The legacy of the dark blood

Chapter 05

The devils lair

The agents were slowly consumed by the anguish of uncertainty. They knew that the fact that the hunters were keeping them alive was due to a special cause. They walked with sacks on their heads and tied hands following the hunters' instructions, who guided them by hitting them with their rifles trying to intimidate them and make them understand that they would shoot them in case they tried anything. In a part of the journey they went down some stairs to an area where humidity was perceptible, as well as a smell; a subtle smell at first, but at the same time unbearable of chemical agents which, within their vague knowledge on the area, were unknown.

The hunters did not stop intimidating them with their rifles every two minutes from behind until they reached their final spot where they were mercilessly beaten against the ground, there, the sacks and the ties on their hands were removed.

They were once again met with the horrifying gazes of creatures with rotting skin and blood-colored eyes glowing in the darkness. All around them, they beheld a dungeon where a ominous darkness reigned that was slightly interrupted by a faint green light; a light that emanated from bonfires placed throughout the place, which they identified as the source of the smell. Alongside the hunters, there was another type of creature also in human form, with the same hideous skin complexion and tattered clothing. In contrast to the cruel and murderous gazes of the villagers, the faces of these humans showed a gesture of insanity mixed with macabre smiles that broke out along with lurid laughter, reflecting their lack of sanity. One of them was a slightly overweight woman and two men smiling with rotting yellowish teeth.

The demented brown-clad woman carrying a sack emitting a nauseating stench slowly approached Bernard without managing to maintain a steady gait. The woman's eyes rolled in irregular directions, like symptoms of some advanced brain tumor. Bernard's anguish grew as she showed her deep purple tongue, which she placed a few inches away from him. Bernard was making a titanic effort not to lose his sanity, until the repulsive woman grabbed him roughly by the cheeks and began to speak to him in a voice from beyond the grave.

"Was für ein Mensch haben wir den hier, haha, (What kind of person do we have here, haha)," the woman spoke in a mocking voice as she fixed her gaze on Bernard. He answered closing his eyes tightly to get rid of the terrible image.

"I don't understand you, leave me alone!" the man begged, trembling and feeling the woman's rough skin on his face.

The squinting of her eyes became more frequent. She spoke more rudely and not understanding a single one of his words contributed to the situation becoming more tense.

"deinesgleichen kenne ich nicht, so eine KOMISCHE Hautfarbe, Hast du dich nicht vermutlich ....VERBRANNT? (I don't know your kind, look at that strange skin color, Haven't you...BURNED?)" As she uttered the last word in a screaming tone, the lady quickly extracted something from her sack which she threw to the ground with extreme abruptness; a severed hand of a fresh corpse that had been ripped from the body of her victim with brutal force; Bernard recoiled in horror. Liz also failed to restrain the impulse of terror, not at the sight of the bleeding limb on the floor, but at the way the creatures dressed as convicts laughed loudly without showing the slightest composure.

Bernard tried to stand up to run away; Liz prevented him from doing so by pulling his arm and pointing to the hunters behind him. One of them abruptly interrupted the fun of the extravagant beings by lashing his whip hard against the ground and emitting a deafening cry.

"NA SCHLUSS MIT DER UNSINN! (OK, NO MORE SHIT!)," shouted the skeleton hunter, pointing to the green fires, "Zurück an die Arbeit! Die Foltern überlässt ihr uns! Also nehmt eure Scheiße und verschwindet jetzt! (Go back to your work, you leave the tortures to us, grab your shit and let's go!)"

The insane creatures feigned fear for the hunter and carried their sacks to the bonfires, which contained fresh human remains, indicating that cruel murders had recently been carried out in the surrounding areas. Those remains were placed on the green flames which, to their surprise, began to burn more intensely as if fueled by gasoline.

Liz and Bernard looked at each other a little pale with terror, in spite of this Liz made gestures indicating him that against all his inner feelings he should keep calm. The creatures dressed as pawns continued laughing loudly and without any sanity while they watched the human remains being consumed by the flames; one of them took from among them a severed foot already roasted and devoured its toes like a wild beast while the other two individuals enjoyed the scene clapping their hands.

When it seemed that the situation could not be more overwhelming, a loud footsteps resounded against the ground emitting a sound similar to that of a steel surface hitting against the concrete as if announcing the arrival of a fearsome android. The demented pawns incinerating the human remains stepped aside in terror while the hunters took up fixed positions on the spot, thus making it clear that they were preparing to receive someone. The sound of footsteps spread with increasing intensity and equal frequency, which indicated that the unknown presence was getting closer and closer and judging from all the scenes they had had to live firsthand without even having spent a day in that place, they did not know if they were physically and mentally prepared to receive what they were waiting for.

The sound of metal boots echoed from the back. There was a huge wooden door, and the deafening footsteps were joined by a sound from the top of the dungeon that was already familiar to the agents, which prompted them to scan the ceiling with a long look.

Among the highest parts were some beams on which the village inhabitants were perched, uttering frightful shrieks reciting incomprehensible phrases, apparently in expectation of witnessing some kind of spectacle that would most certainly be pleasurable to all except the agents. After being slightly distracted by the intense hateful gaze of the villagers still distinguishable from that height of just over ten feet, the noise emitted by the footsteps ceased until it reached its highest level of intensity propagating just behind them, this being the reason for the agents, still seated on the musty and damp ground to turn in the direction of the old wooden gate.

The hunters approached to open it slowly revealing the silhouette of a man of more than two meters tall, dressed entirely in black, between boots, gloves, a long cloak and a black hat whose shadow covered his entire face in a gloom in which only the intense scarlet red of his eyes could be distinguished, casting a murderous look. The man came even closer to the agents, panting with a hoarse voice and revealing his human face with a short and thick black beard. Although his skin showed no sores or traces of rot, it was dominated by a spectral pallor that matched his harrowing gaze.

The man approached again at a slow pace while another pair of skeleton hunters accompanied him. After being almost on the heels of the agents, Bernard stepped back with intense anguish still lying on the ground until he felt in his hands a sturdy steel pipe with little rust and it was then that the man's impulses prevailed over his common sense. Bernard grabbed that object and jumped up to try to assault the fellow in black with it, not remembering that the hunters down there were waiting impatiently for a reason to shoot them.

"BERNARD, NO!" Liz shouted at him trying to stop his friend's unintelligent action, although understanding also that his intention was to protect her and himself. In spite of this, it was the same giant in black who stopped the action with the greatest of ease by holding the tube in his hand without making the slightest effort, despite the force with which Bernard had directed the blow.

Bernard felt neutralized once again and it was then that he realized what a terrible mistake he had made and that he would have no chance with him. With the little energy that the overwhelming feeling of anguish left him, he directed his gaze towards the robust man, whose eyes exuded an intense hatred and desire to kill. The man roughly forced him to the ground by simply pushing the steel tube, which he bent and broke with his bare hands to reveal his terrible supernatural strength. After throwing the remains to the ground, he approached Bernard, thrust his arm violently backwards and, emitting a deafening scream, grabbed the man by the neck.

Liz watched with great concern as the man in black lifted her friend by the head and brought his face to the level of his gaze. Bernard felt the flow of air to his head being progressively interrupted as the huge man began to strangle him by pressing his thumb and forefinger against his throat.