Caleb's Point: A History

[DarKnyht]

So after my encounters that I retold last week, I spent a few days out of commission. The exertion was way more than my doctor advised and my body wasn't ready for it. I've also been tied with trying to find a job that doesn't involve doing half a mile into the ground and to educate myself on the world I find myself in.

It is in this regard, that I spend most of my evenings with the old man. He has collected quite the library over the years. I also have been learning about the old days of the town, at least as much as he knows. It was on one of the colder nights that I inquired about demon's falls.

The old man sighed, "I knew you would need to know about that damn place sooner or later, but why couldn't you wait til later. I cannot tell you all of it, as I have only been able to piece together parts. We were so damn full of ourselves that we mere mortals sought to face the horror alone."

"Back in the good days, there were about 25 of us. Pani Gorski and Durgi was around then, although Durgi was just a boy. The best of us were Micky MacInnis, George Ritter, and Diana Masterson. George was the one I mentioned could lift cars when faced with evil. Micky was a miner with a fiery temper and fiery powers. Diana... well she was the leader of our motley crew." The old man drifted a little there, then as if waking from a dream continued.

"Anyways, it was Diana's plan that we were following. We surmised that the evil in the valley originated from the caves Demon's Falls empties into. We thought that if we got rid of the evil there, we could stop the flow of evil into the valley. Actually leaving this damn place was a second thought, as we had found some happiness here that we felt we didn't have before."

"The plan was simple, first bind the evil in place. Keep the damn thing from reaching out and attacking us directly, or prevent it from running away. Second, perform a sealing ritual to lock it up for eternity. Once it was sealed, cleaning up it's minions would have been easy."

"But nothing is ever is as simple as you foolishly think it will be...."

[DarKnyht]

"All we have to do is walk in and complete the sealing ritual. If all of us go, there will be enough power for it to work and we can all go home.", Diana finished.

"You sure this thing will work?"

"What's wrong George, you aren't growing weak on us? If you are, you can stay here and I will take care of them. Come back with all the girls too I do believe," Mick said with a wink.

George scowled, "I am not scare, but I am not silly enough to just blindly walk into the pits of hell with only my faith in a talisman to protect me."

"The talisman will work, me and Diana already tested it on those things. They didn't see us until we attacked. By then it was too late," replied Dennis from the shadows in the corner.

"As long as we don't do anything aggressive, the talismans make us invisible to them. This will work George, and I am going with or without you," interjected Diana.

"The plan is simple and straightforward. Dennis has been working for months to create enough talismans for us all. We go in, perform the ritual and walk out. With the thing down there sealed, we can clean up the lose ends. This is a whole lot simpler than that thing that was hiding in the mines."

"George, you and Mic and the others with real strength will serve as guards while the rest of us perform the ritual. That will be more of a precaution than an real concern. The talisman's work."

"Now unless anyone else has a reasonable objection or alternative plan, we move on the next full moon. Those who are unwilling can stay behind."

There was some quiet murmuring, but no one objected. Diana's plans always worked. They were usually crazier than a shit-house rat, but the damn things always worked.

Me and Pani Gorski, although she was Panna Zajac back then, looked at each other and smiled. We both were eager to go, to win our freedom from this place. It was then that my predecessor walked up to me.

Brother Smith was older than everyone else, but yet he moved as if he was younger than everyone else. That said, he had chosen me to be his replacement at the church.

"You two look like you are up to no good. And Lucas, we need to get back to your lessons. There is still much that you do not understand.

With that we went our different ways. The next and last time we would all meet like that would be the day we entered the caves.

[DarKnyht]

"When the day came, all of us showed up. We put on the talismans and started the trek into the caves. The falls drop into the caves and run for no one is sure how long before coming out on or within the mountains it runs into. The caves however, snake and maze around creating quite a messy labyrinth for the adventurous type."

"Official exploration of the caves was banned a few years prior. Too many people were claimed to have drowned in the depths below. Our exploration that day was covered as a rescue attempt when one of us 'accidentally' fell in. Still amazes me how none of us saw what happened coming. Things just moved too easily."

The old man stopped to drink some coffee before continuing, "The trek took about 30 minutes of spelunking, crawling, and hiking in the cold darkness. We saw things that should would have sent saner people running. But they ignored us, it was as if were not there. But a feeling of dread slowly crept up my spine just the same."

"Pani Gorski and myself were part of the back of the pack. We mainly were there to assist Brother Smith. While I was scared shitless, he was like a kid seeing the fantastic wonders of a giant toy store for the first time. I think it was him, and not wanting to appear weak in front of Adrianna, that kept my feet moving deeper into the darkness."

"Finally we came to a stop in a large cavernous opening, and word came back that we were there. After everyone was reminded what their job was in the process, we moved into position. It was about then that a heard laughter from all around us."

He seemed to shudder at the memory of that moment. This caused him to close his eyes for a while. I almost suggested that he stop. However, before I could he looked up with great sadness in his eyes and continued, "We quickly realized that we had been led like lambs to the slaughter..."

[DarKnyht]

The creatures slowly approached, just close enough that your imagination took over and projected your nightmares. The one in a robe approached and stopped in front of Dennis, who had slowly distanced himself from us.

"You played your part well, slave."

"Master, my reward?" came the reply in a whisper.

"Yes.... Your reward. To leave this place if I recall."

Dennis nodded and stammered, "Y-y-yes, master."

The hand moved so quickly that it was as if it appeared on the other side of Dennis. The heart still beat and spit blood. The body shuddered and a whimper escaped the dying man's lips.

Most of us drew closer, but a few broke. We heard their screams cry out from the darkness.

"You cannot leave yet. The real master is approaching. He wants to feast on you. To savor your screams. To drink your despair, and to swallow your souls."

"Like hell," came a voice in challenge. The next thing I realized the creature was ablaze. It fell back screaming and writhing.

"I didn't like his ugly face anyways. Now what boss?"

"Everyone, those that can fight two groups. One to punch open the way out, the second to protect the rear. Those that heal, get to it. Everyone else, we need to know what is coming. You know the drill."

Her voice brought calm to the rest of us. We organized and struck. All I remember is the smell of sweat and blood. The gore the was slick on the floor and the fear that moved you.

No one realized it at the time because of the fighting, but a buzz began in my head. A pressure that I cannot even fully describe now. It was like oil and just a damn wrongness eating at your soul. As it pressed in, I fell and screamed.

Then everything went black...

[DarKnyht]

The old man went quiet. I couldn't take it. "What happened next?"

After a few more minutes he spoke. "I don't know for sure, I can only tell you want Pani Gorski told me when we got out."

"They picked up and carried as many of us that went down screaming. MacInnis put up a wall of fire somehow behind them and they ran. MacInnis was the first to go down, as he was leading the rear guard and always was a bit foolish. One of the horrors ripped his head off, or so I am told."

"George went back and pieced the rear back together, but for every step we progressed we paid in blood. George was eventually brought down by minor wounds and finally just grabbed a bunch of them and jumped off a ledge."

"By the time I had regained my senses, there were only 5 of us left. Diana was a bloody mess, but kept swinging the sword and punishing them. And there was another bloke, I forget his name now, but gave as good as he could using regular firearms. They dragged him screaming into the darkness, and Diana was just overwhelmed and ripped to shreds."

"We were almost to the entrance by then. It was then that the brother Smith...." He trailed off. I could see the tears and pain eating at him as he put his head down.

"You don't need to continue," I said kindly.

"But I must because you need to know," he replied back hoarsely.

"As we got to the final leg of the cave, the last climb. Brother Smith turned to us. Told us that we were stupid fools for attempting to take something like that directly, himself included. That we should never directly challenge the thing, but to find a way to indirectly combat it. Then he told us to climb."

"We protested, both of us. But he said it was the job of the old to die so that the young would have a future. Our job was to take care of each other and rebuild. Then he turned and positioned himself between us and the approaching monstrosity."

"I am not sure what he did, but there appeared a brilliant light behind us as we climbed. The monsters screamed. Brother Smith screamed. We screamed and we climbed."

"We've headed his words, and never challenged that thing directly since. But we never regained our strength from before that day. Slowly, inch by bloody inch we have lost what we gained. We found a way to seal that thing, but we have never been strong enough to attempt it. The damn thing whittles us down whenever we start to recover. It is almost like it is enjoying toying with us, like it did that day."

"But my point is, stay away from the damn falls."