Several disappearances and unexplained events have been registered shorty after the commercialization of an ancient statue linked to some legends from a mysterious place called "Reich der Finsternis" in eastern Germany, there is no know route leadin...
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The skeleton hunters
Bernard's eyes widened in shock, struggling to grasp what had just happened. Even though he had acted in self-defense, he had killed a villager—something completely out of character for him. He had always reprimanded officers who used unnecessary violence or abused their power. He stared at the grotesque corpse, trying to convince himself that his actions had been necessary, in an attempt to absolve himself of guilt. Kneeling on the floor, he gasped, wiping away the thick, dark blood that had splattered on him. The heat of the disgusting substance on his skin made him shudder with revulsion. He took a moment to kneel and bow his head in a silent prayer to God before rising to join his partner. Liz knew well Bernard's deep Christian faith, evident in every mission they had worked on together, and how he encouraged his colleagues to seek guidance from Jesus. Ironically, his brother Jake was one of the agents most opposed to that idea. Bernard turned back to his partner, who was watching him with her arms crossed.
"I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you," Bernard said, still breathing heavily and staring in disbelief at the pale, sore-covered corpses. Liz nodded, a wry smile on her lips as she holstered her gun.
"I'm really glad to see you too," Liz replied, approaching him. "But can you explain how you ended up here? This isn't the place Max assigned you to investigate."
Still on the ground, Bernard slowly sat up. Liz noticed something was off; he was trembling and breathing heavily.
"Have you seen what these people look like?" Bernard asked, clearly shaken. "They look dead, but they move and act like demons. I don't think I've ever felt death so close."
"Neither have I," Liz admitted, observing the sores on the creatures' faces and the grayish, dry color of their skin, as if they were suffering from both anemia and leprosy.
"I was walking through the northern area and stumbled upon a village," Bernard continued, trying to steady his voice. "It was eerily quiet, and I followed the stream," he said, pointing to it with a tremor in his voice. "The place was deserted except for one person—a young man dressed like a peasant. I approached him hoping to get some information, but when he looked at me with that horrifying face, he roared and gave me a murderous glare. I swear, I've never seen anything like it, not even in my childhood..."
The agent buried his face in his hands, unable to finish his sentence. Liz sensed he was hiding something he was too embarrassed to share.
"What is it?" Liz pressed gently. "You know you can trust me, and there should be no secrets between us," she said, trying to encourage him. "Come on, it's not the first time we've faced tough situations together."
Still overwhelmed, Bernard rubbed his eyes and continued.
"I didn't have the courage!" he admitted, clutching his face. "I ran out screaming for help, but all I did was attract the others, and this is where you found me."
