Hell Hole

Chapter Six: Retrograde

"What the hell?!" Parker screamed.

Her heart sank and she braced herself  as vomit filled her mouth and throat, her stomach dropping into a sinking pit.

"What the actual fuck!" She shouted at the wall, kicking the swinging door that hung to brick now.

Parker could hear the giggles of the child on the other side, she knew that this had to have been another one of the structure's secrets or riddles. This frustrated her greatly and left her completely puzzled on how to find this child.

In the midst of her panic, an overwhelming feeling of a large presence and a gust of hot air creeped up on Parker's back. She held her breath, terrified to turn around. Something was absolutely there, no doubt...but what...what could feel like this...

She mustered the courage to turn around and to her surprise...nothing. Just still hot air and ashes that aimlessly floated around. Parker became flustered and shouted out to the nothing in front of her.

"Is someone else down here?! I need help!" She shouted at the broken and decaying boards around her.

Parker began to search around the room for clues, a way out, anything at all at this point that made sense. She was used to being a detective as a journalist but never had she been sent on a treasure hunt, much less a wild goose chase for a goose that actually somehow now existed. She maneuvered around boards, collecting finely aged dust on her sweaty palms, completely becoming covered in ash, soot, and more dust.

This structure wasn't entirely damaged, it was more as if it had shifted or caved in to some degree, but the stairs were still almost completely intact. Parker walked towards the alter where the sword lay on its curved mantle, and examined closer. She leaned in to examine the carved blades made from... "Yep, that's definitely a human spine...I think..." she muttered.

She steadied her steps but slowly moved around the table, noticing a deep red and transparent mesh cloth that lay beneath the sword and covers most of the entire table. It didn't look much of anything other than a table curtain, a household decoration if you will but something about it almost vibrated to Parker. Something about it that constantly drew her closer to it the longer she looked, as if she couldn't see it properly.

Before she became too entranced with the red cloth, she got distracted. Under the table had markings. She'd never seen anything quite like it before. Indented into the board under the table was what appeared to be some kind of drawn voodoo but that was a stretch. She couldn't possibly make out the picture much less the origin. She grunted in frustration and made her way back to the foot of the stairs which faced directly in front of the alter.

She plumped down heavily on the second step and scratched her nails deep into the base of her scalp, pushing her hair back. She took a deep breath and sighed, letting the adrenaline leave her body for a moment. She realized how bad she hurt, the pain in her head was back, and she was entirely and completely sore. A small tear feel from her face as she whimpered a bit, but quickly swallowed the confusing emotions as her gaze was caught once again by the red cloth on top of the table.

A burst of absolute anger, frustration, and impulsive energy rushed over Parker as she quickly got on her feet and walked hastily to the alter. She let out a loud yell as she ripped the cloth from table, knocking the sword off its mantle and on the hard wood floors. She heard the sword make a loud thud as she tossed the red cloth, much larger than she'd anticipated, into the air. The cloth fell like a feather, lightly, wavering downwards but slowly...eerily slowly.

The cloth began to take shape, as if someone had done a magic trick and looked as if it were draped over a head, the rest now hovering aimlessly like a red grim reaper. This creature wasn't human, the skull was massive.

Parker fell backwards, stumbling onto the steps as the creature drifted towards her. She couldn't make out any real facial features, the entire face was covered almost like a red veil. The presence of this creature felt not female, nor made. But it definitely felt benevolent and Parker laid still in her tracks, pressed against the staircase as the creature stay quiet as it hovered toward her and now at a rapid pace until the brink of its nose was now face to face with her.

She held her breath, absolutely mortified.
This isn't real. This isn't real. This can't be real.
She repeated over an over to herself to no avail. She glance over at what was once one of her closest friends body mangled on the floor, closed her eyes and braced herself for whatever was coming next.

The creature began to sniff her, circling her as she whimpered quietly, holding in everything she had not to cry. She heard Xanders laughs once again and both her and the creatures heads turned towards the only door visible in the ruined structure.

"No!" She screamed at the red demon.

Finding her footing, she lunged towards the door and the creature began to ascend up, the pool of blood that surrounded James, now bursting into flames before her. The creature let out a loud, deafening scream. Again, the voice of something both feminine and masculine, something distorted, and the screams sent shivers down Parker's spine.

The screams echoed off the walls and Parker began to shout as well.
"Somebody get me out of here!" She screamed towards the top of the stairs.
The only sounds that followed were the wails and screams of the demon.

"What are you!" Parker shouted at the creature.

The creature continued to wail louder and louder as if it were crying now, but Parker had no intentions on staying to find out why. She had no empathy for this being. Everything she thought she knew, everything she thought she'd had ever felt was gone. Nothing real existed in this moment to her.

Parker attempted to cross the fire but was now met by the demon once more, hovering above the circle of blood and fire. The flames were too high, it was too hot. She stood there in defeat and stared up at the creature. It steadied its movement, now descending lower and closer to  her. She held her gaze with where she assumed the creatures veiled face would be and starred deeply in anger into whatever soul lay beneath the cloth.

"Let us go!" Parker shouted in its face.

The creature grunted at her then pulled out a dagger from what appeared to be an invisible pocket. The creature then exposed its hands, complete ivory bone as it held the dagger out, and dropped it at her feet and began to speak. It wasn't with a mouth though, the creature began talking within Parker's head.

You shouldn't have followed the child you stupid girl. It didn't have to be two. It was always one.

"I'm not leaving here without the baby." Parker said firmly.

'The portal is open now, only one can leave.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean!? Where is the baby?!" She screamed at the demon.

Safe, and he will remain safe if you choose wisely.

Parker stood puzzled, a glimmering dagger at her feet, a red crystal placed in the middle of the handle.

She heard Cami yell from the top.

"Parker can you hear me!? Please tell me you've got my baby! The cops are here and about to send down help! Please say something! I can't see you!" She shouted as she sobbed looking down the pit from the top, which revealed a dark and beautiful night sky.

Somehow, it almost appeared to be a completely different reality up there beyond the borders of the sunken structure and as much as Parker complained about her bland and boring nothing ever to do life, she was missing it like land to someone lost at sea. She missed the mundane again after this night ironically enough.

Everything she ever hated once, she now felt she belonged to and was grateful for. She looked at the dagger again and back up to the demon.

The child, or you. It's your choice.
The demon uttered.