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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The letter
The sound of demonic shrieks spread from deep within the catacombs, reverberating off every crevice in the rock walls until they faded into the void. The agents burst out in a frantic leap, half-believing they'd never see daylight again. But outside, the sky was still completely overcast, and the Forest of Doom remained shrouded in a dense gray haze. For the first time in the entire mission, Liz felt truly drained—an exhaustion that went beyond the physical. It wasn't just the relentless sprinting and the stairs; it was the constant state of heightened alertness. She was breathing heavily, struggling to catch her breath, as she bent down, resting her hands on her knees.
"I can't believe we made it," Liz panted. As she straightened up, she couldn't help but wonder how many more times they could cheat death.
"Not all of us did," Bernard murmured softly.
Without further explanation, his companions understood that he was referring to Florian's fate.
"There was nothing we could do," Chris interjected, gasping for air. He showed the crown Liz had handed him earlier and placed it in a small case. "Well, now..." He paused, scanning the area and spotting the horses a few yards away.
They hadn't expected the two entrances to be so close to each other. Bernard sighed in relief, taking one last glance at the entrance to Anneliese's deadly catacombs.
"Damn shame about the boy," Bernard lamented, holding his hands to his chest.
Liz had already experienced the loss of colleagues; she'd attended the wakes of two fellow FBI agents after dismantling a gang and had known the pain of losing loved ones. Her current assignment had taught her the frustration of being unable to save those who needed help. Yet, there was another question troubling her.
"How did you realize there was another way out?" Liz asked Chris, a puzzled look crossing her face as she rested a hand on her hip. The officer appeared equally confused. "Or better yet, how did you know it was actually an exit?"
"Intuition," Chris replied flatly, clutching the crown, clearly not wanting to delve into it further. "It was the only way out left; the rest of the paths were crawling with those things. If we didn't take a risk, we'd have gained nothing."
"We could have ended up in a much worse situation," Bernard groaned, though Chris's stern look made it clear this wasn't the time to argue.
Liz and Bernard agreed that now was not the time to dwell on what could have gone wrong. The future of the mission remained uncertain, and the last thing they could afford was to resign themselves to fate, waiting for the Forest of Doom to unveil yet another terrifying secret. The atmosphere was just as bleak as it had been before their harrowing journey through the Death March. There was no trace of life; all around them were dark spruce and oak trees casting gloomy shadows, submerging them in the gray mist. The air was thick, difficult to breathe, each exhalation producing a puff of white vapor.
