saw the Butcher chopping through the metal wall and then later sprinting towards them. On the way, he chopped and threw the innocent zombies at the air, splattering their blood and pieces at the walls. 

After he lost them, he paused and then continued walking as he swept through the mob. Panting behind the building, they rest for a short time, horrified of what they saw. "I can't believe it!... He's like the guy on that scary console game!" said Cassandra, "Yeah but faster... If that's like the guy... Then were dead...". She then stumbled across the same man.

"over here..." he said, and then they followed. "why would you save us?" asked Sam, "Because it's only you who could save her..."--"who?" asked Sam. "His daughter..." answered Cassandra. 

Through the ghetto, they found the hospital, a black burned ruin with an eerie cloud above, and corpses impaled and hung on the tall rusty fences, few have axes and knives still impaled at their heads and other parts, but most were badly dismembered.

"The cultists hide over there..." said the man, but then the same Butcher grabbed him on the feet and raised him upside down, this he has a spear; a rusty handle but with a clean and serrated blade. They went at the street and watched the man. "no!... Go save yourselves!... Save her!" said the man, the Butcher then impaled the spear at the ground freeing his other hand, and then he tore of his skin with his bare hand with one pull revealing his muscles. As he yells in extreme pain, the sound bounces wall to wall, rendering the sound of slaughter surround. The Butcher then drove the spear at his head and pulled downwards, tearing his head from his body, and then he tear the man limb from limb, spilling his body organs and fluid, and threw the “leftovers” at them. "oh my god!..." said Sam, But then Cassandra pulled him towards the hospital to make him follow. 

The butcher then pulled his twin axes and ran towards them. They then split up to dodge the blow from the Butcher and led it crashing at the wall of the hospital. "we have to take him down!... We have to get in that place..." said Cassandra, she then pulled the spear. "are you planning to kill yourself?!" asked Sam but then she just pushed him away from the butcher's sight. Like a pro; she twirled and made a stance, "let's hope the Matrix moves works in here".

The butcher then stood up and faced her, then ran and at the same time threw his one axe. She then evaded the incoming weapon and ran head to head with man. She then ducked to dodge the swipe of the man, and then at the same time slashed his leg and then stabbed him on the back repeatedly rapidly. The man then returned attack, but then she used the spear to jump over him.

Suddenly when she was about to land behind him, he turned quickly and grabbed her on the neck suspended on the air. "Suck on this!" said Cassandra with a struggle as she took a shot with her revolver at the man's metal head. The shot penetrated through the metal shell and killed the man, as it fell he began to turn to charred ashes with still glowing parts, and as it touch the ground, it crumbled along with his axes that quickly rusts and then disintegrate.

After standing up, she took the spear and broken off the tip thus producing a dagger but eliminating the spear, the pole crumbled to ashes. Sam then went to Cassandra. "I just hope, whatever we're doing would end it all..." said Cassandra as they walk towards the hospital.

In Utter Darkness

After going in the hospital, her insignia glow and so did the hospital with the same red glow from the house they went when the first visited. Inside they saw nurses injecting black substances at the neck and other parts of men and women, and then they continue stabbing them with a scalpel. Later they bumped at the delivery room, they saw a woman with only a torso left and her legs hanging from at the ceiling, her pelvis was exposed and her organs too. Her uterus were sliced open, and the 'surgeon' was holding the dead fetal baby with its placenta still at the uterus. The doctor then squished the baby thus spilling the poor child's organs out; caring not at his cries, and then he later threw the baby with its uterus at the chopping machine beside. He then carved out her breast and then later her heart after cracking the ribcage open. He then crushed the woman's head with a sledge hammer and then threw the rest of the body along the 'chopper'. She then hugged Sam as she cries in fear. "oh God... Please save us..." said Cassandra as she hides her face under Sam's jacket.

Later, they heard screams and more insane laughter from the manic slaughter house. And then they stumbled across an elevator, bloody grates and bars, with a dirty gurney with a dead skeleton with still dripping organs in. They entered and slowly slid the dead away from the elevator cart and then they went below. While at the cart, she tucked and sat on the corner. "What really happened?" she asked herself, Sam then sat with her and hugged her tight. "Whatever it may be... It's the past... You have to let go..." he said to calm her down.

After minute the cart fell faster, and rendered them 'weightless' for a reasonable duration. And after a few seconds, they finally stopped. "oomph..." grunted Sam as Cassandra fell over him. Later they stood up and got out, the rooms suddenly changed. The hallway was splattered with blood, darkened by extreme age, rendering the whole place to a dark; pitch black darkness. She then took her handgun and activated its laser sight but detaching the suppressor. She then slid off the "hook" at the bottom of the grip downward and removed the magazine on its place at the slot and placed a new one, she then pushed the sliding slot up and cocked back the slide. Sam then took her shotgun and they went further. 

Later the dark narrow hallway, they saw faceless man, bloody and burned all over, faceless nor ears, nose or hair. Two of them, standing like a wacko spider, one at the corner between the floor and the wall and one on the metal ceiling. The two then shot two long blades from their arms  and feet from inside their body, rupturing out and spilling blood and damaging the muscles. Their heads began twitching, and their chests opened like mouth sideways with the ribs replaced with rusty sword blades. As it ruptured open, it then closed squishing and obliterating the organs inside and after reopening it spews the intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, the heart, stomach and other organs. "it them again!" shouted Cassandra, and then she took a shot as they split up. "again?!" shouted Sam from a distance, the sound bounces and goes through the grated wall, allowing them to see each other and be seen by the men chasing them. "I used to fight them in my dreams, I often break their necks, stab the brain and or throw them at the fiery pit under us!" she answered. Then one of them emerged in front of her. She then started shooting but the man came in a flash and tried to stab and slice her but then she took an 'execution' style shot; a shot at the back of its head and then killing it with a pistol. 

Suddenly she stumbled across the other man, he already pinned down Sam but as soon as he saw her, he rushed toward her. She then took shots but she was empty, as soon as she tried to get another gun, the man stabbed her at her arm making her drop all her things and then trapped her inside his cage-like body.

Lying on the corner, he whimpers in fear," why can't I do anything!?... Why is it so damn hard to at least fight for her?!" he yells at himself. He then decided to end it all, he took Cassandra's guns and then he ran towards the direction of which the man went.

At the Sacrificial Chamber, she was chained; her legs to the floor and her arms to the ceiling.

She then struggles but it wouldn’t do anything but make her bleed. 

"oh!... Sorry for the stab and cuts miss Gabrielle... You should’ve never struggled but instead submitted, after all the paradise is within our grasp, the gates only opens when the a great demon is slew and it's blood spilled at the gate" said by a woman, she was a delirious Nun, instead of crucifix is a pentagram with a face of a bull, torn and worn-out red nun outfit, she wasn't wearing a head dress so she shows her long and wavy but fuzzy hair that almost hides her half-burned face and a ruptured ,not-working eyes.

"wh-who are you?"--"oh your father did not say anything about me?, nor told you your purpose... As my undying courteous nature, I will tell you my dear child. Your father never did agree of using you few years ago, for he believes that the demon will destroy the soul and the body of her beloved daughter... Instead we preserved the soul of her dear daughter... So after we open the gate, she may come with us... now with your return, which I’m grateful for.. Give the gatekeeper my regards as you die..."

Suddenly the seal started to work, the entire place lit up like usual thing but a seal of black, and black "sludge" from her began creeping from the chains and to the room, after the room was fully covered it became pitch black, and she lost consciousness.

On her dream, she was on a gigantic holey plate, floating on top a swirling vortex of fire. Everything was dark and only the flame from below provides the light. The demon finally emerge, the same demon before"

(at this point, one may choose his or her own ending based on what he or she sought fits, the ending star point is marked with a "(*)" so one may search and immediately Jump)

(*)

She chose to fight, with the only weapon she has; a simple dagger. She took a stance as the enemy roared and readied to charge. Accepting the fact that "she's going to die one way or another" she decided to gamble with life; she charged at the demon, and the demon did too.

After dodging its first strike, she quickly turned around and slashed it from the back.  She then made an upward slash and then she jumped up and tried to stab it. The demon jumped backwards to retreat, and then it 'slapped' her overhand, tossing her at the edge. 

She then stood up concussed, but then she saw the demon charging. She then jumped away to evade thus leading the demon to the fiery pit.

She then sat on the floor to catch her breath, but then the same demon just jumped back up. It was worse; the demon was so angered; it's lips were torn out, half of its face was burned and one eye was blinded, it has multiple muscle exposed, one of its horns were broken.

Even in its berserk mode, it walked calmly towards her. She then charged, and jumped up the demon with the help of the pole, but when she was to attack, it caught her. "damn it... Why do they always catch me..." she said; as her last resort, she lifted up her dagger and then impaled the demon's head.

Suddenly she woke up on Sam's hands; he was hugging her as she lay on the floor. "Where is she?!" she asked Sam. She then stood up and took her pistols and went further, she encountered few more enemies; the Nurses, workers and the others, and she just fought them. “What’s so important with her?” he asked as he tails her, and protected her. “She may be just the one to tell me how to stop it… where I can get real answers.” She answered as she continued running and shooting.

She then found her, and she closed the door after he followed inside. The Nun then took a dagger and stabbed herself at her neck, and forcefully pushed it forward, ensuring her death. She was then stumbled of what she did, and fell at the rusty grating. "She’s dead..." said Cassandra, she then stood to crawl to the body and started poking it. Later a book fell, similar to her "Exorcism, 1976" but preserved with its pages mostly in one piece, and still looks new aside from the blood.

She then opened the book and stumbled across the same Seal that was used on her; "Porta Inferis" said the book, "leads to the passage of hell, but needs to sacrifice a maiden with a soul of an anti-demon" said by the short description. 

She then later she found the "Retribution", with further notes "portal enlarges periodically if not closed", "one soul must remain as a foundation of the portal". 

"We can't close it... What next?" Sam said, "I’m so sorry Sam..." she said as she stood up, she was crying but smiling. "i have to do this..." she said, and then a ball of light from her chest launched out and went floating on her hand. "What are you doing?!" asked Sam. "What’s right..." she said as she compresses the ball of light with her hands, and then it broke to million pieces.

As she fall on the ground, the world became flickering back, and then a moment later it came back from the way it was; they were on the hospital's basement.

Suddenly a transparent entity of a child similar to the pictures with a stuffed toy came from the dark, and then she turned into a ball of light and entered Cassandra. "Cassandra!... Wake up!" he said as he prodded her continuously, but she just kept muttering his name. Suddenly she woke up, but barely with strength. He then brushed her hair, “feel lighter..." said Cassandra, she then continued to sleep.

Sam then got out of the hospital, the streets and walls were spattered in blood, but peaceful and quiet nonetheless, and then as he carried Cassandra to the sunset, he smiled.

(*)

As she looks at the eyes of the beast, she lost hope. She then fell on her knees and cried. "what the matter?" asked the demon with a caring tone but a scary deep voice nonetheless. "aren't you happy to go to the real paradise... My sweet dear Cassandra" he said while he was lifting her. 

He then threw her a punch and she was tossed at the ground. "Please stop..." begged Cassandra but the monster just kept attacking her. 

After a few hits, she couldn't stand anymore, nor think clearly. The monster then lifted her up and he moved her closer to him; face to face. "As one suffer, many recieve comfort..." it said, but then Cassandra pulled her knife and drove it on its head killing it. 

As it falls lifeless, she does too and then as she lies on the floor, her sight darkens. "Please... I just want to end it all..." she said. 

On her wake, she found herself inside a dungeon, poorly lit by a weak fire on the torches. She found herself naked embedded inside the rock, with only her arm and shoulder and up, and her left knee free at a pitch black wall, as if she was crucified but only with large chains and shackles from the corners of the wall restraining her, she has two needles on her both arm connecting to a tube to the wall, it has dextrose flowing. She struggled to get off but she can't. Her cries were overwhelmed by her other inmates' horrifying screams. 

On the cell in front of her was Sam’s, he was chained his arms, legs and necks with spiked chains hurting him. "Cassandra... I want to... Save you!... Even... If i die!"--"no just don't!... Please... You'll suffer... Please just don't struggle... Please stop it!..." she said as she cried.

Years have passed, Sam and Cassandra never aged, Cassandra was tortured by watching Sam's endless struggle, Sam with both Cassandra's imprisonment and pain of his wounds intensifying each second, instead of dying they were blessed or cursed by eternal life, Sam lost a lot of blood but he still struggles.

-The 6th Messenger