Chapter 5:

Darkness

The Descent


A light in the dark.

Hell.

I ran into the abyss without a second thought. With my flashlight off I didn’t know where I was going. The gunshots echoed into some strange mechanical distortion. What the hell was this place?

I slipped, landing against a bulging mass which I quickly hid behind. My hands reflexively covered my mouth as the footsteps came close. Warm blood ran down my shoulder, my body shivering from the pain. The pain I could only internal through the grit of my teeth.

“There’s no point in hiding anymore,” he said. His steps came to a crawl.

Am I being too loud? Damn.

The flashlight’s beam cast shadows creating the strange impression of the vast chamber. The fleshy color served as a reminder of what he proposed: The belly of the beast he called it. What a time for biblical euphemisms.

My body jerked to the sound of something. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t human. Jackson didn’t seem to notice as he inched closer.

“Why hide from the light?” he continued. “What’s in the dark always—Comes to light.”

He swung his body toward the wrong spot. Now was my chance. Tossing aside my pain, I grappled with him, hoping that I could subdue him. I pressed him against the flesh pile, but he fought hard. He knocked me over, drawing his pistol at once.

I rolled out the way as he opened fire.

Closing the gap between him and me, my leg swept him off balance. I couldn’t afford to let him get another shot. My fists swung at him before he could raise his pistol in defense. He eventually dropped the pistol, bloodied and bruised from the beating he took.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I growled. I grabbed the pistol as I stood up. His flashlight cast shadows from where we stood.

I didn’t see a slither of hate in his eyes.

“Why—”

“Because your soul is tainted,” he responded. Blood gurgled when he spoke.

“What are you on about?”

“Do you remember where we are? We’re in Vietnam! The fucking killing fields.”

“You don’t understand, do you?”

I narrowed my eyes, admittedly annoyed by his nonsense. He sat, slumping against the flesh pile. His eyes never left me once.

“What’s there to understand. You tried to kill me. You lost your fucking mind!”

“The beast is testing us—”

“Enough of the biblical bullshit! I’m getting back to them. And there ain’t a damned thing that’s gonna stop me!”

“You can’t defy what’s been set for you, Miller. There’s a void in your heart. It—collapses into you.”

My hands trembled as I drew the pistol at him.

I don’t know why I felt so much reluctance after he tried to kill me.

“Killing me,” he spoke. “It won’t bring you peace.”

“Shut—The fuck up,” I said. My finger trembled on the trigger. “But, we aren’t the only ones in here.”

The slithering sound whipped about in the darkness, drawing our intent gaze. No amount of light cast could reveal the horror that hid in the fleshy cover. Looking toward him again, I holstered the gun, begrudgingly setting aside our differences. I noticed the cold sweat running down his cheek when I extended my bloodied hand.

A hiss carried the silence, sending chills down my spine.

“A fucking snake?” I gasped.

“No—” he whispered. I caught his shaken expression through the side of my eye. “Judgment.”

“What?”

We heard panting in the distance along with a light that contrasted the abysmal setting. I narrowed my eyes in anticipation. My pistol was snatched out of my pocket when I wasn’t looking. The cocking of the gun sent a panic through me as I turned toward Jackson.

This asshole.

That young soldier emerged, bloodied and exhausted by whatever hell he’d been through. He somehow held onto his gun. Not knowing what had happened, he drew his gun at the crazed holy man. An exasperated breath escaped his lips before he spoke. Rattled as I’d expect he would.

“J—Jackson,” he raised his voice. “Put the gun down! W—what the hell is going on?”

“Maybe he can explain it,” I responded. Our eyes were locked, though I didn’t see anger within his.

“We can’t allow him to escape,” he reiterated.

“We don’t leave anyone behind!” the young soldier barked. His footsteps inched closer.

Spoken like a true boy scout.

“Enough with the bullshit, Jackson,” I said. “You're out your fucking mind.”

“No, I’m not,” he replied. His body inched against the mound behind him, keeping his attention between both of us. “There are things beyond our knowledge.”

“Striker,” I said. The boy stopped within a few yards unbeknownst to the thing hiding in the dark. “Eyes peeled. Somehow this asshole isn’t our problem.”

“What?” Striker responded.

Another hiss interrupted. It was much closer.

Everyone froze, tracking whatever it was with our eyes.

A cut through the air revealed a massive tail as we ducked. It slammed into the flesh mound before whipping back into the darkness. While the area shook violently, I tackled Jackson onto the ground, knocking the pistol away as I punched him repeatedly. My anger got the best of me as my fists were covered in his blood. By then, the quake stopped.

“S—Stop!” Striker shouted over the noise. But it was the cocking of his weapon that stopped me. “We’re getting out of this.”

“Fuck!” I grit my teeth.

“No one gets out of this,” he muttered. “The beast won’t let you.”

“By God, if you don’t shut the fuck up!”

I felt a warm hand atop my nerve-wracked shoulder. Deep breaths replaced my anxiety soon enough as I looked over my shoulder. The kid lowered his gun, relieved I stopped.

“You’re better than this!” he said. “It doesn’t matter about what you did, it matters about what you’ll do now.”

“All I want… Is to see her again,” I admitted.

“Then we get out of here. All of us.”

After a nod, I looked toward the bloodied soldier beneath me. His indifference was startling, but it wasn’t long before I remembered what lingered in the darkness.

“So,” Jackson spoke. His breathing was weak, but his question remained clear. “Where to, hm? We both know where we are, but you think we can escape.”

“What are you talking about,” Striker questioned.

“It’s simple. We’re in the belly of the beast. The only light here are the ones we carry like lost souls, like Jonah—”

“All right, enough with this,” I cut him off. “I don’t know what you smoked before we got here, but you need to get your shit together.”

“Why do you hide from the truth?”

I winced, wanting to beat the hell out of him.

“There is no truth,” I responded. “We’re all sinners, but we can’t carry that burden forever. We have to move on—”

“How would your wife feel about your infidelity? We’re all in a foreign land… Looking for something familiar. It’s all to fill a void.”

I didn’t reply. He was right. These things were slowly getting under my skin, but I’d hoped to have shed them in time. Instead, I was trapped within my own lust, looking for something. I wobbled to my feet, allowing him to stand. Fuck helping him, he’s lucky I listened to the boy. Otherwise, his skull would’ve been smashed all over the place.

Another quake rocked the cavern, but I could feel our footing falter. What the hell is going on? Soon, my body became weightless, but unlike the last time, the others fell with me. Striker squealed while Jackson grew silent, as though complacent.

I blacked out again, awakening in a similar setting.

When my eyes opened, I saw the barrel of the gun pointed at my head.

Jackson was a persistent son of a bitch.

“You could’ve killed me already,” I uttered. My voice remained stern in the face of certain death.

“I needed to make sure I actually killed you,” he replied.

“Do you know how fucking stupid you sound? Where’s Striker?”

“Over there,” he gestured to the unconscious young soldier. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I don’t want to harm him.”

“Well,” I sighed. “Take your shot already.”

“No. You haven’t repented.”

“You’re fucking kidding me?”

“It’s still around us… Lurking. Ready to strike at the chance.”

His eyes shone against the dim light. Whatever the hell he was preaching wasn’t my concern, but in those eyes something evoked madness. I glimpsed Billy again, feeling bad he got caught up. My eyes slowly trailed toward his, finding the barrel of the gun pointed at me.

“I ain’t repenting,” I uttered. The quiver of his breathing revealed his frustration, contrasting his cool demeanor throughout the ordeal.

Something slithered nearby, prompting his attention as he pointed his gun in the direction. I didn’t bother to move. I was too winded, and he wasn’t going to shoot until I confessed. What a fucked up situation to be in.

“Put it down boy,” a familiar voice echoed. We turned to see Samuel with his pistol drawn. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Sam, where did you—” words escaped my mouth, but became startled from the holy man’s sudden movement.

“Don’t move!”

“Or what?” he replied. “You’ll shoot?”

“I’ll take my shot.”

“You don’t understand what you’re doing. He can’t be allowed to live.”

“We’re all getting out of here and I’ll report you to the higher-ups.”

“If he survives, none of us get out.”

“Bullshit!”

“Then shoot me and figure it out yourself! If Abraham is correct, we all die here.”

“Abraham?” I furrowed my eyebrows. I looked toward both of them, wondering what the hell was going on. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Do you not find it strange you were brought here?” He looked around. His tone carried certainty in his words. “Especially when we knew there was no Vietcong presence here. This cave doesn’t belong here.”

“I don’t give two shits about what the point is,” Samuel replied dismissively. “It doesn’t change what I just said. He’s got a kid on the way, Jackson.”

“You’d put the world at risk for one child?”

“What the fuck is really going on here?” I asked.

“What I said before wasn’t some metaphor,” Jackson responded, looking over his shoulder. His cold gaze didn’t carry any sense of remorse.

The momentary distraction emboldened Samuel to run at him. He managed to knock the gun off his hand. Why didn’t he shoot him? While he tried to subdue Jackson, I tried to get up, but found the pain overwhelming as I stood on my feet. Their fight got violent after Samuel pistol-whipped him against his face.

Nobody paid attention to the slithering as my heart jolted.

I looked around, keeping close to the center. They fought until Jackson threw him off, grabbing the gun next to him. He didn’t hesitate once he got a clear shot of the other. After a single shot, fleshy mass flew against the mounds around us. Then, his body collapsed that revealing the gaping hole in Samuel’s face. I trembled after looking into his lifeless eyes. His blood puddled through the back of his head. My eyes snapped toward his killer, our eyes locked with conflicting feelings.

“He gave me no choice,” he took a deep breath.

“W—why?” I asked. Though my voice projected fear, he didn’t care.

“The deed must be done. No more interruptions. If you won’t repent then I hope through your dying breath, you do.”

A cold hammer cocked, echoing through the silence between us.



We're coming to an end...
And a lot of questions! What exactly is going on?
Well, that's what the last chapter is for!
It should be out in a few days. Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading! :3

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to check out my other story, By The Shores of Time!

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