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 horses of evil
In the rubble of the room, Liz shielded herself from the blast. She watched her savior's silhouette, framed by the flames that consumed the shattered bookshelves. She was eager to know who would be lurking in such a place at this time of morning. But the mysterious figure showed no interest in speaking to her. He picked up his bow from the ground and ran toward the destroyed wall, leaping nimbly through the gap and disappearing into the outside. The dark outline of the trees stood tall against the remaining darkness, and the sky, partially clouded, was painted in a deep shade of blue.
"WAIT!" Liz shouted, but the figure in green was already far out of sight.
Still in pain, she limped toward the crumbled wall. From the opening, she could no longer see either her savior or Holzmann's executioner. She knew that her pursuer was still alive and lurking somewhere in the cemetery.
Her radio crackled to life. She answered instantly, hoping to hear the voices of her comrades.
"Chris here. Are you okay?" His voice, though tired, carried a warmth that always managed to calm Liz, a reminder that even in the chaos, there were still things worth fighting for.
"Chris," Liz exhaled in relief, "you need to move, I'm—"
"You don't need to explain," Chris interrupted. "Bernard and I heard everything. The footsteps, the explosion. We're just glad to hear you're still in one piece. But... how did you manage it?" His voice betrayed a mixture of amazement and curiosity.
"It wasn't me, it was..." Liz hesitated, not really wanting to get into it. "Look, I'll tell you when we meet up. Please tell me you found an exit while I was busy running for my life."
"We tried to get to you, but the doors locked behind us too. Funny, right?" Chris chuckled dryly. "We ended up crawling through the ventilation ducts. We wanted to help you, but it looks like that won't be necessary now."
"Don't get cocky," Liz replied, still catching her breath. "This is just the beginning. Don't come looking for me; let's meet outside! As it happens, an exit just appeared in front of me," she said, glancing at the destroyed wall.
"Got it. We'll head for the front door. Over."
Liz stared down from the first floor, hesitating. It wasn't too far to jump, but she wasn't sure her battered body could handle another impact. She took a deep breath, gathered what strength she had, and jumped, twisting in mid-air to soften the fall. As she hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through her ribs. She clutched her side, hoping the damage was just a bruise and not something worse.
The sky had shifted to a deep, dark blue, and the trees in the forest were becoming clearer. Dawn was approaching. Liz inhaled deeply, though she knew that daylight wouldn't mark the end of this nightmare. Instead, it would be the start of a new chapter—one filled with terrifying, inexplicable events that she would have to confront until this whole ordeal was behind her.
