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 graveyard
Liz was sweating despite the cool night air, her frantic escape having sent her adrenaline into overdrive. In front of her, the annihilators were writhing in their final moments, spilling that dark, thick liquid that passed for their blood. The metallic stench mixed with an acidic, pungent odor unique to that substance.
She knew she had to inform her team, but the panic to stay alive had clouded her memory of the exact route she had taken. Now, she found herself in a vast cemetery, lit only by the faint moonlight glinting off the strange stones scattered among the gravestones. The pale glow wasn't the kind of light one expected to find in such a morbid place. The air was spectral, thick with death. Even in the cover of night, she could feel the weight of generations buried in this graveyard, remnants of the Reich der Finsternis.
Exhausted, and her heart finally slowing, Liz slumped down next to a marble headstone, sitting on the damp ground. She pressed a hand to her forehead in frustration, struggling to absorb what had just happened. She'd known when she took this mission that it would be tough, but now, more than ever, she wished she could wake up in her bed and realize it was all a bad dream.
As she sat there, contemplating the eerie scene, the sound of the radio cut through her thoughts. Startled but relieved, she immediately grabbed it, hoping to hear Chris or Bernard's voice.
"Liz, this is Chris. What's your status? We can't find you."
The sound of Chris's voice was like a lifeline, lifting a massive weight off her shoulders. She felt a bit of control coming back to her.
"CHRIS! Oh, thank God! Where are you guys? Are you okay?"
"We're fine, but we thought something happened to you. Any good news on your end?"
"Well," Liz replied with a sarcastic smirk, "apart from nearly getting shredded by some freaks back in the square, nothing too special. Although... now that you mention it, I did snap some photos that might tell us where Max's been hiding out."
"I like the sound of that," Chris said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "But let's talk about that face-to-face. By the way, did you say 'monsters'?"
"Yeah," Liz replied, her tone turning serious. "It looks like blood's doing something to them. If I hadn't made a run for it, I'd be in pieces by now. I escaped through the forest."
"The forest?" Chris's voice was laced with concern. "Liz, you know how dangerous that place is."
Liz rolled her eyes, standing up and brushing dirt off her pants as she collected herself.
"Chris, honestly, I don't think 'safe' is a word that applies to any place in this hellhole. But for what it's worth, I'm out of the woods now. Ended up in a cemetery."
Chris let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Alright, just stay out of trouble for once, will you? We'll figure out how to meet up without going through the forest again."
