The Ash Hollow Curse

Chapter 14: The Trap

Simon dodged the demon's lunging claws as they tore through the air, and the grotesque beast roared with a fury that shook the walls of the lair. The ground beneath Simon's feet was slick with blood, but he kept moving, his gun raised, knowing it wouldn't be enough to kill the demon. He was using it to buy time, to lure the creature into the heart of the lair where the trap would be sprung.

The room was a nightmarish tableau of gore. Strips of human flesh hung from the ceiling like twisted garlands, and the floor was littered with bones, half-chewed and broken. The demon fed on its victims here, reveling in the carnage it had wrought. The stench of rot and decay was overpowering, but Simon gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay focused.

The demon's voice, a cacophony of malevolent whispers and guttural growls, filled the room. "You are nothing, human. You think you can stop me? I have consumed the souls of countless generations. You will be no different."

But Simon knew something the demon didn't. He had read Margaret's journal again after Jared's sacrifice, and deep in the pages, he had found a single, cryptic line that had given him hope: To bind the beast, you must tether it to its origin, seal its hunger with the blood of the marked.

Jared's sacrifice had not been in vain. It had weakened the demon's hold on this world, but to finish the job, Simon had to trap the demon here, in this lair. This was its origin, its feeding ground. The blood of the marked—his blood—could bind it here, sealing the demon away forever.

He just had to survive long enough to complete the ritual.

Simon sprinted toward the far end of the lair, where a makeshift altar stood, built from the remains of the demon's victims. The symbols he had memorized from the journal were burned into his mind. He needed to carve them into the altar, using his own blood, to create the binding circle that would trap the demon.

Behind him, the demon roared, and Simon felt a rush of hot air as its claws slashed inches from his back. He dove forward, rolling across the blood-soaked ground, and fired his last few bullets into the creature. The demon screeched, staggering for a moment, giving Simon the time he needed.

He reached the altar, breathless, and grabbed a jagged piece of broken bone from the pile of remains. Without hesitation, he sliced open his palm, blood flowing freely from the wound. His heart pounded as he began to draw the binding symbols on the altar, the ancient runes glowing faintly as they absorbed his blood.

The demon, enraged by the sight, lunged at him again, faster this time. Its claws raked across Simon's back, tearing through his flesh, and he screamed in pain, collapsing onto the altar. Blood poured from the wound, but Simon forced himself to keep going. He had to finish the ritual.

The demon loomed over him now, its breath hot and rancid on the back of his neck. "You cannot win," it growled, its voice like the grinding of stones. "Your blood will feed me for eternity."

Simon's vision blurred as he scrawled the final symbol onto the altar, his fingers trembling. The pain in his back was excruciating, but he had no choice. He had to complete the ritual before the demon killed him.

With one final stroke, the last symbol was drawn, and the room erupted in light. The blood-soaked altar pulsed with energy, and the demon let out an unearthly screech as it was suddenly pulled backward, its body writhing in agony. The binding circle, now fully formed, began to drag the demon into its center, tethering it to the lair.

The demon thrashed and fought, its claws digging into the ground, but it couldn't break free. The symbols glowed brighter, and Simon, lying on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, watched as the demon's form began to blur and distort.

"You are bound!" Simon shouted, his voice hoarse but defiant. "This is where you stay!"

The demon's face twisted in rage, its eyes burning with hate as it was dragged inch by inch toward the altar. "This isn't over, human," it hissed, its voice barely audible over the roar of energy. "You will always be hunted. My kind will never stop."

And with a final, bone-shattering scream, the demon was pulled into the binding circle, its body dissolving into smoke and ash. The lair shook violently as the seal completed, the ground cracking beneath the altar, and then—silence.

Simon lay on the floor, gasping for breath, his body broken and bleeding. He had done it. The demon was bound, its hunger sealed, and the gateway was closed.

But as the silence settled over the lair, Simon knew that the demon had spoken the truth. There would always be more. The veil between worlds had been weakened, and though he had stopped this one, others would come. The Abyss was vast, and its hunger was eternal.