1. In_Darkness_Dwells


    Date: 3/11/2024, Categories: Fiction Horror, Non-Erotic, Author: Sage_of_the_Forlorn_Path

    ... pain. It began dragging itself forward, refusing to die, despite its roots gone and all of its fruit-bearing branches snapped.
    
    “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Sam climbed down the ledge and ran to Sorine. “We got to go!” He didn’t hear anything she said and hoisted her onto his shoulder once more, then took off in a run down the mountain.
    
    Behind him, Rathodor had dragged itself out of the crater. As the light of the rising sun shone upon it, its body began to burn. These were not the yellow flames of the mortal world, but the black flames of Hell. Its whole body was wrapped in a dark inferno, but the pain and injuries could not trounce the indescribable power of its hatred. It dragged itself down the mountain, sworn to kill those who had so wounded it.
    
    Sam ran as fast as he could, but he was utterly exhausted and battered from fights, old wounds, his recent fall, and everything else his body had suffered these past several days. He also had to watch his footing, as a twisted ankle or broken leg would mean death, but it was far from easy. The mountain's surface had been reshaped, with slabs of rock having risen and fallen and smashed trees everywhere. Still, he sprinted with everything he had, driven by nothing more than pure fear.
    
    Behind him, Rathodor seemed less troubled by the topography. It dragged itself over hills and ravines, smashed through stone barriers, and crushed trees like they were made of cardboard. It paid no attention to its wounds, as while Sam was driven ...
    ... by fear, the beast was driven by rage. The black flames intensified with the rising sun, resembling thick fur swaying in the breeze.
    
    “Sam! Our silver! We need to use our silver!” said Sorine, but Sam was too focused on running. “Sam! Listen to me!” she shouted while slapping him until he stopped.
    
    They had reached a flat open area, and Sam stood Sorine up, though she struggled to remain on her feet. She had lost a lot of blood, soaking both their clothes. Still, she faced the oncoming monster charging toward them.
    
    “Until this bastard is dead, I’ll stand on my own two feet, and I won’t look away,” she cursed.
    
    “One last battle,” Sam muttered as he stood beside her, the two of them feeling the sun on their backs.
    
    They removed every piece of silver they still carried, and when Rathodor was in range, they hurled them with desperate strength. After all the wounds it had suffered and was currently suffering, it didn’t seem like bits of silver would turn the tide, but they left their mark. Sam took the chain of silver scrap he wore for protection and threw it, getting it tangled in the brain tendrils between the monster’s jaws. Rathodor stopped and spasmed in agony, and when it roared, Sorine threw her silver knife and sent it down the monster’s throat.
    
    Rathodor halted its advance, shaking all over. Its strength and life were all but expended. It reached out with one arm towards Sam and Sorine, but instead of swatting at them, it kept the limb raised, as though trying ...