"Alright let's." Chris froze, hesitating to move forward with so little information on what he was seeing. "Figure out how to avoid that?"
Devin watched the being, noting its aimless pathing. "It's patrolling back and forth, but it doesn't seem to even attempt to fly lower. Its eyes are also missing, maybe it's blind."
"Why won't it come in here though?" Sakuri asked as the creature stopped at the threshold of the room before turning back towards the far end of the hall and floating aimlessly away.
"Probably just a sentry. Maybe a demonic homunculus?" Chris guessed as he took the first steps into a room slick with fresher blood, the creature detecting him as soon as he did as it shot over to take a chunk out of his shoulder. Pecking at it multiple times before he managed to rip it away and crouch down. Only then did it stop its attack as he sat on the ground clenching his shoulder, making a motion to stay low with his free hand. Removing his hand from his arm he felt a flap of detached skin from underneath his coat, the open wound bed oozing blood as he pulled away the fabric of his shirt. The shoulder of the coat now showed visible damage as he took the sudden reprieve to reevaluate the situation. 'Hggg, that sucked. There's no way that thing is stronger than a common devil.'
As the others crawled slowly towards him Sakuri could be heard whimpering in fear, seeing his blood did nothing to ease her. "Are you okay?"
His shoulder stung with pain but it was the only thing he could focus on at the moment. "It's fine. I got careless and I didn't think it would've been so fast given how it hovers mindlessly."
"I don't believe that." Sakuri's hand outstretched towards the wound, the shaking in her voice becoming more prominent. "There's a lot of blood."
"That thing could have infected you with whatever toxins it might produce! I'm not buying that you're okay." Devin growled as they continued to the door of a sickly gray color, not unlike the room they sat in.
"I'm not feeling ill, I'm just hurt. I've tanked far worse." Chris said, pointing towards his eyepatch. "What's one more scar to tell my story?"
Without a word Chris reached for the round knob on the door to find it wouldn't open, scanning the room to notice an opening on the opposite end of where they entered. Chris slowly crawled his way over to the opening.
"Down the rabbit hole it is then." Devin sighed as he and Sakuri followed close behind Chris.
Now being on the opposite end of the doorway it appeared the flying creature did not follow once he stood up. Again the walls were the same sickly gray color, but a red eye shape glowed on the wall. On the ground nearby amidst the splotches of blood was an old looking brass key.
"Look! That must be the." Sakuri ran forward with no thought into the gaze of the eye, tripping the sensor that sent a thick wooden spike outward from the wall in front of them. Chris moved to pull her out of the way as the trap triggered only for it to impale both of them through the chest, completely blowing out through their backs. Spraying more gore onto the already stained room before Devin's eyes.
"Ch...sorry." Sakuri lightly mouthed as their blood coated the pillar, slowly adding more to the blood on the floor. Eventually her shaking stopped as she slumped downward against the pillar.
"Chris! Jesus Christ!" Devin shouted, running towards his dying friend. No amount of healing magic could fix wounds this grievous. "Damn it, why? Why of all things was this the thing to kill you?"
"Get. The. Key." He replied weakly as he pointed at the key before he too slumped downwards. For whatever reason, his thoughts remained as his body stayed suffering, unable to move. Truly this was Hell. 'Sakuri has been here for six years? How has she not gone mad?'
YOU ARE READING
Demonophobia
Horror'Six years ago there was an incident in the Kyoto region of Japan. A book used for demonic worship called 'The Dark Grimoire' was discovered to have been stolen, but the perpetrator was never found. Such a book was told to have the ability to summon...
