Chapter 12 : Jaws of Hope
886 Words
The door sealed shut behind them in a silence so absolutely it felt like death itself. The tunnel transformed from pitch-black darkness into a maze of flickering green lights, like veins pulsing beneath living flesh. The air was thick with the scent of musk and rot, while faint whispers slid into their minds like invisible fingers.
“What do you truly desire? We will give it to you… Here, there is no death, no poverty. You will live forever.”
Sarah pressed her hands against her temples.
Sarah:
“Enough! These voices… it’s like they’re reading my thoughts!”
Adam looked around in confusion.
Adam:
“What is this place? Why do I hear my mother calling my name?!”
Fatima raised her gun toward the shadows.
Fatima:
“It’s an illusion! Don’t believe anything!”
Omar stared wide-eyed into the corner.
Omar:
“Look! It’s my uncle Sofiane… he’s still alive?!”
Fatima seized his arm and slapped him hard across the face.
Fatima:
“Wake up! Sofiane died years ago…”
Suddenly, the ghost of Mohamed appeared before Mustafa, blood dripping from his lips.
Jeros stepped back sharply.
Jeros:
“Be careful! Don’t let him touch you!”
Rayan’s voice trembled.
Rayan:
“Is that really Mohamed?!”
The apparition stretched out a hand.
Ghost Mohamed:
“Brother… why did you let me die? Was I not enough to be worth saving?”
Tears filled Mustafa’s eyes, but his voice remained steady.
Mustafa:
“You are not Mohamed. He sacrificed his honor for us. You… you are nothing but a diseased puppet.”
The ghost shattered into a spray of crimson mist.
Omar shouted toward another shadow.
Omar:
“Uncle? But you… you’ve been dead for years!”
A twisted figure emerged.
Ghost Sofiane:
“You killed me with your cowardice, Omar… and now I will take your soul.”
Fatima fired straight through it.
Fatima:
“This tunnel feeds on our memories! Control your thoughts or it will devour you!”
Without warning, the walls split open.
From within stepped creatures whose skin gleamed like polished glass, their eyes empty of pupils, their smiles cold enough to freeze blood.
The most beautiful among them approached Rayan, her voice soft as silk.
The Deceiver:
“Come… I will show you a paradise beyond imagination.”
Rayan began walking toward her in a trance.
Rayan:
“Yes… I want to see it…”
Sarah lunged forward, yanking him back violently.
Sarah:
“Listen to me! This is no paradise it is a hell that steals your soul!”
Then her own face softened strangely, and she whispered dreamily:
Sarah:
“Yes… I’ll marry you, Mustafa. Take me with you…”
Mustafa cursed, hoisted her over his shoulder, and drew his pistol.
Mustafa:
“Sister Fatima! We need a strategy before we all die!”
The Glass Transformation and the Horrific Truth
One of the creatures brushed Adam’s shoulder.
At once, his skin began to crystallize into glass.
Adam:
“My hand… it’s disappearing!”
Jeros rushed forward.
Jeros:
“Fatima! You’re in command now do something!”
Fatima pulled everyone behind a stone pillar.
Fatima:
“These creatures are called The Deceivers. They were born from the sins of those who craved immortality. They steal the Seeds of Life from their victims.”
Mustafa tightened his grip on his weapon.
Mustafa:
“How do we kill them?!”
Fatima withdrew a vial filled with blue liquid.
Fatima:
“With the Tears of the Dead… blood taken from the grave of a forgotten prophet.”
She poured it across her blade.
At once, the sword ignited in blue flame.
Omar stared in awe.
Omar:
“Mother… where did you get that?!”
Jeros lowered his head.
Jeros:
“My lady… such things should not be spoken.”
Fatima smirked.
Fatima:
“He is right. Some secrets are better left buried.”
Rayan pointed urgently ahead.
Rayan:
“There’s a passage there! Move!”
Adam looked desperately at Fatima.
Adam:
“Which way?!”
Fatima:
“Right! Now run!”
They fled through corridors pulsing like the veins of a living heart until they reached a chamber so horrific it stole the breath from their lungs.
Dozens of human bodies hung suspended by their own intestines.
And among them…
Mohamed.
He floated inside a cocoon of amber liquid, golden tubes buried into him, draining away his soul.
A screen flickered to life:
Faith Energy: 67%
Regeneration Complete In: 12 Hours
For the first time, Fatima broke.
Fatima:
“My husband… alive. But this machine is draining his soul!”
Jeros stepped from the shadows.
Jeros:
“Stop! The Scarred One intends to resurrect him as his soldier. That is the plan!”
Sarah raised the flaming sword.
Sarah:
“Then the plan ends now.”
Mustafa lunged forward to sever the tubes And the ground began to quake.
The walls split apart into rows of jagged teeth.
A deafening roar surrounded them.
“DO NOT TOUCH MY FOOD.”
They froze.
The truth crashed over them all at once.
The tunnel was no tunnel at all.
It was a colossal beast.
And they were standing inside their stomachs.
To save Mohamed…
They would have to kill the monster devouring him.
But how does one kill a mountain?
- Writer
